I

FOR THE PEOPLE

FOK EDVCATION

FOR. SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

THE IBIS,

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY.

EDITED BY

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A., Ph.D., P.R.S.,

SECRETARY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDOX,
AND

HOAVARD SAUNDERS, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

VOL. IV. 1886.
FIFTH SERIES.

Ibis avia robusta et multos vivit in annos.

LOXDON:

JOHN VAN VOORST, 1 PATERNOSTER ROW.

1886.

PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,
RED MON COURT, FLEET STREET.

PREFACE.

It will be observed that the bulk of this year's ' Ibis '
somewhat exceeds the usual dimensions of the annual
volume. This is mainly owing to the translation of
Sundevall's Essay on " The Wings of Birds," which
has been prepared in conformity with the wishes of
some of our most valued supporters. Sundevall's
paper, although issued so long ago as 1843, and twice
translated into German (Isis, 1846, pp. 324-366, and
Journ. f. Orn. 1855, pp. 118-168), seems to have
attracted so little attention in this country that, on
the subject being recently taken up again, there
appeared to be some probability that the whole work
would be commenced de novo. Under these circum-
stances it was thought desirable that this excellent
memoir should be recalled to public notice by the
issue of an English translation.

In connexion with this subject we are desirous of
calling special attention to the series of specimens
illustrative of every part of the structure of Birds
now in course of preparation for the British Museum
of Natural History, which deserves the minute study
of every Ornithologist.

. P. L. S.

H. S.

London, October 1st. 188G.

BEITISH OENITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

1886.

[An asterisk indicates an Original Member.]

Date of
Election.

1881. "William Eandal, Earl of Antrim; St. James's Palace,

London, S.W.
1885. James Eackhouse, Jun. ; "West Bank, York.

1879. Yalentine Ball, F.R.S. ; Science and Art Museum, Dublin.

1872. HANBUKr Barclay, Colonel, F.Z.S, ; Cross Oak, Great Berk-

hampstead, Herts.
5 1885. Hugh G. Barclay, F.R.G.S. ; Thorpe, Norwich.

1884. Henry E. Barnes, Lieut, ; Commissariat Department, India ;

care of Messrs. Ridgway & Sons, 2 Waterloo Place,
London, S.W.
1881. EicHAED Manliffe Barrington, LL.B, ; Fassaroe, Bray, co.
"Wicklow.

1885. Capt. E. F. Becher, E.A., F.Z.S. ; care of Eev. "W. Becher,

"Willow, N^ewark-on-Trent.
1884. Frank E. Beddard, Prosector to the Zoological Society;
9 Cleveland Terrace, Hyde Park, London, "W.
10 1875. John Biddulph, Colonel, Bengal Staff Corps.

1880. Edward Bidwell ; 1 Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street, Lon-

don, E.C.
1884. C. T. Bingham, Capt. ; Moulmein, Burmah.

1873. "W. T. Blaneord, F.R.S. &c. ; 72 Bedford Gardens, Kensing-

ton, Loudon, W.
1878. William Borrer, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Cowfold, Horsham.
15 1885. William F. Brockholes; Claughton-ou-Brock, Garstang,

Lancashire,
1870. Sir YiCTOR Brooke, Bart, ; Colebrooke, Fermanagh, Ireland.
1866. Henry Buckley, F.Z.S. ; 27 Wheeley's Eoad, Edgbaston,

Birmingham.

Date of
Election.

18G8. Thomas Edavakd Buckley, B.A., F.Z.S. ; Glenrossal, Inversbin,

Suthcrlandshire, N.B.
1872. Walter Lawry Buller, C.M.G., Sc.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., &c. ;

52 Stanhope Gardens, Queen's Gate, 8.W.
20 1884. E. A. Butler, Lieut.-Col. ; 6 Tentcrden Street, London, W.
1884. Geoffrey Fowell Buxton ; Sunny Hill, Thorpe, Norwich.

1879. TnojiAS David Gibson Carmichael ; Castlecraig, Dolphinton,

N.B., and St. John's College, Cambridge.

1884. Abel Chapman; Silkswortb Hall, Sunderland.

1882, RoisERT William Chase ; Southfield, Edgbaston Boad, Bir-
mingham.
25 1880. William Eagle Clarke, F.L.S. .: 18 Clarcmont Road, Head-
ingley, Leeds.

1876. Edward Henry Stuart, Lord Clifton, F.Z.S. ; Dumpton

Park, Ramsgate.

1880. E. H. Cooper, Lieut.-CoL ; 42 Portman Square, London, W.
1874. John Cordeaux ; Great Cotes, Ulceby, Lincolnshire.

1882. Charles B. Cory; 8 Arlington Street, Boston, Mass.,

U.S.A.
30 1882. Philip Crowley, F.Z.S. ; Waddon House, Croydon.

1877. J. J. Dalgleish ; 8 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.

1874. Charles Danford, F.Z.S. ; Conservative Club, St. James',
London, S.W.

1883. James Davidson ; 32 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh.

1884. William Ruxton Davison ; Ootacamund, South India.

35 1883. ScROPE B. Doig; Public Works Department, Ahmedabad,
Guzerat.
1880. Arthur Dowsett ; 54 Russell Street, Reading.

1865, Henry Eeles Dresser, F.L.S,, F.Z.S. ; 6 Tenterden Street,

Hanover Square, London, W., and Topclyfie Grange, Farn-
borough, Kent.
*Henry Maurice Drummond-Hay, C.M,Z,S., Lieut.-CoL, Royal
Perth Rifles ; Seggieden, Perth,

1878. W. Arthur Durnford; Tankersley, Barnsley.

40 1876. George LeC. Egerton, Lieut. R-jS",; The Lodge, Stoke Road,

Gosport.
1870. Daniel Giraud Elliot, F.R,S,E,, &c. ; New Brighton, Staten

Island, New York, U.S.A.
1884. Algernon Elliott, Assist. Com., Yeotmahl, Bcrar, India.

1866, Henrv John Elwes, F.Z,S. ; Preston, Cirencester.

Date of
Election.

1879. Arthur Humble Evans, B.A. ; Clare College, aud 9 Harvey

Eoad, Cambridge,
45 1873. H. W. Feilden, Major, r.Z.S.,C.M.Z.S.; West House, WcUs,
Norfolk.
1886. Harold Stuart Ferguson, Lieut. Nair Brigade ; Trivandrum,
Travaucore, and 17 Albion Street, Hyde Park.

1884. Henry Ogg Forbes, F.Z.S. ; Rubislaw Den, Aberdeen.

1880. William Foster ; The HiU, Witley, Surrey.

1865. llev. Henry Elliott Fox, M.A. ; 12 South Bailey, Durham.
50 1881. Percy Evans Freke ; Rosemount, Dundrum, co, Dublin.

1881. Hans Gadow, Ph.D. ; The New Museums, Cambridge.
1886. The Earl of Gainsborough ; Junior United Service Club,

S.W.

1885. Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Bart. ; Thirkleby Park, Thirsk.
1879. Ernest Gibson ; 17 Maytield Gardens, Edinburgh.

55 ^Frederick DuCane Godman, F.ll.S,, &c. ; 10 Chandos Street,

Cavendish Square, London, W.
*Percy Sanden Gobman, B.A., C.M.Z.S. ; Muntham,
Horsham.
1874. H. H. Godwin-Austen, Lieut. -Col., F.E.S., &c. ; Junior
United Service Club.

1884. J. G. GooDCHiLD ; 28 Jermyn Street, London, S.W.

1886. William Graham ; Manor House, Craj-ford, Kent.

60 1871. Eobert Gray, F.E..S.E., F.S.A.S. ; Bank of Scotland House,
Bank Street, Edinburgh.
1878. Henry Grey, Bengal Staff Corps ; care of Messrs. Grindlay & Co.

1885. F. H. H. Guillemabd, M.D. ; Eltham, Kent.

1876. Albert C. L. G. GUnther, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., &c. ; Keeper

of the Zoological Department, British Museum of Natural
History, London, S.W.
*JoHN Henry Gurney, F.Z.S, ; Northrepps Hall, Norwich.
65 1870. John Henry Gurney, Jun,, F.Z,S, ; Hill House, Northrepps,
Norwich.

1886. Edavard Hamilton, M.D., F,L,S. ; 40 Portugal Street, May-

fair, London, W.

1877. Edward W. Harcourt, M.P. ; Nuneham Park, Abingdon.
1883. Lewis Vernon Harcourt ; 7 Grafton Street, London, W.
1876. H. C. Harford, 99th Regiment ; 2 Eldon Villa, Granada

Road, Southsea.
^Q 1877. E. Hargitt, F.Z.S. ; 1 Bedford Road, Bedford Park, Chiswick.

VIU

Date of
Election.

1868. James Edmund Haetino, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 6 Oxford aud Cam-
bridge Mansions, London, N.W.
1873. JonNA.HAEYiE-BEOAVN,F.Z.S.; DunipaceHouse,Larbert,N.B.
18G8. Rev. Herbeet S. Hawkins, M.A. ; Beyton Rectory, Suffolk.
1875. J. C. Hele ; Knowles, Newton- Abbot.
75 1884. C. J. HoLDSwoETH ; Wilmslow, Cheshire.

1877. E. W. H. HoLDswoETn, E.Z.S. ; 84 Clifton HiU, St. John's

Wood, London, N.W.
1881. Robert James Howard ; Blackburn, Lancashire.

*WiLFEiD Hudleston Hudlesxon, M.A., E.Z.S. ; Oatlands
Park, Weybridge.
1879. Baron A. ton Hugel ; Cambridge.
8o 1869. Allan Octavian Hume, C.B. ; Simla, India.

1870. Hedworth Htlton, Lord Hylton; Merstham, Red Hill,

Surrey.
1870. Leonard Howaed L. Ieby, Lieut.-Col., F.Z.S. ; Army and

Navy Club, Pall Mall, London, S.W.
1886. Haeey Beekeley James, F.Z.S. ; Aldridge, Walsall.
1884. H. Heyavood Jones, F.Z.S. ; Larkhill, West Derby, Liver-
pool.
85 1880. Heney Robeet Kelham, Capt. 74th Highlanders ; Barracks,
Hamilton, N.B.
1874. Alexander W. M. Clark Kennedy, Capt., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ;

Henbury, Wimborne, Dorset.
1882. Philip M. Keemode; Seabridge Cottage, Ramsey, Isle of Man.
*Aethur Edwaed Knox, M.A., F.L.S,, F.Z.S. ; Dale Park,
Arundel, Sussex.
1882. Rev. Edw. Ponsonby Knubley, M.A.; Stavely Rectory, Leeds.
90 1884. Heebeet Langton ; 115 Queen's Road, Brighton.
1881. Hon. Gerald Lascelles; Queen's House, Lyndhurst.
1885. Geoege Lawson, C.B. ; 36 Craven Hill Gardens, Hyde Park,

London, W.
1876. Vincent Legge, Lieut.-Col., R.A. ; Commandant's Office,

Hobart Town, Tasmania.
1868. Hamon Le Steange, F.Z.S. ; Hunstanton Hall, King's Lynn,
Norfolk.
95 1875. Paget Waltee Le Steange, Lieut.-Col. Royal Artillery;
Secunderabad, Deccan, India.
188G. Harold Littledale, B.A. &c. ; Vico-Principal, The College,
Barodu.

IX

Date of

Election.

*Thoiias Ltttleton, Lord Lilfoed, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. ; Lilford
Hall, Ouudle, and G Tentordeii Street, Loudon, W.

1874. John Hates Lloyd, Major, F.Z.S.; 30 Pulteney Gardens,

Bath.

1877. J. LuMSDEJT, Jun. ; Ardcn House, Alexandria, N.B.

loo 1886. Rev. Hugh Alexandek Macpheeson ; 3 Keiisiugton Gardens
Square, W.

1875. Joh:n^ Wingfield Malcolm; 7 Stanhope Street, Mayiair,

London, W.

1878. Henry Stacy Marks, R.A., F.Z.S. ; 17 Hamilton Terrace,

St. John's AYood, London, N.W.
1870. C. H. T. Marshall, Major, F.Z.S. ; Superintendent, Chumba
State, via Dalhousie, India.

1885. John Marshall, F.L.S. ; Belmont, Taunton.

105 1878. Eev. Murray A. Matheav, M.A., F.L.S. ; Stone Hall, Wolf's
Castle, Pembrokeshire.
1883. Edmund Gustayus Bloomfield Meade-Waldo; Hope Hill,
Lymington, Hants.

1886. John Guille Milla.is, F.Z.S. ; 2 Palace Gate, Kensington,

W.

1879. Frederick Shaw Mitchell ; Clitheroe, Lancashire.

1864. Alexander Goodman More, F.L.S., &c. ; Science and Art
Museum, Dublin.
no 1886. George MuiRHEAD ; Paxton, Berwick-on-Tweed.

1885. Edward Xeale ; 6 Tenterden Street, Loudon, W.

.1882. Thomas Hudson Nelson ; North Bondgate, Bishop Auckland,
Durham.

1876. HughNevill; Newton Villa, Godalming.

1872. Francis D'Arcy \yiLLiAM Clough Newcome ; Fcltwcll Hall,
Brandon, Suffolk.
115 *Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S.; Professor of Zoology

in the University of Cambridge.
*Edward Newton, M.A., C.M.G., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S.; Lowestoft.

1886. Howard Hill John Nicholls, M.R.C.S. ; The Moat, East-

bourne.
1876. Francis Nicholson, F.Z.S. ; Oakfield, Ashley Rd., Altrincham.
1882. Eugene "William Gates ; 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover
Square, London, "W.
120 *Sir John W. P. Campbell-Orde, Bart., F.Z.S., late Captain,

42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ; Kilmory House, Loch
Gilp Head, Argyllshire, N.B.

Date of

Election.

1883. Henet Paeker, C.E. ; Public Works Department, Ceylon.
1880. Thomas Paekin, M.A,, F.Z.8. ; Halton, near Hastings.

1884. R. L. Patteeson, F.L.S. ; Croft House, Holywood, co.

Down.
1886. E. Cambeidge Phillips ; The Elms, Brecon.
125 1886. E. LoET Phillips ; 22 Bolton Street, Piccadilly, W.
1883. Thomas Matee Pike, M.A. ; Westport, Wareham.
1880. Charles Matthew Peioe ; The Avenue, Bedford, and Trinity

Hall, Cambridge.

1872. R.G.WaedlawEamsay, Major, r.Z.S.; WhitehiU, IloseweU,

N.B.
1879. Herbert Evelyn Rawson, F.Z.S. ; St. Stephen's Club, S.W.
130 1877. Savile G. Beid, Capt. R.E. ; Ashridgewood, Wokingham.

1873. Sir Oliver Beatjch.\mp Covebtey St. John, Colonel R.E. ;

care of Messrs. H. S. King & Co., 45 Pall Mall, London,
S.W.
1883. William Heebeet St. Quintin; Scampstofi Hall, Rillington,
Yorkshire.
*Osbeet Salvin, M.A., F.R.S., &c.; 10 Chandos Street, Lon-
don, W., and Hawksfold, Fernhurst, Haslemere.

1870. Howard. Saundees, E.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. ; 7 Radnor Place,

Hyde Park, London, W.
135 *PniLip Ltjtley Sclatee, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. ; 44 Elvas-

ton Place, Queen's Gate, London, S.W.
1881. J. Scully, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; care of Messrs. H. S. King & Co.,

45 Pall Mall, London, S.W.
1873. Heney Seebohm, F.Z.S. ; 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover

Square, W., and 22 Courtfield Gardens, London, S.W.

1871. RicHAED BowDLEE Shaepe, F.L.S. , F.Z.S. ; Senior Assistant,

Zoological Department, British Museum of Natural History,

London, S.W.
1886. William Caestaies Shaw; Bank of Madras, Ootacamund,

Nilgiris.
140 1870. G. Eenest Shelley, F.Z.S., late Captain, Grenadier Guards;

0 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, London, W.
1865. Rev. Chaeles William Shepherd, M.A., F.Z.S.; Trotters-

clitfe Rectory, Maidstone, Kent.

1881. F. B. Simson; Broom Hill, Spratton, Northampton.

1882. Rev. Henry H. Slater, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Irchestcr Vicarage,

Wellingboro', Northampton.

Date of

Election.

1878. George Monlaw Slaughter, Brigade-Surgeon ; Farningham,
Kent.
145 1864. Eev. Alfred Charles Smith, M.A. ; Yatesbury Rectory,
Calne, Wiltshire.

1874. Cecil Smith, F.Z.S. ; Lydeard House, Taunton, Somersetshire.

1881. Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. ; 10 The Crescent, Chapel Field,

Norwich.

1875. A. C. Stark ; 1 Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh.

18G4. Henry Stevenson, F.L.S. ; 22 Unthank's Road, Norwich.
150 1881. Egbert Wright SruDDT, Major 63rd Regiment, India ; care
of E. W. H. Holdsworth, 84 Clifton Hill, St. John's AVood,
London, N.W.

1882. Charles Swinhoe, Lieut.-Col., Bombay Staff Corps, Commis-

sariat Department, Poena, Bombay.
1884. W. C. Tait ; Oporto.

*Edward Cavendish Taxlor, M.A,, F.Z.S. ; 74 Jerinyn Street,
London, S.W.
1864. George Cavendish Taylor, F.Z.S. ; 42 Elvaston Place,
Queen's Gate, London, S.W.
155 1873. William Bernhard Tegetmeier, F.Z.S. ; Finchley, Middlesex.
1886. Horace A. Terry, Lieut. 43rd Light Infantry; India.

*Rev. Henry Baker Tristram, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., &c.,
Canon of Durham; The College, Durham.
1864. Henry Morris Upcher, F.Z.S. ; Sheringham Hall, Norfolk,

and Feltwell Hall, Brandon.
1881. WiLLOUGHBY Verner, Capt. Royal Rifle Brigade; 13 Bryan-
ston Square, W.
160 1884. A. S. Vesey; 3 Campden Villas, Barnes, S.W.

1886. H. D. Wade-Dalton, Major Middlesex Regiment ; Aldershot.

1881. Thomas, Lord Walsingham, F.Z.S. ; Eaton House, Eaton

Square, London, S.W., and Merton Hall, Thetford, Norfolk,

1874. Charles Bygrave Wharton, F.Z.S. ; Hounsdowu, Totton,

Hants.
1878. Henry Thornton Wharton, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 39 St. George's

Road, Abbey Road, London, N.AV.
jgr 1884. Joseph Whitaker, F.Z.S.; Rain worth Lodge, Mansfield, Notts.
1871. E. Perceval Wright, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., Professor of Botany

in the University of Dublin.

1875. Charles A. Wright, F.Z.S.; Kayhough House, Kew-Gardcns,

Kew.

Date of
Election.

187G. Clattde W. Wyatt ; Adderbury, Banbury.
1878. John Young, F.Z.S. ; G4 Hereford lload, Westboiirne Grove,
London, W.
170 1877. J. H. Yule, Capt., Devon Regiment; Jullundur, Bengal.

Extra- Onlinaru Member.

1860. Alfred Russel Wallace, F.Z.S. ; Nutwood Cottage, Prith
Hill, Godalming.

Honorary Memhers.

1886. Thomas Atres ; Potcbefstroom, Transvaal.

1860. Professor Spencer Pullerton Baird, Secretary to the Smith-
sonian Institution, WasJiington, D.C.

1860. Doctor Eduard Baluamus, Moritzwinger, No, 7, Halle.

1860. Doctor Jean Cabanis, Erster Gustos am koniglichen Museum
der Priedrich-Wilhelm's Uuiversitat zu Berlin.

1870. Doctor Otto Pinsch, Bremen, •

1880. Heinrich Gatke, C.M.Z.S., Secretary to the Government of
Heligoland .

1860. Doctor Gustav Hartlaub, Bremen.

1860. Edgar Leopold Layard, C.M.G., P.Z.S., H.B.M. Consul, iVeit-
Caledonia.

1869. August von Pelzeln, Gustos am k.-k. zoologisehen Gabinete
in Wien.

Foreign Memhers.

1872. Prof. J. V. Barboza du Bocage, Royal Museum, Lisbon.
1875. Hans, Graf von Beelepsch, Miinden, Hannover.

1880. Louis Bureau, M.D., Ecolo de medccine, Nantes.

1873. Robert Collett, Zoological Museum, Cliristiania.

1872. Doctor Elliott Goues, Smithsonian Institution, Washing-
ton, D. C.

1875. Marchese Giacomo Doria, Genoa.

1 872. Doctor Victor Patio, Geneva.

1872. Doctor Henry Hillyer Giglioli, Royal Institute of Superior
Studies, Florence.

Date of
Election.

1872. George N. Lawrence, New York.
lo 1872. Baron De Selys Longchamps, LUge.

1866. Doctor JuLitrs ton Madaeasz, National Museum, Buda-

Pesth.
1872. Doctor A. J. Malmgren, Helsingfors.
1883. Prof. Othniel Charles Marsh, Yale College, Newliaven,

U.S.A.
1881. Doctor Adolph Bernard Meter, Director of tlie Eoyal
Museum, Dresden.
15 1872. Doctor A. von Middendorff, Dorpat.

1872. Prof. Alphonse Milne-Edwards, Jardin des Plantes, Patois.
1881. Colonel N. Prejevalsky, Academy of Science and Art, St.

Petersburg.
1872. Prof. GusTAT Radde, Tijlis.

1880. Robert Ridgway, C.M.Z.S., Smithsonian Institution, Wash-
ington, D.C.
20 1872. Count Tommaso Salvador!, Zoological Museum, Turin.

CONTENTS OF VOL. IV.— FIFTH SERIES.

(1886.)

Ntjmber XIII., January.

Page

I. On two now Species of Birds from New Ireland. By 0.
FiNscH, Ph.D., H.M.B.O.U. (Plate I.) 1

II. On a new African Pigeon of the Genus Tijmpanistria.

By Dr. G. Hartlaub 2

III. On the Nest and Eggs of Swainson's Warbler (Helonrea
swahisoni). By William Brewster 4

IV. On the Birds of Aden and the Neighbourhood. By
Major J. W. YERBURr, R.A. With Notes by R. Bowdler
Sharpe, F.L.S. &c. (Plate II.) 11

V. Notes on the Birds of the Upper Engadine. By Henry
Seebohm 24

VI. On Lanius excuhitor and Lanius major. By Robert
COLLETT 30

VII. On the Species of the Genus Plotus and their Distribu-
tion. By H. B. Tristram, D.D., F.R.S. (Plate III.) . . .41

VIII. On the Wren of St. KUda. By H. E. Dressee,
F.Z.S 43

IX. Notes from Northern Iceland in the Summer of 1885.

By Henry H. Slatek and Thomas Carter 45

XVI CONTEXTS.

Page

X. On some interesting Additions to the Avifauna of Bu-
caramani^a, U.S. of Colombia, By Ha.ns von Berlepsch,
(Plate IV.) 53

XI. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely
in British Guiana. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.ll.S., &c.
(Continued.) 57

XII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

1. 'The Auk' 7S

2. Berlepsch and Jhering on South-Brazilian Birds . . 7!>

3. Blasius on Collections in the Mark and Pomcrania . 80

4. Blasius on Collections in Sweden and Norway . . , 80

5. Biittikofer on Liberian Birds 80

G. Biittikofer on Olareola megapoda 81

7. Cazin on Plotus indano(j aster 81

8. Dixon on Evolution without Natural Selection . . 81

9. Evans on some Scottish Birds 82

10. Forbcs's Scientific Papers 83

11. Gadow on the Anatomy of Birds 84

12. Giglioli on the Ornithological Congress iit Vienna . 84

13. Kirk on Variations in New-Zealand Birds .... 85

14. Kirk on the Eastern Golden Plover 8'!

15. LansdeU's ' Central Asia ' 8!)

16. Lilford's ' British Birds ' 80

17. Milne-Edwards and Oustalet on the Birds of (jrand

Comoro 87

18. Oustalet on the Ornithological Congress of Vienna . 88

19. 'Ornis' 90

20. Ramsay on new Birds from New Guinea .... 90

21. Ilamsay on a new Australian Colly riocincla .... 90

22. Iloischek on New-Zealand Ornithology 90

23. Uidgway on certain DendroeccB 91

24. Ridgway on the Nomenclature of some North- American

Birds 91

25. Salvador! and Giglioli on new Woodpeckers ... 92

26. Seebohm's ' British Birds and their Eggs ' .... 92

27. Sharpc and Wyatt on the Hirundinidai 90

28. Waterhousc on the Dates of Publication of Gould's

Works 97

29. Zoltschrift fiir die gosammte Ornithologie .... 97

CONTENTS. XVll

Page
XIII. J .ers, Anv acements, &c. : —

Letters from Mr. J. E. Hartiug and Mr. W. Eagle Clarke ;
The Birds of Corea ; Quails near Chipping Norton ; Progress
of Mr, H. 0. Forbes ; Nesting of Batmcliostomus ; News from
Diego Garcia ; New Ornithological Works in Progress . , . 98

Number XIV., April.

XIV. On a new Species of Barbet of the Genus Trachyplionus.

By Dr. G, Hartlattb, (Plate V,) 105

XV. Notes on Woodpeckers, — No. XI, On a new Species
from Arizona. By Edward Hargitt, F.Z.S 112

XVI. A Eeview of the Species of the Genus Cursorius. By
Henry Seebohm 115

XVII. A Eeview of the Species of the Genus Scolopax. By
Henry Seebohm 122

XVIII. Descriptions of two new Birds from Tibet. By Dr.
Julius von Madarasz 145

XIX. On the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Wings. By P. L.
Scla-ter, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S 147

XX. On some Papuan, Moluccan, and Sulu Birds. By T.
Salvadori, C.M.Z.S 151

XXI. Contributions to the Ornithology of the Philippine
Islands. — No. 2. On Additional Collections of Birds. By E. G.
Wardlaw Eamsay, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U 155

XXII. On a Collection of Birds from the vicinity of Muscat.
By E. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S. , &c., Zoological Depart-
ment, British Museum of Natural History. (Plate VI.) . . 162

XXIII. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely
in British Guiana. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.E.S., &c.
(Continued.) ' 168

XXIV. Notes from Ceylon. By H. Parker, F.Z.S, , , .182

SER, V. — VOL. IV. b

XVIU CONTENTS.

Page

XXV. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

30. Adrianof on the Birds of North- western Mongolia . 1 88

31. 'The Auk' 189

32. Barnes on the Birds of the Bombay Presidency . . 190

33. Beckham on some Kentucky Birds 190

34. Blomefield's ' Reminiscences of Selby ' 191

35. Booth on British Birds 191

36. Canadian Eecord of Science . 192

37. Cory's New List of West-Indian Birds 192

38. Dalgleish on the Birds of Culross and TuUiallan . . 192

39. Des Murs on- European Birds 193

40. Finsch and Meyer on new Paradise-birds . . . .193

41. Giglioli and Manzella on Italian Birds 194

42. Gould's 'Birds of New Guinea' 194

43. Lawrence on Birds from Yucatan 195

44. Murdoch on the Birds of Point Barrow 195

45. Menzbier on the Posthumous "Works of Severtzoff . 197

46. ' The Naturalist ' 198

47. Newton's Memoir of the late John Scales . . . .199

48. Olphe-Galliard on the Birds of Western Europe . . 200

49. Palacky on the Distribution of Birds 200

50. Sharpe and Wyatt on the Hirundinidse 201

51. Smithsonian Report for 1883 201

52. Stejneger on the Birds of the Commander Islands and

Kamtschatka 201

53. Taczanowski's ' Ornithology of Peru ' 202

XXVI. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Mr. W. Davison, Dr. Gadow, Dr. Giinther, and
Mr. W. E. Brooks ; Science in Indiana ; The Abundance of
Quails last year; The Generic Term SimorJiyncJius; The Wings
of Birds ; The British Association Migration Committee ; Habits
of the Rufous-backed Humming-bird {Selasjpliorus rufus)', New
Birds from Celebes ; New and Recent Expeditions .... 203

Number XV., Jidy.

Page

XXVII. Further Notes on Phylloscopus horealis in Norway.

By Egbert Collett, F.M.B.O.U 217

XXVIII. A Keview of the Species of the Genus Himantopus.

By Heitry Seebohm 224

XXIX. On some new Paradise-birds. By 0. Finsch and

A. B. Meyer. (Plato VII.) 237

XXX. Description of a new Ground-finch from Western
Peru. By P. L. Sclaier, M.A., Ph.D., F.E.S. (Plate VIII.) 258

XXXI. Notes on Woodpeckers. — No. XII. On the Genua
ChrysoiMegma. By Edward Hargitt, F.Z.S 260

XXXII. Additional Notes on the Ornithology of the
Transvaal. By Thomas Ayres. (Communicated by John
Henry Gurney.) 282

XXXIII. Note on Kiener's Hawk-eagle. By Samuel Bligh.
(Communicated by John Henry Gurney.) 299

XXXIV. On the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Wings. By

P. L. ScLATER, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S 300

XXXV. A Eeview of the Species of the Family Phceidce
of the Ethiopian Eegion. By Captain G. E. Shelley, F.Z.S. —
Part I. Viduince. (Plate IX.) 301

XXXVI. Additional Notes on the Genus Acanihis. By

W. Edwin Brooks 359

XXXVII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

54. Annals of the Natural-History Museum of Vienna . 364

55. Bennett on Birds breeding in New South Wales . . 365

56. W. Blasius on measuring Birds' Skeletons .... 365

57. W. Blasius on the Birds of Prey of Cochabamba . . 365

58. W. Blasius on Birds from Cochabamba 365

59. Boeck on the Birds of Cochabamba 366

60. Dresser's Monograph of the Bee-eaters 366

61. Finsch and Mover on Birds from New Guinea . . . 367

XX CONTENTS.

Page

62. Hancock on the Cuckoo 367

63. Kingsley's ' Standard Natural History ' 368

64. Lawrence on two new Birds from Yucatan .... 370

65. Lwoff on the Histology of Feathers 370

66. Macpherson and Duckworth on the Birds of Cumberland 370

67. Meyer's Illustrations of Birds' Skeletons .... 371

68. ' Mittheilungen' of the Ornithological Union of Vienna 372

69. Oustalet on new Birds from New Guinea .... 373

70. Random Notes on Natural History 373

71. Eeport on the Dresden Museum of Art and Science . 373

72. Keport on the Observing-stations of German Birds . 373

73. Schalow's Essay on the Touracoos 374

74. Sclater on the Coerebidee, Tanagridse, and Icteridse . 375

75. Shufeldt on the Skeleton of Gecocoecyx 376

76. Vorderman on the Birds of Mount Salak .... 376

XXXVIII. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Count T. Salvador!, Herr A. von Pelzeln, Dr. G.
Hartlaub, Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor, and Dr. Leonhard Stejneger;
Reeves's Pheasant at Home ; Radde's Scientific Expedition in
Transcaspia ; Mr. H. 0. Forbes in New Guinea ; News of Mr. H.
H. Johnston ; Rediscovery of Platycercus unicoJor; Anniversary
Meeting of the British Ornithologists' Union, 1886 ; Obituary —
Prof. E. von Boeck, of Cochabamba ; and Heer Frangois P. L.
Pollen 377

Number XVI., October.

XXXIX. On the Wings of Birds. By C. J. Sttndevall.
(Plates X., XI.) 389

XL. Note on the Nestling Plumage of Gypoictinia melano-
sternon (Gould). By John Henry Gtjrney 457

XLI. Description of a new Species of the Genus Empidonax
from Guatemala. By Robert Ridgwat, Curator Department
of Birds, United States National Museum . 459

CONTENTS. XXI

XLIT. On Empidochanes fuscatas (Max.) and Empidonax
hrunneus, Ridgw. By E-obekt Ridgway 460

XLIII. Ou the Species of the Genus Empidonax'. By Eobeet
ElDGWAY 461

XLIV. Ornithology in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition.
By Howard Saiindehs 468

XLV. On a Collection of Birds from several little-known
Islands of the West Indies. By Charles B. Cory .... 471

XLYI. On a Collection of Birds from Fao, in the Persian
Gulf. By R. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. With
Notes by the Collector, W. D. Gumming 475

XL VII. On a Collection of Birds from Bushire, in the Persian
Gulf. By R. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c., Zoological
Department, British Museum 493

XLVIII. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely
in British Guiana. By Osbert Salyin, M.A., F.R.S., &c.
(Concluded.) (Plate Xll.) 499

XLIX. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

77. The American Ornithologists' Union Code and Check-

List 510

78. 'The Auk' 513

79. The Bombay Natural History Society 514

80. Brewster on Bird-Migration 514

81. British Association's Report on Migrations in 1885 . 515

82. A. W. Butler on the Birds of Indiana 516

83. Giglioli on the Birds of Italy 516

84. Meyer on Birds from Emperor-William's-Land . . 517

85. ' Mittheilungen' of the Ornithological Union of Vienna 518
86-87. Mojsisovics on Hungarian Birds 518

88. ' Ornis,' Vol. I. Nos. 2, 3 519

89. Payne-Gallwey on Duck Decoys 519

90. Radde's Fauna and Flora of the South-western Caspian

District 521

91. Reyes on the Birds of Spain and Portugal .... 521

CONTENTS.

92. Snclleman on the Birds of Sumatra 522

93-94. Sousa on African Birds 522

95. Taczanowski on the Birds of Ussuria 523

L. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Messrs. J. H. Gurney, A. B. Meyer, A. Everett,
and "W. T. Blanford ; Report on the British Museum for 1885 ;
Sale of the Jardine Ornithological Collection ; New Work by
Prof. R. Ridgway 523

Index 533

Titlepago, Preface, List of Members, and Contents.

PLATES IN VOL. IV.

FIFTH SERIES.

I. Donacicola hunsteini, ad, et jr 1

II. Map of Vicinity of Aden 11

III. Plotus levaillanti 43

IV. Xenerpestes minlosi 54

V. Trachyphonus shelleyi 105

VI. Bubomilesi 163

VII. Paradisornis rudolphi 252

VIII. Hsemophila pulchra 259

j-^ r Fig. 1. Estrelda atricapilla 330

I Fig. 2. Pyromelana aurea 354

^' ] Wings of Birds 389

XI. J

XII. Pipreola wMtelyi 502

EEEATA.

Page Line

252, 7 from top, for millimetre read, centimetre.
254, 15 from bottom, for brownish read broader.
500, 18 from top, for whitleyi read whitelyi.

Ibis.l886.Pl.l

JHfeulemans Jiih ^

Hanliart imf

DOT^ACICOLA HUNSTEVNl, ad.et jr

THE 1 B 1 S.

FIFTH SERIES.

No. XIII. JANUARY 1886.

I. — On two new Species of Birds from New Ireland.
By O. FiNscH, Ph.D., H.M.B.O.U.

(Plate I.)

1. DoNAcicoLA HUNSTEiNi, sp. nov. (Plate I.)

Male. Black, quills lighter, more of a brownish black ;
vertex and nape ashy grey, the latter lighter; all these
greyish feathers with dark brown centres ; lores and cheeks
blackj with faint greyish apical edges, giving these parts a
somewhat mottled appearance ; upper tail-coverts dark chest-
nut, as are the external margins of the central tail-feathers ;
under wing-coverts pale rufous ; bill and feet black ; iris
dark. Total length 3*3 inches, wing 1*9, tail 1"0.

Female like the male, but the upper tail-coverts brighter,
more of a cinnamon-brown.

The young bird (Plate I. fig. 2) is dark brown, mixed with
black and pale fulvous on breast and vent ; on the nape are
a few grey-tipped feathers ; upper tail-coverts and tail
uniform brown.

Fully adult specimens show very narrow greyish edgings
to the feathers of the throat, which sometimes form a kind
of interrupted semi-collar.

Hab. I discovered this handsome species at the extreme

SEK. V. VOL. IV. B

2 Dr. (t. Hartlaub on a new African Pigeon

north corner of New Ireland. It lives in the high jnngle-
grass, and is difficult to obtain.

I have the pleasure of naming this bird after Mr. Karl
Hunstein, the zealous and able collector in south-east New
Guinea, to whom science is indebted for the discovery of
many new species.

2. Carpophaga subflavescens, sp. nov.

Male and Female. Delicate yellowish white^ the head and
iinderparts more distinctly yellowish ; primaries and secon-
daries uniform black ; under tail-coverts broadly tipped with
black ; apical half of tail-feathers black, this colour dimi-
nishing in extent towards the external feathers, the outer-
most pair having only one inch width of black at the tips ;
shafts of the tail-feathers bright yellow ; iris dark brown ;
bill greenish, with the tip yellow ; feet plumbeous. Total
length 14"0 inches, wing 9*0, tail 4' 10.

Hab. Extreme north corner of New Ireland ; not plentiful.

This species may be distinguished at once from the Torres
Straits Pigeon [Carpophaga spilorrhoa) by its distinct yel-
lowish colour, besides which the outermost tail-feather in the
latter is white nearly to the end, and the black spot on the
under tail-coverts is margined with white at the extreme
end.

IT. — On a neiv African Pigeon of the Genus Tympanistria.
By Dr. G. Hartlaub.

Tympanistria virgo, sp. nov.

Mas. Supra ex olivascente fusca, fascia tergi unica, maculis
irregularibus obscurioribus vix conspicua ; stria a rictu
per oculum ducta fusca; sincipite, superciliis valde an-
gustatis corporeque subtus pure albis ; subcaudalibus
obscure fuscis ; subalaribus Isete ferrugineis ; remigibus
primariis nigro-fuscis, horum pogoniis internis, parte
apicali excepta, cinnamomeis, scptimo, octavo, nono et
decimo in pogonio externo et interno rufis, ultimis
dorso proximis et scapularibus necnon tectricibus totis

of the Genus Tympaaistria. 3

dorso concoloribus ; maculis metallicis alee omnino nulUs ;
rectricibus fuscis, binis lateralibus griseis, fascia lata
anteapicali nigra; rostro rubello-fuscesceute ; pedibus
coccineis; iride aurantiaco-rubeiite. Long. tot. circa
25 cent., rostr. 14 mill., al. 132 mill., caud. 85 mill.,
tars, 20 mill.

In the collection received in 1883 from Dr. Emin Bey (I
prefer retaining this pseudonym for the present), the last
which has reached me, and of which I am preparing a de-
tailed account, there is a single specimen of a Tympanistria,
which, at first sight, struck me from the total want of the
fine metallic wing-spots so very conspicuous in T, bicolor.
The sj)ecimen being a fully adult male, this was a most
interesting differential character. I have been able to exa-
mine a large number of specimens of T. bicolor, a species not
rare in collections, besides which I have gone through all
the descriptions of this bird published by ornithologists
(Heuglin, Barboza du Bocage, Sharpe, Shelley, &c.). No-
where do I find a specimen mentioned in which these metallic
wing-spots (of a more or less bluish or greenish shade) have
been wanting. Therefore I feel justified in proclaiming
this species from Eastern Equatorial Africa as a new
one.

The other differences from the common T. bicolor, which
is not different from T. fraseri, Bp., are less important. In
most of the specimens of T. bicolor the inferior part of the
hack shows two irregular bands of a darker colour. But
this is not quite constant, and the two bands vary much in
distinctness. Thus, for instance, in a specimen from Gaboon
in the Bremen collection I can discover only one band. The
ground-colour of the inferior part of the back is, in many
specimens, rather greyish, in others it is not to be distin-
guished from the colour of the upper part of the back. In
my new species the ground-colour of the whole upper parts,
rump and upper tail-coverts included, is a uniform olive-
brown, with a very faint bronze gloss. Then there are some
irregular dark spots, forming a sort of transverse band.

The white superciliary stripe, which in Tympanistria bi-

B 2

4 Mr. W. Brewster on the

color is broad and most conspicuous, is very narrow and
much less distinct in T. vlrgo.

As to measurements, the new species appears to me to
be altogether a somewhat larger bird. Thus the length of
the wing is 122 millim. in T. virgo, and 119 millim. in T.
bicolor; the length of the tail is 85 millim. in T. virgo,
but only 75 millim. in our specimen of T. bicolor.

The locality in Eastern Equatorial Africa where the
unique specimen (at present in my collection) was shot by
Dr. Emin Bey he names " Djanda.'-' It is the most northern
point where the genus Tympanistria has been found in the
eastern territories of the African continent.

As to T. bicolor {=fraseri, Bp.), the reader will find all the
necessary information in the elaborate and most interesting
paper on the Columbidse of the Ethiopian Region by Capt.
Shelley (Ibis, 1883, p. 326).

III. — On the Nest and Eggs ofSwainson's Warbler (Helonsea
swainsoni). By William Brewster*.

It is already a matter of record t that during the year 1884
Mr. Arthur T. "Wayne and I found Swainson's Warbler
in some numbers near Charleston, South Carolina, where
upwards of fifty specimens were taken, including the pre-
viously undescribed young in first plumage. But although
we ascertained beyond all doubt that the birds bred there,
we utterly failed to find the nest, or even to learn anything
definite regarding its probable character and position.

In May of the present year I visited Charleston for the
third time, and with Mr. Wayne spent several days wading
about in the swamps in the hope of stumbling on the prize.
But the birds (perhaps thinned by our merciless collecting

* Reprinted from 'Forest and Stream,' voLxxiv. no. 24, July 9, 1885,
p. 408, and from ' The Auk,' 1885, p. 346, by the kind permission of
the author.

t See ' Foretst and Stream,' Nov. 6, 1884, pp. 285, 286, and ' The Auk,"
A'ol. ii. no. 1, January, 1885, pp. 65-80.

Nest and Eggs of Swainsoti's Warbler. 5

of the preceding season) proved so very scarce that we often
spent an entire day in their haunts without either seeing or
hearing one, and the search for a nest seemed so hopeless
that I soon abandoned it for a more promising undertaking
elsewhere. Mr. Wayne, however, continued it with unre-
mitting perseverance, and after many disappointments his
labours were finally rewarded ; for early in June he succeeded
in finding two nests, the first that have ever been taken.
His account of the interesting experience, kindly placed in
my hands for publication, is as follows : —

" Feeling sure that a pair of these Warblers had a nest in
a swamp, I searched the place carefully many days in succes-
sion. The male was usually present, but he sang in so many
different places that I could not tell where his mate and eggs
were concealed. At length (on June 5) while forcing my
way through a dense tract of canes, I stopped to rest and
look about, feeling half disposed to give up the task altogether,
when my eye was suddenly arrested by the sight of a bird
sitting near at hand on what appeared to be a mass of rub-
bish lodged in the top of a cane. I saw almost immediately
that it was a Swainson's Warbler, and advanced, when it
flew and alighted on the ground, feigning lameness, but
keeping perfect silence. Upon examining the supposed
rubbish, I found, to my great delight, that I had at length
discovered the veritable nest of a Swainson's Warbler; but
to my disgust it contained only a single young bird about five
days old. I shot the male shortly afterwards as it w^as feed-
ing the young bird, but the female escaped. The nest was
built in a cane about four feet above a pool of stagnant
water.

'' Having now some definite knowledge of the position of
the nest, I went next day (June 6) to a neighbouring swamp
where I had seen a pair of the birds. After a short search I
started the female, which sat very closely, merely dropping to
the ground as I brushed past the nest, and quickly gliding
out of sight, simulating lameness like the female of the first
nest. I waited fully half an hour before she returned
accompanied by her mate. Both birds chirped like a Panda,

G ^Ii". W. Brewster on tlie

aud finally the female went to the uest and resumed incuba-
tion. I crept cautiously to within three feet of her, and
looked at her for a few moments, then retreating to a proper
distance, shot her on the nest. I afterwards secured the
male also, but not easily, for he was unusually shy. This
nest, like the first, was built in a cane over a pool of stag-
nant water, but it was i^laced higher, at least six feet above
the water. It contained one young bird just hatched and
two eggs, addled, but in every w^ay perfect.''

These eggs, with the nest in which they were found, have
been very kindly sent me by Mr. Wayne for examination
and description. The nest is a remarkable affair, composed
mainly of leaves — chiefly of the red maple {Acer rubrum),
sweet gum {Liquidamhar styraciflua), water-oak {Quercus
aquatica) , Sind. cane {Arundinaria tectd) — bleached by the sun
and winds or stained by long immersion in swamp- water,
and loosely impacted in a large and nearly globular mass,
one side of which rests between^ but is in no way fastened
to, the upright stem and nearly upright, slightly diverging,
fascicled branches of a cane, the bottom of the structure being
about four inches above the point of junction of the main
stem and its fascicle. As only a little more than one third
of the circumference of the nest is enclosed by these supports,
it is probable that they were forced slightly outward during
the process of building, for otherwise they could scarcely
clasp this small portion with sufficient firmness to sustain the
weight of the whole. The sides of the mass round inward
at the top, which, however, is round and flat, as if a perfect
globe had been first formed and the top afterwards sliced off.
Near the inner edge of this flat surface is the nest proper, a
deep, neatly rounded, cup-shaped hollow, smoothly and very
prettily lined with needles of the short-leaved pine {Pinus
mitis) and a few fine black roots, which curiously resemble
horse-hairs. The inner walls of this cavity next the support-
ing canes are only about half an inch in thickness, but its
outer rim is bordered by a platform from one and a half
to two inches in width. Many of the leaves on the outer
edge of this platform arc Hxed with their stems pointing ob-

Nest and Eyys of Swainson's Warbler. 7

liquely upwards and outwards, forming a bristling fringe, an
arrangement wliich may have been accidental, or perhaps
was intended to give the exterior a natural and inconspi-
cuous appearance. If the latter, the design was most happily
conceived, for from the outside the whole affair looks like a
bunch of old leaves. Something very like it might be made
by taking the nest of our Oven-bird {Siuriis auricapillus) ,
tearing off the domed top, and pressing one side down among
a cluster of elastic sprouts. In a word, it is a ground-nest
placed in a bush, or rather a hybrid between the ground and
bush types of bird architecture, loosely, yet on the whole
substantially constructed, planned with rare cunning, and
admirably calculated to escape detection from prying eyes.

The interior cavity measures 1*75* in diameter by 1*50 in
depth j the entire nest externally 4*00 across the top, 4*50 in
horizontal diameter at the middle, and about 4*00 in total
depth.

The other nest is described to me by Mr. Wayne as '^ a
rude structure, in fact a mere bunch of leaves, chiefly of the
sweet gum and cane, lined almost entirely with ' pine-straw,'
some rootlets, and a few strands of horsehair. Although
rough outwardly, I must say that it is beautifully finished
inside."

The eggs measure respectively 75 x -59 and "74 x -59. The
one giving the former dimensions is almost perfectly ellip-
tical, the opposite ends being essentially uniform in size
and outline. The other is more oval, but its smaller end is
still decidedly blunt and rounded. In colour both are dull
dead white with a bluish tinge, so faint that it is appreciable
only in certain lights, or when the specimen is placed on
white cotton or by the side of a perfectly white egg, as that
of a Swallow or a Woodpecker. The shell is smooth to the
touch, l)ut under a glass shows rather numerous pits or pores ;
it has a moderate polish, more than that of a Swallow^s egg,
less than that of most Woodpeckers. At first sight both
eggs appear immaculate, and one is really absolutel}' no. The

* The measurements given in this article are all in inches and their
hundredths.

8 Mr. W, Brewster on the

other lias a single small round spot of a deep golden brown
colour. This will not rub off under a free application of
water and as much friction as I have dared to use; but
nevertheless I am inclined to consider it merely some acci-
dental stain.

The character of these nests^ their position, and the colour
of the eggs which one of them contained are all alike unex-
pected. One would have predicted that the bird would prove
to be a ground-builder, that its nest would be closely con-
cealed, and that the eggs would be distinctly spotted ; all of
which goes to show how very idle any speculation in such
cases is likely to prove. In respect to the eggs, it is possible
that they may be normally spotted. If always immaculate,
they will be unique in this respect among the eggs of North-
American Sylvicolid<B. This point probably requires further
investigation, but in a general way the mystery hitherto en-
veloping the breeding of Swainson's Warbler may be said to
be ended. The thanks of ornithologists at large are cer-
tainly due Mr. Wayne for his important services in this con-
nexion, services performed at no small risk to health, if not
to life itself; for the Southern canebrakes reek with malaria,
and mocassin snakes are dangerous neighbours. But in
spite of these obstacles the life-history of the interesting
bird has been worked out nearly to the end, and the pages
that remain to be added are comparatively few and unim-
portant.— Forest and Stream, July 9, 1885.

Shortly after the publication of my first article on this
subject, Mr. Wayne sent me two more nests of Swainson's
Warbler, taken respectively June 27 and June 30, 1885.
The first was built in a cane, over a pool of stagnant water,
at a height of about five feet ; the second, also in a cane, was
at a height of at least eight feet, and over clear running
water. The females of both nests were shot, thus rendering
identification absolute.

The second nest was " found when the birds had just
begun work, and I watched them repeatedly at their labours.

Nest and Egga of Swainson's Warbler. 9

They would fly up from the ground and, hovering like a
Hawk or Kingfisher, fix the leaves in place with their bills.
The female laid her first egg June 26, and one on each of the
following two days. I took the nest on the fifth day, when
dissection of the female showed that the set was complete.^^

The nest taken June 27 contained two eggs, chipped and
on the point of hatching. Unfortunately both were broken
in blowing ; but Mr. Wayne describes them as ^' dead white,
without spots. '^ He sends me the shells of one, which are
quite immaculate.

The set of three eggs just mentioned is also before me.
The specimens are in perfect condition, and measure re-
spectively "TSx-oS, "77 X "58, and •74x*58. They are all
oval, with the smaller end decidedly blunt and rounded, and
in genera] shape closely resemble the smaller egg of the set
described in ' Forest and Stream,^ vol. xxiv. no. 24, p. 468.
Their ground-colour is also similar — dull white, with a faint
but appreciable bluish tinge. One is perfectly plain ; another,
like the larger egg of the first set, has two or three minute
specks, which may be genuine shell-markings; while the
third is unmistakably spotted and blotched with pale lilac.
Over most of the surface these markings are fine, faint, and
sparsely distributed ; but about the larger end they become
coarsei', thicker, and deeper-coloured, forming a well-defined
ring or wreath. All three eggs have a slight polish, and the
shells look hard and thick for those of a Warbler''s ee-ffs.

The nests are similar in general position and construction
to the specimen described by me in ' Forest and Stream,' but
both differ in certain important details. The one containing
the set of three eggs is composed almost entirely of bleached
straw-coloured cane-leaves, with an interior lining of pine-
needles and a few thread-like strands of black moss, appa-
rently Tillandsia. This nest is much the smallest of the
four, measuring externally 3-50 in diameter by 3*00 m depth,
internally I'SO in diameter by 1-50 in depth, the greatest
thickness of the rim or outer wall being I'OO. Unlike the
specimen first described, it is firmly supported on all sides by
the fascicled branches among which it rests. Its shape is

10 Oil the Nest and Eggs of Swainson's Warbler.

nearly globular; and although the exterior is rather loosely
formed, the structure, as a whole, is neat and compact.

The nest taken June 27 is very much larger — in fact, quite
the largest specimen that I have seen, measuring externally
5-00 in diameter by 6*00 in depth, internally 1-50 in dia-
meter by 1-25 iu depth, with the rim, in places, 1-75 thick.
It is shaped like an inverted cone, the apex extending down
nearly to the point of junction of the numerous fascicled
stems which surround and support its sides. In total bulk
it fully equals the average nest of our Crow-Blackbird, while
it is not nearly so finished a specimen of bird-architecture.
Indeed it would be difficult to imagine anything ruder than
its outer walls — composed of mud-soaked leaves of the sweet
gum, water-oak, holly, and cane, thrown together into a
loose mass, bristling with rough stems, and wholly devoid of
symmetry or regularity of outline. The interior, however,
lined with pine-needles, moss-fibres, black rootlets, and a
little horsehair, is not less smooth and rounded than in the
other specimens.

The acquisition of these additional nests is important, as
tending to show that the position and construction of the
first two nests, and the character of the eggs which one of
them contained, were not exceptional. The total results of
Mr. "Wayne's labours may be summed as follows : — Four
nests, taken respectively June 5, 6, 27, and 30, contained
respectively one young bird a few days old, one young bird
and two addled eggs, two eggs on the point of hatching, and
three perfectly fresh eggs. All four nests were essentially
similar, being bulky and loosely formed, composed mainly
of dry leaves, lined with fine roots, moss-fibres, pine-needles,
and horsehair, and placed in canes over water at heights
varying from four to eight feet. Of the seven eggs taken,
four were immaculate, two perhaps slightly spotted, and one
unmistakably spotted and blotched with lilac.

The inferences suggested by these facts are: — (1) The
Swainson's Warbler nests usually, if not invariably, in canes
over water ; (2) that it lays from one to three eggs ; (3) that
its eggs may be either plain, slightly speckled, or rather
thickly and distinctly marked.

iBis.jfise.n.n.

45

Scale ofEng'iisliMilea

45

VICINITV OF ADEN.

Eiw^WoJlertiih.

On the Birds of Aden and the Neiyhbourhood. 11

Another season^s work on the part of Mr. Wayne will
doubtless throw more light on all these points. Meanwhile,
ornithologists may well rest satisfied Avith the knowledge thus
far obtained. — The Auk, vol. ii. pp. 346-8.

[Specimens of Swainson's Warbler are very rare in Eu-
ropean collections. In the British Museum the only example
until lately has been a single female^ obtained by Mr. Edward
Newton in Jamaica (see A. Newton, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 552,
and Sharpe, Cat. Birds, x. p. 233) . To this has been lately
added one of the fine adult males procured by Mr. Wayne,
as above recorded, which was kindly sent to Sclater by
Dr. Coues, and transferred by him to the British Museum
in the name of the latter gentleman. — Edd.]

IV. — On the Birds of Aden and the Neighbourhood. By Major
J. W. Yerbuky, R. a. With Notes by R. Bowdler Sharpe,
F.L.S. &c.

(Plate II.)

The peninsula of Aden (Plate II.) is situated in lat. 12° 47' N.
and long. 44° 59' E., and is, roughly speaking, five miles in
its greatest length and three miles in breadth. The centre
of the peninsula is formed by the Shum-shum range of
mountains, the highest peak of which rises to 1760 feet.
From this range spurs run down to the sea, with deep ravines
between them, ending at the sea in sandy beaches. On the
north side an elevated plateau lies between the cantonment
of Aden and the foot of the range, this plateau being deeply
cut by watercourses. The peninsula is joined to the main-
land by a low, sandy, and barren isthmus, about two miles
long by three quarters of a mile broad. The general cha-
racter of the country inland is a sandy plain, with salsola
(near the sea), babool, and caper bushes, a little cultivation
being found in the neighbourhood of Shaikh Othman and
Huswah, This plain, with some small rolling sandhills,
stretches almost as far as Al Hautah (Lahej), about four miles

12 Major J. "W, Yerbury on the Birds of

south of wliich cultivation commences and continues as far as
Haitli-al-hira^ about eight miles above Lahej. Just above
Haith-al-hira the river bifurcates^ and it is between the
branches of this fork that all the cultivation lies. This oasis
is very fertile and produces jowari^ Indian corn^ telli, and
other crops. Besides these fields there are several gardens,
in which vegetables are grown, with groves of date-palms,
almond, and other trees : grapes also are grown.

At Haith-al-him there appear to be the remains of an old
garden, some fine old tamarind-trees standing there, as well
as some mango, fig, and almond trees. The bund that causes
the river to bifurcate is some four miles above Haith-al-him,
and the river above this poiut runs in a single bed past
Zaidah, situated about fourteen miles from Lahej ■^. There
is a little cultivation on the left bank of the river opposite
Zaidah. About eight miles beyond Zaidah the outlying spurs
of the hills are met with. The country from the Barrier Gate
to Zaidah is almost level, being only broken here and there
by low sandhills, and the rise is probably only a few feet.

As may be supposed, the birds of Aden proper are few, the
residents being confined to the following : — a Bulbul, a Dove,
a Bobin, a Weaver-bird, a Bock-Martin, a Kite, a Baven,
the Osprey, and the Egyptian Vulture, and probably two
or three more kinds of Hawk. All the above, I believe,
remain and, with the exception of the Baven, breed with us,
as I have seen them in every month of the year, and have
found the nests of two or three of them. Some others,
notably the shore-birds and Gulls, are regular visitants ; most
of the former being cold- weather visitors, while the latter
seem to be with us all the year round. During the cold
weather some two or three kinds of Chats visit us also. I

* A map of Aden and the neiglibourbood, on a scale of about 6 inches
to a mile, is attached to this paper (Plate II.). The green shows roughly
the cultivation near Lahej. The rivers, though shown in the map, are
practically dry beds. The Iluswah branch is said to come down to the
sea yearly, but the Imad branch has probably not come doAvn for many
years. For further details of the geography and statistics of Aden, see
Hunter'.* ' Statistical Account of the British Settlement of Aden '
(Triibner & Co., 1877).

Aden and the Neighbourhood. 13

have taken notes of the birds seen in the neighbonrhood^
their dates of occurrence, &c., and have tried to identify
them ; but as my books of reference have only been Jerdon's
' Birds of India/ Blanford^s ' Geology and Zoology of Abys-
sinia/ and Von der Decken^s ' Travels in Somali Land, &c.'
the ideutifi cations are in some cases conjectural.

[]\rajor Yerbury has sent a small collection of these birds to
the British Museum, which I have identified, and to the species
so determined I have attached a dagger (f) • The collection
sent to Mr. Hume has unfortunately been mislaid, and neither
he nor I could find it at Simla. When found, Mr. Hume
will send the skins to the British Museum, and, if further
questions arise as to their identification, I will send a note
to a future number of 'The Ibis.' — R. B. S.]

1. Egyptian Vulture. {Neophron percnopter us.)

This bird is a resident with us all the year round, and
breeds in the high cliffs near the Main Pass gate and at two
or three other places on the Shum-shum range, forming large
colonies. It is found generally throughout the neighbour-
hood of Aden.

Besides this Vulture, I believe two other species are to be
found in the neighbourhood. The first I have always taken
for an immature specimen of N. petxnopterus. It is of
about the same size, but instead of being white with black
wings, it is of a dirty mottled brown.

The other is only seen inland, near Al Hautah (Lahej), and
is a very large bird, the back appearing to be of a light colour
(grey) as compared with the dark brown of the head and
wings.

2. Kestrel. (Cerchneis, sp. inc.)

The Kestrel is, I believe, a resident in Aden ju'oper. I
found a pair, apparently breeding, in the high clifts above
the Mahilla plain.

I fancy that two or three other birds of prey remain with
us all the year round. One is apparently a Sparrow-Hawk
{Accipiter) . The others I have been unable to make out.

14 Major J. W. Yerbury o)i the Birds of

3. OsPREY. {Pandion haliaetus.)

Another resident, thougli I fancy there are only three or
four pairs in the whole peninsula. It breeds in the cliflFs
near the sea. The head, neck, and breast are white, the
quills being darker. A pair frequent Steamer Point, and
■ai?ij be seen perched on the flagstaff in front of the Eastern
Telegraph Co.^s office, on the rails in front of the R.A. mess-
house, and elsewhere, affording a good view of the birds.

Inland, among other Hawks, one sees a very handsome
Harrier, of a blue-grey colour with black tips to the wings.

4. Kite. (? Milvus (egyptius.)

A Kite, probably the above species, is also a resident. In
Aden it breeds on the cliffs, inland on small trees. A nest
containing two eggs was found by me in the month of Feb-
ruary 1870 on a cliff near the sea. The eggs were very like
those of -the English Sparrow-Hawk in their markings.

5. Barn-Owl. [Strix fiammea.)

I have only seen one Owl in Aden, It was caught in the
K.A. barracks on the 29th of May, 1870, after a tremendous
storm, and was presented to the Royal Artillery Institution
at Woolwich. It was apparently the same as the English
Barn-Owl.

Owls of some sort are reported to frequent the neighbour-
hood of the houses of the agents of the P. & O. and Messa-
gerie Maritime Companies, but I have never seen them.

An Owlet (C«ri^e?) was seen near Lahej in some thick
Zizyphus jungle, but only allowed me to get a fleeting glimpse.

6. Swallow. {Hirundo rustica.')

Visits Aden in rough weather ; it may come at any time
of the year, but only remains a few days.

■\7. Pale Crag-Martin. [Cotile obsoleta.)

A Crag-Martin is with us all the year round ; it breeds in

the caves.

[Major Yerbury sent me a skin of this bird, which is now

recorded from a perfectly new locality for this species. —

U. B. S.]

Aden and the Neighbourhood. 15

8. Swift. {Cypselus, sp. iuc.)

Shot near Lahej, March 16th, 1883. Its gizzard was full
of golden-green Heteroptera.

Swifts are seen from time to time in Aden, and are believed
to be of the same species.

9. Goatsucker. {Caprimulgus, sp. inc.)

A Goatsucker is met with now and again in Aden. It
looks like Caprimulgus asiaticus.

flO. Bee-eater. {Merops cyanoph-ys.)

Is common inland and visits the tanks occasionally. It is
about the size of the Indian M. viridis.

A larger Bee-eater is to be seen occasionally in Aden ; its
note is like that of M. apiaster. It is generally seen in Aden
after stormy weather.

[From Muscat the British Museum has lately received
an example of an allied but new species of Bee-eater, which I
propose to call M. muscatensis. It has a much smaller bill
than M. cyanophrys, and quite a different shade of blue on the
eyebrow. — R. B. S.]

11. Roller. {? Coracias garrula.)

A Roller is common inland. It is occasionally seen in
Aden itself, and is apparently a i-esident. Gold Mohur
valley, August 14, 1883; Huswali, August 5, 1883.

Another Roller was seen at Haith-al-him. It was of a
light-blue colour, with elongated tail-feathers, and was pro-
bably C. ahyssinica.

12. Cuckoo. [Coccystes, sp. inc.)

A Crested Cuckoo was continually seen in Aden from the
15th of June to the 22nd of July, 1883, and at Huswah for
more than a month afterwards.

13. Crow-Pheasant. {Centropus, sp. inc.)

Is to be seen occasionally in thick jungle inland.

14. SuN-BiRD. {? Nectarinia metallica.)

Is to be seen at Huswah, Haith-al-him, Lahej, and other
places inland. Those seen in the neighbourhood of Lahej in
March 1883 had their long tail-feathers. I do not think any

16 Major J. W. Yei'bury on the Birds of

other Sun-bird is found in this neighbourhood^ those seen in
the cold Aveather being probably specimens of the above
species in non-breeding dress. I fancy it is a resident.

15. Hoopoe. {Upupa epops.)

A regular cold- weather visitant. Seen at Aden on the IGth
of September, 1883 ; Huswah, Sept. 9th, 1883.

[A young Hoopoe followed the ' Ballaarat ' for more than
100 miles as we were going north in July, and was first seen
about 400 miles up the Red Sea from Aden. It rested occa-
sionally on the ship, and settled especially on the chains below
the stern of the vessel. As some of the passengers tried to
catch it from the stern-windows, it was unable at last to
reach its favourite perch, and fell exhausted into the sea. —
R. B. S.]

16. Shrike. {Lanius, sp. inc.)

A large Shrike of the L. lahtora group is common and
resident inland. Another large Shrike is also occasionally
seen ; it is of a dingier colour than the above.

A small Shrike, shot at Aden on the 17th of April, 1883,
was sent to Mr. Hume. No record was kept of the de-
scription.

tl7. Nubian Shrike. [Lanius nubicus.)
Shot at Lahej in January 1885.

tl8. Paradise Flycatcher. {Terpsiphone cristata.)
Shot near Lahej on the 26th of December, 1 884. Several
were seen in non-breeding plumage.

[Not before known from Arabia. — R. B. S.]

19. Blue Rock-Thrush. (Monticola cyaniis.)
A cold-weather visitant.

t20. Black-winged Chat-Thrush. [Cercotriclias mela-
noptera.)

Is a resident inland, and has an agreeable little song,
which, though not loud, is sweet and varied.

21. Babbling Thrush. {Argya, sp. inc.)
A Babbler, very like the Indian " Seven Sisters,^' is fre-
quently seen inland.

Aden and (he Neighbourhood. 17

t22. BuLBUL. {Pycnonotus arsinoe.)

Resident, both in Aden itself and also in the neighbour-
hood. I found the nest with three hard-set eggs in Gold
Mohur valley, at Aden, on the 17th of April, 1883. The
eggs were of the usual Bulbnl type, and were sent to Mr,
Hume at Simla.

A larger Bulbul is occasionally seen inland.

23. Chats. {Saxicoke, sp. inc.)

Two species, which I believe to be S. oenanthe and S. sla-
pazina, are regular cold- weather visitants. More species
may, perhaps, visit us in the cold weather, for I fancy I have
seen a dark-coloured Chat as well.

t24. Temminck^s Chat-Robtn. {Myrmecocichla me-
lanura.)

The Aden Robin is a resident, and is reputed to build in
holes in rocks. Avails, &c., but I have never come across a
nest. It has a very sweet little song.

25. Redstart. [Ruticilla, sp. inc.)
An occasional cold-weather visitant,

26. Wakbler. (wSp. inc.)

A small Warbler seems to be a regular spring visitant,
several being seen in the caper-bushes on the hill-sides during
May and June 1883. Skin sent to Mr. Hume,

27. White Wagtail. {MotaciUa alba.)

A regular cold-weather visitant, appearing, too, at odd
times of the year. It never remains long, excepting in the
cold weather.

28. Black-headed Wagtail. {MotaciUa feldeggii.)

A species of yellow Wagtail with a black head is occa-
sionally to be seen inland.

29. 30. Crows. {Corvus, sp. inc.)

A Raven, which I think must be Corvus affinis, is a resi-
dent, but has, I believe, been imported. There are only
three individuals, and the number does not seem to increase.

A very large Raven is seen in the desert inland.
SER. V. — vol. IV, c

18 Major J. W. Yerbmy on the Birds of

A Crow is very common just outside the Isthmus position,
but rarely comes into Aden. The plumage of most of these
Crows has a peculiar rusty look ; many are also marked with
white. They appear to be residents, but I do not know
where they breed.

t'Sl. Wattled Starling. {Dilophus carunciilatus.)
Shot at Huswah on the 3rd of August out of a flock of
five or six.

t32. Weaver-bird. [Hyphantornis galbula.)

A Weaver-bird is resident at Aden. It breeds at the tanks

and one or two other places in camp, and it is very common

inland at Laliej.

t33. Waxbill. [Estrelda rufibarba.)
Common in the neighbourhood of Lahej.

34. Sparrow. [Passer, sp. inc.)

A Sparrow is common at Lahej and Shaikh Othman, but
is only occasionally seen at Aden at the tanks.

t35. Finch-Lark. [Pyrrlmlauda melanauchen.)
A black-bellied Finch-Lark is common about Shaikh Oth-
man and generally in the desert districts. The birds in the
neighbourhood appear to have more black, of a deeper tint,
underneath than the Indian ones (P. grisea) .

36. Crested Lark. [Alauda cristata.)
The Crested Lark is common inland.

t37. Desert-Lark. [Alatnon desertorum.)

Common just outside the Isthmus lines and generally iu

the desert inland. On first seeing this bird it appears strange

and unlike a Lark, but on watching its habits closely they

are seen to be more truly Lark-like than they appear at first.

38. Green Pigeon. {Treron, sp. inc.)

A Treron, probably T. abyssinica, was found in a large
flock at Haith-al-him in March 1883. Unfortunately, all
those shot were eaten, and no record was kept of their colour,
dimensions, &c.

Aden and the Neighbourhood. 19

39. TuRTLE-DovE. {Turtw, sp. inc.)
A resident, breeding at the tanks and in some of the water-
courses on the Shum-shuui plateau.

Three or four more kinds of Doves are to be met with
inland, while both in Aden itself and inland also some
Pigeons {Columba livia) have become wild.

t40. Long-tailed Dove. {(Ena capensis.)
Common at Lahej all the year round, but appears to visit
Huswah and Shaikh Othman only in the summer and autumn.
A nest with two eggs (sent to you) was found in a low
salsola bush at Huswah on the 9th of September, 1883. The
bird sat so close that I tried to catch her in a butterfly-net.

41. Sand-Grouse. {Pterocles exustus.)

Very common inland, particularly in the month of March,
when numbers are to be seen in the morning, about 8.30 a.m.,
going down to the streams to drink. It is called '' Uht-Uht "
by the Arabs of the Lahej district, presumably from its note.

t42. LicHTENSTEiN^s Sand-Grouse. {Ptcrocles lichten-
steini.)

Found in a large flock of from eighty to one hundred
individuals at Shulaif, near Lahej, in March 1883. Since
that time I have only seen these birds in small flocks of four
or five. Of two, which I killed out of a flock of five near
the head of the Bir Ahmed creek on the 16th of December,
1884, the dimensions were as follows : —

(J. Expanse 2r4 inches, length 11*1, wing 2*5. Crop
full of seeds, apparently of salsola and baubul.

? . Expanse 18*2 inches, length 10*6, wing 2-1. Food as
before. Ovaries small.

Bare skin round the eyes yellow ; legs light dingy yellow-
ochre.

t43. Black-headed Partridge. {Gaccabis melanocephala-)
A large Chukor, called '' Ukhob " by the Arabs, is com-
mon at Haith-al-him and along the road to Zaidah. It fre-
quents the ravines running down to the river, at times lying-
very close in the bushes. They ai^e found in flocks of from

c2

20 Major J. W. Yerbury on the Birds of

six to twelve individuals, and are very strong on the wing,
carrying away a lot of shot. A female killed on the 22nd of
March, 1883, had her ovaries very large, and this is evidently
the breeding-season. One was shot near Zaidah on the 30th
December, 1 884. Hume, in the ' Game Birds of India,'
says that C. chiikar is found near Aden, but I have never
seen it. It is probably met with in the hills beyond Zaidah,
a point I have never reached.

44. Common Quail. {Coturnix daciylisonans.)
The Common Quail is a regular cold-weather visitant,
I fancy from October to May. Numbers are brought
into the Aden market at times from the interior. It is not
uncommon even in Aden itself.

t45. Bustard. (Eupodotis arabs.)

The " Balawan " of the Arabs is fairly common round
Lahej. I shot one at Haithal-him on the 19th of March,
1883. This skin was sent to Mr. Hume. Again I obtained
some near Lahej in December 1884 and January 1885. The
gizzard of these last specimens contained fragments of
locusts, small ground-beetles, and ripe jowari seeds {Sorghum
vulgar e). The ovaries of all the females were very small. It
is a resident species.

A Houbara and a smaller Bustard (? Otis melanog aster) are,
I believe, also occasionally found in the neighbourhood.

46. Golden Plover. [Charadrius pluvialis.)

A Golden Plover is an occasional cold-weather visitant.

47. Thicknee. (? (Edicnemus scolopax.)

The Stone-Plover is common in the neighbourhood during
the cold weather. It is often seen in Aden itself.

48. Turnstone. {Strcpsilas interpres.)

A regular cold- weather visitant. A male, shot on the 18th
of May, i883, was assuming its summer plumage.

49. Crab-Plover. [Dramas ardeoJu.)

A regular visitant during the cold weather.

Aden and the Neighbourhood. 21

50. Oystkr-catcheh. {Hinmatopus ostraleyas.)
Appears to remain here all the year round, but I doubt its

breeding.

51. Snipe. [Gall'mago, sp. inc.)

A Snipe is occasionally met with in the flooded fields near
Lahej and also in the bed of the river, but I have only seen
one.

52. Terek Sandpiper. {Terekia cinerea.)

Cold- weather visitant, when it is met with on the mud-flats
up the harbour.

53. Curlew. {Numenius arquata.)

54. Whimbrel. {Numenius phaopus.)
Appear to remain all the year round.

55. Dunlin. {Tringa cinclus.)

A regular winter visitor. Those shot in May were as-
suming the summer plumage.

56. Sanderling. [Calidris arenaria.)
Cold-weather visitant.

57. Common Sandpiper. {Actitis hypoleiica.)
Common on the rocks and on the coast all the year round.

58. Greenshank. [Totanus ockropus.)

59. Redshank. [Totanus calidris.)

According to Mr. Chevallier, the latter species is common
on the mud-flats up the harbour. The Greenshank, Redshank,
aud Sanderling are often seen in large flocks.

60. Green Sandpiper. {Totanus hypoleucus.)
Shot by Mr. Chevallier near Lahej in January.

61. Stint, {Tringa, sp. inc.)

Seen by Mr. Chevallier on the mud-flats.

62. Courier Plover, {Cursorius, sp. inc.)

A Courier Plover was shot by Mr. Chevallier on two occa-
sions, near the Barrier Gate and at Huswah. I also saw two
at Haith-al-him on the 30th of December, 1884.

22 Major J. W. Yerbury on the Birds of

There are probably more species of Plover to be found up
the harbour on tlie mnd^ notably one like the Dotterel
(? jEgialitis geoffroyi) .

63. Heron. {Ardea, sp. inc.)

Two Blue Herons, one large, the other small, are to be
seen, on and off, all the year round on the mud-flats up the
harbour, and they are, perhaps, more frequent during the
cold weather.

64. Egrets. (? Herodias, sp. inc.)

One shot at Labej in January had a buff crest, yellow eyes,
and greenish-black legs. A quantity of Egrets were breed-
ing in March 1883 in some small baubul trees near a village
about three miles from Lahej. Egrets of various sorts are
often seen on the mud-flats up the harbour.

65. Spoonbill. [Platalea leucorodia.)
A cold-weather visitant.

66. Ibis. (Sp. inc.)

A dark -coloured Ibis was seen near Zaidah. I believe it
breeds in the high tamarind-trees near Haith-al-him.
Q7. Flamingo. [Phcenicopterus i^oseus.)
A regular visitant in the cold season.

68. Common Teal. {Querquedula crecca.)

A male and female were shot in the river between Haith-
al-him and Zaidah on the 29th of December, 1884. I have
only seen this pair, but I believe it to be a regular cold-
Aveather visitor. All Ducks are called " But ''' by the Arabs.
Mr. Chevallier has shot Ducks near Little Aden, also up the
Khora-Muksa creek. Other species of Duck are doubtless to
be found during the cold weather, but I have never seen
them.

69. Hemprich^s Gull. [Lavas hemprichi.)

Found here all the year round. I do not think that any
Gull or Tern breeds on Aden. If it does, it will be pro-
bably on the high cliffs near Round Island.

[This pretty medium-sized Gull is quite a feature of the
voyage in the Red Sea. On our journey down in May several

Aden and the Neighbourhood. 23

appeared behind the shipAvlieii we were about opposite Suakim,
and from that latitude until we arrived at Aden we were never
without a few in our company. They were perfectly tame,
and came so close to the stern of the ' Ancona ' that the
colour on the bill was distinctly visible. All were then in
full breeding-plumage, watli very distinct hoods. On the
return voyage in July the Gulls were still in breeding-dress,
but evidently worn and abraded. While we were laying off
Aden in quarantine they came round the ' Ballaai*at ' in
numbers, often sailing within a few feet of the side of the
vessel. Some accompanied us for about a day^s journey up
the Red Sea, but they were not met with on our return
journey so far north as in May. Although this Gull has
been found on the Mekran coast and as far east as Karachi
by Mr, Hume, we saw none after leaving Aden. — II. B. S.]

70. Black-backed Gull. [Larus, sp. inc.)
Common in the cold weather.

71. Great Black-headed Gull. {Larus ichthyaetus.)
Fairly common in the cold weather.

72. Swift Tern. [Sterna bergi.)

This is here all the year round, I believe.

[About 460 miles north of Aden, in the Red Sea, we came
across a large flock of these Terns in mid ocean, all busily
engaged over a shoal of fish. 'Iheir cries could be heard a
long distance off, and there were quite a couple of hundred
in the flock.— R. B. S.]

73. Little Tern. [Sterna minuta.)

Killed at Bundu Manyah, on the Somali coast, on the
27th of April, 1884. This species also occurs at Aden.

There is, I believe, another species of Tern, intermediate
in size between the above two species. [This will probably
be Sterna alhigena, of which species I saw a pair in the Indian
Ocean, about 100 miles beyond Aden, on the 18th of July. —
R. B. S.]

74. Tropic-bird, [Phaethon indicus, Hume.)
A cold- weather visitant.

34 Mr. Henry Seebolim on the

75. Pelican. {Pelecanus onucrotalus.)

One shot on the 1st of June, 1883 : a regular visitant in
May, when several were seen. A skin was sent to Mr.
Hume.

76. Cormorant. [Phalacrocorax, sp. inc.)

A brown Cormorant seen in numbers on a detached rock
below the lighthouse at Marshag.

V. — Notes on the Birds of the Upper Engadine.
By Henry Seebohm.

It is a long climb from the plains of Lombardy to the valley
of the Upper Engadine. Lake Como is a little more than a
thousand feet above the level of the sea ; a further climb of
rather more than fifteen hundred feet brings the traveller to
Promontoguo, and a long two thousand feet more lands him
at Casaccia, but there is still more than one thousand feet
of zigzags before the top of the Maloja Pass is reached. The
new Maloja Hotel is perhaps the finest in Switzerland ; it is
nearly six thousand feet above the level of the sea, and forms
a centre of unusual interest. From a geographical point of
view it may be regarded as on the water-parting between the
Italian and Austrian river-systems (the one leading through
the Valley of the Po to the Adriatic, and the other through
that of the Danube to the Black Sea), whilst it is less
than six miles from the valley of the Rhine, and only about
sixty miles from the source of the Rhone. To the geologist
the scarped and scored rocks on the Kulm (the culminating
point of the pass) and the heaps of gravel and the piles of
granite boulders point out the course of the ancient glacier,
now shrunk back a thousand feet up the Forno valley, with
little but its moraines to tell the tale of its former greatness.
The artist may find views, too grand for transference to paper
or canvas, by ascending any of the smaller spurs of the
mountains, whence he can look down a couple of thousand
feet towards Italy, or by passing along the chain of lakes to
St. INIorilz, or by climbing up the icy peak of the Pitz Bernina,

Birds of the Upper Engadine. 25

13,300 feet above the level of the sea. To the botanist the
Maloja Hotel forms a base of operations where, even in August,
the spring alpine flora may be worked without too much
climbing, as it is situated almost at the limit of forest-growth.
The commonest trees are small examples of the Siberian cedar
{Pinus cenibra), and the larch and spruce are small and
stunted. On the other hand the rhododendrons are in all
their splendour, especially in June and early in July. In
August it requires a climb of from one to two thousand feet
to reach the most characteristic alpine plants — the deep blue
gentians on the grass, the rarer saxifrages on the rocks, and
the beautiful purple toad-flax [Linaria a/pina) on the screes.
Higher still the almost stalkless alpine forms of the cobalt-
blue forget-me-not, the white stitchwort, and the prussian-
blue rampion [Phyteuma) vie in beauty with the deep-red
flowers of the alpine campion,, the pale-pink soldanella, and
the grey edelweis.

The agriculture of the Upper Engadine is extremely simple.
The valley is meadow broken up with rock, and the moun-
tain is rock interspersed with pasture. From the lormer two
or three crops of hay are cut every season, and on the latter
flocks of sheep and herds of cows and goats graze. On the
approach of winter men, cattle, and hay migrate down the
pass almost into Italy.

The birds of this district are comparatively few, but
amongst them are several of special interest to the British
ornithologist. Amongst the pines the most interesting species
are the Nutcracker [Nucifraya caryocatactes) , the Cro&&h\\\
[Loxia curvirostra) , and the Mealy Redpole {Fringilla linaria) .
On the meadows and pasture Alpine Pipits [Anthus spino-
letta) abound, and on the rocks Black Redstarts {Ruticilla
tithys) are common. Occasionally a Wall-creeper [Ticho-
droina muraria) may be seen in a narrow gorge, flitting like
a butterfly on the face of the precipice, and still more rarely
a passing glimpse of an Alpine Swift {Cypselus melba) may
be caught as it dashes past the crumbling granite or serpen-
tine amidst the ice and snow of the higher peaks. Both the
Common Sandjnpcr {Totauus hypoleucus) and the Marsh-

2G Mr. Henry Seebohm 07i the

Sandpiper [Totamis stagnatilis) frequent the shores of the
lakes in the company of numerous White Wagtails {Motacilla
alba). On the mountain-streams the Grey Wagtail {Motacilla
sulphurea) is common, and the Mediterranean form of the
Water-Ouzel {Cinclus aquaticus albicollis) ascends them up
to eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. I saw
Ring-Ouzels {Merula torquata) among some alders behind
the hotel, now and then a pair of Kestrels [Falco tinnunculus)
were to be seen hovering over the valley, and once I watched
for some time an Icterine Warbler (Hypolais hypolais) in a
larch tree just below the head of the pass. The Crested
Tit [Parus cristatus) was not quite so common as its con-
geners^ and, curiously enough, I saw no trace of the ubiquitous
Sparrow. Chaffinches (Fringilla calebs) were remarkably
abundant, and frequently uttered a note which I have never
heard in this country : it might be represented by the letters
rrt. The Carrion-Crow [Corvus corone), when it emigrated
from East Siberia, evidently ascended the Danube and the
Inn and reached North Italy, thus isolating the Hooded
Crows of Southern Italy and Greece from the main colony
in East Europe and West Siberia. We saw the former
every day, but we did not meet with either the Rook, the
Magpie, or the Hooded Crow. On the other hand, a small
flock of Choughs {Pyrrhocorax graculus) frequented the shores
of the lake, and parties of Alpine Choughs [Pyrrhocorax
alpinus) sometimes came suddenly upon us as we were
gathering alpine flowers in the mountain-clefts, to their
great surprise and evident consternation. Ravens [Corvus
cor ax) were occasionally seen, but no Jackdaws.

I did not succeed in finding either the Ptarmigan or the
Snow-Finch, but was extremely delighted to make the ac-
quaintance of the Alpine Accentor {Accentor alpinus). This
bird was by no means common, and was extremely local; but
I met with it on three occasions, and was able to salve several
knotty points in its habits which have always been a puzzle
to me. I am not aware that any British ornithologist has
described its habits from personal observation, and as it was
one of tlic few European birds which was not personally

Bir(L- of the Upper Eiiyadine. 27

known to Naumann^ our knowledge of it is meagre in tbe
extreme. All my efforts to discover it failed until the 14th
of August^ when our party ascended the Pitz Lunghino
(9120 feet) in order to trace the Inn to its source. For
the first thousand feet above the Maloja the Pipits and Black
Redstarts were the commonest birds, but after we had passed
above the last stunted bush and had nearly reached the
gentian and soldanella ground, an unfamiliar note caught my
ear, a rich liquid chicli, ich, ich, ich, as gurgling as the note
of the Lark. I soon caught sight of the bird perched upon
a rock, scarcely to be distinguished at a distance from an
Alpine Pipit. My first thought was that it must be one of
those birds making a feeble effort to sing; but in a short time
the bird came much nearer, and began to hop about, some-
times on the short grass, but more often on the rocks. The
fact of its hopping like a Robin, instead of running like a
Wagtail, proved that it could not be a Pipit ; but fortunately
it possessed one habit in common with that bird, nameh^,
a propensity to indulge its curiosity. We sat quite still,
and presently it flew to a rock not more than thirty feet
from us, where its rich chestnut flanks could be seen with-
out glasses. It was exceedingly tame and did not seem
at all alarmed at our presence, though it was apparently
watching us. A writer quoted by Naumann says that the
Alpine Accentor does not hop but runs. This is unques-
tionably a mistake. There can be no doubt whatever that
its favourite mode of progression is a hop : I made a note of
the fact in my pocket-book in the presence of the bird itself ;
thus one of the alleged discrepancies between its habits and
those of its cousin, our common Hedge-Sparrow, was dis-
posed of. Another alleged fact respecting the Alpine Ac-
centor is that it ducks its head and jerks up its tail every
time it utters its note, after the manner of the Chats. The
fact also that it lays blue eggs, like the Chats, suggested a
relationship to those birds. The alleged fact is, however, a
myth. I heard the Alpine Accentor utter its note at least
fifty times, and I could perceive nothing of the habit alluded
to. On the other hand, the Black Redstart (which, with its

28 Mr. Heury Scebohm on the

relatives, is allowed by courtesy to set up a j^euus distinct
from the Chats) acts precisely in the manner described, and
as it frequents the same locality, it is not unlikely that the
habits of a female Black Redstart have been transferred to
the Alpine Accentor. The flight of the latter bird is per-
formed with very pronounced and very short undulations.
A week afterwards I had an opportunity of watching a pair
of Alpine Accentors searching for food on the rocks. They
creep about among the stones, and almost in the same way
that the Hedge-Sparrow shuffles along amongst the roots
and the tree-trunks. When they alighted on a rock they
did so with expanded wings and outspread tail, sometimes
approaching the ground in a curve, in both particulars
resembling a Starling, The note was occasionally uttered
on the wing.

The Pipit was extremely common on the pastures, and
still more so on the meadows after the hay had been
removed. Some of the young seemed to be only recently
fledged, and their parents were still very anxious about them.
We devoted nearly an hour to one pair of birds, as their
actions appeared to signify that the young had not yet left
the nest. The hen bird had caught a moth, which she was
anxious to convey to her children, and stood with it in her
beak, afraid to reveal the whereabouts of her nest. For a
long time she remained perched on a rock, then occupied
alternately the summits of two small larches, then returned
again to the rock, and occasionally flew up to within a few
yards of where we were sitting, and hovered near us to ex-
amine us more minutely. All this time she kept up, in spite
of the moth in her beak, her monotonous alarm-note, sii,
sit, sit, sometimes stopping to call to her mate, who did not
venture so near us, with a soft ist, ist. She may, after all,
not have had a nest : at any rate she tired us out, and we gave
up the quest.

The Black Redstarts were also very demonstrative, many
of them having still scarcely fledged young. Their alarm-
note of tek, tek, tek was very often heard, and not unfre-
quently their call-note, tzi, tzi, tzi. One of these birds had

Bi7'ds of the Upper Engadine. 29

a nest in a cleft of the rocks not more than a hundred yards
from the hotel, and was sitting on two pure-white eggs as late
as the 10th of August : no doubt a second brood. The
Black Redstarts were very expert at catching flies in the
air.

On the way home we stopped a few days at Constance.
Close to the Insel Hotel is a most interesting aviary, full of
Ducks, Geese^ and Swans. Among the former were a pair
of Pochards and a pair of Tufted Ducks, perfectly tame,
though able to fly. A branch of the Rhine runs through
this aviary, and the observer can lean over the iron railings
and look down into the blue-green water and see the weeds
at the bottom. It was very curious to watch the Ducks
dive ; their wings were never used ; everything was done by
their feet, and hard enough they worked. With their out-
spread toes as a fulcrum, they made a headlong dive into the
water, and as they somewhat slowly but steadily descended to
the bottom, their feet were working as hard as they could
go against the natural buoyancy of their bodies. As soon as
they had gathered as much weed as they wanted, they raised
their heads, stopped the rapid motions of their feet, and soon
rose like corks to the surface. At other times they seemed
to be fast asleep on the surface of the water, the head snugly
tucked under the wing, and one foot apparently moving mecha-
nically to prevent them from drifting down with the current.
Sometimes they spent hours preening their feathers whilst
swimming, occasionally almost lying on their backs in the
water to smooth out the feathers of the underparts. I have
never seen any place where the habits of these birds could be
so easily observed.

At St. Gall I paid a visit to Dr. Girtanner, and was much
interested in three or four Wall-creepers wdiich he had in
a cage. He told me that they moulted out of their first
plumage in their first autumn, and acquired the black on the
underparts early in spring.

30 JMr. Robert Collett on

VI. — On Laiiiiis excubitor and Lauius major.
By Robert Collett.

In the eighth volume of the ' Catalogue of Birds in the
British Museum/ Dr. Gadow has established, under the
genus Lanius, a number of species more or less closely allied
to L. excubitor, all of which are kept distinct with definite
specific characters, in part new or amended by the author.
But these "species'^ will, I have little doubt, ultimately
prove to represent partly mere climatic races, originating in
all directions from one typical species, and which, by various
transition-stages, are ultimately connected, partly mere indi-
vidual varieties, the origin of which, as a rule, cannot be
shown to have any definite relation with age, locality, or the
season of the year.

In the following pages I propose to offer a few remarks
concerning the well-known form described in Gadow^s Cata-
logue (p. 239) under the name L. major, Pall., the right of
which to be regarded as a true species by the side of
L. excubitor has, in all probabihty, been treated of oftener
than any of the other forms, has been admitted by many, and
disputed, perhaps, by more.

This question would seem to have occupied the attention
of ornithologists more especially since Cabanis, in 1873
(Journ, f. Orn, 1873, p. 75), recorded an individual killed
near the Wolga, in which he recognized Pallas's L. major,
and which, to the best of his knowledge, was the first
obtained in Europe. It is a well-known fact that, in the
following years, accounts appeared of other examples of the
said species or form, stating it to have been long known in
European museums, nay, to be even of frequent occurrence.

Here, too (Norway and Denmark), the subject has been
treated of and brought under discussion. Whereas Dr.
Stejneger, in ' Archiv f . Mathematik og Naturvidenskab '
for 1878 and 1880 (Christiania), keeps the two forms apart
as separate species, I have, in the volume of the same journal
for 1871), endeavoured to show that the presence or absence
of the white bases on the secondaries affords no manner of

Lanius excubitor and Laiiius major. 31

guidance ; and lience that L. major does not admit of being
distinguished by reliable characters from L. excubitor. When
prosecuting my investigations, I had before me, as seen in
the woodcuts furnished (p. 275) in the said journal, indivi-
duals from the southern districts of Norway, comprising alike
the most typical specimens of L. major, in which the secon-
daries exhibit no traces at all of any white bases, and others
in whicli the first indications of such a basal mark bad made
their appearance; furthermore, individuals with the said
indications expanded to a distinct spot of about 15 mm. in
breadth. Such individuals we might, with perfect indiffe-
rence, term L. major or L. excubitor.

From these transition-individuals we have an unbroken
series till the inner spot on the secondaries becomes the
white mark in the "typical L. excubitor." Similar transition-
series, or individuals, have been shown to occur by Mr. See-
bohra (Ibis, 1880, p. 185), by Dr. Finsch (Verb. k.-k. zool.-
bot. Ges. Wien, 1879, p. 188), and by various other orni-
thologists.

Dr. Homeyer, in particular, has dwelt most emphatically
on this subject (Journ. f. Orn. 1880, p. 178), and few,
if any, authors have hitherto had so extensive a material
on which to base their researches, since that ornithologist
was enabled to submit at one time as many as sixty-three
specimens of L. major, excubitor, and homeyeri to minute
comparison. But even had the whole intervening series been
wanting, it would still be impossible to retain the single-
marked form as a separate species.

As I have previously stated (Arch. f. Math, og Naturv. 1879,
p. 279), Mr. Meves, of Stockholm, has, in his collection, two
young birds, both shot Aug. 12th at Quickjock, in Lapmark,
which he has reason to believe were of the same brood. One
of these is a double-spotted male {L. excubitor), the other a
single-spotted female (L. major). Now, that these birds
were really hatched together, it would seem, from the compa-
ratively advanced season of the year, difficult to decide ; they
had, most likely, already moulted their nest-plumage, and
may have belonged to different broods.

32 Mr. Robert Collett on

In the summer of 1884, when on the Dovre Fjeld, I made
an observation, concerning which there can be no question
whatever. On June the 30th, I came across, in the upper-
most pine-forests near H jerkin (a locality well known to
English tourists), a family of Shrikes, comprising, along
with the parent birds, a whole brood of young ones just
fledged, and habited accordingly in their peculiar nesting-
phimage. As with all yoimg birds, the feathers in this dress
were soft and loose, though grown to their full length. Of
these young ones, which had unquestionably been hatched
togethei', I shot three ; the rest flew off" in company with the
parent birds into the forest.

Two of those killed were males and in every respect typical
specimens of L. excubitor, the spot on the secondaries being
large and snowy white, with the normal length of 26 mm.,
in one even 27 mm. The third example, a female, was an
equally typical specimen of L. major, not having the faintest
trace of any white bases on the secondaries.

In other respects, the differences between these three indi-
viduals were slight in the extreme ; the female and one of the
males exhibited a somewhat darker tone on the back than did
the other male, which had a clear pearly-grey tint, precisely as
in very old and rich-coloured specimens. The brownish-grey
edsrinffs observable in most individuals towards the fall of the
year were almost wanting in the two males, but distinct in
the female. The underparts Avere alike; in all of them the
vermiculations on the loose downy feathers were not sharply
defined, as is often the case in the autumn and winter plumages
of young birds, but narrow, closely arranged, and broken up,
as it were, into points ; more especially on the breast and the
sides of the neck there was nothing left but the points. The
black spot on the first tail-feather was large in the female
(about 35 mm.), in one of the males normal (about 20 mm.),
in the other small and on one side separated by the white
colour.

Last summer (1885) I made a similar observation in Fin-
mark, and shot from a nest a male and a female, of which
the former was in every respect a typical specimen of L. ex-

Lanivis excubitor and Lanius major. 33

cubitor, the female a single-spotted L. major, without a trace
of any inner spot on the secondaries. On June 30th, when,
in company with Mr, Landmark, Director of the Salmon
Fisheries, I visited Finmark, I found near the Tana-Elv a
Shrike's nest containing six young. It was placed in a birch
tree on a sterile terrace, thinly grown and clad with lichens,
about fourteen English miles from the mouth of the river. The
nest was easily seen, and constructed of dry twigs together with
straw, thickly lined with white feathers of the Willow-Grouse,
as also a little wool and the cotton of Salix lanata. The inner
diameter of the nest measured 90 mm. The young were
of about the size of Sparrows and remarkably naked, only
a few sprouting feathers being visible, but not a trace of
down.

The parent birds displayed great anxiety and were easily
shot. The male proved to be a normal L. excubitor, with ex-
ceedingly pure colours, and had not a trace of vermiculations
on the white abdomen ; the female was an equally typical
specimen of L. major, and exhibited, on the whole, somewhat
darker colours than the male ; thus, the rump was but very
little lighter than the back, whereas in the male it was a
pure white. The measurements were as follows : — ,^ . Total
length 271 mm., wing 117 mm., tail 114 mm. ? . Total
length 257 mm., wing 113 mm., tail 113 mm.

Hence, having examples to show, both that the single-
and the double -spotted form may occur, pure and typical,
in one and the same brood, and also that the two forms
pair together, it seems difficult to defend the retaining of
'' L. major" as a species distinct from L. excubitor. In
order to show to what remarkably wide extent this species
is found to vary, I will enumerate below the twenty-six
specimens of L. excubitor from Norway now preserved
in the Christiania University Museum. Most of these were
shot or collected by myself ; and hence the sex, date, and
exact locality can be given for well-nigh all. The specimens
could, I feel sure, be arranged with equal correctness in seven
as in two different categories.

SER. v. VOL. IV. D

34 Mr. Robert Collett on

A. Specimens in Spring Plumage (March to May).

a. Typical L. excubitor.

One male. — No vermiculations ; basal spot on secondaries
large (29 mm.). Aker (Christiania), 2nd March, 1877.

Two females. — One without, the other with, faint vermi-
culations; basal mark on secondaries normal (in $ short,
18-20 mm.) ; the white on first feather impure, being mixed
with black. Aker, 3rd May, 1881 ; 19th April, 1882.

b. Nearly typical L. major.

One male. — Vermiculations comparatively distinct ; indi-
cation of basal spot on secondaries occurring as a short
whitish-grey spot (10 mm.) on the third feather. Hamar,
17th April, 1885.

c. Typical L. major.

One male. — No vermiculations ; basal spot on secondaries
absolutely wanting; plumage worn, only a few new feathers,
Aker, 24th April, 1881.

One female. — No vermiculations; basal spot on secon-
daries indicated only by an almost imperceptible sprinkling
of white on one single feather. Aker, 1st May, 1881.

d. Intermediate between L. excubitor and L. homeyeri.

One male. — Abdomen and rump entirely white ; first tail-
feather white, with the quills black in the middle ; basal spot
on secondaries long (30 mm.), extending beyond the coverts.
Guldalen, near Throndhjem, 1st May, 1881*.

* This specimen approximates L. homeyeri more than L. excubitor. In
L. homeyeri the rump is described by some authors (Ibis, 1881, p. 51j as
grey, by the majority, however, as white — a striking proof of the difficulty
with which the characters admit of being determined in this as in the
other forms. In the specimen from Guldalen the said part and also the
abdomen and the tips of the secondaries are snowy white ; the inner
basal spot on the secondaries reaches to the middle of the feathers.

Not improbably it was a similar individual that Seebohm has recorded
from Krasnoyarsk, and regarded as a hybrid between L. Icucopterus and
L. excubitor (Ibis, 1882, p. 421).

Lanius excubitor and Lanius major. 35

B. Specimens in Summer Plumage (June to August).
a. Typical L. excubitor.

One male. — Abdomen snowy white^ the rump of a well-nigh
pure white ; outermost tail-feather almost wholly white ; basal
mark on secondaries normal (23-25 mm.). Tana, East Fin-
mark, 30th June, 1885.

b. Typical L. major.
One female (had paired with preceding specimen). — Faint
traces of vermiculations ; outermost tail-feather with a large
and broad black spot ; basal spot on secondaries absolutely
wanting. Tana, 30th June, 1885.

C. Specimens in Nesting-plumage (June to July).

a. Typical L. excubitor.
Two males (hatched together) . — Basal spot on secondaries
normal (26-27 mm.). See above, p. 32. Dovre Fjeld, 30th
June, 1884.

b. Typical L. major.

One female (of the same brood as the two before men-
tioned).— Basal spot on the secondaries absolutely wanting
(see above, p. 32) . Dovre Fjeld, 30th June, 1884.

D. Specimens in Autumn Plumage (September to

November).

a. Typical L. excubitor.

Five males. — One without vermiculations, and with a
large basal spot on the secondaries (28-29 mm.) ; outermost
tail-feather almost wholly white ; perhaps an old specimen.
The other four specimens with traces of vermiculations and
the basal spot on the secondaries normal (26 mm,, in one
example 24 mm.) Aker, 8th Nov., 1876, 12th Nov., 1881,
13th Nov., 1884 J Romedal, 4th Oct., 1884; Maalselven, near
Tromso, Sept. 1880.

One female. — Broad and distinct vermiculations ; basal
spot on the secondaries normal (18-20 mm.), its colour not
quite pure ; traces of vermiculations on the upper and lower
tail-coverts. Aker, 4th Nov., 1881.

D 2

36 Mr. Robert Collett on

h. Nearly typical L. excubitor.
One male. — An unusually large and liglit-coloured spe-
cimen; total length 276 mm. Traces of vermiculations ;
basal mark on secondaries rather short (18 mm.), impure in
colour, and mixed with black. Aker, 8th Nov., 188J^.

c. Intermediate between L. excubitor and L. major.

One male. — Traces of vermiculations ; basal spot on secon-
daries short (14-16 mm.), colour impure and mixed with
black. Aker, 22nd Oct., 1884.

One specimen (sex undetermined) . — Faint vermiculations ;
basal spot on the secondaries short (10-11 ram.). Odalen,

Oct. 1868.

d. Nearly typical L. major.

One male. — Traces of vermiculations ; faint indication of
basal spot on second feather of the secondaries (8 mm.).
Aker, 12th Sept., 1884.

e. Typical L. major.
One male. — No vermiculations ; basal spot on secondaries
indicated by an almost imperceptible sprinkling of white on
a single feather. Hamar, 8th Nov., 1885.

/. Intermediate between L. excubitor and L. borealis.

One male. — Broad vermiculations on abdomen and ujiper

tail-coverts ; upper surface mixed with reddish grey ; basal

spot on secondaries short (14-15 mm.), colour impure; first

ail-feather with the black spot large (41 mm.) . Hamar, 5th

Nov., 1881*.

* This specimen is licardly distinguishable from a female specimen of
L. horealis from Nevada (28th March, 1868, Smiths. Inst.), the only
example of that form at present in our museum, save in one respect, viz.
that the Norwegian individual has a short basal mark on the secondaries,
a character, perhaps, never met with in the true L. borealis. But
tbe said mark is wholly concealed by tbe coverts, and if these are not
moved aside the two examples would pass as absolutely identical. From
my own investigations, I cannot venture to decide whether L. borealis also
exhibits traces of a similar basal mark on the secondaries. In any case
L. borealis can hardly be otherwise regarded than as one more link in the
long unbroken series of varieties that L. major or L. excubitor — whichever
form be taken as the original— sends forth in all directions.

Laiiius excubitor and Lanius major. 37

E. Specimens in Winter Plumage (December to February).
a. Typical L. major.
Two males. — Traces of vcrmiculations. In one the basal
spot on tbe secondaries absolutely wanting^ in the other
indicated by a white point (3 mm.) on a single feather. Aker,
21st Dec, 1872 ; 10th Feb., 1885.

Z/. excubitor, in its most typical form, i. e. having the two
wing-spots well developed, therefore occurs at all seasons of
the year, and in both sexes ; this is the case even with young in
the early autumn, nay, even in their first plumage {" nesting-
plumage'^), at least with the males.

In the autumn traces of the vcrmiculations become per-
ceptible, save in the case of exceptional specimens (probably
old birds) . In the spring and summer the transverse bands,
as a rule, disappear.

The size of the black spot on the outermost tail-feather
varies exceedingly, but most frequently is smaller than in the
dark form {" L. major" ).

A transition-form to L. homeyeri, or an individual exhibit-
ing a surplus of white, was a male in spring.

"L. major/' in its typical form, without the slightest trace
of any basal spot on the secondaries, may likewise, it would
seem, occur at all seasons of the year, and in both sexes, as
also in the nest-plumage; the majority, however, have proved
to be females.

The vermiculations across the abdomen are frequently
retained in this form ; they had, however, as with L. ex-
cubitor, disappeared in the two spring specimens — one a male,
the other a female — and in one autumn specimen, a male.
On the other hand, they were present in a female with
summer plumage.

The intermediate forms have, as a general rule, been autumn
examples ; one only, approximating very closely the typical
L. major, was a male in the spring. Of these autumn indi-
viduals, two stood equally near to both forms, one approxi-
mated closely the typical L. eojcubitor, and one exhibited a
remarkable surplus of reddish grey (transition to L. borealis).

38 Mr. Robert Collett on

All these transition-forms (possibly witli but one solitary
exception) were males ; also the last-mentioned variety.

The question as to when and in what condition these
specimens of L. excubitor, either with no or with an imper-
fectly developed basal spot on the secondaries^ are found to
occur, can hardly at present be satisfactorily settled.

First of all, it is evident that the presence or absence of
the basal spot on the secondaries cannot be dependent on
age, since both single-spotted and double-spotted individuals
belonging to the same brood occur even in the nesting-
plumage.

Furthermore, should the varying colour of the secondaries
arise from a gradual change, and the imperfectly developed
basal spot in the course of the winter and spring become a
perfect one (as with the primaries of Plectrophanes nivalis,
which pass, without moulting, from brownish grey to white),
a change in this respect would necessarily take place with
such individuals also as exhibit a very small or no basal spot
whatever on the secondaries, and not in transition-specimens
alone.

Thirdly, sex exerts no decided influence, although single-
spotted individuals are more frequently found to be females
than males.

Finally, as regards the latitude, it is generally admitted
that the single-spotted form (comprising also less typical or
transition individuals) belongs to the northern or north-
eastern tracts of the Palsearctic Region, whereas the typical
L. excubitor inhabits Western and Central Europe. Mean-
while we must bear in mind that every year, now that
attention has been drawn to the subject, more or less typical
specimens of the single-spotted form {L. majoi', Cab.) are
shown to occur regularly or commonly in most tracts along
with the normal L. excubitor, extending to Austria and
Hungary; while, as stated above, the true L. excubitor has
also been found to inhabit and breed in the Arctic regions
(Finmark) . Other examples are recorded from Archangel
(Meves), from the Ob (Finsch) ; and their number will
assuredly increase every year.

Lanius excubitor and Lanius major. 39

Thougli, as yet, we are far from having obtained exhaustive
observations, it would seem a fact that throughout the Eastern
Arctic region the inner spot is wholly or in part suppressed
oftener than is the case in the southern districts. This
characteristic tendency increases with the distance east ; in
Eastern Asia the transition is probably impercej^tible to the
form which, under the name of L. borealis, we know from
North America"^ (an exceptional approximation to this form
occurs even in Western or Central Europe). In like manner
does the transition proceed to other forms in which the white
colour predominates, viz., throughout Southern Europe^
North Africa, and East Asia.

Hence we must infer that L. excubitor (like L. ludovi-
cianus, and other species of the same genus, if in a less
degree) has a remarkable tendency to variation, more espe-
cially as regards the extent of the white colour on the tail-
feathers and on the bases of the secondaries, as also in the
development of the vermiculatious across the abdomen. This
variation occurs in some cases quite individually, in others
more constantly, a definite kind of variation being exhibited
with greater and greater frequency according as the distance
from the region constituting the habitat of the typical
form increases, till a number of more or less constant
races, known to us under various names, at length are
produced.

To enumerate all these varieties, or '^ species,^^ derived
from L. excubitor, does not come within the object of the
present paper. In conclusion, I shall merely enumerate such
of the forms as are found with greatest frequency in the
tracts of the Palsearctic Region.

1. The tyj)ical form (L. excubitor, forma excubitor), with
its fully and normally developed inner spot on the secon-
daries, inhabits chiefly Central and Western Europe, and
produces normally young which, even in the nesting- plumage,
exhibit this mark in full development, as in the old birds.

* "My immature bird from the Amoor is undistinguishable from
L. borealis, VieUl., but I have seen au almost complete series from it
to L. excubitor" (Seebohm, Ibis, 1880, p. 115).

40 On Lanius excubitor and Lanius major.

2. Sometimes, however, among the normally coloured
young are produced a few having the basal spot on the
secondaries either imperfect or wholly wanting, and every
conceivable transition between this and the typical form.

3. Such individuals, with the basal spot on the secon-
daries either imperfect or wanting, become more common
throughout the Arctic region ; and in Northern Asia these
are the normal {L. excubitor, forma major), while the double-
spotted variety occurs comparatively seldom.

4. At the same time that the basal spot on the secondaries
is either in part or wholly suppressed, some individuals have
a tendency to exhibit a buff colouring on the rump and tail-
coverts {L. excubitor, forma mollis), also more distinct and
permanent vermiculations across the abdomen, till in North
America (L. excubitor, forma borealis) this character becomes
normal.

5. Moreover the typical L. excubitor sometimes, too, pro-
duces individuals having the basal spot on the secondaries
larger than in the typical form, while at the same time the
white colour becomes more expanded on the feathers of the
rump and the outermost rectrices (L. excubitor, forma
homey eri) .

6. Such individuals, occasionally produced also in Northern
Europe, become more frequent further south, till in South-
eastern Europe they are normal.

7. This tendency to develop the white colour increases
with the distance east, till the most pronounced form
[L. excubitor, forma leucopterus) meets in South Siberia
the northern and darker forms of the species mentioned
above.

8. Assuming the observations from these districts to
be trustworthy, the last form keeps throughout that region
(Seebohm, ' Siberia in Asia/ p. 243) distinctly different from
the others.

Christiania, SOth Nov., 1885.

On the Species of the Genus Plotus. 41

VII. — On the Species of the Genus Plotus and their
Distribution: By H. B. Tristram, D.D., F..R.S.

(Plate III.)

There are few groups in ornithology more distinct than the
subfamily Plotinse — so sharply marked that not an aberrant
Cormorant on the one side, or Tropic-bird on the other, has
ever been suspected of balancing itself on the boundary-fence.
Yet even this self-contained group has not escaped the fate
of all others, of being subdivided into baseless species. The
genus Plotus is usually held to contain four species : —

(1) P. anhinga, L., extending through the temperate and
tropical regions of the vrhole New World.

(2) P. levaillanti, Licht., hitherto supposed to be confined
to Southern, Western, and Central Africa.

(3) P. melanoy aster, Gm., inhabiting the whole Indian
region and Madagascar,

(4) P. nov<B-hollandi(B, Gould, from Australia.

It is difficult, from the specimens in the British Museum,
to distinguish this last bird from P. melanogaster. Gould, in
his description, gives as the diagnosis of the species (P. Z. S.
1847, p. 34) — "^'Very closely allied to the Plotus inhabiting
Java, but distinguished from it by the shortness of the scapu-
laries and by its larger size.^' On examining the series in
the Museum, I do not find any such constant differences.
The largest Chinese specimen equals the smallest Australian
in both respects. I am inclined to agree with Sclilegel
(Mus. des Pays-Bas) in specifically uniting the Australian
with the Indian bird.

During my journey through Northern Syria in 1881, it
was my good fortune to discover a colony of Plotus breeding
in the Bahr el Abiad, or Lake of Antioch. I brought this
fact before the notice of the Zoological Society, and exhibited
a male specimen in full breeding-plumage and the eggs ob-
tained by me (P. Z. S. 1881, p. 826), identifying the bird
with the African P. levaillanti, and not with the Indian
species. I gave a further description of this colony in ' The
Ibis' (1882, p. 418).

42 On the Species of the Genus Plotus.

M. Oustalet, in reviewing the collections made in the same
region by M. Chantre (Ann. Sc. Nat. July 1882, art. 7),
describes the Antioch Plotus as a new species, under the name
of P. chantrei, and states that he differs from my conclusions,
asserting also that the Antioch bird has its affinities rather
with the Indian than with the African species. I was not a
little surprised at this expression of opinion, and also at the
omission by M. Oustalet of the one permanent character
whicb in all stages of plumage distinguishes the African
from the Indian bird, viz. the grey or rusty -brown band at
the termination of the primary wing-coverts, which forms a
conspicuous terminal bar on the wing. This is admirably
shown by Temminck (PL Col. 380) ; but Schlegel (Mus. des
Pays-Bas) is the only writer who, so far as I can ascertain,
has drawn attention to this as the one true specific distinction.
In all the Indian and Australian birds there is not the
slightest trace of this russet band, the whole wing being a rich
glossy black. The three points given in his diagnosis by
M. Oustalet to distinguish this new species are : — 1st. The
silky-white markings of the feathers on the side of the neck,
and the white periophthalmic line reaching to the forehead.
But both these characters are found in P. levaillanti in breed-
ing-plumage, and are well shown in Temminck's plate. 2nd.
The front of the neck white, hardly tinted with yellow. This,
again, is the character of the African bird in nuptial dress.
3rd. The silvery markings on the wings and back being
thicker and broader. This also varies with age, sex, and
season in both species. I have examined over sixty speci-
mens in the British Museum, and compared them with my
Antioch skin, and have come to the decided conclusion that
the Antioch bird is simply P. levaillanti in full nuptial dress.
In this I am confirmed by Mr. Sharpe, who kindly examined
the series with me. It is very difficult to find two specimens
in exactly identical plumage, and there is not one in the large
Museum series in such absolutely perfect nuptial dress as
my bird.

I should have added that, besides the russet or brown
wing-bar, the African and Syrian species has also the inner

Ibis. iG^^b r'.;. M.i

.Keuleinan", n' n .

i-ULTihai-'C. Jrnp.

T n T 7" A

Mr. U. E. Dresser on the Wren of St. Kilda. 43

web of the broad scapular feather of the same russet or rich
brown colour in all stages of plumage^ whereas in the Indian
species this mark is replaced by a white stripe.

I have only, therefore, to reaffirm the identity of the Syrian
with the African species, feeling satisfied that M. Oustalet,
when he wrote his article, had not seen a fully adult male of
P. levaillanti in breeding-dress.

The figure of this bird (Plate III.) is taken from my Syrian
specimen, an adult in full breeding-plumage.

\lll.—On the Wren of St. Kilda.
By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S.

When Mr. Seebohm last year (Zoologist, 1884, p. 333)
described the St. Kilda Wren as distinct from Troglodytes
parvulus, naming it Troglodytes hirtensis, he showed me the
specimen from which his description was taken, and I then
said that it differed so little from our English bird that I
would prefer to reserve my opinion as to the validity of the
species until I could examine a larger series. Since then
Mr. Seebohm has received five more examples from St. Kilda
through Mr. J. T. Mackenzie, of Dunvegan, Skye, one
of which he has most courteously given to me, and has
permitted me to examine the rest : I am also indebted to
Mr. Mackenzie himself for one specimen. These birds I
have carefully compared with my series of Troglodytes par-
vulus, and am now able to say that I do not consider the
St. Kilda bird worthy of specific rank.

Compared only with specimens obtained in England and
Scotland, the St. Kilda Wren is rather more distinctly
barred on the back, and has the throat and breast whiter and
less marked; but I have now before me a specimen from
Margaard, Denmark, which has the back distinctly barred;
as also one from Piedmont, which is, if anything, more dis-
tinctly barred, and has the throat and breast dull white,
without any traces of spots. One, again, obtained near
Constantinople, on the Asia Minor side of the Bosphorus, is

44 Mr. H. E. Dresser on the Wren of St. Kilda.

more distinctly barred on the back than the St. Kilda bird,
and has the throat and breast quite white, without any trace
of spots ; in fact, it agrees very closely with examples from
St. Kilda, except that it is more rufous in tinge of colour.
I do not find any difference between the bill of the St. Kilda
Wren and that of typical examples from Europe; and I cannot
agree with Mr. Dixon (Ibis, 1885, p. 81) in his statement
that the bill of the former resembles that of Troglodytes
borealis, inasmuch as T. borealis has a much larger and con-
spicuously stouter bill. All the last-received specimens of
the St. Kilda Wren are conspicuously pale and grey in tinge
of colour ; but this is easily accounted for by the fact that
they were all sent in spirits, and it is well known that birds
thus treated become paler in colour, and that any tinge of
rufous in the plumage is most apt to suifer. In point of fact,
the type specimen of so-called Troglodytes hirtensis is con-
siderably more rufescent than the last sjjirit-preserved ex-
amples received from there, and is about the same in tinge
of colour as the specimen from Asia Minor above referred to.
In size the St. Kilda Wren agrees closely with examj^les
from different parts of Europe, except that it has the wing
and tarsus a trifle longer, as will be seen by the following
table of measurements, all the specimens being males : —

Hind toe

Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, without claw.

in. in. in. in. in.

England 0-55 1-95 1-35 075 0-35

Ditto 0-55 1-92 1-35 0-70 033

Piedmont 0-52 1-00 1-35 0-68 033

Macedonia 0-55 1-90 1-40 0-70 0-32

Asia Minor .... 0-55 ]-90 1-35 075 0-33

Palestine 0-65 1-95 1-45 0-75 033

Central Asia .... 0-55 2-00 1-40 0-75 033

St. Kilda 0-55 210 1-50 075 0-33

Ditto 055 2-05 1-55 078 0-33

The Faroese Wren {Troglodytes borealis) differs from Tro-
glodytes parvulus in having the underparts more strongly
barred, in being darker in colour, and especially in being
somewhat larger in size, and in having a much stouter bill and

Notes from Northern Iceland. 45

legs, and in these respects it also diflFers from the St. Kilda
Wren. Two males of Troglodytes borealis which I have
examined measured as follows : — culmen 065 and 0'63 inch,
wing 2*1 and 2*05, tail 1'5 and 1'52, tarsus 0*88 and 0*9,
middle toe without claw 0*45 and 0'43. Perhaps one of the
most striking characteristics of the northern Wren is the
stoutness of its bill, for the two specimens above cited
measure in width at the base of the bill 0"28 and 0-3 respec-
tively, whereas no specimen of Troglodytes parvulus which I
have examined measures more than 0*15, the average being
about 0'14, and the two examples from St. Kilda measure
0*14 and 0"15 respectively. I have, as will be seen, taken
the measurements of the hind toe of the various specimens
without the claw, as in some of them the claw is somewhat
worn, and hence, had I taken the measurements with the
claw, it would not have given so accurate a result.

IX. — Notes from Northern Iceland in the Summer o/1885.
By Henry H, Slater and Thomas Carter.

We started late on our tour to Iceland last summer, and
were rather afraid, on landing at Sapi^arkrokr, June 22nd,
that we might find the breeding-season of most of the birds
far advanced. The season, however, was such an exceptionally
late one, owing to the enormous amount of snow still
remaining, even at low altitudes, and to the presence of
numerous icebergs a little to the north of the island, that the
birds seemed to be in a state of complete uncertainty. Up to
the time of our leaving the island on July 20th, we appeared
equally likely to meet with any given species (Ravens and
Iceland Falcons excepted) with young birds, with eggs in
any stage, or not yet breeding.

It was unfortunately often the case, however (doubtless a
common experience) , that any bird^s eggs which we particularly
wanted proved to be much incubated. This caused us, in
moments of irritation, as we sat late into the night painfully

46 Messrs. H. H. Slater and T. Carter's

extracting chickens in small pieces, to vow that in Iceland
birds laid their eggs " hard sat/'

We do not feel called upon to be too precise as to localities^
but we shall always be ready to furnish information to brother
ornithologists by letter. We may be pardoned for taking
this course, as one of us has reason to believe that he has
already, unwittingly, done harm in being too confidential.
The year after he had published his experiences on the Dovre
Fjeld, he received a letter from Mr, CoUett, which men-
tioned that an English collector had just visited the same
localities and had simply exterminated the rarer birds.

Redwing. [Turdus iliacus.)

Abundant in the birch woods. We found only one nest
with eggs, on June 27. We saw many young birds the same
day, some just fledged, some full-grown and almost as long-
tailed as their parents. Whenever the sun shone we heard
with great pleasure the rich wild note of this bird all over
the birch woods.

Northern Wren. [Troglodytes borealis.)

Mr. W. E. Clarke (Ibis, 1885, p. 376) states that this bird
'^occurs in the brushwood of the Fnjoska.'' We can only
say that for some days we searched this locality most care-
fully for it and for its nest, but entirely without success.
Nor can we think that we overlooked it. The inhabitants,
most of whom seem to have a fair general knowledge of their
local birds, usually appeared to know of the bird by the name
'^ Musarbro'Sir,'' but no one seemed to have seen the bird
itself, or could tell us where to look for it. Considering the
trouble we took to find it in different places, considering,
too, the very small number and limited area of the woods in
which it would most probably occur, we feel justified in put-
ting it down as, at all events, extremely rare in the north ;
for it is not, like one of the rarer Waders, for example, a bird
which might be easily overlooked in the vast stretches of
likely marsh and " hei^i " ground.

Mealy Redpoll. (Linota linaria.)

We found this bird often very abundant, as well as generally

Notes from Northern Iceland.

47

distributed, in the birch woods. It seems to be the opinion
of modern ornithologists that L. hornemanni, Holb., is the
ordinary Redpoll of Iceland. Herr Preyer, both in ' Nau-
mannia' (1857, i. p. 63) and ' Reise nach Island im Somraer
1860" (p. 394), speaks of it as " Fringilla linaria, L."
Professor Newton does the same (App. to Baring Gould's
'Iceland, its Scenes and Sagas,' 1863), which are all subse-
quent to Holboll's article in 'Naturh. Tidsskr.' (iv. p. 398,
1843). But iu the last edition of Yarrell's ' British Birds/
Professor Newton conjectures that the prevailing form in
Iceland is the Arctic Redpoll (L. hornemanni), and Mr. Dresser
(B. of Eur. iv. p. 42) acquiesces in this view, which is based
upon an unquestionable specimen from Iceland in Mr. Han-
cock's possession. We think, however, that the subjoined
measurements, to which are added those of one or two other
examples in Slater's collection, will prove that the bird which
breeds in Iceland is L. linaria, whilst it is probable that the
Arctic Redpoll is only a winter visitor.

Loc.

Coll.

Wing.

Tail.

Tarsus.

A. c? . . .

. N. Iceland

B. S ...

j»

C. $ ...

. »

D. c? . . .

n

E. $ ...

»

F. $ ...

j>

G. c^ . . .

Vadso.

H. c? . . .

Spurn Pt.

I. 6 ...

»

K. c? . . .

»

L. 6 ...

»

M. 5 ...

>)

Mr. Hancock's Iceland Arctic EedpoU

H. H.

S.

2-97

2-25

0-55

j>

3-00

2-40

0-56

»

2-90

2-33

0-50

T. C.

3-05

2-55

0-58

))

2-87

2-3.5

0-57

j>

2-90

2-35

0-55

R. CoUett.

2-98

2-38

0-55

H. H.

S.

2-95

2-50

0-55

»

2-95

2-40

0-54

n

2-98

2-55

0-59

»

2-80

2-25

0-.52

Eedpc

)11 ..

2-82
3-125

2-60

0-54
0-75

Snow-Bunting. [Plectrophanes nivalis.)

Common. We obtained several nests with eggs. The
nest, placed either in a crevice of rock in some wild ravine
near the snow-line, or in a heap of loose stones, is clumsily
made of short sticks and tufts of wool, and is lined, like
nearly all small birds' nests in Iceland, with white Ptarmigan

48 Messrs, H. H. Slater and T. Carter's

feathers. We obtainedj about the same time, young flyers in
a very interesting stage of plumage, which has been described
by Professor Newton in ' Yarrell/ ed. 4, vol. ii., but, so far
as we know, nowhere figured.

Raven. {Corvus corax.)

We were, of course, too late for the eggs of this bird, but
we took young birds, almost fledged, from a nest on June 30 ;
they were four in number, and had been fed on birds' eggs
(mostly, apparently, those of the Whimbrel and Golden
Plover) and berries, which, from their colour, could only have
been those of Emjietrum. Ravens seem to get a good many
of the Ptarmigan's eggs ; on two occasions we found one
lying in the woods so neatly sucked as to make pretty good
specimens. The Whimbrels used to attack the black robbers
fearlessly when they came near their nests, as Peewits do
Rooks at home. As there is a much greater disparity in size
in the former case, and, apparently, a less eflFective weapon
(for it is difficult to imagine a more incapable instrument than
the Whimbrel's bill, from a warlike point of view), this speaks
volumes for the pluck of the Whimbrel. As long as the
Raven kept on the ground, the Whimbrels did the same.
But as soon as we approached the Raven and it occurred to
him that he had better move, the Whimbrels dashed at him
as soon as he was on the wing, and appeared almost to tumble
him over, and he soon was glad to take to earth again in a
most undignified manner. Then the Whimbrels, after a stoop
or two at his head, which he met by ducking and croaking,
perched on hummocks and watched him as before. This
seemed to be the usual procedure ; but the Raven appeared to
be ready to put up with the kicks as long as he got the half-
pence— to wit, the eggs. Amongst the scores of Ravens we
saw, we did not observe a single pied specimen.

White-tailed Eagle. [Halia'etus albicilla.)
An egg of the season was brought in to us.

Iceland Falcon. {Hierofalco islandus.)
We saw several, and eggs which had been taken earlier were
brought to us.

Notes from Northern Iceland. 49

Merlin. {Falco cesalon.)

Not nearly so numerous in the north as would seem to be
the case elsewhere. We never saw the adult birds, but two
clutches of eggs and four young in down were brought to us.

Rock- Ptarmigan. [Lagopus rupestris.)

Of this bird, which seems generally distributed in fair num-
bers, we obtained specimens — adult, young in down, and eggs.
We must entirely endorse the remarks of Messrs. Clarke and
Backhouse (Ibis, 1885, p. 376), as all the specimens which
came under our notice were normal L. rupestris. The note is
a croak, very like that of L. alpinus ,^\\\c\x the male utters con-
tinuously on the wing, as well as intermittently when on the
ground; and this several times drew our attention to him when
he might otherwise have escaped notice. The nest is like that
of the Red Grouse, partly sheltered by a trailing branch of
dwarf birch or other shrub. The largest clutch of eggs we
obtained was ten, but one of six was brought to us on July 6,
very much incubated.

Heron. {Ardea cinerea.)
We saw one near Skagafjor^r.

Ducks.

Of these we took eggs ourselves of the Wild Duck, Wigeon,
Scaup (commonest of all ; we once, working independently,
counted 305 nests of this bird in about an hour on a space of
three or four acres, all with eggs, after which we stopped
counting), Barrow's Goldeneye, Longtail, Pintail, Scoter;
also of the Merganser. One of us is confident also that he
saw a pair of Common Goldeneyes near Skagafjor^r, which
were swimming in a lake within thirty yards of where he rode
past them. Other Ducks' eggs were brought to us with the
down, amongst which, with the kind help of Mr. Seebohm
and his collection, we have identified the Teal, possibly the
Shoveller, the Harlequin, and three eggs of the Gadwall, which
have only once previously been taken in North Iceland.

Turnstone. {Strepsilas interpres.)

We never met with this bird ourselves, but an Icelander

SER. v. VOL. IV. E

50 IVIessrs. H. H. Slater and T. Carter's

brought in a clutch of eggs which we put down as belonging
to this bird; an opinion which Professor Newton endorses.

Purple Sandpiper. {Tringa striata.)

We obtained two clutches of the eggs of this bird^ which
would seem to breed sparsely on the bleakest and wildest
uplands or '' hei^ies.^'

Sanderling. {Calidris arenaria.)

An officious native having, at considerable trouble to him-
self, informed the authorities that we were shooting birds in
the close season (a fact of which they Avere already quite
aware), they felt themselves compelled to send us a messenger
with a copy of the law on the subject, as a delicate hint to
keep our proceedings quiet. This la^v, it is perhaps worthy
of remark, is printed in Danish and French, although nine
tenths of the tourists in Iceland are British. The great
offenders, owing to whom it originally became necessary to
pass the law, are the officers of the various French men-of-
war sent there to protect the interest of the bonus-fed French
cod-fishermen. These gentry were, and still are, in the habit
of going ashore in boatloads, and slaying, no matter at what
season, everything they find with feathers on it.

In consequence of this message from the authorities, we
went out for a day or two without guns, and of course one
of them proved to be the one day, of all others, when a gun
would have been invaluable. For we came upon a nest that
day, on a tussock-side at the edge of a marsh, from which
the old bird fluttered oflF in a perfectly different manner from
a Dunlin ; this, combined with the appearance of the bird,
impelled the finder to drop his hat on the nest to mark it, and
to follow the old bird, which trotted or crept away, according
to the openness of the ground, without uttering a sound, a few
yards in front of him. He followed her for about a hundred
yards, keeping his field-glasses focused upon her, and then
returned to the nest, perfectly convinced that he had been
looking at a Sanderling. He was chiefly struck with the
rusty colour of her throat, with the plain white breast, and
with her perfect muteness. The eggs were packed with great

Notes from Northern Iceland. 51

care (they were, of course, on the point of hatching), and
seemed to resemble what we remembered Sanderling^s eggs
to be. On our return to England we again inspected the
plate in Nares^s ' Narrative/ and sent them off to Professor
Newton, who expressed his opinion that they were possibly
Sanderling^s eggs. When dissected, however, the embryo
proved to have a hind toe. Notwithstanding this, we feel it
difficult to alter our opinion as to .the species. As the San-
derling, hind toe excepted, is a normal Tringa, it seems to us
not impossiljle that the hind toe may become atrophied shortly
after hatching. We propose to investigate the subject further,
if possible.

Arctic Terx. [Sterna macrura.)

Universally distributed in large numbers. The native
Icelandic names for the birds are generally onomatopoeic, and
that of the Arctic Tern is ''^Krja^^ (pronounced kreee-ah),
which exactly suggests tlie note ; this is more than can be
said for most of the complicated arrangements in italics so
common in books on birds. The Terns in Iceland were ex-
cessively bold, and, when we were near their eggs or young,
gave us vicious raps on the head, which, through our soft
hats, were distinctly painful. A large proportion of the
young birds seemed to die in the downy stage some little time
after hatching, for which we could only account by attributing
it to the cold summer, or to the presence of huge tapeworms
in their insides.

Great Northern Diver. {Culymbus arcticus.)
Opinions differ as to the disposition of this bird. It is not
unfrequently stated to be so very wary that it is only with
the greatest difficulty that it can be approached in a boat.
Mr. Charles Dixon, apparently (Ibis, 1885, p. 90), considers
that it is of so guileless a disposition as to sit on a rock while
St.-Kildans, taking it, in a moment of universal temporary
insanity, for an evil spirit, stone it to death.

Its disposition appears to lie somewhere between these
extremes, but probably a good deal nearer to the former.
We were able one morning to obtain a couple (both males,

E 2

52 Notes from Northern Iceland.

whicli weighed^ respectively^ 10^ and 13 lb.) by noting the di-
rection in wliicli they dived and proceeding in it. Five times
out of ten you will be disappointed^ as the bird will alter its
course under water, or do something else unexpected. The
tenth, if you are very quick with your gun, you may get a
snap-shot before it dives again. Our morniug^s amusement
was only marred by a big trout choosing an inopportune
moment, when we were intently looking out for the I'e-
appearance of a submerged Diver^ to seize an angel-minnow
trailing behind the boat. Before the gun could be transferred
to the person who was rowing, and the rod taken in hand, the
reel-handle had caught in some stones at the boat's bottom,
there were two frantic jumps in the air, and we were minus
our hoped-for dinner and a certain quantity of tackle.

Red-throated Diver. (Colymbus septentrionalis.)
Much less common than the foregoing. We saw the bird

on one or two occasions, heard it oftener, and had several

eggs brought in.

Little Auk. {Mergulus alle.)

Were not uncommon on Skagafjor^r, and we had eggs
brought in from Grimsey.

Other birds, observed in more or less abundance, which
call for no remark, are : — Wheatear, White Wagtail, Meadow-
Pipit, Whimbrel, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Snipe
(Common only). Red-necked Phalarope, Ringed Plover,
Geese, Harlequin and Eider Ducks, Goosander, Puffin, Razor-
bill, Black, Briinnich's, and Common Guillemots, Shag,
Gannet, Kittiwake, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed
Gull, Richardson's and Great Skuas, Fulmar, and Sclavonian
Grebe.

Skins of the Coot and the Water- Rail were seen at Aku-
reyri : they were stated to have been killed on the Eyja- or
Q^^fjorSr, on which the town stands.

On the Avifauna of Bucaramanga. 53

X. — On some interesting Additions to the Avifauna of Buca-
ramanga, U.S. of Colombia. By Hans von Berlepsch.

(Plate IV.)

In the ' Journal fur Ornithologie ' for 188i, pp. 273-320,
I have spoken of a large collection of bird-skins from Buca-
ramanga sent to the Liibeck Museum by Mr. Emilio INIinlos,
a German resident of that city. Lately I have had the pleasure
of examining another collection from the same source, which
was most obligingly placed in my hands for determination
by my friend Dr. H. Lenz, of Liibeck. In general this
second collection contained but little additional material
worthy of notice; indeed, it furnished but three species which
were not represented in the first consignment. However,
two of these are of no small interest : one being quite new
to science, the other not yet knoAvn as a denizen of New
Granada. To begin first with the interesting novelty, of
which there are two specimens in the collection. I feel much
satisfaction in naming it "Xenerpestes minlosi/' in honour
of Mr. Emilio Minlos, by whose generosity this collection
was brought together in the neighbourhood of the city of
Bucaramanga, and afterwards presented to the Museum of
the city of Liibeck. The new generic title was kindly sug-
gested to me by Mr. Sclater, who, as well as Mr. Salvin,
agrees with me in considering this bird to be new to science,
and a very important discovery.

In appearance Xenerpestes minlosi is quite unlike any
other species. At first sight its colouring reminds one some-
what of the curious Odontorhynchus branickii, being cine-
reous above, white below, and showing white striations on
the nape &c. In form, however, it is altogether different;
moreover it has an unbarred tail, white wing- bands &c., and
the similarity appears very superficial when the two species
are compared more closely together.

The correct position of the new bird is, no doubt, among
the Deudrocolaptidce ; and I am inclined to adopt the view of
my friend Mr. Sclater, who believes that it ought to be placed
in the neighbourhood of Synallaxis, Nevertheless its com-

54 Hans vou Berlepsch on the

paratively much longer wings, -wliicli are more pointed (not
rounded), its tail, the feathers of which are soft, with their
tips rounded (not pointed, nor are the rectrices anywhere di-
lated, as in certain Dendrocolaptidse with soft tails), the curved
bill, the very short legs, with their strong much-curved claws,
and the quite singular coloration make it very different fromi
that genus, and its correct position among the Dendroco-
laptidae must remain a matter of controversy. The bird may
be characterized as follows : —

Xenerpestes (^6vo?= alienus, e/37r»7o-T>;9, nomen propr.), genus
novum Dendrocolaptidarum.

Rostro brevi, gracili, conspicue deorsum curvato, basi latiore,
dein subito angustato, maxillae tomiis ad oris augulura
projectis, tumidis, dente finali nullo. Narium aperturis
oblongis, pone rostri basin, lateralibus, membrana partim
obtectis nee phimosis. Tarsis brevibus fortibus, digitis
brevissimis, unguibus fortioribus, valde incurvis iu-
structis. Digito externo interno vix longiore.

Trunci pennis quam in genere Synallaxidi firmioribus, plurais
in f route rigidis setaceis, supra narium aperturas valde
prominentibus.

Alis pro mole longioribus. Remigum primariorum decern
2°, 3°, 4° longissimis, fere sequalibus ; 2"= 7" secundariis
(numero novem?) multo longioribus.

Cauda modice gradata, rectricibus externis mediis circiter
] 5 mm. brevioribus : rectricibus omnibus laxis, latitudine
sequali, apicibus rotundatis nee acuminatis.

Coloribus insolitis, sexibus similibus : ptilosi setatis juvenilis
diversa.

Xenerpestes minlosi, sp. nov. (Plate IV.)
Corpore supra olivascente griseo, pileo nigrescentiore, plumis
in fronte striis tenuissimis scapalibus albis signatis.
Nucha et coUo laterali minus conspicue striatis. Super-
ciliis latis a naribus ad nucham ductis flavescenti-albis.
Corpore subtus sordide flavescenti-albo unicolore, sub-
caudalibus obscure griseo maculatis. Tectricium alarum
mediorum et longissimorum apicibus late albo maculatis
(itaque alis bifasciatis). Rectricibus colore dorsi, externis
in vexillo interno stricte albo marginatis. Rostro corneo,
mandibula basi infra flavescenti-alba. Pedibus plumbeis,
unguibus flavescentibus.

Ibis .188 6. PI. IV.

^ v-

vrKRulnfil.lli:". liHi

Hanhart imp

XENERPESTES MINEOSI

Avifauna of Bucaramanga. 55

Avis junior. Plumis pectoralibus fusco margiiiatis^ nucha
fortius albo striata, striis frontalibus fere evanescentibus,
alarum tectricibus sordidis albo fasciatis et limbo rec-
tricium lateralium albo nullo differt.
Long. tot. 100 (circiter), al. 57-56, caud. 47^-4.8^, rostr.
culm. 11 1, tars. 14^ mm.

Habitat. Circa Bucaramanga, in republ. Colombiaua (coll.
Minlos).

Typi in Mus. Liibeck et Hans von Berlepsch.

I add a more detailed description of the two specimens
which are in the collection — one of them being evidently
an adult ; the other a young bird, which differs in many points
from it.

Adult. The upper parts of the body are of a dark cinereous
colour, with a slight shade of olive admixed with it. The top
of the head is much darker, rather blackish, and here each
feather shows a thin white stripe occupying the shaft from
the base till about the end of the feather ; these stripes are
more conspicuous on the fore j)art of the front, where the
feathers are rather firm and rigid and acutely pointed. On
the hind neck, and more so on the sides of the neck, there
are likewise indications of white stripes down the feathers,
but they are only to be seen when the feathers are disturbed.
The lores are white, but obscured by blackish margins to the
feathers, which also form a black line dividing the lores
from the superciliary stripe. The white superciliary stripe
itself, which is very broad and conspicuous, begins at the
nostrils, where it has a strong yellowish or fulvous suffusion,
and then becoming of a purer white, extends over the eye to the
side of the nape, where it ends in an acute tip. The feathers
of the region under the eye are whitish, with blackish tips ;
the ear-coverts blackish, striped down the centre with
whitish.

All the underparts are of a uniform soiled white, somewhat
suffused with yellowish. On the sides of the breast there
are a few indistinct blackish spots, being, no doubt, the
remains of a feature which is niuch more conspicuous in the
immature stage of this bird.

The under wing-coverts, the carpal margin, and the inner

56 On the Avifauna of Bucaramanga.

margin of the wing-feathers are also a uniform yellowish
white. The jflanks are greyish olivaeeouSj variegated with
whitish, and on the inner flanks under the wing there is a
bundle of silky-white feathers of a fluffy appearance. The
under tail-coverts are yellowish white, marked with indistinct
dusky spots on each side of the feather.

The wings are a blackish brown, with very indistinct mar-
gins of greyish olive to the secondaries and the middle portion
of the outer webs of the primaries. The smallest wing-
coverts are dark broAvn, margined with the colour of the
back, the medium-sized and the longest coverts more blackish
brown, tipped broadly and distinctly with white spots (these
forming two conspicuous and well-marked white Aving-bands) .
The least tertiaries also show inconspicuous narrow white
margins to their tips behind.

The tail-feathers are of the same cinereous colour as the
back, with blackish shafts. The three outer rectrices on each
side show sharp and conspicuous white margins to the inner
webs from nearly the base to the tip. Upper mandible
blackish brown ; the under mandible whitish, obscured with
brownish on the side of the base and on the tip. Legs
blackish plumbeous, claws clear yellowish white.

The young bird differs from the old one in having all the fea-
thers of the breast down nearly to the belly and of the jugulum
margined with greyish black ; these margins are more con-
spicuous on the sides of the feather than on the tip, but give
to these parts of the body a somewhat scaly appearance. The
white superciliary stripe is not nearly so broad as in the old
bird, and much obscured by blackish margins to the feathers.
The feathers on the forehead show somewhat lighter centres,
but there are no linear shaft-stripes ; these feathers are also
not nearly so stifl" and pointed as in the adult.

On the neck and upper part of the back the white striations
are much more consjiicuous, being broader and more generally
dispersed. The white wing-bands are not so conspicuous,
being narrower and more soiled with rusty yellowish. The
conspicuous white margins to the inner webs of the tail-
feathers arc altogether wanting.

On Birds front British Guiana. 57

The second addition to the Colombian avifauna is a specimen
of Oncostoma olivaceuni, Lawr. The genus Oncostoma has
hitherto been believed to be confined to Central America ;
the discovery of 0. olivaceuni at Bucararaanga therefore is a
fact of considerable interest. The skin sent from Bucara-
manga differs a little from a typical specimen of O. oliva-
ceuni kindly lent to me for comparison by Mr. Sclater. The
former is of much larger dimensions and has a somewhat
narrower bill ; the upper parts of tlie body are of a darker
olivaceous, especially on the top of the head, where the
dark basal markings of the feathers are more apparent.
Further, the upper breast is more conspicuously striated with
dusky, and the yellowish wing-bands (formed by the terminal
spots of the larger and middle wing-coverts) are much clearer
and broader. ; the legs, too, are darker.

Knowiug that similar differences in size and colour are to
be found in specimens of the allied 0. cinereigulare , I do not
think the specimen from Bucaramanga ought to be separated
specifically or subspecifically from true O. olivaceuni. A
larger series is necessary to settle this point definitely.

O. olivaceum from Panama (mus. P. L. Sclater) : al. 41^
millim., caud. 30, rostr. 11^, tars. 144.

0. olivaceum from Bucaramanga : al. 49 millim., caud. 38^,
rostr. 12^, tars. 14.

The third addition to the avifauna of Bucaramanga is a
young inale in transition plumage of Euphonia nigricollis
(Vieill.), about which no remark is needed.
Muenden, November 1885.

XI. — A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely in
British Guiana. By Osbert Salvin^ M.A.^ F.R.S., &c.

[Coutinued from ' The Ibis/ 1885, p. 439.]

380. PiCUMNUS MINUTUS.

Pipra minuta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 340 ?

Picunmus minutus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 714.

Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500-4000 ft.).

58 Mr. O. Salvia on Birds

Mr. Whitely's skins no doubt belong to the species thus
named by Prof. Cabanis ; but whether they should be referred
to the P'lpra minuta of Linu?eus must probably be ever a
matter of uncertain ty.

381. Campephilus melanoleucus.

Picus melanoleucus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 426; Sundev.
Consp. Av. Piciu. p. 5.

Drijocopus albirostris (Vieill.)^ Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 71G.

Bartica Grove.

382. Campephilus rubricollis.

Picus rubricollis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 426.

Campephilus rubricollis, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 716.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

383. Dryocopus lineatus.

Picus lineatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 174,

Dryocopus lineatus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 716.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.) .

384"^. Chloronerpes sanguineus.

Dendrobates sanguineus (Wagl.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 716.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

385. Chloronerpes kirkii.

Chloropicus kirki, Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 400.
Mesopictis kirki, Malh. Mon. Pic. ii. p. 70, pi. 59. figs. 7, 8.
Roraima (4000-5000 ft.) .

386. Chloronerpes sedulus.

Campias sedulus. Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iv. p. 153.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima.

Dendrobates passerinus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 716, may refer to this species or to C. tephrodops, both
being Guianan birds. Picus passerinus, Linn., fz'om St.
Domingo, has never been satisfactorily recognized.

387. Chloronerpes flavigularis.
Picus flavigula, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 49.

from British Guiana. 59

Chlornnerpes flavigularis, Scl. Cat. Am, B. p. 339.
Chloronerpes chloroceplialus (Gm.), Cab, in Scliomb,
Guiana, iii, p, 716,

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

388. Chloronerpes rubiginosus.
Picus rubiginosus, Sw. Zool. 111. pi. 14.

Chloronerpes rubiginosus, Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 715.

Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500 ft.) .

These specimens agree with others from Venezuela, the
true P. rubiginosus of Swainson.

389. Melanerpes rubrifrons.

Picus 7'ubrifrons, Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 61, pi, 55.

Melanerpes rubrifrons, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 341.

Centurus hirundinaceus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 341.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Ata-
purau.

390. Celeus cinnamomeus.

Celeus cinnamomeus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 715.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

These specimens have the head of a rather deeper colour
than is usual in this species ; but they vary in this respect
amongst one another.

391*. Celeus citrinus.

Picus citrinus, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 30.

Celeus exalbidus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 715,

Not represented in Mr, Whitely's collection.

392. Celeus rufus.

Celeus rufus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 715.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

393"^. Celeus multicolor.

Celeus multicolor (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 715.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

60 Mr. O. Salvia on Birds

394. MOMOTUS BRASILIENSIS.

Rhamphastus momotns, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 152.
Momotus brasiUensis, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 216.
Prionites momota, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 704.
Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains, R. Atapurau, Roraima
(3500 ft.).

395. Ceryle torquata.

Alcedo torquata, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 703.
Ceryle torquata, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 73, pi. 22.
Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Atapurau.

396. Ceryle amazona.

Alcedo amazona, Latli., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 704.

Ce^'yle amazona, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 83, pi. 24.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

397. Ceryle Americana.

Alcedo americana, Gm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 704.

Ceryle americana, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. j). 89, pi. 26.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Ata-
purau, R. Surnani (2700 ft.) .

398. Ceryle inda.

Alcedo inda, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 179.

Ceryle hula, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 91, pi. 27.

Alcedo hicolor, Gm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 704.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

399. Ceryle superciliosa.

Alcedo superciliosa, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 704.

Ceryle superciliosa, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 93, pi. 28.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

400. Trogon personatus.

Trogon personatm, Gould, Ann. & Mag. N. H. ix. p. 237;
Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. 10.
Roraima (3500 ft.).
These specimens agree with others I'roui the Andes (Co-

from British Guiana, 61

lombia^ Ecuador^ &c.), except that the central tail-feathers
o£ the males are of a deeper bronze colour than usual. In
our series we observe a variation in these feathers from green
to bronze, those of the former colour being apparently more
freshly moulted.

401. Trogon atricollis.

Trogon atricollis, Vieill., Cab. in.Schorab. Guiana, iii.
p. 719; Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. 14.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

402. Trogon meridionalis.

Trogon meridionalis, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 719; Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. 17.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, R. Atapurau, Roraima (3500 ft.) .

403. Trogon viridis.

Trogon viridis, Linn., Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. 21.

Trogon melanopterus, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 718.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merurae Mountains, R. Ata-
purau.

404. Trogon melanurus.

Trogon melanurus, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 718; Gould, Mon. Trog. ed. 2, pi. 29.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa, R. Atapurau,

405*. Galbula viridis.
Galbula viridis, Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 7, pi. 2.
Galbula viridicauda, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 717.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

406*. Galbula ruficauda, Cuv. Regn. An. i. p. 420 ; Scl.
Mon. Galb. p. 15, pi. 4.

Galbula leptura, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 717.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

407. Gaxbula albirostris.

Galbula albirostris, Lath., Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 27, pi. 7.
Galbula flarirostris, Vieill,, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. .717.

63 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Bartica Grove^ Caniacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima

(3500 ft.).

408. Galbula leucogastra.

Galbula leucogastra, Vieill., Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 33, pi. 9.
Galbula albiventris, Cuv., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 717.

Merume MountainSk

409. Urogalba paradisea.

Alce.do jiaradisea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 181.
Galbula par adisea, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 717.
Urogalba paradisea, Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 1, pi. 1. fig. 1.
Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains.

410. Brachygalba lugubris.

Galbida lugubris, Sw. An. in ISIenag. p. 329 ; Cab. in
Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 718; Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 39, pi. 11.
Merume Mountains, Roraima.

411. Jacamerops grandis.

Lamproptila grandis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 718.

Jacamerops grandis, Scl. Mon. Galb. p. 57, pi. 18.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Ata-
purau.

413. BUCCO COLLARIS.

Bucco collaris, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 202; Scl. Mon. Bucc.
p. 59, pi. 19.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima
(3500 ft.).

413. Bucco MACRORHYNCHUS.

Bucco macrorhynchus, Gm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 719 ; Scl. Mon. Bucc. p. 65, pi. 20.

Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500 ft.),

414. Bucco tectus.

Bucco tectus, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 43 ; Scl. Mon. Bucc.
p. 79, pi. 26.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

from British Guiana. 63

415. BUCCO TAMATIA.

Bucco tamatia, Gm., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 719 ;
Scl. Mon. Bucc. p. 93, pi. 31. fig. 1.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

416. MONASA ATRA.

Monasa nigra (Miill.), Scl. Mon. Bucc. p. 145, pi. 48.
Monasta tranqidlla (Vieill.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 719.

Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Atapurau.

417. Chelidoptera tenebrosa.

Chelidoptera tenebrosa (Pall.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 720; Scl. Mon. Bucc. p. 161, pi. 55. fig. 1.

Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains, R. Yuruani, Ro-
raima.

418. Crotophaga ani.

Crotophaga ani, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 154 ; Cab. in
Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 713.
Bartica Grove.

419^. Crotophaga major.

Crotophaga major, Linn., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 712.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

420'^. Crotophaga sulcirostris.

Crotophaga sulcirostris, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 440.
Crotophaga rugirostra, Sw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 713.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

421. Neomorphus rufipennis.

Cultrides rufipennis, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1849, p. 63,
pi. 10.

Neomorphus rufipennis, Lawr. Ibis, 1873, p. 292.

Camacusa.

We now possess specimens of all the five species of this
genus, and have no doubt as to their specific distinctness.

C)i Mr. O. Salvia on Birds

422. Dromococcyx pavoninus.
Dromococcyx pavoninus, Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 270.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

423. DiPLOPTERUS NjEVIUS.

Diplopterns navius (Linn.), Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 321.
Diplopteras galeritus (III.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 713.

Bartica Grove, Roraima (3500 ft.),

424. PlAYA CAYANA.

Cucnius cmjanus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 170.
Pyrrhococcijx cayanus, Cab. in Schorab. Gniana, iii.
p. 713.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.).

425. PlAYA MELANOGASTER.

Cuculus melanoy aster, Vieill. N. Diet. cl'Hist. Nat. viii.
p. 236.

Piaya melanog aster, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 758.

Pyri'hococcyx brachyptera, Less., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 714,

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

426'^, Piaya minuta.

Piaya minuta (Vieill.), Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 322.
Pyrrhococcyx minutus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 714.
Not represented in Mr. Wliitely^s collection.

427. COCCYGUS MINOR.

Cuculus minor, Gm. Syst. Nat, i. p. 411.
Coccygus seniculus (Lath.), Scl, Cat. Am. B. p. 323.
Coccygus helviventris , Cab. in Schomb, Guiana, iii. p. 714.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection,

428. Coccygus melanocoryphus.

Coccygus melanocoryphus, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. viii.
p. 271.

Bartica Grove, R. Yuruani.

429. Rhamphastos* erythrorhy^nchus,
Rhamphastos erythrorhynchus , Gm., Cab. in Schomb.

Guiana, iii. p. 722 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 6.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima.

from British Guiana. 65

430^. Rhamphastos toco.

Rhamphastos toco, Gra., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 721; Gould, Mon. Rliaraph. pi. 1.

431^. Rhamphastos dicolorus.

Rhamphastos dicolorus, Gm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 722 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 14.

432'^. Rhamphastos osculans.

Rhamphastos osculans, Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 10; Cab.
in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 723.

These three species are not represented in Mr. Whitely's
collection,

433. Rhamphastos vitellinus.

Rhamphastos vitellinus, Licht., Cab. in Schomb. Gniana,
iii. p. 722; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 13.
Bartica Grove_, Camacusa.

434. Pteroglossus aracari.

Pteroglossus aracari (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 720; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 15.
Barlica Grove.

435. Pteroglossus viridis.

Pteroglossus viridis (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 720 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 24.
Bartica Grove^ Camacusa.

436*. Pteroglossus inscriptus.

Pteroglossus inscriptus, S\v., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 721 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 23.

437'^. Pteroglossus pluricinctus.

Pteroglossus pluricinctus, Gould, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 721 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 17.

438"^. Pteroglossus bitorquatus.

Pteroglossus bitorquatus, Vig., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 721 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 26.

These three species are not represented in Mr. Whitely's
collection.

SER. V. — VOL. IV. J

66 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

439. Selenidera pipertvora.

Pteroglossus piperivorus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 721 ; Gould, Mon. Rhamph. pi. 36.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, R. Ata-
purau.

440'^. Selenidera nattereri.

Pteroglossus nattereri, Gould, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 721.

Selenidera nattereri, Gould, Mon. Rbampb. pi. 34.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

441. AuLACORHAMPHUS WHITELYANUS.

Aulacorham^yhus ivhitelyanus, Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1882,
p. 83.

Pteroglossus sulcatus, Cab. ia Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 721
(nee Swainson) ?

Merume Mountains, Roraima (3000-3700 ft.).

Mr. Whitely obtained several specimens of this species, all
agreeing with the type from the Merume Mountains. \
have little doubt that Schomburgk's birds called P. sulcatus
also belong to this species.

442. CaPITO NIGER.

Bucco niger, MilU. Natursyst. Suppl. p. 89.
Capito niger, Marshall, Mon. Cap. pi. 58.
Capita cayennensis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 720.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, R. Atapurau.

443. Ara chloroptera.

Ara chloroptera , G. R. Gray, List Psitt. p. 25.
Sittace chloroptera, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 403.
Macrocercus macao. Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 730
(nee L., apud Finsch).
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

444"^. Ara severa.

Conurus severus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 729.

Sifface severa, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 417.

from British Guiana. 67

445*. ArA MACAO.

Sittace macao (Linn.), Finsch, Papag. i. p. 398.
Macrocercus aracanga (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^ iii.
p. 729 (apud Finsch).

446*. Ara ararauna.

Macrocercus ararauna (Linn.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 780.

Sittace ararauna, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 410.

These three species are not represented in Mr. Wbitely's
collection.

447. Ara macuvuana.

Conurus macuvuana (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 729.

Sittace macuvuana, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 415.

Roraima (3500 ft.).

Agrees with specimens from Rio Branco (Natterer) and
from Sarayacu, Ecuador {Buckley).

448. Ara hahnt.

Psittacara hahni, Souanc^, Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1856,
p. 58.

Sittace hahni, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 426.

Macrocercus nobilis, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 729
(nee Linn, apud Finsch).

Roraima (3500 ft.).

449*. Conurus pavua.
Psittacus pavua, Bodd. Tabl. PI, Enl. p. 10.
Conurus pavua, Finsch, Papag. i. p. 469.
Conurus yuianensis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 729.

450*. Conurus solstitialis.

Conurus solstitialis (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 728; Finsch, Papag. i. p. 491.

451*. Conurus cyanopterus.

Conurus cyanopterus (Bodd.), Finsch, Papag. i. p. 558.
Conurus versicolor (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 728.

r2

68 Mr. O. Salviii on Birds

4)52*. CONURUS AUREUS.

Conurus aureus (Gm.), Fiiisch^ Papag. i. p. 499.

Conurus canicularis (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 728.

These four species are not represented in Mr. Whitely's
series of specimens.

453. Conurus pertinax.

Conurus pertinax (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 728 ; Finsch, Papag. i. p. 506.
Roraima (3500 ft.) .

451. Conurus egregius.

Conwus egregius, Scl. Ibis, 1881, p. 130, pi. iv. ; Salv. &
Godm. Ibis, 1882, p. 83.

Merum^ Mountains, Roraima (3500-4000 ft.).

455, Brotogerys chrysoptera.
Psittacus chrysopterus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 149.
Conurus tuiparus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 727.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

456*. Brotogerys tiriacula.
Psittacus tiriacula, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 51.
Conurus tiriacula, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 727.
Brotogerys tirica, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 89, ex Gm.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

457. Brotogerys panychlorus.

Brotogerys panychlorus, Salv. & Godm, Ibis, 1883, p. 211,
pi. ix. f. 1,

Roraima (3500 ft.).

458*. Chrysotis festiva.

Psittacus festivus, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 724.

Chrysotis festiva, Finsch, Papag. ii. p, 511.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

459. Chrysotis cceligena,

Chrysotis cceligena, Scl, P. Z. S, 1860, p, 68, pi, 9; Lawr.
Ibis, 1880, p. 237; Ibis, 1881, p. 414.

from British Guiana, 69

Psittacus dufres7ieanus, Cab. iu Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 724
(nee Kuhl) ?
Bartiea Grove^ Camacusa.

460^. Chrysotis farinosa.

Chrysotis farinosa (Bodd.), Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 565.
Psittacus pulverulentus, Gm., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 724.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

461. Chrysotis amazonica.

Chrysotis amazonica (Linn.), Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 570.
Psittacus (sstivus, Cab. iu Schomb. Guiana^ iii. p. 725 (apud
Finsch) .

Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.).

462. Chrysotis ochrocephala.

Psittacus ochrocephalus, Linn.?, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 724.

Chrysotis ochrocephala, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 584.
Bartiea Grove, Camacusa.

463. Deroptyus accipitrinus.

Deroptyus accipitrinus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 726.

Pionias accipitrinus, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 466.
Camacusa, Merume Mountains.

464. PioNUs menstruus.

Psittacus menstruus, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 723.

Pionias menstruus, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 441.

Bartiea Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima.

465. CaICA HISTRIO.

Pionias histrio (Bodd.), Finsch^ Papag. ii. p. 429.
Psittacus pileatus, Gm., Cab. iu Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 723.

Bartiea Grove, Camacusa.

466. Caica melanocephalus.

Psittacus melanocephalus, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 723.

70 Mr. O. Salvin oti Birds

Pionias melanocephalus, Finsch^ Papag. ii. p. 432.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merumd Mountains,

467*. Caica maximiliani.

Psittacus maximiliani, Kuhl, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 723.

Not represented in Mr. Wliitely's collection.

468. Urochroma purpukata.

Psittacus purpuratus, Gra., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 723.

Psittacula purpurata, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 680.
Bartica Grove, Merurae Mountains, Roraima (3500 ft.).

469*. Psittacula passerina.

Psittacula passerina (Linn,), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 726.

470*. Psittacula cyanoptera.

Psittacula gi'egarius (Spix), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 727.

Mr. "Whitely did not procure any specimens of Psittacula.
The two birds obtained by Schomburgk, and called P. passe-
rina and P. gregarius, probably belonged to one species,
the true P. passerina (Linn.) .

471*. Psittacula modesta.

Psittacula modesta, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 727.

There are no specimens answering to this description in
Mr. Whitely^s collection. Graf von Berlepsch is of opinion
that P. sclateri of the Amazons is referable to this species,
P. modesta being the older title.

472. Strix flammea.

Strix flammea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 133; Sharpe, Cat. B.
Brit. Mus. ii. p. 291.

Strix perlata, Licht., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 732.
Roraima (4000 ft.) .

473*. Bubo virginianus.

Bubo virginianus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 733 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 19.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

from British Guiana. 71

474. Scops brasilianus.

Scops brasilianus (Gm.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii.
p. 108.

Scops choliba (Vieill.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 733.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

475*. Scops asio?

Scops asio ?, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 733.
I do not know to what bird this name refers, but it can
hardly be S. asio, a North-American species.

476. PULSATRIX TORQUATA.

Athene torquata (Daud.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 732.

Syrnium perspicillatuin (Lath.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus,
ii. p. 277.

Bartica Grove.

477. CiCCABA HULULA.

Syrnium hululum (Daud.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii.
p. 275.

Athene lineata (Shaw), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 732.

Merume Mountains.

478. CiCCABA SUPERCILIARIS.

Syrnium superciliare, Pelz. Verb. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1863,
p. 1125; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 271.

Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.).

The two birds in Mr. Whitely's collection agree with the
specimen in the British Museum from Brazil thus named by
Mr. Sharpe. The other specimen in the same Museum from
Para has, as Mr. Sharpe has pointed out, a darker tail,
with fewer and lighter bars. It has been suggested to me
by Mr. Gurney that the Guiana n birds may belong to the
unrecognized Strix cayefinensis, Gm. ; but, judging from
Buffon's plate, I hesitate to accept this identification.

479*. Speotyto cunicularia.

Athene cunicularia (Mol.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 781.

72 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Speotyto cuniculaHa, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 142.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

480. Glaucidium phal^noides.

Strix jjlialcenoides, Daud. Traite, ii. p. 206.

Glaucidhim ferox, Sharpe^ Cat. B. Brit, Mus. ii. p. 200
(partim).

Athene passerinoides (Temm.), Cab, in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 731.

Merume Mountains,, Roraima (3500 ft.).

481. Glaucidium pumilum.

Glaucidium pumilum (Temm.), Sharpe, Cat, B, Brit. Mus.
ii. p. 198.
Camaeusa.

482*. Asturina nitida.

Asturina nitida (Latli.)^ Cab. in Scliomb, Guiana, iii.
p, 737; Sharpe, Cat. B, Brit. Mus, i. p. 203.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

483. Asturina magnirostris.

Asturina magnirostris (Gni.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S, 1869,
p. 131.

Rupornis magnirostris, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 737.

Bartica Grove, Camaeusa, Merume Mountains, Ii. Ata-
purau.

484'^. BUTEO ABBREVIATUS.

Buteo abbreviatus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 739.
Tachytriorchis abbreviatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus, i.
p. 163.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

485. BuTEO UNICOLOR.

Buteo unicolor, d'Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 7.

Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500 ft.).

Mr. Whitely obtained two specimens of this Buzzard, one
of which I sent to Mons. E. Oustalet, requesting him to be
kind enough to compare it with the type of Buteo unicolor of
d^Orbiguy from Bolivia. Hi > reply is as follows : —

from British Guiana. 73

" Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris,
4 juin, 1885 (soir).

''Cher Monsieur Salvin, — Suivant le desir que vous avez
exprimC;, j'ai compare Toiseau que vous m'avez envoye par
I'intermediaire de M. Stolzmanu avec le type du. Buteo unicolor
de d'Orbigny, et j'ai reconnu que les deux specimens appar-
tenaient tres probablemeut a la meme espece. Cependant les
dimensions des ailes ne sont pas absolument concordants, et
le plumage^ tout en offrant le meme dessin^ n'est pas entiere-
ment identique sous le rapport des nuances. Aiusi dans le
type de Buteo unicolor Faile mesure 37 centimetres^ et le
doigt median 3 centimetres (sans I'ongle)^ tandis que dans le
Buteo de votre collection I'aile mesure 41 centimetres et le
doigt median pres de 4 centimetres. Le type de Buteo
unicolor est d'un brun fuligiueux^ avec quelques marques
blanches (formees sur la base des plumes) sur la nuque, les
ailes brunes avec des raies trans\ ersales peu distinctes sur les
pennes secondaires, la queue d'un brun grisatre avec de nom-
breuses stries transversales brunes, assez apparentes.

''L'oiseau est done moins fonce en couleur, d'un brun
beaucoup moins noir que le specimen de votre collection, et
11 a les ailes et les doigts un peu plus courts ; mais ses tarses
ont la meme longueur, son bee la meme forme, ses remiges
les memes proportions (la 3'"^ etant la plus longue) ; sa queue
et ses ailes presentent le meme dessin sur la face superieure;
son front est marque au dessus des lorums de la meme petite
tache blanche &c.

" Ces legeres differences seraient faciles k expliquer si votre
specimen etait une ? , mais c'est un c? , et c'est des lors
un peu etonnant qu'il soit legerement plus grand que le type
de Buteo unicolor, dont le sexe n'est d'ailleurs pas indiqu*^.
Ce type a ete rapporte de Bolivie en 1834 par d'Orbigny, et
c'est le seul iudividu de cette espece que nous poss(^dions, de
sorte que je ne puis savoir si les variations dans les longueurs
des doigts et des ailes sont frequentes chez cet oiseau. Pour
moi ces variations sont peu importantes.

" Telles sont les quelques remarques que je puis vous trans-
mettre k cet egard, en vous priant de recevoir la nouvelle
assurance de mes meilleures sentiments.

" E. OrSTALET.^'

74 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

486. BUTEO ALBICAUDATUS.

Buteo albicaudatus, Vieill. N. Diet. d^Hist. N. iv. p. 477.
Buteo pterocles, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 739.
Roraima (3500 ft.) .

487*. BUTEOGALLUS jEQUINOCTIALIS.

Buteogallus aquinoctialis (Gm.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mas.
i. p. 212.

Hypomorphnus buson (Daud.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 740.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

488*. BUSARELLUS NIGRICOLLIS.

Ichthyoborus busarellus (Shaw), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 739.

Busarellus nigricollis (Lath.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
i. p. 211.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

489*. Urubitinga zonura.

Hijpomorphnus urubitinga (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 740.

Urubitinga zonura (Shaw), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i.
p. 213.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

490*. Urubitinga anthracina.

Hypomorphtius anthracinus (Nitzsch), Cab. in Schomb.
Guiana, iii. p. 740,

Urubitinga anthracina, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 215.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

491*. Heterospizias meridionalis.

Heterospizias meiidionalis (Lath.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit.
Mus. i. p. 160.

Hypomorphnus I'utilans (Licht.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 740o

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

492. Leucopternis albicollis.

Falco albicollis, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 36.

Urubitinga albicollis, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit, Mus, i. p. 216.

from British Guiana. 75

Asturina poecilonotus (Temm.), Cab. iu Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 737.

Camacusa.

493. Leucopternis melanops.

Falco melanops, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 37.

Urubitinga melanops, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 220.

Asturina melanops, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 737.

R. Atapurau.

494^. Thrasaetus harpyia.

Morphnus harpyia (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 738.

Thrasaetus harpyia, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 224.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

495. Morphnus guianensis.

Falco guianensis, Daud. Traite, ii. p. 78.
Morphnus guianensis. Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 738 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 222.
Bartica Grove.

496. Spizaetus ornatus.

Falco ornatus, Daud. Traite, ii. p. 77.

Spizaetus mauduyti (Daud.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i.
p. 262.

Bartica Grove.

497. ACCIPITER BICOLOR,

Accipiter bicolor (Vieill.), Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. pp. 137,
170, pi. 69.

Nisus sexfasciatus (Sw.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii,
p. 736.

Bartica Grove, Roraima (3000 ft.),

498. MiCRASTUR SEMITORQUATUS.

Micrastur semitorquatus (Vieill.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1869
p. 365; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 75.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

499. Micrastur gilvicollis.

Micrastur gilvicollis (Vieill.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1869,
p. 368; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 78.

76 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Climacocercus concentricus (Less.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 738.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

500. Geranospizias gracilis.

Ischnosceles gracilis (Temm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 737.

There are no specimens of Geranospizias in Mr. Whitely's
collection, so that I am unable to say whether the Guianan
bird belongs to G. gracilis or to G. hemidactylus, races united
by Mr. Sharpe under Vieillot's name carulescens (Cat. B.
Brit. Mus. i. p. 81). But on this point see Mr. Gurney's
remarks (Ibis, 1875, p. 233).

501. Hypotriorchis femokalis.

Hypotriorchis femoralis (Temm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 734.

Falco fusco-C(sruIescens,Yie\\\., Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
i. p. 400.

Roraima (3500 ft.).

502. Hypotriorchis rufigularis.
Falco rufigularis, Daud. Traitd, ii. p. 131.

Falco aurantius, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 733.
Falco albigularis, Daud., Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 401.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.).

503. TiNNUNUULUS ISABELLINUS.

Falco isabellinus, Sw. An. in Menag. p. 281.
Cerchneis isabellina, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 441.
Cerchneis sparverius, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 734.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

504. Elanoides furcatus.

Nauclerus furcatus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 735.

Elanoides furcatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 317.
Bartica Grove.

505. Elanus leucurus.

Elanus leucurus (Vieill.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 735; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 339.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

from British Guiana. 77

506. Gampsonyx swainsoni.

Gampsonyx sivainsoni, Vig., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 735; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 340.
Merume Mountains.

507. ICTINIA PLUMBEA.

Ictinia plumhea (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 735 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 364.
Bartica Grove.

508*. ROSTKHAMUS SOCIABILIS.

Rostrhamiis sociabilis (Vieill.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
i. p. 327.

Rosirhamus hamatus (111.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 736.

509. Leptodon cayennensis.

Odontriorchis cayennensis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^
iii. p. 736.

Leptodon cayennensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 333.
Roraima.

510. Leptodon uncinatus.

Regerhinus uncinatus (Temm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 736.

Leptodon uncinatus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 330.
Camacusa.

511. Harpagus bidentatus.

Harpayus bidentatus (Lath.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 734; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 303.
Bartica Grove.

512*. Herpetotheres cachinnans.

Herpetotheres cachinnans (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 738 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 278.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

513. Ibycter americanus.

Ibycter americanus (Bodd.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i.
p. 35.

Ibycter aquilinus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 742.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

78 Recently published Ornithological Works.

514*. Ibycter ater.

Daptrius ater, Vieill,, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^ iii, p. 742.

Ibycter ater, Sharpe, Cat, B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 35.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

515. MiLVAGO CHIMACHIMA.

Milvago chimachima (Vieill.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 741.

Ibycter chimachima, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 39.
Merume Mountains.

516*. POLYBORUS CHERIWAY.

Polyborus cheriway (Jacq.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 741 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 33.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

517*. Cathartes aura.

Cathartes aura (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 742.

(Enops aura, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 25.

518*. Cathartes atratus.

Cathartes foetens (111.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 742.

Catharistes atratus, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 24.

519*. Gypagus papa.

Sarcorhampkus papa (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 743.

Cathartes papa, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 22.

These three Vultures are not represented in Mr. Whitely's
collection.

[To be continued.]

XII. — Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications.
I. 'The Auk,' 1885, No. 4.

[' The Auk,' a Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Continuation of the
*' Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.' Published for the American
Ornithologists' Union. Vol. IT. October, 1885. No. 4. Boston, Mass.]

Besides the usual series of interesting articles on North-

Recently published Ornithological Works. 79

American birds, iu the course of which several new subspecies
are characterized, Mr. Lawrence describes in this number
two new species of Pigeons of the genus Zenaida — Z. rubripes,
from Grenada, W. I., and Z. bogotensis, from Bogota. Mr.
Stejneger continues his ^' Analecta Ornithologica/^ and pro-
poses to transfer the generic name Parra from the Jacanas
to the Spur-winged Plovers {Lobivanellus) , because Linnaeus
placed in his genus Parra, besides the well-known Parra
jacana, two species of the latter group. Our friend may be
technically correct, but we do not think he will get many of
his brother ornithologists to follow his lead. He has done
better service in pointing out that Podiceps nigricollis is
not a Nearctic species, and by telling us where the genus
Simorhynchus was first established by Merrem.

2. Berlepsch and Jhering on South-Brazilian Birds.

[Die Vogel der Umgegend von Taquara do Mundo Novo, Prov. Rio
Grande do Sul. Von Hans v. Berlepsch und Dr. Herman v. Jhering.
Zeitsch. f. d. ges. Ornithol. 1885.]

Taquara do Mundo Novo is the chief place of the colony
" Mundo Novo,^^ which is situated on the upper course
c the Ptio dos Sinos, in Rio Grande do Sul, the most
southern province of the Brazilian empire. Dr. v. Jhering
passed three years there, and during a subsequent visit of six
months devoted the whole of his time to natural history.
After an excellent disquisition on the natural features of the
district by the last-mentioned author, Graf v. Berlepsch gives
an account of the 234 species of birds of which specimens
were collected or observed by Dr. v. Jhering and his friends,
in his usual exact style. Field-notes by Dr. v. Jhering are
added. The arrangement and names are generally those of
the 'Nomenclator Avium Neotropicalium,' but several changes
in the nomenclature of well-known species are proposed. The
avifauna of this district agrees nearly with that of the ad-
jacent provinces Sta. Catharina and San Paolo, only 9 species
out of the 234 mentioned not being known to occur there
also. Of these, Picumnus jheringiand Chrysotisprctreih&ve,
as yet, only been found in Rio Grande do Sul. The following

80 Recently published Ornithological Works.

species are figured : — Pyrrhocoma ruficeps {^ and ? ), Sper-
mophila superciliaris, Haplospiza unicolor {(S and ? ), Pi-
curnnus jheringi, and P. temmindd.

3. R. Blasius on Collections in the Mark and Pomerania.

[Naturliistorische Studien unci Reiseskizzen aus cler Mark unci Pomraern.
Von Dr. R. Blasius. Parts I., II, Monatschr. deutsch. Ver. zum Schutze
der Vogelwelt, 1884, Nos. 7-10.]

The author gives a very interesting account of a visit paid
in May 1883 to the well-known collections of Dr. Altura at
Eberswalde, Herr E. v. Homeyer at Stolp, and Herr Tancre
at Anclara, and adds copious accounts of the many rarities
and of the fine series of forms of various species from different
localities examined in each of thera.

4. R. Blasius on Collections in Sweden and Norway.

[Naturhistorische Studien und Reiseskizzen aus Scliweden und Nor-
•wegen im Friibjahre 1884. Von Dr. R. Blasius. Mitth. des ornithol.
Vereines in Wien, 1884.]

This is a somewhat similar journal of the author's tour in
Sweden and Norway in 1884, and contains much useful
information about the collections visited and the brother-
naturalists interviewed.

5. Buttikofer on Liberian Birds.

[Zoological Researches in Liberia. A List of Birds collected by J.
Biittikofer and G. F. Sala in Western Liberia, with Biological Observa-
tions. By J. Biittikofer. Notes Leyden Mus. vii. p. 129.]

Mr. Biittikofer commences his article with very full de-
scriptions of Liberia, of its different regions, and of the general
character of its varied fauna, which will be read with great
interest by every naturalist. Landing at Monrovia, the
capital of the IS'egro republic, in January 1880, our author
and his companion fixed their first collecting-station at Sofore
Place, on the St. PauFs river, celebrated as the only river
inhabited by Hippopotamus liberiensis. In October 1880,
thev transferred their quarters to Robertsport, the port of

Recently published Ornithological Works. 81

the Grand Cape Mount District, some forty-five miles west
of Monrovia. In this splendid but unhealthy district, Mr.
Sala succumbed to the noxious climate in June 1881, and a
year later Mr. Biittikofer was obliged, on account of broken
health, to return to Europe.

The fauna of Liberia, according to Mr. Biittikofer's inves-
tigations, has more similarity to that of Sierra Leone than to
that of the Gold Coast. Psittacus timneh is the Liberian
representative of Ps. erithacus, and Agapornis swinderniana
of A. puUaria.

Mr. Biittikofer^s list of Liberian birds comprehends 162
species, concerning which many excellent notes are given.
Columba unicincta, Cassin, is figured. A map of the district
explored is appended, as should be done in all articles on the
animals of a particular locality. Altogether we consider
this paper a model of what such a memoir ought to be.

6. Biittikofer on Glareola megapoda.

[A Supplementary Note on Glareola megapoda. By J. Biittikofer.
Notes Leyden Mus. vii. p. 256.]

A note received from Dr. Guillemard tends to confirm the
distinctness of this species, which was called by Schlegel
Glareola nuchalis liberia.

7. Cazin on Plotus melanogaster.

[Note sur la Structure de I'estomac du Plotus melanogaster. Par M. M.
Cazin. Ann. d. Sci. Nat. xviii. art. 3.]

The author, in a brief note, records the structure of the
stomach in Plotus melanogaster. His account is confirmatory
of that of the late W. A. Forbes, who has described this
species (P. Z. S. 1882, p. 208), and whose memoir has ap-
parently escaped the attention of M. Cazin.

8. Dixon on Evolution without Natural Selection.

[Evolution without Natural Selection ; or, the Segregation of Species
without the Aid of the Darwinian Hypothesis. By Charles Dixon.
London: 1885. 12mo. 80 pp.]

Although Mr. Dixon claims, in his little volume, not to have

SER. V. VOL. IV. G

82 Recently published Ornithological Works.

written '^a single syllable antagonistic to Darwin^s Theory
of Natural Selection/' we are not at all sure tliat those
who have read his interesting essay will be able to acquit
him of having committed this indiscretion. It is quite certain
that Isolation — the prime factor, according to Mr. Dixon —
plays a great part in the modification of species ; for without
isolation, as Mr. Dixon himself very clearly shows, the mem-
bers of a species can breed freely together, and little or no
variation will be produced. But surely neither Darwin nor
his disciples have ever ignored the force of this element in
the variation of species. Isolation, no doubt, plays a most
important part in the preservation of differences when they
have arisen. Mr. Dixon has not told us how isolation can
make differences. Climatic Influence, of which Mr. Dixon
speaks in his second chapter, is, in many cases, an impor-
tant factor in their production ; but where this does not
come into play, as is often the case, we cannot understand
how Mr. Dixon proposes to get on without Natural Selection ;
and even when climatic influence is manifestly an impelling
cause of variation, " Natural Selection " may be a concomi-
tant factor. "While thanking him, therefore, for his essay,
we still think that he has failed to show that we can get
on " without the aid of the Darwinian Hypothesis.'^

9. W. Evans on some Scottish Birds.

[Notes on the Birds of the Island of Eigg. Pr. K. Phys. Soc. Edinb.
1885, pp. 430-448.

Note on the Breeding of the Marsh-Tit (Parus palustris) in Stirling-
shire during 1884. Tojn. ctt. pp. 448-451.]

Lest any of our readers should be so ignorant of Scottish
geography as not to know the precise position of Eigg, we
may make a concession, and state that it lies about halfway
between the island of Rum and that portion of the mainland
where Inverness-shire (to which it belongs) marches with
Argyll. On Eigg Mr. Evans passed about five days, and
from his own observations, largely supplemented by notes from
journals kept by Messrs. J. J. Dalgleish, A. C. Stark, A. F.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 83

Joass, and others, he has compiled a list of 84 species of
birds, with some interesting details. The westward spread of
the Tree- Sparrow [Passer montanus) is remarkable for its
rapidity, unless, indeed, the species had previously been over-
looked. It was only in 1882 that Mr. Dalgleish discovered
its existence on the west coast to the north of the Clyde, and
now we know that there is a colony on Eigg, while Mr. Dixon
has obtained it on the remote St. Kilda [cf. Ibis, 1885, p. 82).
When Mr. R. Gray wrote his ' Birds of the West of Scotland/
neither the Bullfinch nor the Goldfinch appear to have been
known as visitors to this or the other islands of the Inner He-
brides. The characteristic bird of Eigg appears to be the
Manx Shearwater.

Mr. Evans's second paper is almost sufficiently explained
by the title. An authentic nest of the Marsh-Tit has not
been known in the valley of the Forth since 1838.

10. W. A. Forbes's Scientific Papers.

[The Collected Scieutifie Papers of the late William Alexander Forbes,
M.A., Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge ; Lecturer on Comparative
Anatomy at Charing Cross Hospital ; Prosector to the Zoological Society
of London. Edited by F. E. Beddard, M.A., Prosector to the Zoological
Society of London. With a Preface by P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.ll.S.,
Secretary to the Zoological Society of London.]

Little introduction will be required by readers of ' The
Ibis ' to the present volume, which contains all the published
writings of our much-lamented associate, including his most
important work, the Report on the Tubinares collected during
the voyage of the ' Challenger.' Not only the letterpress, but
also the plates which illustrate his diflFerent papers have
been reproduced, and together form a handsome volume of
nearly 500 pages and 25 plates. Nearly all Forbes's work
was done during his tenure of the office of Prosector to the
Zoological Society of London, a period of only two and a half
years. The enormous amount of work that he was able to
accomplish during that short term (which was still further
reduced by a trip to North America in the summer of 1880
and by his last journey to Africa, commenced in July 1882)

g2

84 Recently published Ornithological Works.

is a striking testimony to liis energy and ability. Forbes's
work was chiefly directed to the structure of birds, but the
volume also contains some valuable contributions to syste-
matic ornithology as well as to the anatomy of Mammalia.
Even to those who had not the pleasure of Forbes^s personal
acquaintance it will be evident, from the perusal of his
memoirs, that Forbes combined in the highest degree the
skill of an anatomist with the powers of observation of a field-
naturalist — a combination which is very rarely to be found,
and which has rendered his premature death ever to be re-
gretted in the interests of science.

1 1 . Gaclow on the Anatomy of Birds.

[Dr. H. G. Bronn's Klassen imd Ordnungen des Thierreichs wissen-
schaftlicli dargestellt in Wort und Bild. Fortgesetzt von Dr. Hans Gadow.
Band VI. Abth. IV. Aves. Lief. 7, 8, u. 9, 1884 ; Lief. x. 1885.]

Dr. Hans Gadow has courageously taken up the section of
Bronn's ' Thierreich ' devoted to Birds, left incomplete by
Selenka in 1870, and has already issued two new parts.
The first four sheets are destined to supersede the corre-
sponding portion of the original issue, so that we have the
great advantage of an account of the whole of the muscular
structure of birds by one of our best authorities on the
subject.

It is, we think, by no means certain that other portions of
Prof. Selenka^s work would not have been improved by a
similar revision. Great additions to our knowledge of the
osteology of birds have been made during the past fourteen
years. But a new work on the anatomy of the Class Aves is
much wanted, and we trust that Dr. Gadow will bring this
long-delayed portion of Bronn^s 'Thierreich^ to a speedy con-
clusion. There is no doubt that it will be the best modern
authority on the subject.

12. Giglioli on the Ornithological Congress at Vienna.

[II primo Congresso internazionale tenuto a Vienna dal 7 al 14 Aprils,
1884. Relazione del Delegate del Governo Italiano, Dott. Enrico H.
Giglioli. Annali di Agricoltura, 1885. Roma : 1885. 59 pp.]

The Keport furnished by Dr. Giglioli to the Italian IVIinister

Recently published Ornithological Works. 85

of Agriculture^ Industry, and Commerce is a model of com-
pilation, being clear without unnecessary length, and con-
densed without the omission of a single important point in
the varied discussions which took place. Some of these were
evidently of a rather confused character, several of the dele-
gates being far more anxious to ventilate their own (often
impracticable) views than to listen to the opinions, or even
the remonstrances, of others ; consequently it was at times
by no means easy to follow the course of the proceedings.
Only to the more moderate of the delegates did it seem to
occur that in different countries there is considerable diver-
gence of opinion as to whether certain birds are injurious
or not ; or that, from the varying nature of their food, the
same species may be destructive in places where they pass the
summer, and beneficial to the countries which they frequent in
winter. M. Fatio went so far as to demand, " in the name
of agriculture and of sylviculture, in the name of common
right and in the name of humanity, as well as in the name of
Switzerland, of the Swiss Society, and of the Society for the
Protection of Animals " (!), that the capture of Quails should
not be permitted on migration on the shores of the Mediter-
ranean, in order that these birds should be allowed to reach
more northern regions. It can easily be understood that Dr.
Giglioli as the representative of Italy, where Quails are taken
in thousands for the supply of the markets of Paris and
London, could, with his practical mind, see no chance of such
a notion receiving attention from the Italian Government.

13. Kirk on Variations in New-Zealand Birds.

[Notes on some New Zealand Birds, exhibiting curious Variations of
Colour. By T. W. Kirk. Trans. & Proc. New Zealand lust. vol. xvii.
p. 60.]

Mr. Kirk records the occurrence of partially albinoid varie-
ties in several species of New-Zealand birds — Glaucopis
wilsoni, Ardea pceciloptila, Anas chlorotis, and Ossifraga gi-
gantea ; also a variety of Nestor meridionalis , similar to that
on which the Nestor svperhus of Buller was founded.

86 Recently published Ornithological Works.

14. Kirk on the Eastern Golden Plover.

[Notice of the Occurrence of the Eastern Golden Plover {Charadrhis
fulvus, Gmel.) near Wellington. By T. W. Ivirk. Trans. & Proc. New
Zealand Inst. vol. xvii. p. 59.]

Mr. Kirk records the occurrence in Worser Bay, New
Zealand, in the month of November, of a specimen of Cha-
radrius fulvus "in splendid plumage." A pair of the same
species were subsequently shot at Island Bay. As already
stated [cf. Ibis, 1885, p. 114), this species has been recorded
by Messrs. Robson and Buller as breeding in New Zealand.

15. Lansdell's ' Central Asia.'

[Russian Central Asia, including Kuldja, Bokhara, Khiva, and Merv.
By Henry Lausdell, D.D. 2 vols. London : 1885.]

The Appendix to the second volume of Dr. Lansdell's
interesting narrative contains a nominal list of the birds of
Turkestan, compiled from Severtzoff's contribution on that
subject to Fedchenko^s ' Puteshestviye v' Turkestan,' or, as
it is sometimes called, ' Turkestanje Jevotnie.' The vertical
and horizontal distribution are shown in parallel columns.
The English names, and an additional column devoted to the
Pamir district, have been added by Mr. Dresser. The species
enumerated are 385. As no complete translation of Severt-
zoif's work has ever been published. Dr. Lansdell's Appendix
will be useful for reference to those who do not understand
Russian.

16. Lilford's 'British Birds.'

[Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands. Issued by Lord
Lilford, F.Z.S. &c., President of the British Ornithologists' Union.
Part I. October, 1855. 8vo. London.]

The illustrations to this work are from drawings by Keule-
mans, printed by chromo-lithography in Germany, the species
represented in this part being the Mistletoe-Thrush, Song-
Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Ring-Ouzel, Pied Rock-Thrush,
"Wheatear, Black-throated Wheatear, Redstart, Black Red-
start, AVhitethroat, and Blackcap. The plates are excellent

Recently published Ornithological Works. 87

of their kind, and in tlie letterpress the short sketches of the
general distribution of each species seem to fulfil their pur-
pose. Some errors in the authorities for the specific names
are corrected in the table of contents on the wrapper. With
regard to the species which Lord Lilford terms, doubtless to
distinguish it from a congener, the Pied Rock-Thrush [Mon-
ticola saxatilis), we are somewhat surprised to be told that
" the recorded occurrence in England is in all probability
that of a bird escajjed from captivit^^^^ There is no hint of a
suspicion of this kind in the fourth edition of ' YarrelFs
British Birds ^ : the undoubted specimen, now in Mr, New-
comers collection, was obtained on the 19th May, 1843, at
the epoch of the vernal migration northwards ; the species
has occurred in Belgium and on Heligoland, and it breeds
as far north as the Hartz Mountains ; there is therefore no
inherent difficulty in assuming the genuineness of its visit to
our shores. If our esteemed President has any private sources
of information on this subject, we shall be glad to learn them.

17. Milne-Edwards and Oustalet on the Birds of Grand
Comoro.

[Observations sur la Faune de la grande Comoro. Par MM. A.
Milne-Edwards et E. Oustalet. Compt. Rend. Paris, ci. p. 218 (July

1885).]

The authors give an account of the collections of mammals
and hirds made by M. Humblot during several months^ resi-
dence in the island of Grand Comoro. The birds of which
specimens were obtained are referable to 35 species. Some
of these are of wide distribution, and some have been intro-
duced ; but the greater number of them may be regarded as
immigrants from adjacent lands, which are either unchanged
or have undergone slight modification, and have become what
M. Milne-Edwards has tei'med, in his ' Recherches sur la
Faune des Regions Australes,'' secondary or derived species.
These are shortly indicated as : — Coracopsis sibilans, Circus
humbloti, Leptosomus gracilis, Cinnyris humbluti, Zosterops
mouroniensis , Z. angasizce, Tardus comorensis, Graucalus cu-
cullatus, Or. sulphureus, Terpsiphone comorensis, Hypsipetes

88 Recently published Ornithological Works.

parvirostris, and Foudia consobrina. Besides these, there is
in the collection a new form of Muscicapidae allied to Smith-
ornis and Pseudobias, proposed to be called Humblotia flavi-
7'ostris. We trust that further details and complete descrip-
tions will soon be given of this very interesting collection.

18. Oustalet on the Ornithological Congress of Vienna.

[Rapport a M, le Ministre de I'liistruction publique et des Beaux-Arts
8ur le CoDgres et I'Exposition Ornitbologiques de Vienne eu 1884. Par
M. E. Oustalet. Extr. des Archives des Missions Scientifiques et Litteraires,
8^r. iii, vol. xii. Paris, 1885.]

This is^ perhaps, the fullest account of the ornithological
doings at Vienna last year that has yet been issued. It com-
mences with a report on the ornithological exhibition which was
opened from the 4th to the 14th of April, and which, besides
living birds, contained several series of mounted specimens
and skins from different quarters. Amongst them M. Ous-
talet calls special attention to a collection from the Caucasus,
presented by Prince Rudolph to the Ornithological Union of
Vienna, and to a collection from Ecuador, formed by Baron
Gabriel de Gunzberg during his recent travels in that
country in company with M. Wiener. He also alludes to the
*' Polar group " of birds, amongst which were exhibited the
specimens procured by Dr. Bernhard Fischer during Count
Hans Vitczek^s expedition to Jan-Mayen Island. In the
intervals of the stances of the subsequent Ornithological
Congress, which lasted from the 6tli to the 10th of April, and
of which M. Oustalet gives a very full account, visits were
made by him, in company with Messrs. Steindachner and
Pelzeln, to the Menagerie at Schonbrunn, the Imperial Mu-
seum of Vienna, and to the private collection of the Prince
of Cobourg. M. Oustalet, in concluding his excellent report,
takes the opportunity of calling the attention of the Minister
of Public Instruction to the three following points : —

1. The want of any good modern work on the birds of
France.

2. The inordinate way in which the small birds are de-
stroyed in France, to the serious detriment of agriculture.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 89

3. The importance of collecting further information on
the origin of our domestic animals.

For urging these three subjects on the attention of the
authorities, M. Oustalet will, we are sure, receive the cordial
thanks of every member of the B. O. U. But in some in-
stances we think that M. Oustalet goes too far in his general
defence of nearly every species. In extolling the supposed
benefits conferred by the House -Sparrow, and especially their
vast utility in the United States, he writes of a date no more
recent than 1869, and is evidently in complete ignorance of
the entire revulsion of feeling in America as regards this bird.
For him all the voluminous literature on the Sparrow question,
and the general consensus of opinion that it is an unmitigated
evil, not only in America, but also in New Zealand, has appa-
rently been written in vain. On the other hand, we quite
agree with M. Oustalet and with M. Crette de Palluel that
the Golden Oriole, generally condemned in France as a bird
destructive to fruits, especially to cherries, really feeds
both itself and its young during the summer almost ex-
clusively on insects. We were sorry to see this notion, which
we must consider a grave error, sanctioned and propagated
by one of the new groups of birds in the British Museum of
Natural History, where a male Golden Oriole is mounted,
bearing two cherries to his mate, which is sitting on her
nest.

The injury inflicted on many species of birds by the numer-
ous lines of telegraph-wires which now stretch across Europe
is incontestable ; but, for all that, we cannot abolish aerial
lines. One use of electricity, which M. Oustalet mentions,
is new to us. It appears that in some parts of France a
dead tree is encircled with a band of copper connected by a
wire with a battery, and when the branches are covered with
birds a shock is administered which makes them fall like ripe
fruit. The selection of a dead tree by the proprietor is in-
telligible, and shows that although on sporting he is bent,
he has a frugal mind ; but the reason for choice of a dead tree
by the perchers is less obvious.

90 Becently published Ornithological Works.

19. ' Ornis,' Vol. I. No. 1.

[Ornis : Interuatiouale Zeitsclirift fiir die gesammte Ornithologie.
Orgau der permanenten interuationalen ornithologischeu Comity, heraus-
gegebeu v. Dr. R. Blasius und Dr. G. v. Hayek. 1 Jahrg. 1885. 1 Heft.
Wien.]

The first number of our newly founded contemporary —
tlie only one that has yet reached us — is occupied mainly by
two Reports. The first of thesC; drawn up by the two Editors,
gives an account of the mode of formation of the permanent
International Ornithological Committee and of the work
done by it^ especially as regards the cooperation of additional
members in all parts of the world and of the proceedings of
these members. The second is a Report by Dr. Chr. F.
Lutken upon the observations made in 1883 at some eight or
nine different observing-stations in Denmark.

20. Ramsay on new Birds from New Guinea.

[Notes on Birds from Mount Astrolabe, with Descriptions of two new
Species. By E. P. Ramsay. Extr, from vol. x. pt. 2, Proc. Linn. Soc.

N. S. W.]

A small collection of birds from Mount Astrolabe con-
tained, besides examples of several other species new to the
locality, specimens of the two new Paradise-birds proposed
to be called Lophorina superba minor and Parotia laivesi.
The former differs from L. superba only in its smaller size,
the latter from P. sexpennis mostly in slight tints of colora-
tion. Mr. Ramsay states that feathers of Xanthomelus aureus
occur in native head-dresses from S.E. New Guinea.

21. Ramsay on a new Australian Collyriocincla.

[Description of a new Species of Collyriocincla from the Scrubs in the
Vicinity of Cairns, Queensland. By E. P. Ramsay. Extr. from vol. x.
pt. 2, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W.]

The species is named, after its discoverer, C. boweri. It
is " quite distinct.^^

22. Reischek on New-Zealand Ornithology.

[Notes on New Zealand Ornithology. By A. Reischek : communicated
by Dr. Hector. Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. vol. xvii. p. 187.]

Recently published Ornithological Works. 91

Mr. Reischek, who had previously had seven years' expe-
rience in New-Zealand ornithology, made an adventurous
expedition in April 1884; to Dusky Sound and the adjoining
" Alps." He gives us some interesting notes on the birds met
with, such as Apteryx australis (which he found breeding,
incubation being performed by the male), A. oweni (also found
breeding), Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, and Stringops habro-
ptilus. The last named is purely nocturnal in its habits; the
young are very fat and " delicious food when roasted in the
camp-oven."

23. Ridgway on certain Dendrcecae.

[A "Review of the American " Golden Warblers." By Robert Ridg-
way. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1885, p. 348.]

This is a useful synopsis of the difficult group oi Dendroecae*
allied to D. (Estiva, of which the author recognizes seven
species, besides subspecies. A new subspecies is D. bryanti
castaneiceps from Western Mexico.

24. Ridgway on the Nomenclature of some North- American
Birds.

[Some emended Names of North- American Birds. By Robert Ridgway.
Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1885, p. 354.]

Mr. Ridgway gives a list of 77 names of North-American
birds, which '' represent new or hitherto unpublished combi-
nations," and have been adopted by the Committee on Clas-
sification and Nomenclature of the American Ornithologists'
Union, together with their previously employed equivalents.
One of them, " Callipepla calif ornica vallicola^ designating
the form o£ C. califurnica from the interior valleys of Cali-
fornia, is now proposed for the first time, the Lophortyx
californicus brunnescens (Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Washington,
ii. p. 94) being a synonym of the typical form, which is
confined to the western side of the coast-range.

* Mr. Ridgway writes Dendroica. But if, as we believe, the derivation
of this name is dtvdpov and oUos or oi/cea, the term should be written
Dendi'oeca.

92 Recently published Ornithological Works.

25. Salvadori and Giglioli on new Woodpeckers.

[Due niiove specie di Picchi raccolte durante il viaggio intorno al mondo
della pirofregata Magenta. Descritte da T, Salvadori ed E. Giglioli.
Atti R. Accad. Sci. Torino, vol. xx.]

The Woodpeckers described are lyngipicus frater, from
Malacca^ and /. waiter si, from Formosa, The specimens
have been submitted to Mr. Hargitt, who agrees with the
authors that the species are new.

26. Seebohm's ' British Birds and their Eggs.'

[A History of British Birds, with Coloured Illustrations of their Eggs.
By Henry Seebohm. Parts V. & VI. Royal 8vo. London : 1885.]

The concluding portion of this work reached us just too
late for notice in our previous issue, otherwise we should
have been the first to congratulate Mr. Seebohm on the
completion of his labours. We have from time to time
expressed our favourable opinion of the illustrations and of
the general aim of the work, although want of space and
other considerations have hitherto precluded any extended
notice ; but the Parts now before us may be treated more fully.

As heretofore, the systematic arrangement adopted by
Mr. Seebohm is on somewhat independent lines. Part V.
commences with the family Charadriidse, in which are com-
prised not only Plovers, but also the Scolopacidfe. These
are followed by the Laridse, Alcidse, Colymbidae, Procellariidae,
Podicipedidse, Anatidae, and concluded by the Pelecanidse.
An Appendix, treating of Mr. Seebohm^s new species of Wren
from St. Kilda, named Troglodytes hirtensis, about which we
have heard so much, followed by an Introduction entitled
"The Historians of British Birds,^-* Indexes, &c., and brief —
too brief — lists of Errata et Addenda complete the work.

Mr. Seebohm shows to less advantage when playing the
iconoclast among what he is pleased to term "pseudo-
genera^"' than when describing the habits of those species
with which he has become personally acquainted during his
extensive experiences in the field. As regards the latter
the interest of these Parts is fully on a level with that of

Recently published Ornithological Works. 93

their predecessors. Mr. Seebohm's powers of observation are
well known to be keen, his ear for the notes of birds is almost
unrivalled, and his descriptive renderings are often extremely
happy. Take, for instance, that of the Scaup : — '^if you
imagine a man with an exceptionally harsh, hoarse voice
screaming out the word scaup at the top of his voice, some idea
of the note of this Duck may be formed. ^^ Among the rising
generation of ornithologists there must be many who have not
yet read, either in the pages of this Journal or in Mr. Dres-
ser's ' Birds of Europe, "" the graphic description of the finding
of authenticated eggs of the Grey Plover and the Little
Stint by the author and his companion, Mr. Harvie-Brown.
Full details of these acquisitions will be found in Part V.
On the other hand, turning to the systematic arrangement, we
are at a loss to understand Mr. Seebohm's reasons for begin-
ning his Charadriidse with Hamatopus, followed by Chara-
drius, Ciirsorius, Glareola, Himantopus (for the Avocet and
the Black-winged Stilt), Phalaropus, and so on through the
Scolopacidse. It is, of course, a matter of opinion, but we
think that Mr. Seebohm is, in the main, unjust in the remarks
in his Introduction (p. xiv) as to the blindness of ornitho-
logists (worthy of the name) to the theory enunciated by
Darwin and the intergradation of species. The tone of many
of the footnotes is also to be regretted, and in future years the
author will probably agree with us upon this point. In fact,
in his Introduction, he already offers an apology to those
whom he may have offended in his '^ endeavours to cover with
ridicule and contempt the two great errors of the wanton
multiplication of genera and the capricious change of generic
and specific names."" If those whose toes have been trodden
upon during Mr. Seebohm's erratic gambols in pursuit of
that ignis fatuus which he calls truth, felt a conviction that
he at least had attained to it, they would, doubtless, allow
his virtuous motives to stand him in good stead ; but, as it
is, we fear that they are still unconvinced that he is numbered
with the elect, and remain impenitent as to their freely im-
puted errors. For, to cite his own words: — "The days of
authority in science as well as in religion are past. Modern

94 Recently published Ornithological Works.

students look for arguments^ not opinions ; what they want
are facts, and they will be grateful to any writer who pro-
vides them/^

Without entering upon matters of detail, we may remark
that the last two parts of Mr, Seebohm^s work show some
signs of haste. Errors in proper names (Mr. Seebohm is
no respecter of persons) and inaccuracies in descriptions of
localities are not unfrequent ; while some of the generaliza-
tions appear to be rather rash. As an instance of the latter,
Mr. Seebohm says that ^'the slightly spotted egg of the
Puffin is an exception to the almost universal rule that
eggs laid in holes are unspotted Avhite ; but the faintness of
the spots suggests the idea that the bird has comparatively
recently adopted the habit of breeding in a hole, and is
consequently gradually losing its power of depositing
coloured spots on its eggs. The colour- glands are pro-
bably disappearing, according to the well-known law of ' de-
gradation from disuse.'" This is extremely hypothetical,
and the modern student wants " facts, not opinions. '^ The
richly marked eggs of the Black Guillemot are frequently
deposited in crevices beyond the reach of light ; so are, in a
somewhat less degree, those of the Razorbill. And, again, the
remark as to the eggs of the Puffin would apply still more
forcibly to those of the Little Auk, about which Mr. Seebohm
makes no similar remarks. All the Procellariidae lay eggs of a
pure white, with, at most, a few minute reddish freckles, and,
except in size and thickness of shell, there is no difference in
this respect between the egg of the little Storm-Petrel and the
gigantic White Albatross ; but the former is hidden in holes,
the latter placed on a raised open nest. What idea does this
suggest to Mr. Seebohm ? He has been unfortunate in his as-
sertions that 'Hhe young in first plumage of the Fulmar Petrel
appear to have been undescribed,'' and that ''it is not very
creditable to British ornithologists that such should be the
case'' ; for this plumage was distinctly described in the fourth
edition of ' Yarrell's British Birds' (vol, iv. p. 5), a year before
Mr. Seebohm wrote the above. Nor is it quite correct to say
that the only regularBritish breeding-place of the Fulmar is in

Recently published Ornithological Works. 95

the St. Kilda group, for the bird has been stated, on good
authority, to breed for the past seven years, and in rapidly
increasing numbers, on Foula, one of the Shethmds. On the
other hand, the reported breeding in Skye, which Mr.
Seebohm cites from Gray's ^ Birds of the West of Scotland,'
published some fourteen years ago, is admittedly an error. As
to the information that " the Cormorant is intermediate in
size between a Duck and a Goose" (p. 655), we may fairly
ask which Duck and ivhich Goose ? We read with amaze-
ment (p. 559) that " mallard is a French word meaning drake,
in contradistinction to canard, which means duk " [sic] .
With reference to the feminine gender, the French equiva-
lent for '' duck " is cane ; and although mallard is undoubt-
edly a French word, it means a millstone, and nothing else
(vide Littre) !

To paraphrase Mr. Seebohm's own strictures on Messrs.
Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (p. 611), he is sometimes scep-
tical where he ought to be credulous, and credulous where he
ought to be sceptical. The statement that there is no instance
on record of the nesting of the Scaup in this country, seems
tantamount to saying that he so utterly disbelieves in Mr. A. C.
Stark's detailed account (Pr. R. Phys. Soc. Edin. vii. p. 203)
of the identification of this bird and its eggs on Loch Leven,
as to deem it unworthy of notice. He doubts the occurrence
of the Gadwall so far north as Archangel^ although Mr.
Harvie-Brown has told us that there is an example in the mu-
seum of that town — not absolute proof, it is true ; but he unhe-
sitatingly accepts Henke's statement that the Harlequin Duck
is " a rare summer visitor to Archangel,^^ which is far more
improbable, and is unsupported by any evidence whatever.
Of the Harlequin Ducks said to have been killed in Britain,
he says that " the example about which no reasonable sus-
picion lingers, was killed in Aberdeenshire in 1858," although
it is notorious that the specimen, whatever it may have
been, no longer exists ; while Mr, Whitaker's Filey-killed
bird, which any one may see, and which has, at least, as
good a pedigree, is classed with those of which he says
" the evidence of their authenticity or identification is far

96 Recently published Ornithological Works.

from being satisfactory/' Again, Steller's Eider is considered
to have " very slender claims to be regarded as a British
bird;'' and even the record of the Filey-Brigg one is only
admitted in a cold way as '' probable/' because strag-
glers have occurred at Heligoland, although the species is
known to be an annual winter visitor to Ncu'wegian waters,
and the specimen in question is in the possession of Lord
Scarsdale, the brother of its fortunate captor.

Our remarks have extended to greater length than we in-
tended, and yet there is much more that might be said. We
are sure that Mr. Seebohm, who has been so unsparing in
his criticisms of others, will receive these mildly- worded com-
ments in the same good-humoured manner as they are penned,
for there would be no pleasure in bowls if they were not
associated with rubs.

27. Sharpe and Wyatt on the Hirundinidas.

[A Monograph of tlie Hirundinidse, or Family of Swallows. By R.
Bowdler Sharpe and Claude W. Wyatt. Part I. September, 1885.
London : Sotherau & Co.]

We welcome with pleasure the first number of a new
monograph proceeding from the joint labours of two members
of the B. O. U. With Mr. Sharpe, we believe, the Swallows
have long been a favourite group, and have lately been the
subject of special study for the tenth volume of the Catalogue
of the Birds in the British Museum. Mr. Wyatt is, as will
be universally acknowledged, clever with his pencil; and
though his pictures may not quite come up to the standard of
the best ornithological draughtsmen of the present day, they
are certainly nicely designed and sufficiently well coloured
for all practical purposes.

The present number contains figures of Hirundo semirufa,
H. leucosoma, H. lucida, H. angolensis, Psalidoprocne obscura,
and Hirundo striolata, all ^Ethiopian species, except the last,
of which the letterpress is not yet given. We venture to
think our friends should not place too much reliance on the
localities given in Bochebrune's ' Birds of Senegambia,'
which we see quoted in several places, for, as we have already

Recently published Ornithological Works. 97

pointed out*. Dr. Rochebnme's statements are, in some cases,
so extraordinary that they tend to discredit his authority in
other matters.

28. Waterhouse on the Dates of Publication of Gould's
Works.

[The Dates of Publication of some of the Zoological Works of the late
John Gould, F.E.S. Compiled by Frederick Herschel Waterhouse, A.L.S.,
Librarian to the Zoological Society of London. 8vo. London, 1885 :
E. H. Porter.]

This will be a useful pamphlet for all those who possess
copies of Gould's works or have occasion to refer to them.
An interesting Ijiographical sketch of the great ornithologist,
reprinted, with slight alterations, from ' Nature,' is prefixed.
We venture to suggest that a complete list of all Gould's
works and papers would have been a desirable addition to it.

29. Zeitschrift fur die gesammte Ornithologie.

[Zeitschrift fiir die gesammte Ornithologie, herausgegeben von Dr.
Julius von Madarasz. Jahrg. 1884-85. Budapest.]

Several of the more important papers published in Dr. J.
V. IMadarasz's new ' Journal of Ornithology,' which have
reached us in the way of separate copies, have already been
noticed in ^The Ibis.' But we feel that our congratulations
are due to the Editor of our newly founded contemporary for
the excellent start which he has made, and that attention
should be called to some other articles in the first seven
numbers now before us. In the first volume M.Y. Stejneger
shows that Limicola hartlaubi, Verr., of Madagascar, is pro-
bably not different from L. platyrhyncha. Ilerr Schalow
describes (from a coloured sketch and notes of the late
traveller Bohm) a new Touracoo, Musophaga boehmi, allied to
M. rossce, from the country beyond Lake Tanganyika. Dr.
A. B. Meyer figures a Notornis from the Southern Island of
New Zealand, and refers it to the species which he has called
iV. hochstetteri, believing that the bird from the North Island,

* See ' Ibis,' 1885, p. 322.
SER. V. VOL. IV. H

98 Letters, Announcements, &;c.

on a skeleton of which Notornis mantelli of Owen was origi-
nally found edj must be of a different species. The three
specimens of Notornis in the British Museum he considers
to be likewise referable to N. hochstetteri. Dr. J. v. Mada-
rasz describes and figures a new Tetraophasis (T. szechenyii),
obtained by the expedition of Graf Bela Szechenyi in Sze-
chuau. The chief article in part 3, for 1885, is an impor-
tant memoir on the birds collected by Dr. Platen in 1878 in
Southern Celebes, from the pen of Dr. W. Blasius. This
contains a mass of important observations on 55 species, and
gives figures of Alophonerpes wallacii, Cyrtostomus frenatus ,
var. nov. plateni, Streptocitta albicollis, S. torquata, and
Ptilopus temmincki.

XIII. — Letters, Announcements, ^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to the
Editors of 'The Ibis:' —

SiKs, — 'The Ibis"" for January last (pp. 118,119) contains
some account of a remarkable discovery by Mr. E. M. Brig-
ham as regards the development of the Hoatzin [Opistho-
comus cristatus), which is said to possess, when first hatched,
two pairs of legs, the anterior pair becoming subsequently
metamorphosed into wings by suppression of the digits and
exfoliation of the claws.

It may be of interest to point out that there is some reason
for believing that the young of the Hoatzin Avas procured in
Brazil, and figured more than two centuries ago by George
Marcgrav, who, in the capacity of physician, along with Dr.
William Piso, accompanied Prince Moritz of Nassau to Brazil
between the years 1637-44. Marcgrav, as is well known, made
a special study of the fauna of that country, and collected a
number of observations, which were published after his death
by his friend Piso, in a joint work entitled ' Historia Natu-
ralis Brasilia,' printed in folio at Leiden in 1648. The fifth
book of Marcgrav's portion of this work, treating of the birds
of Brazil, contains (at p. 219) a figure of a four-footed chick,
accompanied by the following remarks : —

Letters, Announcemetits , ^^c. 99

" Pullus galliuaceus monstrosus, magnitudiue pulli recens
exclusi. Caput habebat anaticum, superius tamen magis in
acumen desinens; rostrum anaticum latum, cujus superior
extremitas deorsum inflexa : ocellos parvos, collum breve :
alas parvulas juxta priora crura positas : quatuor crura galli-
nacea : carebat pectore, quippe eo loco quo pectus esse de-
bebat duo crura liabens, quodlibet superius tres quadrantes
digiti longum, inferius quadrantem : & in singulis quatuor
digitos gallinaceos. Posteriora duo crura ejusdem figurse &
longitudinis cum anterioribus mire posita erant^ sinistrum
quidem more naturally dextrum vero in exortu suo sinistro
erat adnatuni & quasi sursum vergebat, eo modo quasi duo
sinistra crura fuissent, & unum dextrum loco sinistri in
exortu fuisset adglutniatum : atque ideo uropygio carebat,
quia nullum intervallura inter crura hsec posteriora, & caudse
loco ipsi sinistro cruri exterius longiusculi pili canescentes
erant adnati. Pedes habebat gallinaceos & digitos eodem
modo dispositos : sed quilibet pes totus inverso ordine positus
erat, ita ut inferior pars esset superior & superior inferior,
unguiculique etiam sursum non deorsum vergebant. Totum
caput, collum, venter, alse, dorsum & superiora crura non
ve&tiebantur pennis, sed pilis nigris semidigitum longis qui
sub ventre & gutture paululum canescebant. In summa
plane monstrosus pullus. Crura inferiora & pedes fusci
coloris, uti & rostrum, vitalia viscera habebat gallinanacea,
sed inordinate disposita. Cor magnum. Vivebat cum ex-
cluderetur.^^

From these remarks it is evident that Marcgrav regarded
the bird described by him as a monstrosity, and had no suspi-
cion that any post-natal metamorphosis of the anterior limbs
would be likely to take place. Nevertheless it is quite pos-
sible that what he supposed to be a young chicken may have
been a young Hoatzin, and in the figure which he gives the
bill of the bird (if correctly drawn) is quite unlike that of a
chicken. It is true that he write " alas parvulas juxta priora
crura positas ;" but there is no trace of any rudimentary wings
in the figure, and it is at least unlikely that there would have
been three pairs of limbs. What Marcgrav mistook for

100 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

wings, possibly may have been the somewhat longer plumules,
or filaments, covering the scapulars. At all events, it seems
worth while to direct attention to what may have been an
anticipation of Mr. Brigham's observation.

I am &c.,

J. E. Harting.

Sirs, — The first occurrence in England of so great a waif
as Saxicola deserti may be deemed worthy of record in the
pages of ' The Ibis.^

The bird in question was shot between the villages of
Easington and Kilnsea, on the Holderness coast of York-
shire, on the 17th of October last, and forwarded to me as a
light variety of Saxicola oenanthe. The specimen is a young
female, though too much injured to be proved such by dis-
section, and was exhibited on my behalf by Mr. H. E.
Dresser at the Meeting of the Zoological Society of London
on the 17th of November, 1885.

Yours &c.,

Wm. Eagle Clarke.

18 Olaremont Eoad, Headingley, Leeds.
Dec. 10, 1885.

The Birds ofCorea. — A new field is now open to naturalists
in Corea, of the ornithology of which it may be said that
absolutely nothing is known. It is evident, from Vice-Consul
Cartes^'s recently published narrative of his journey from Soul
to the Phyong-Kang Gold-washings, that there is no difficulty
in traversing the country. It is also evident that interesting
birds are to be found there, from the subjoined passage in the
Vice-Consurs Report : —

'^The chain of granite mountains which incloses Soul came
to an end on the evening of our first day's march, and brought
us into a more picturesque, though less open country. Away
to the east lay the Amsan hills, where the King is said to
have his hunting-parties, and in which are many fir woods of
considerable extent. In one of these was a colony of Egrets,
towards which hundreds of birds were finding their way,

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 101

■whose white plumage made their home conspicuous at over
two miles^ distance- Pheasants were challenging their rivals
or calling to their mates on the hill-side ; in the paddy-fields
which lined the narrow valley a few Herons were standing
on one leg^ and a pair of Ibises, whose plumage had greatly
deepened in tint since autumn, were flushed by the road-
^side/'

Quails near Chipinng Norton-^-JjOxA Walsingham sends us
the subjoined extract from a letter received from the Earl of
Ducie, dated Sarsden, Chipping Norton, Oct. 23rd, 1885 : —

"I write to you to inform you of the unusual influx of
Quails in this district this year.

" Generally, upon this estate, which is of some 8000 acres,
I hear of one or two ' bevies ' every year. As I do not shoot
Partridges till October, and use no pointers, T rarely see a
Quail, though I have killed two or three in the last twenty
years well into October. This year my keeper, going out
early in September to get a few Partridges, put up, he says,
at least thirty Quails in one day. A day or two after he saw
several more. I have made inquiry, and find that' Quails
have been seen and killed in unusual numbers in the district
between Chipping Norton and Oxford. At Cirencester and
at Evesham I have evidence of them in a similar quantity.
A retired Indian civilian, living a few miles from here,
and possessing the reputation of an ornithologist, has had
several brought to him by farmers and others wishing to
know what they were. Even on my property in the vale of
Severn the keeper has killed one. There they are almost
unknown.

" The district of which I write is the upland country of the
Oolite, and has the highest July isotherm in the United
Kingdom. ^^

Progress of Mr. H. 0. Forbes. — We extract from the
'Pall Mall Gazette-' the subjoined account of Mr. H. O.
Forbes's progress in New Guinea : —

"The High Commissioner's ship 'Governor Blackall,'

10.2 Letters, Aiiiiouncei/ients, &;c.

leaving Sydney on the 15tli of August, arrived at Port
Moresby on the 28th. Some delay was necessary for final
despatches, and for assisting Mr. H. O. Forbes, so well known
for his explorations in the Malay Archipelago, in his pro-
posed journey to New Guinea. The passage from Cooktown
was finished in thirty-eight hours, the fastest on record over
this unfrequented sea.

" The harbour of Port Moresby may claim its name from
the protection of the barrier-reef, which prevents any heavy
seas doing damage. Even with this safeguard, however, it
may more truly be called a roadstead, the inner, or Fairfax
harbour, being the real haven. But at present the inner
harbour is seldom used, for the outer harbour answers general
purposes and boasts of the chief settlement. Two long
tongues of land almost encircle it, the hills rising up tier
upon tier, like an amphitheatre, from a narrow belt of man-
grove trees. The hilly nature of the country will always be
a great hindrance to the advance of Port Moresby. For
many miles inland the whole land is covered with barren sun-
burnt hills, sparsely covered with a few gum-trees and occa-
sional patches of grass or miserable plantations of bananas.
Sucli poor soil can never be valuable for grazing or cultiva-
tion, and, except as an outlet for pi'oduce of the interior. Port
Moresby can never be a great centre.

'' Mr. Forbes is going to attempt to reach the summit of
Mount Owen Stanley, 13,205 feet high, and hitherto un-
trodden by the foot of man. He was unfortunate in losing-
many stores and damaging instruments by the sinking of a
lighter at Thursday Island, which delayed his arrival for
some time. Sir Peter brought him over to New Guinea, and
his carriers, thirty Malays, are following in the ' Herbert.'
Mr. Forbes will form a depot-camp at Sogeri, twenty-five
miles inland, and survey, collect specimens, &c., in the neigh-
bourhood of the lower ranges. Next spring, when the
weather will be suitable, he will make the attempt to climb
to the higliest point. He may spend several years in New
Guinea, for his wife is following him, and his heart is
thoroughlv in his Avork."

Letters, Announcements , &^c. 103

Nesting of Batrachostomus. — In Dr. F. Kutter's lately
published paper on the breeding of Bornean Birds (Journ. f.
Orn. 1885j p. 338) will be found a very interesting account
of the nest and eggs of Batrachostomus cornutus, of which
figures are also given (tab. iv.). This bird makes a slight
flat nest on the branch of a sugar-palm {Arenga saccharifera)
or other tree, and lays a single pure-Avhite egg. The nest is
composed mainly of the bird^s own feathers mixed with a
little moss and grass. The allied forms Podargus and jEgo-
theles are also known to lay colourless eggs.

News from Diego Garcia. — Mr. G. C. Bourne, whose de-
parture for Diego Garcia was announced in our number for
July last (see Ibis, 1885, p. 340), has arrived safely at that
distant spot, but does not give us much reason to hope for
new discoveries in the bird-life of that hitherto unexplored
islet, although there is no doubt that he will reap an abun-
dant harvest in other branches of zoology. Writing on the
30th October last, Mr. Bourne tells us that he had only found
one true laud-bird in Diego Garcia. This is said to have
been introduced from Mauritius, and, according to his de-
scription, must be a Weaver-bird of some species. Four
kinds of Tern appear to be common and to breed in the
island, besides which there are two or three species of Boobies
or Gannets {Sula). At the date of his letter Mr. Bourne
had not seen any species of Tropic-bird [Phaethon), but had
been informed of its occasional occurrence. Mr. Bourue^s first
consignment of specimens is expected to arrive very shortly.

New Ornithological Works in Progress. — Dr. A. B. ]\Ieyer
of Dresden has in preparation a monograph of the European
Grouse and their various local forms, which will be illustrated
by about ten folio coloured plates, to be prepared by the well-
known zoological artist G. Miitzel. The work is dedicated
to the Crown-Prince Rudolf of Austria.

Mr. H. E. Dresser is at work on a monograph of the
Rollers, to form a companion volume to the ' Bee-eaters,'
of which the last part is now in the press. About tliirtv

104: Letters, Announcements, S^'C.

species of Rollers are known to science, of all of wbich Mr.
Dresser will give coloured figures,

A new ' Check-list of North- American Birds and Code of
Nomenclature ' is announced as nearly ready for publication.
This is the report of the Committee of the American Orni-
thologists' Union, appointed two years ago to consider the
Classification and Nomenclature of North-American Birds.
It will consist of two parts — (1) the Code of Nomenclature
recently adopted by the A. O. U., and (2) a List of North-
American Birds drawn up on the principles of this code. It
will make an octavo volume of about 300 pages.

Dr. W. L. Buller, as has been already announced (Ibis,
1885, J). 240), is preparing for the press a new and enlarged
edition of his ' History of the Birds of New Zealand.' It
will be issued in about ten large quarto parts, with coloured
figures by Keulemans. Dr. Buller, we believe, is himself
coming over to this country early in the year as one of the
Commissioners to the Colonial Exhibition at South Ken-
sington, and will, no doubt, take this opportunity of com-
mencing the work.

A

Ibis 1886.T1.7.

^\HUieinaiis iiUi .

TEACHYPHONUS SHEU.HyT

TlaiJiarl imp.

THE IBIS.

FIFTH SESIES.

No. XIV, APRIL 1886.

XIV. — On a new Species of Bai'bet of the Genus
Trachyphonus. By Dr. G. Hartlaub.

(Plate V.)

When I read the description of Trachyphonus erythro-
cephalus in Capt. Shelley^s paper on the Birds of Somali-
land (Ibis, 1885, p. 394), I came to the conclusion that
the Somali bird did not belong to that species. Capt. Shelley
ha^-ing kindly lent me one of the specimens, I have been
able to compare it with the type of Tr. erythrocephalus in
the Berlin Museum ; and finding my suspicions justified, I
now propose to describe the Somali bird as

Trachyphonus shelleyi, nov. sp. (Plate V.)

Pileo subcristato nitide nigro, nitore nonnullo chalybeo,
plumulis ex aurantiaco miniatis, macula minuta nigra
terminatis, postice circumdato ; gutture et capitis late-
ribus necnon superciliis fla\as ; regione malari et parotica
diffuse coccinea, macula minore sericeo-alba ; nuchas
plumulis flavis, macula apicali nigra ; gutturis nota
siibangusta, longitudinali, irregulari, nigra; fascia infra-
gutturali hand circumscripta, dilute ex aurantiaco
rubente, infra plumis uigris albo-guttatis margiuata ;
interscapulio, dorso, alarum tectricibus scapularibusque
in fundo nigro maculis subtriangularibus albis, distincte

SER. V. VOL. IV. 1

106 Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbet.

roseo-lavatis ; tergo immaculato cinerascente, uropygio
pallide flavo ; supra- et infracaudalibus coccineis ; remi-
gibus nigris, albo t'asciatim maciilatis; subalaribus albidis ;
rectricibus nigris, mediis maculis 5-6 margitialibus sub-
rotuudatis albis, lateralibus fasciis 5-6 subflavescenti-
albis ; abdomine pectoreque dilute et minus pure flavis ;
rostro rubello, pedibus nigris, iride fusca {^). Long,
tot. circa 18 cent., culm. 21 mill., al. 81 mill., caud. 85
mill., tars. 21 mill.

Trachijphonus erythrocephalus , Shelley, Ibis, 1885, p. 39-i
(nee Cab.) .

As Capt. Shelley had not been able to examine the type
of TrachypUonus erythrocephalus in the Berlin collection, it
is easy to understand that he believed the Somali specimen
to be identical with the above-named East-African species,
discovered b}^ Mr. T. M. Hildebrand at Kitui, a locality in
Ukamba. The two birds closely resemble each other, the
style of coloration being the same in both ; but there cannot
be the slightest doubt about their specific difference. The
differential characters are the following : —

1. The new Somali species is more distinctly crested than
Tr. erythrocep}halus, in which, however, this character is not
altogether wanting.

2. The Somali bird is decidedly smaller, as the following
measurements will show : —

Tr. shelleyi

. Tr. erythrocephahis.

mill. "

mill.

Culm en

. . 21

26

Wing . .

. . 81

97

Tail . . .

. . 86

90

Tarsus . .

. . 20

26

3. The white spots on the mantle, scapulars, and wing-
coverts are conspicuously shaded with a rosy hue in the Somali
bird, whereas they are yellowish white in Tr. erythrocephalus.

4. The shape of these same spots is subtriangular in the
Somali bird, round and drop-like in TV. erythrocephalus.

5. In this latter species the bright red colour of the head
occupies the whole of its sides, broadly bordering the black

Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbet. 107

cap and including the eyebrows ; in the Somali specimens
the red colour is restricted to a much smaller space^ the eye-
brows, margin of the forehead, and remainder of head and
neck being yellow, shading into a lighter red on the nape,
ear-coverts, and hinder portion of the cheeks. The silk-
white ear-spot is the same in both birds.

6. The black longitudinal mark running down the middle
of the throat is very narrow and rather irregularly shaped in
the Somali bird ; it is fully and regularly developed and
increases in breadth towards the lower end in Tr. ery-
throcephalus.

7. The white spots and bars of the black tail-feathers are
differently shaped in the two species, being much more
regular and on a smaller scale in the Somali bird.

The only specimen of Tr. shelleyi obtained, was shot by
Mr. Lort Phillips on the plateau of the interior of Somali-
land. Three others were seen by him.

The well-defined and exclusively African genus Trachy-
phonus comprises two groups, in which the style of colora-
tion is rather different.

a. Seven species : supra fasciatse et maculatae.

1. Track YPHONUs caffer, Vieill.

Le Promepic, LevailL Prom. p. 77, t. 3,2 ; Marsh. Monogr.
p. 139, pi. 67, opt. (synon.) ; Sharpe's ed. Layard, p. 178;
Barb. Ornith. d' Angola, p. 109 ; E. Holub & v. Pelz. Beitr.
Orn. Sudafr. p. 162; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 249 (T. S.
Jameson: South-east Afr.); Gr. A. Fischer, Zeitschr. ges.
Ornith. i. p. 372 ; id. Cab. Journ. 1885, p. 125 ; Schalow,
Orn. Samml. R. Bohms, &c., p. 10.

South Africa : Natal, Transvaal, &c. Very common
north of Pretoria, all along the Limpopo river, Buckley ;
West Africa, Huilla (Mossamedes), Anchieia. East Tette,
Kirk; Kakoma (5° 47' S. lat., and 32° 29' E. long.), Bohm;
Nguru Mountains in Masai, G. A. Fischer.

In Messrs. Marshalls^ Monograph two specimens of this
species are mentioned, obtained by Sir John Kirk (Livingst.

1 2

108 Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbet.

Exped.) at Tette^ both "much smaller than the southern bird,
and somewhat diflferently coloured. Is this difference due to
age ? " All I can say is that the measurements taken by
Dr. Reichenow of a specimen of TV. caJJ'er from Kakoma
(5° 47' S. lat.) correspond exactly with those taken by me
of a Cape specimen in the Bremen collection. Wing 100 mill.,
tail 95 mill., culmen 20 mill.

2. Trachyphonus margaritatus, Riipp.
Bucco margaritatus, Cretschm. Riipp. Atl. t. 20.
Tamasia erythropyga, Ehrenb. Symb. Phys. t. vii.
Capita margaritatus, Goff. Mus, Pays-Bas, Buccon. p. Q7 ;

Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 764; Finsch & Hartl. Ostafr.
p. 506 (syn.) ; Marsh. Monogr. t. 57; Finsch, Trans. Zool.
Soc. vii. p. 281; Oustal. Somal. Miss. Revoil, Ois. p. 7;
Salvad. Ucc. dello Scioa, p. 70.

Restricted to the warmer portions of N.E. Africa and East
centr. Africa (south of 18° N. lat., Heugl; of 16° N. lat.,
Brehurb) ; Bogosland, Adail and Danakil coast, Rilpj).,
Heugl., Brehm, Antinori. Not to be found in the more
southern districts on the White Nile, where TV. arnaudi
takes its place. Never observed near Lado by Emin Bey.
Common in all lowland localities, from the coast to Shoa :
Antinori.

Salvadori states that the black throat-spot is wanting in
the female, but is constantly present in the younger bird.

3. Trachyphonus arnaudi, Prev. & Desra.
Micropogon darnaudi, Prev. & Desm. in Lefebr. Abyss. Ois.

p. 133; Heugl. Ornith. N.O.-Afr. p. 765 ; id. Ibis, 1861,
pi. 5.

Trachyphonus squamiceps, Heugl. System. Uebers. no. 482.

Capita squamiceps, Goff. Mus. Pays-Bas, Buccon. p. 20;
Marsh. Monogr. pi. 58; Hartl. Abhaud. nat. Ver. Brem.
vii. p. 113.

Western coast of the Bahr-el-Djebel, between 7°-9° N.
lat. : Heuglin. Upper White Nile : common about Lado,
whence Dr. Emin Bey has sent many specimens.

No difference in the colour of the sexes.

Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbet. 109

Note. — Most of the figures in Marslialls' Monograph are
very good; but the letterpress accompanying them is not
equally meritorious. For instance, we read in the Latin
diagnosis of this species, " subtus squamatus^'^ and in the
description '^ entire head black " !

4. Trachyphonus boehmi, Fisch. & Reich.
Trachyphoniis boehmi, Fisch. & Reich. Cab. Journ. f. Orn.

1879, p. 342 {"Tr.squamicejys, Heugl.'') ; Schalow,ibid. 1883,

p. 346 {" Tr. maryar'itatus, Riipp.'') ; Cab. Journ. f. 0. 1878,

p. 240 {'' Tr. arnaudi, Prev. & Dum.") ; G. A. Fischer, ibid.

1885, p. 125; id. Uebers. Vog. Masail. in Zeitschr. ges.

Orn. i. p. 371.

Pare, Aruscha in the Masai country, G. A. Fischer ',

"common from Mkaramo to Mossiro," G. A. Fischer;

Uniamwesi, B'dhm; Taita and Ugogo, Bbhm, Mus. Berol. ;

Barawa, South Somali coasth (2° N. lat.), G. A. Fischer :

Abdul Gindi^ Mus. Paris [fide Oustalet).

Three specimens of this fine species are before me : — a.

Adult, sex unknown; Barawa, Nov. 11. b. Adult male;

Mrumi in Ugogo : Bohm, Sept. 1, 1880. a. Male, not quite

adult ; Pare : Fischer.

The following is a description of the adult bird from

Barawa : —

T. pileo subcristato nigro, immaculato ; capitis et colli
lateribus gulaque Isete sulphureo-flavis, nigro minutissime
maculatis ; plumulis nonnnllis supraciliaribus flavo-
rubeutibus; collo postico, interscapulio, alarum tectri-
cibus scapularibusque in fundo pallide fuscescente
maculis parvulis rotundatis flavescenti-albidis, strictis-
sime nigro-limbatis ; tergo, uropygio et supracaudalibus
dilute flavis ; rectricibus fuscis, supra albo-maculatis,
subtus albo-fasciatis ; scutello gutturali magno subro-
tundato chalybeo-nigro ; pectore et epigastrio flavis,
maculis minutissimis nigris rarius notatis; fascia pectorali
interrupta e plumis nigris macula apicali rotundata alba
ornatis composita; abdomiue inferiore pallidius flaves-
cente ; subcaudalibus cocciueis ; rostro pallente corneo ;
pedibus nigricantibus. Long, circa 172 mill., culm. 17
mill., al. 76 mill., caud. 88 mill.
In this specimen the spots and bars of the tail are very

regular and sharply defined ; the reddish colour over and

110 Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbei.

under the eye is very faint ; the round drop-like whitish spots
of the notseum are not very large and distinctly flavescent,
especially the spots and bars of the tail ; the black guttural
shield does not extend over the throat.

Two specimens. Pare (Masai), Sept. 3 : Dr. Fischer. Mas
jun. Long. tot. 75 mill. Iris dark red ; beak horn-colour.

Very much like the bird from Barawa_, but on the pale
Rulphur-yellow of the abdomen we see short bar-like darker
marks formed by the apical margins of the feathers ; the
white spots and bars of the tail are distinctly yellowish ; the
sides of the head and throat shaded with reddish ; over the
eyes some reddish feathers like little flames ; the guttural
shield is indicated by an irregular black spot ; spots and
bars of the tail very regular and circumscribed.

Three specimens. Adult male. Mrumi (Ugogo) : R.
Bo/im, Sept. 1. Long. tot. 19 mill., al. 80 mill., culm. 19
mill., caud. 80 mill.

In this interesting specimen there are some more impor-
tant differences from the Barawa bird. The marginal spots
of the tail-feathers are small and of a dirty white with an
almost imperceptible yellowish shade ; the dark bars of the
underside of the tail are broader, less defined and shaded
into grey towards their upper margin ; abdomen of a dirty
yellowish white without any spots or bars ; the large black
guttural shield extends upwards to the chin ; the white spots
of the wing-coverts and scapulars are short, broad, and bar-like,
those of the interscapulium are smaller, more rounded and
drop-like.

Perhaps this Ugogo bird ought to be separated as a con-
stant variety or race,

Tr. boehmi is nearly allied to TV. arnaudi, but differs
from it : — 1, by the crown of the head being of a uniform
glossy black, whereas in Tr. ai'naudi its feathers are provided
with black tips, leaving only an irregular and more or less
invisible black spot in the middle of the crown ; 2, the black-
tipped feathers of the sides of the head are sulphur-yellow,
they being of a reddish orange in Tr. arnaudi; 3, by the
large and circumscribed guttural steel-black scutellum, of

Dr. G. Hartlaub on a new Barbet. Ill

which there are only irregular traces in Tr. arnaudi ; and 4,
the iufra-pectoral fascia formed by black feathers with a large
white spot at the tip, so conspicuous in Tr. boehmi, is
but feebly and most irregularly indicated in Tr. arnaudi.

5. Trachyphonus versicolor.

Tr. versicolor, Hartl. Zweit. Beitr. Orn. ostl. Aequat.
Africa, in Abhandl. naturw. Ver. Bremen, vii. p. 208; id.
Ornith. Centr. Bl. 1882, p. 91 ; id. Cab. Journ. f. Orn. 1882,
p. 326.

Tarrangole : Emin Bey.

Very fine and adult specimens of both sexes are in the
Bremen collection. They are as yet the only ones known.

Tarrangole is a station on the Chor Kohs in Lattuka,
4° 28' N. lat.

Diagn. — Valde affinis Tr. erythrocephalo , sed diversus statura
multo majore (240 mill. !), rubediue capitis multo minus
extensa et subcaudalibus pallide et pure flavis.

In the female of this species the black crown of the head
and the black longitudinal guttural stripe are wanting, the
feathers of the crown being pale reddish with black bar-like
spots ; nape more intensely spotted with red and black ; the
red colour of the sides of the head a little more extended
than in the male ; the bars of the tail somewhat narrower.

6. Trachyphonus erythrocephalus.

Tr. erythrocephalus, Cab. Journ. f. Orn. 1878, pp. 206,
218, 240, pi. 2. figs. 1 and 2.

Kitui (Ukamba, East. Afr.), 2°-3° S. lat., Hildebrand.

Adult specimens of both sexes and young birds are in
the Berlin Museum.

7. Trachyphonus shelleyi, Hartl.

The high plateau of the interior of the Somali country :
Lort Phillips.

b. Two species : supra concolores.

8. Trachyphonus purpuratus.

Tr. purpuratus, J. Verreaux, Rev. et Mag, de Zool. 1851,
p. 260; Strickl. Contrib. to Orn. 1851, p. 135; Hartl. Syst.
Oru. Westafr. p. 175; Marsh. Monogr. p. 151, pi. 68.

113 Mr. E. Hargitt on a new M'oodpecker.

Capita piirpuratus, Goff. Mus. Pays-Bas^ Buccon. p. 71 ;
Reichen. Cab. Journ. f. Orn. 1875, p. 9 (descript. ad. et jun.) :
Oustaletj Nouv. Arch, du Mus. ser. 2, p. 68; Cass. Proc.
Ac. N. Sc. Philad. 1859, p. 140.

Gaboon, /. Verr. ; Doiime on the river Ogowe, Marche;
Camma and Moonda river, DuChaillu ; Cameroons, Reichen.

9. Trachyphonus goffini, Schleg.

Capito goffini, Schleg. Mus. Pays-Bas, Buccon, p. 72 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 386 {" Tr. purpuratus") ; H. T.
Ussher, Ibis, 1874, p. 55 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 473 ; id.
Catal. Afr. Birds, p. 16; Biittikofer, Zool. Res. in Liber.
p. 218 ; Marsh. Monogr. pi. 67, p. 150.

Gold Coast, Nagtglas ; Denkera, Ussher ; Fantee, Sharpe ;
Sofore, Liberia, Biittikofer.

P.S. — The existence of three species of Trachyphonus in
the Somali country is curious and apparently improbable;
but I believe nevertheless that such is the fact. Heuglin
and Revoil, both trustworthy observers, have collected
Tr. margaritatus in the northern coastlands of Somali -
land ; and as to this latter species, Dr. Oustalet writes me
that the specimens collected by Mr. Revoil are identical
with Abyssinian specimens in the Paris Museum. In the
southern portion of the Somali coast (Barawa, &c.) this
species is represented by Tr. hoelimi, which extends into the
Masai country, Ugogo, and Uniamwezy ; and Tr. shelleyi, our
new species, inhabits the interior highlands of the Somali
country.

XV. — Notes on Woodpeckers.— ^o. XI. On a new Species
from Arizona. By Edward Hargitt, F.Z.S.

In pursuing my study of the Picidse, I happened to meet
with a specimen of an adult male from the Santa Rita
Mountains, Arizona Territory, which was named Picas
stricklandi, and upon comparing it with an example of an
adult male of true P. stricklandi from Jalapa, Vera Cruz

Mr. E. Hargitt on a new Woodpecker. 113

(De Oca), in the collection of jMr. Sclater, I was surprised to
find the two birds perfectly distinct, the Arizona species
having the hack uniform, and the bird from Jalapa having
the back barred with white. In this paper I shall endeavour
to show which is the true P. stricklandi of Malherbe, and to
prove that the Arizona bird is fully entitled to specific
rank.

Malherbe (Revue Zoologique, 1845, p. 373) described,
under the title of Pints {Ltuconotopicus) stricklandi, a bird
which he considered to be a young female, and in his Mono-
graph he stated that he had seen a specimen of the adult male
in the British Museum ; also an adult female in a collection
sent to Mr. Wilson of Philadelphia, and a young male in the
Darmstadt Museum. The type specimen had the back banded
with white ; and Malherbe asserts that it is a young bird, and
that the bars disappear with age. The specimen is certainly
not fully adult, because in adult plumage the breast is spotted,
whereas in the type, as described and figured by Malherbe,
the breast is striped; but, judging by analogy, the bird
could not be a very young one, or the top of the head would
be red, as in the young male of the Arizona species ; and it is
quite wrong to say that the white bars disappear with age,
because, as the specimen in Mr. Sclater's collection shows,
the fully adult has also the back barred. Malherbe, in his
Monograph, gives descriptions of the four examples seen by
him, and he commences with that of the adult male, taken
from the British Museum specimen. This bird, the liabitat
of which is stated on the label to be " Mexico,^^ has the red
occipital band without any red on the crown, and is un-
doubtedly an adult bird ; but it has the back uniform, and I
take it to belong to a species entirely distinct from P. strick-
landi. The next specimen described by the author is that of
an adult female, which he says only differs from the adult
male in wanting the red occipital band ; we may therefore
conclude that the back is uniform, as in the British Museum
specimen, and that it belongs to the same species. The young
male is next described ; and this, according to Malherbe,
diflFers in many respects from the adult male, the chief point of

114 Mr. E. Hargitt on a new Woodpecker.

difference consisting in the feathers of the crown being tipped
with red^the occiput being also red^ in the young ; he also states
that it has the back as in the adult male, but browner and paler.
There can be no doubt that the latter is a young bird, and as
the back is like that of the adult male (uniform), it belongs to
the same species ; but if, as Malherbe endeavours to make out,
all these specimens belong to his P. stricklandi, why has not
the young male a barred back ? seeing that it is a younger
bird than his type specimen, as is proved by the former
having the crown red, whereas in the latter it is not so.
One would expect the young of both sexes to be alike, and it
surely could not be that the young male would have a uni-
form back, and the young female of the same species would
have the back barred. In my opinion two species have
been confounded, viz, : — Picus stricklandi of Malherbe, which
is a bird having a barred back, and of which an immature
female served as the type, and another species in which the
back is uniform in all stages of plumage, and from which
Malherbe's descriptions of the male adult, female adult, and
young male have been taken.

This author, in his Monograph, plate xxviii. fig. 4 (^ , has
allowed his artist to indicate white transverse markings on
the lower back. If this is intended, as I should imagine, to
represent the British Museum specimen, it is faulty, as in
that bird the back is uniform. Fig. 5, on the same plate
is evidently taken from the type specimen, judging by the
striated breast, although the author does not state it to
be so.

Mr. W. Brewster, in ' The Auk ' for April 1885, describes
some birds from Arizona, amongst them being what he terms
Picus stricklandi, from the Santa Rita Mountains, and he
points out that the young of both sexes have the crown red ;
but he makes no mention of any barrings on the upper parts,
and it is well known that in the fully adult of the Arizona
species the back is uniform. Therefore I think it cannot
be doubted that, as in P. stricklandi of Malherbe, the adults
(and, judging by the plumage of the type specimen, the
younger bird also) have the upper parts barred with white,

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius. 115

whereas in the Arizona bird the back is perfectly uniform
in both old and young, they belong to different species.
I therefore propose for the latter the name of Picus arizonce,
the diagnosis of which will be as follows : —
P. similis P. stricklandi, sed dorso uniforminecalbo-fasciato
distinguendus.
Hab. In montibus " Santa Rita '^ dictis, in Arizona. Ex
typ. in mus. uostr.

XVI. — A Review of the Species of the Genus Cursorius.
By Henry Seebohm.

Twenty years ago the genus Cursorius was reviewed by Dr.
Hartlaub (P. Z. S. 1866, p. 61) ; yet, notwithstanding the
numerous collections of African birds which have since that
date found their way to London and Berlin, our knowledge
of the species of this interesting group had advanced but
little until the visit of Mr. E. Lort Phillips to Somali-land,
in the winter of 1884-85, added a new species to the list.

The Coursers form a group of about a dozen species of
birds which are intermediate between the Pratincoles and the
Lapwings, and probably almost as closely allied to the Bus-
tards on the one hand and the Plovers on the other. The
Lapwings and Plovers, like the Sandpipers, Snipes, and other
birds belonging to the same family, have the nasal orifice
placed in a groove or ditch which extends for some distance
beyond it ; but in Otis, Cursorius, and Glareola there is no
nasal groove, the nasal orifice being placed in a depression
not more elongated than itself. From Otis, Cursorius may-
be distinguished by its scutellated tarsus, and from Glareola
by its having neither a forked tail nor a hind toe.

The Coursers are desert birds, and feed upon the insects
that are found upon sandy plains. It is therefore not sur-
prising that most of the species are confined to Africa. The
range of the genus Cursorius extends, however, northwards
into Palsearctic Africa, and eastwards through Syria, Arabia,
and Persia to India and Ceylon.

It is unnecessary to repeat the synonymy of each species,
which remains verv much in the same condition in which it

116 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius,

was left by Dr. Hartlaub ; but the lapse of twenty years has
added something to our knowledge of geographical distribu-
tion which is worth recording. I have also endeavoured^ iu
every case, to give an absolute diagnosis of each species,
without increasing the length of my paper by adding other
details of description.

1. Cursorius somalensis, sp. nor.

I cannot agree with Capt. Shelley that the example of the
Somali Courser obtained by Mr. Lort Phillij)s (Shelley,
Ibis, 1885, p. 415) represents merely a local race of the
Cream-coloured Courser^. It appears to me to be a good
species, which may be diagnosed as having the hind head
slate-grey (like C. gallicns and C. riifus), but the axillaries
and under wing-coverts greyish huff (instead of nearly black) .
It further differs from C. gaUicus in the following particu-
lars:— It is amuch smaller bird, the wing measuring 5*3 inches
instead of from 6"0 to 6*3 inches ; nevertheless it appears to
have longer though more slender legs, the tarsus measuring
2'3 inches instead of from 2'1 to 2*3 inches. The colour of
the back and wing- coverts is much darker. The subterrainal
black bands on the tail are twice as broad, and are also
traceable on the centre tail-feathers. Finally, the black
margins of the inner webs of the secondaries scarcely occupy
a fifth part of the web instead of more than half.

The species is only known from a single example ; but
Mr. Lort Phillips states that it was fairly common in small
flocks throughout the plateau.

2. Cursorius gallicus.

The Cream-coloured Courser has the axillaries and under
wing-coverts nearly black, and the outer weh of the secon-
daries buf. No other Courser fulfils both these conditions.
The nearly black axillaries and under wing-coverts are found
even in young in first plumage, showing the importance of
the character; but the slate-grey hind head and the black
belly are characters which only appear after the first moult.
The bufl" outer webs of the secondaries are, however, found
at all ages.

* [" Cursorius (/allicits somalensis, subsp. n. ; subspecific race," are
Capt. Shelley's exact words. — Edd.]

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius. 117

It breeds in the Canary Islands, the whole of North Africa,
and in Arabia, Persia, Beluchistan, the Punjaub, Sind, and
Rajputana. It does not breed north of the Trans-Caucasian
steppes, but occasionally strays into Europe.

3. Cursorius rufus.

BurclielFs Courser combines the two characters of having
the hi7id head slate-grey and of having dark brown or black
on the belly ; but as neither of these characters appear in
young in first plumage, it is safer to diagnose the species by
the pattern of colour on the secondaries, which is constant at
all ages. The middle secondary is white, with the basal two
thirds of the outer web and the basal third of the inner web
brown.

This species is confined to South Africa, where it is found
in the Transvaal, Natal, and the Cape Colony.

4. Cursorius senegalensis.

Lichtenstein's Courser is the only species of the genus
which has a black belly, but neither white upper tail-coverts
nor a slate-grey hind head. However, as the first and last
of these characters are only found in adult birds, a second
diagnosis is necessary, which will also apply to the young in
first plumage. This is easily found in the unique pattern of
the secondaries. The white is shaped like a thin wedge, the
base of which runs out at the tip, whilst the thin end splits
the brown of the inner web almost into halves.

This species has an extensive range in the Ethiopian Region
from Senegambia in the west to Kordofan in the east and the
Cape Colony in the south.

5. Cursorius coromandelicus.

The Indian Courser, at the first glance, looks little more
than a large form of Lichtenstein^s Courser ; but when
carefully examined, it presents many important points of
difference besides that of size. It is the only Courser
that combines the two characters of white upper tail-coverts
and black under iving -coverts. As both these characters are
found in the young in first plumage, a second diagnosis is not
necessary.

118 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius.

It appears to be generally distributed throughout India
and Ceylon ; but it is more local in the south, and does not
occur in the extreme north-west.

6. Cursorius chalcopterus.

The Bronze-winged Courser is the only species in the
genus which shows the metallic colours frequently found on
the plumage of the Lapwings and occasionally on that of the
Wattled Lapwings. The tijjs of the primaries for about half
an inch are bronzed with green and red. According to
Heuglin this character is also found in the young in first
plumage.

This species has a wide range, from Senegambia in the
west to Kordof an in the east, and to Damara Land and Natal
in the south.

7. Cursorius cinctus.

Heuglin^s Courser is nearest allied to Levaillant^s Courser
and its local races. These two species are the only Coursers
which have no white on the secondaries beyond a narrow
margin. In the former the secondaries are brown, but
in the latter chestnut-buff. This character is probably
constant at all ages. A more complicated diagnosis is : —
Upper tail-coverts white ; primaries nearly uniform dark
broivn, without buff inner webs, or large white patches, or
bronze tips. No other Courser answers to this description.

Heuglin obtained it on the Upper Nile. I have an ex-
ample in my collection procured by Andersson at Ondonga
in Damara Land, and Mr. Lort Phillips found it in
Somali-land.

8. Cursorius bicinctus.

9. Cursorius bicinctus bisignatus.

10. Cursorius bicinctus gracilis.

Levaillant's Courser, and the two local races, which do not
appear to be more than subspecifically distinct from it, and
which we may call respectively Hartlaub^s Courser and
Fischer's Courser, may always be recognized by the chestnut-
buff inner webs of their inner primaries and secondaries. The

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius. 119

typical form holds a position intermediate (at least in colour)
between the other two. It is a resident in Soutli Africa
as far north as Damara Land and the Transvaal ; but as
Heuglin records an example from the White Nile (though
the exact locality is doubtful) it may also occur throughout
Central Africa.

Hartlaub^s Courser is only a pale form of Levaillant's
Courser and is also slightly smaller. The feathers of the
upper parts are margined with nearly white instead of buff,
and the ground-colour of the underparts shows the same
difference. It inhabits Benguela, meeting the typical form
in Damara Land, where intermediate forms are found.

Fischer^s Courser was discovered by the traveller whose
name it bears, in Massai-land in Eastern Equatorial Africa
(Journ. f. Orn. 1884, p. 178), and has recently been procured
a little to the north-east by Mr. Lort Phillips in Somali-
land (Shelley, Ibis, 1885, p. 416). Like HartlauVs Courser,
it is slightly smaller than the typical form, but varies from
it in the opposite direction. The buff shade is so dark that
it approaches pale chestnut, and the white of the upper tail-
coverts is suffused with buff. On the other hand, it resem-
bles HartlauVs Courser in having the dark shaft-lines on the
throat less distinct, becoming almost obsolete on the upper
throat.

11. Cursorius bitorquatus.

Jerdon^s Courser is the only species of this genus which
combines the characters of having a plain brown mantle and
patches of white near the tips of the first three primaries.

It ajjpears to have a very limited range, having only been
found in that part of the Indian peninsula which lies be-
tween one hundred and three hundred miles due north of
Madras.

12. Cursorius ^gyptius.

The Black-backed Courser may always be recognized by
its plain black mantle and scapulars.

It inhabits West Africa and the valley of the Nile.

It has been placed by most writers in a genus by itself

120

Mr. H. Seebohm 07i the Genus Cursorius.

(Pluvianus) , probably in consequence of its frequenting the
muddy banks of rivers, like the Ringed Plovers; but there
seems to be no valid reason why it should not remain in the
genus in which Wagler placed it. It agrees with C. sene-
galensis in having a shorter tarsus than usual, and with
C. bitorquatus in having white bands across some of the pri-
maries. It also agrees with the latter species in not having
the claw of the middle toe pectinated; but examples of
C. senegalensis also occasionally show no trace of this
peculiarity *.

In order to show the mutual relationship between the
species of this genus and also some of the more prominent
differences in the adults, I have constructed a diagram which
serves as a key to the species, more simple and concise,
though conveying more information, than those in ordinary
use : —

fsomalensis.
t
Hmd head slate-grey. . •{ gallicus

r 1

L

Black on belly

rufus

-{ seiieynlensis . . .
I
•- coromandelicus

' Under wing-coverts black.

chalcopterus .

'cinctus

- with pale margins ^

<J}icinctus

' Upper tail-coverts white.

Inner primaries chestnut-
buflP.

'bitorquatus

White patches near end J

of primaries X^fftjpfius.

* A recent reviewer, in ' Nature,' of Professor Newton's excellent article on
Ornithology in the * Encyclopaedia Britannica,' finds fault with the leai'ned
writer on account of his unfavourable criticism of Sundevall's ' Tentamen.'
If the Swedish ornithologist's treatment of the group of birds commonly
called Limicolse be a fair sample of the whole work, one can only come to
the conclusion either that the anonymous reviewer was unacquainted with

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius. 12l

It is not surprising that even such a compact interlaced
genus as Cursorius should have had its share of ill usage at
the hands of the " splitters '' ; but it seems to me that the
only natural mode of subdivision is to regard the Coursers with
a band across the breast as one group, leaving the remainder
to form another group, each containing five species.

The ancestors of the latter of these groups were probably
resident in the Mediterranean subregion during the last
Interglacial Period. During the cold winters of the Glacial
Period which followed, one party emigrated to India, and
are now represented by C. coromandelicus. A second party
emigrated to South Africa and became C. rufus and C. sene-
galetisis, the former in the south and the latter in the west ;
whence, after the two species became differentiated, the latter
gradually extended its range until it overlapped that of the
former. The third party, instead of emigrating, adopted
migratory habits, though not on a very extensive scale ; and
C. somalensis is probably the result of a small migratory
party which overshot its mark and finally settled in Somali-
land. The three tropical species (the two Ethiopian and
the one Oriental) have probably altered least in appearance,
as they have altered least in climate and habits, whilst C.
gallicus has altered most.

Precisely in the same way the banded Coursers that have
the most southerly range have altered least, whilst the only
one (C. mjyptius') which ranges into the Palsearctic Region
has altered most.

those birds, or that he was ignorant of Sundevall's classification of them.
Cursorius cerjyptius is absolutely placed in a different family to that which
contains its nearest allies. It appears in the family Cliaradriiuce, with
the incorrect character " tarsi reticulati,'' whilst the other Coursers are
placed in the family Otidinse, and are coi'rectly described as being pro-
vided with '■'■ tarsis trausv. scutatis." A systematist who relies solely on
external characters ought at least to describe them correctly. The verdict
of posterity will probably be that Sundevall's classification of birds is a
literary curiosity and nothing more.

SER. V. VOL. IV.

122 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

XVII. — A Review of the Species of the Genus Scolopax.
By Henry Seebohm.

The Snipes are a very interesting group of birds, not only
to the sportsman, but also to the ornithologist. Few birds
give better sport in the field, and few genera are capable of
being made a better text from which to preach an ornitholo-
gical sermon on the new point of view from which the subject
must be regarded, now that the theory of the evolution of
species is generally accepted.

The Snipes belong to the family Charadriidse, which
also includes the Sandpipers, Curlews, Plovers, and a few
other allied genera. From all these birds they are very
easily and very distinctly characterized. Most of the Cha-
radriidae are partially web-footed ; they have a distinct web
at the base of the toes, sometimes much more developed
between the outer and middle toe ; but the Snipes, some of
the Sandpipers, and the Turnstones are exceptions to this
rule, having no rudimentary web between any of the
toes, which are all cleft to the base. Again, most of the
Charadriidee have comparatively long legs and short bills ;
the Snipes, on the contrary, have short legs and long bills.
The only birds in this family (except the Snipe) in which the
bill is as long or longer than twice the length of the tarsus
are the females of one or two species of Curlew, and one or
two species of Sandpiper, none of which have all the toes
cleft to the base. The genus Scolopax may therefore be
diagnosed as follows : —

Charadriidse having the bill twice as long as the tarsus,
and all the toes cleft to the base.

The Snipes are the only birds in the family which combine
both characters ; the diagnosis is therefore perfect, including
all the species which belong to the genus Scolopax, and ex-
cluding every other bird.

The genus Scolopax may, however, be diagnosed almost more
simply as : — Charadriidse having the tarsus shorter than the
middle toe and claw, and with parti-coloured tail-feathers.

It is quite possible to construct other diagnoses of this

Mr. H. Seebolim on the Genus Scolopax. 123

genus which^ if more complicated^ are nevertheless founded
upon characters of equal importance ; but enough has been
said to show what a good genus Scolopax is. To split up
such a sharply defined well-characterized genus into four or
five ill-defined badly-characterized genera is surely both un-
necessary and unwise. Like every other genus it may easily
be divided into subgeneric groups, because the gaps between
the species are not of exactly the same width, A coincidence
so remarkable seldom or never occurs.

Most ornithologists recognize the two groups of Snipe
and "Woodcock as generically distinct, but they probably do
so because they are unacquainted with the intermediate
forms which connect them. The three species of European
Snipe have many characters in common which distinguish
them from tlie Woodcock.

1st. In the Snipes the tibia is bare of feathers for a con-
siderable distance, whilst in the Woodcocks it is feathered to
the joint. This diagnosis would make the species of Wood-
cocks to be eleven in number.

2nd. In the Snipe the number of tail-feathers is usually
fourteen or more, whilst the Woodcock has only twelve.
If the species were divided upon this character, the Jack
Snipe must be added to the Woodcocks, and six of the other
eleven Woodcocks must be removed to the Snipes.

So much for what are called structural characters ; but by
bringing characters founded upon colour to the rescue, we
find other differences, as we shall see in the sequel, of obvi-
ously greater generic value.

3rd. The bold black markings on the heads of the Snipes
begin at the base of the bill and are longitudinal, whereas in
the Woodcocks they are confined to the hind head and are
transverse. This character excludes the Jack Snipe once
more from the Woodcocks, and confirms the removal of the
six species excluded by the second character, thus reducing
the Woodcocks to five species.

4th. The tail-feathers of the Woodcock have curious
silvery white tips, of which no trace is to be found in the

K 2

124) Mr. H. Seebolim on the Genus Scolopax.

Snipe. This character confirms the five species mentioned
in the last paragraph as the only true Woodcocks.

5th. The primaries of the Snipe are uniform in colour,
whilst those of the Woodcock are barred. This character
excludes three out of the five Woodcocks, but admits two
other species, neither of which possesses any of the four
previous characters, so that it may be dismissed.

6th. The eggs of the three species of European Snipes,
and those of several species of African and American Snipes,
closely resemble each other, and differ widely from those of
the European and American species of Woodcocks. The eggs
of several species of both groups are unknown, but the eggs
of one at least of the two Snipes which the fifth character
would determine to be Woodcocks exactly resemble, except
in size, the eggs of the latter group.

Other minor points might be mentioned, but enough has
been pointed out to show that Nature has drawn many lines
between the Snipes and the Woodcocks, but unfortunately she
has not drawn them in the same place. Two conclusions
may be arrived at from the foregoing facts. One of these is
that the characters of the Woodcocks and the Snipes are so
closely interlaced that no ornithologist attempting classifica-
tion on scientific principles would be likely to advise the sub-
division of such a natural group as the genus Scolopax. The
other conclusion requires consideration at greater length.

Some ornithologists not only separate the Woodcocks
generically from the Snipes, but further subdivide each of
these groups. These writers have adopted a theory that
what they call structural characters are of generic value,
whilst they regard difl'erences of colour as only of specific
value. In accordance with this notion, they have placed
the American Woodcock and the Jack Snipe in distinct
genera, because in the former some of the primaries are
remarkably attenuated, and in the latter the bill and the
sternum are slightly exceptional, regardless of the facts that
the American Woodcock is apparently more nearly related
to the European Woodcock than either of them are to the
Moluccan Woodcock, and that the Jack Snipe and the

Mr. H. Seebohin on the Genus Scolopax. 125

Comraou Snipe are obviously nearer related to each other
than either of them are to the Imperial Snipe of Colombia.
All generic distinctions must be genetic distinctions, other-
wise they are of no value. The theory that structural cha-
racters only are of generic value, is either based upon the
presumption that they date further back than characters
founded upon difference in colour and pattern of colour, or
it is an antiquated, unscientific, and absurd hypothesis.

The Snipes and their nearest allies furnish some remark-
able instances in which it is impossible to believe that differ-
ences of structure date as far back as differences of colour.
The Painted Snipes [Rhynchcea) * of South Africa, India,
China, and Australia are precisely alike in colour. It is not
known that the males from any of these localities can be
distinguished from each other in any way. GoukFs suppo-
sition that the Painted Snipe from Australia has a shorter
foot than the others appears to be unfounded, now that a
large series of each have been examined. Nevertheless there
seems to be unimpeachable evidence that the females of the
Australian birds differ from those of Africa, India, and China
in having the trachea elongated and convoluted in a remark-
able manner, somewhat similar to that to be found in certain
Cranes_, Swans, and Geese. These birds may or may not be
regarded as generically distinct from their respective allies ;
but be that as it may, no one can imagine that the common
ancestors of the African and Australian Painted Snipes differed
in colour from their two groups of descendants, and that
consequently the two latter have independently developed a
perfectly similar series of colours complicated in character,
and differing to an unusual degree with age and sex. During
the period which must have elapsed before the convolutions
of the trachea could either have been lost in the African
birds, produced in the Australian birds, or modified by each
of them in opposite directions from an intermediate ancestral

* The position which Sundevali has assigned to tliis genus — Letweeu
Ibklorhyncha (which is a slightly modified Oystercatcher) and Nunienius —
is one of many similar cases which amj)ly justify Professor Newton's
unfavourable criticism of that over-estimated systematist.

126 Mr. H, Seebolim on the Genus Scolopax,

form, it seems as if the colour, with all its complications of
pattern and variations with age and sex, must have remained
unchanged. The Jack Snipe is another case in point. Not-
withstanding the fact that its bill has become considerably
modified from the typical Scolopacine form, and that, unlike
any other Snipe, it has two instead of only one notch on each
side of the posterior margin of the sternum, it has retained the
longitudinal markings on the head which proclaim it a Snipe
and not a Woodcock, as well as the peculiar colonr and pattern
of the dorsal plumage which are common to most species of
both groups, whilst in the coloration of the tail it differs far
more from the Snipes than they do from the Woodcocks.

In dividing the Snipes from the Woodcocks there cannot
be much doubt that the natural line is that laid down by our
third character and confirmed by the fourth, both characters
being founded on differences of pattern of colour. It can
scarcely be denied that in the Snipes, at all events, differences
in the pattern of colour are of older genetic date, and there-
fore of higher generic value than so-called structural differ-
ences; and that those ornithologists who maintain the
contrary ai'e advocating a hypothesis inconsistent with the
theory of the evolution of species.

The geographical distribution of the Snipes is most
remarkable, few genera of birds being so nearly cosmopolitan
as the genus Scolapaa^. In the Arctic Regions both of the
Old and of the New World Snipes breed beyond the Arctic
Circle : in Norway, under the influence of the Gulf-stream,
as far as 70°N. lat. No true Snipe is known to breed in
Australia (the eggs attributed to the Australian Snipe are
undoubtedly those of the Australian Painted Snipe) ; nor is
any Snipe known to breed in any of the South Pacific islands,
with the exception of the Auckland and Chatham Islands,
south of New Zealand. No true Snipe breeds in the Oriental
Region, except at great elevations in the Himalayas ; but,
after the breeding-season, India, the Malay Peninsula, and
Australia are visited by enormous numbers of these birds.
Otherwise the Snipes are cosmopolitan, breeding in Europe,
Asia, Africa, and in both North and South America^

Mr. H. Seebohm 07i the Genus Scolopax, 127

1. Scolopax rusticula.

Our Woodcock is a semi-arctic bird ranging from tlie
Atlantic to the Pacific. In Scandinavia it breeds up to
lat. 67°, in West Russia to 65°, but in East Russia and
Siberia not mucli beyond 60°. Its soutliern breeding-range
extends to the Azores, Canaries, Madeira, the Alps, Car-
pathians, and Caucasus, to the Himalayas (where it breeds
at an elevation of ten thousand feet), and to Mongolia and
the mountains of Japan. It has not occurred in Iceland
or Greenland, and only once on the Faroes ; but accidental
stragglers, no doubt driven westward by storms, principally
from the Azores, have been met with on the American con-
tinent in Newfoundland, New Jersey, and Virginia.

2. Scolopax minor.

The American Woodcock may be recognized at once by
the extraordinary attenuation of its first three primaries,
and by its unbarred primaries and underparts. The pattern
of the colour of the upper parts is very similar to that of our
bird, to which it is evidently very closely allied. Its range
extends northwards to lat. 50°, and southwards into Texas,
but its longitudinal range extends from the Atlantic only
halfway across the continent. To the northern half of its
range it is only a summer visitor ; but in the southern half it
is a resident, the numbers of which are largely increased
during winter. There can be little doubt that it is the result
of an ancient western emigration from the Old World.

3. Scolopax saturata.

The Javan Woodcock is a resident in the island the name
of which it bears, and where it breeds at an elevation of
7000 feet. It is evidently the result of a southern emigration
of our bird, caused by the freezing-up of its breeding-grounds
in the east by the snow of the Himalayas. The Javan Wood-
cock is smaller than our bird, but has a larger bill and a
more rounded wing. The first primary is half an inch
shorter than the second, and there are no bars on any of the
primaries.

128 Mr. H. Seebohiu on the Genus Scolopax.

4. Scolopax rochusseni.

The Moluccan Woodcock is confined to the small group
of islands the name of which it bears, whither it probably
emigrated from Japan. It is larger than our bird, and though
its primaries are barred, it has no bars on the breast or
under tail-coverts.

5. Scolopax rosenbergi.

The Papuan Woodcock is a resident in New Guinea. It
resembles the Javan Woodcock in being smaller than our
bird, Avith a longer bill and unbarred primaries, but it
resembles our bird as well as the Moluccan species in having
the first and second primaries nearly equal in length.

These five species may fairly be regarded as forming a
subgeneric group to which the name of Woodcocks may be
applied. They seem to be more nearly related to each other
tlian to any of the other species in the genus, though the
next group presents so many points of similarity that the
homogeneous character of the genus Scolopax is well pre-
served.

The Snipes which are most nearly allied to the Woodcocks
are presumably the seven species which have the tibia feathered
almost to the joint of the tarsus. They further resemble the
Woodcocks in having the claw of the hind toe remarkably
small, and the base of the bill remarkably deep, though
neither of these characters are capable of very clear defini-
tion. It is necessary to coin a name for this group of seven
species, and I propose to call them Semi-Woodcocks.

6. Scolopax nemoricola.

The Wood- Snipe appears to be entirely confined to India
and Burma, breeding at high elevations in the Himalayas
from Nepal to Assam, migrating in autumn to winter in
hilly districts further south in those countries. The nearest
allies of this species are, strange to say, S. jamesoni and
S. imperialis from the American Andes. The three species
have the whole of the underparts profusely barred, and the
outer web of the first primary plain brown like the inner

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopai. 129

web. The Asiatic species is distinguishable at a glauce by
the broad buff dorsal stripes, which are almost obsolete in its
South-Americau allies, as well as by its smaller size (wing
under 5| inches instead of over 6 inches).

7. SCOLOPAX SOLITARIA.

The Himalayan Solitary Snipe breeds at an elevation of
from 10,000 to 15,000 feet, from Turkestan north-east as
far as the Altai range, and south-east in the Himalayas as
far as Assam, descending in autumn to winter in the lower
valleys. Its nearest ally is scarcely more than subspecifically
distinct from it, and probably interbreeds with it somewhere
in South-east Siberia ; but it has also a very close ally in
S. strichlandi, which inhabits the forests of Patagonia.
These three Semi-Woodcocks differ from the other three of
which mention has been made in having traces of pale bars
on the outer web of the first primary, and on both webs of
soine of the inner primaries and secondaries. They are
further distinguished by the almost entire absence of bars
on the centre of the belly. The Himalayau Solitary Snipe
may be distinguished by its pure white lower breast.

8. ScOLOPAX SOLITAKIA JAPOXICA.

The Japanese Solitary Snipe breeds in Northern Japan,
and probably in South-eastern Siberia as far east as Lake
Baikal. It winters in China, though a few remain all the
year round in Yezo. It has hitherto been generally con-
founded with the preceding species, the synonymy of the
two forms being still more confused. The Scolopax hiemalis
of Eversmann (Bull. Soc. Mosc. 1845, p. 257, pi. vi.), from
the Altai Mountains, is unquestionably the Himalayan bird.
The Ga/Zi/^G^o 7a/?oHica of Bonaparte (Compt. Rend. 1856,
p. 7 15) is apparently a nomen nudum without description of any
kind, and may belong to any of the half-dozen Snipes of Japan.
It tlierefore must be allowed to drop altogether out of the
synonymy, leaving the coast perfectly clear for the adoption
of Swinhoe^s GaUinago japonica (Ibis, 1873, p. 364), of
which the type is now in my collection. The differences be-

130 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

tween the Himalayan and Japanese Solitary Snipes may be
expressed as follows : —

Scolopax solitaria. Scolopax japonica.

Lower breast white, witli no bars. Lower breast white, barred with

brown.
Pale dorsal stripes very broad. Pale dorsal stripes very narrow.

Primaries marbled towards the tip. Primaries plain throughout.

Japanese examples appear to be constant, as are all the
Turkestan examples that I have seen ; but in India slightly
intermediate forms are found.

9. Scolopax stricklandi.

Strickland^s Snipe is said to be a forest bird, inhabiting
Chili and Patagonia. It resembles the two preceding species
very closely, but may be distinguished in a moment by the
fact that wherever they are white it is buff in colour.

10. Scolopax jamesoni.

Jameson^s Snipe is a resident in the mountain plateaux of
the northern Andes^ where it breeds at an elevation of ten or
twelve thousand feet, in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
Bolivia. In appearance it is somewhat intermediate be-
tween its two allies S. nemoricola and S. imperialis. It
agrees with the former in the general colour of its plumage
(which might almost be called grey when compared with the
rich chestnut so characteristic of the latter), whilst it resem-
bles its near neighbour in the size of its bill — 3^ inches
instead of 2| inches.

11. Scolopax imperialis.

The Imperial Snipe is only known from a single Bogota
skin which looks like a rufous phase of the last-mentioned
species, within the limits of the range of which it was found.

12. Scolopax aucklandica.

The Auckland Snipe has occurred in New Zealand near the
town of Auckland; on the Chatham Islands, rather less than a
thousand miles to the south-east ; and on Auckland Isliaud,
rather more than a thousand miles to the south-west. It is
probably a mere coincidence that its island life has dwarfed it

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 131

exactly to the size of a Jack Snipe. In every other respect
it is a Semi- Woodcock, and occupies an intermediate posi-
tion between the two groups into which they are naturally
divided. It agrees with one of them in having no traces of
bars on the outer web of the first primary, and with the other
in having the centre of the belly uniform in colour.

This concludes the group of Semi- Woodcocks, all the
species of which differ from the true Woodcocks and agree
with the Eastern Palaearctic Snipes in having sixteen or more
tail-feathers, some of the outer of which are considerably
attenuated.

The typical Snipes are connected with the Woodcocks by
two South-American species which possess characters appa-
rently somewhat intermediate. In their large size, thick
bills, barred primaries, and pale slightly spotted stone-
coloured eggs they resemble the Woodcocks; but in the
longitudinal marks of the head, in their tibise bare of
feathers for some distance above the joint, and in their
well-developed claw of the hind toe they are typical Snipes.
Probably the resemblance to the Woodcocks is only acci-
dental, that is to say, one of analogy rather than of affinity ;
though it is quite possible that it may be a case of reversion
to the characters of a common ancestor. With the excep-
tion of the legs and feet, which resemble those of the typical
Snipes, they look like giant forms of some species of Semi-
W^oodcock. The two forms only appear to differ in size, and
are probably only subspecifically distinct.

13. Scolopax undulata.

The Cayenne Giant Snipe is only known from the moun-
tains of Guiana, and is somewhat smaller than its next ally.

14. Scolopax undulata gigantea.

The Brazilian Giant Snipe has been obtained near the
course of the Parana and near Buenos Ayres. Its reported
occurrence in Peru and Cayenne may possibly be correct,
but the evidence is scarcely conclusive. The two forms
differ as follows : —

132 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

S. undulata. S. giyuntea.
in. in.

Wing 6-6i 6|-7

Bill 4-4| 4i-5

Tarsus li 2\

Middle toe 2^ 2|

Probably a large series of examples would show that the
two forms completely intergrade. In both forms several of
the outer feathers of the tail (which is supposed to cousist of
only fourteen feathers) are attenuated.

We must now take into consideration a very important
group of typical Snipes^ the creme cle la creme of the genus —
possibly the most highly developed, because showing the
least trace of Woodcock blood and the closest relationship
amongst themselves. Although there are ten of them, they
vary so little that they must be regarded as having had a
common origin at a comparatively recent date. But perhaps
the most remarkable fact connected with them is their
geographical distribution, which may throw considerable
light upon the anomalies already pointed out in the distri-
bution of the Semi-Woodcocks.

Ten species inhabit Africa south and east of the Great
Desert; three breed in Eastern Siberia; and the remainder
are natives of South America, principally the south and
west of that continent. These facts can only point to one
conclusion — that the original colony Avas in East Siberia, and
that when the Glacial epoch drove them out of that region
some emigrated east to the west coast of South America,
whilst others wandered westwards to the east coast of Africa.

15. Scolopax stenura.

Of the three East-Siberian species the Pintail Snipe is the
smallest (wing 4'9 to 5"3 inches) , with the greatest number of
tail-feathers (twenty-four), and with the outer half-dozen or
so on each side the most attenuated (about "1 inch in width).
It breeds as far north as the Arctic Circle, from the valley of
the Yenesay tp the Pacific. It is doubtful whetlier it breeds
as far south as the valley of the Amoor, but it winters in
India, China, and the islands of the Malay Archipelago.

Mr. H. Seebohra on the Genus Scolopax. 133

16. Scolopax megala.

Swinhoe's Snipe is a slightly larger bird (wing 5*4 to 5-6
inches), with rather fewer tail-feathers (twenty), and with the
outer four or five on each side not quite so much attenuated
(about -2 inch in width). It breeds in South-eastern Siberia
from Lake Baikal to the north island of Japan, and, passing
through China on migration, winters in the islands of the
Malay Archipelago.

17. Scolopax australis.

Latham's Snipe is the largest of the three (wing 60 to
6*5 inches), with the fewest tail-feathers, and with only two
attenuated tail-feathers on each side (about "2 inch in width).
It breeds in both islands of Japan, and passes the Philippine
Islands and the coast of China on migration to winter in
Australia and Tasmania. These three Snipes differ very
slightly in colour ; but, though they are very closely related
to each other, there seems to be no reason to doubt that they
are specifically distinct, Latham's Snipe is, however^ still
nearer to the Madagascar Snipe and the Noble Snipe of
South America.

18. Scolopax nobilis.

The Noble Snipe is only known from the plateaux of the
Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. It differs principally from
Latham's Snipe in having a shorter because more rounded
wing (first primary only exceeding the fourth in length by \
instead of | inch), and by having a longer bill (4 inches or
more, instead of 3 inches or less),

19. Scolopax nobilis macrodactyla *.

It is not known that the Madagascar Snipe differs in any
way from its Colombian ally except in having fourteen in-

* It is unusual to give the later name precedence over the earlier one,
but in the preseut case common sense demands that the rule be violated.
S. macrodactyla nobilis would imply a large variety of the Madagascar
Snipe, which would be erroneous ; »S'. nobilis macrodactyla means a variety
of the Nuble Snipe with a larger foot than usual, which is precisely the
state of the case.

134 Mr. H. Seebolim on the Genus Scolopax.

stead of sixteen tail-feathers '^^ and on an average a larger
foot ; l)ut it is doubtful whether the latter character would
hold good in a large series. As it is_, the difference is so
small that, in order to make it as perceptible as possible, it
is necessary to measure the foot in the longest possible way,
that is, from the joint of the tibia and tarsus to the end of
the claw of the middle toe. These dimensions vary in S. no-
bilis from 3'0 to 3"3 inches, and in S. macrodactyla from 3*4
to 3"6 inches. So far as is known, the Madagascar Snipe is
the only Snipe found on that island, and does not occur on
the mainland.

The explanation of the apparently extraordinary fact that
two such veiy closely allied birds inhabit such widely distant
localities appears to me to be as follows : — Their nearest rela-
tive is unquestionably Latham^s Snipe, which occupies a
locality midway between them. The latter is a migratory
bird, breeding in Japan and wintering in Australia; but
there cannot be much doubt that it was once a resident in
Japan, nor that a change in the habits of a bird from
being a resident to being a migrant with a range of migra-
tion covering a distance of five thousand miles soon pro-
duced a corresponding change of structure. Its rounded
wings and exceptionally long and heavy bill must seriously
have impeded its progress, and we may confidently assume
that Natural Selection soon lengthened the one to aid its
powers of flight, and shortened the other so that it might
have less weight to carry. What I wish to be inferred from this
argument is the strong probability that Latham^s Snipe — be-
fore it became a migratory bird — differed scarcely, if at all,
from the present condition of its allies in Madagascar and
Colombia. The cold of the Glacial epoch not only forced it
to winter in Australia, but so reduced the area of its breed-
ing-grounds that large bodies were compelled to emigrate in
search of fresh breeding-places, as Pallas's Sand-Grouse did

* Even this character appears to be douLtf ul, as Messrs. S. Rocli and E.
Newton (' Ibis,' 18G3, p. 172) state that the normal number of tail-feathers
of the Madagascar Snipe appeared to be sixteen. I have never seen an
example in which there were more than fourteen.

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 135

in 1863. It is difficult to say why Latham's Snipe did not
stop in Australia and breed there; but there must be some-
thing either in the climate or food of that continent which
does not suit the true Snipes during the breeding-season, as
none of them are known to breed in Australia, Be that as
it may, one parly of emigrants seem to have flown almost due
west to find a suitable home in Madagascar, whilst another
must have flown almost due east to secure excellent quarters
in Colombia. The birds which founded these two colonies,
having discovered situations suitable for both summer and
winter residence, probably neither changed their habits nor
their structure. Their descendants are probably almost
identical in form and colour with the common ancestors of
the three forms when they were residents in Japan, and that
is probably the explanation of their remarkable similarity at
the present day. They have never passed through the ordeal
of annual migration or been subjected to the sifting process
involved in the non-survival of the least fit to endure the
perils of such journeys. ' The alternative hypothesis that the
Japan bird has retained its characters, and that the Mada-
gascan and Colombian species have changed, is open to the
objection that it seems impossible that two colonies so re-
motely situated could have independently varied in the same
direction to a similar extent.

There is one very remarkable fact connected with this
group of Snipes, and that is that the number of tail-feathers
(which is very variable in this genus) appears to vary in
distinct connection with geographical distribution, as if it
were a climatic rather than a genetic variation. The Snipes
inhabiting Europe and Africa have only fourteen tail-feathers
(-S. gallinago, S. cequatorialis, and S. 7nacroclactyla) ; those
inhabiting North and South America have sixteen tail-feathers
{S. wilsoni, S. paraguayce, S. brasiliensis, S. magellanica,
S. andina, and S. nobilis), whilst the one inhabiting Asia (S.
australis) has eighteen tail-feathers. The range oiS. gallinago
also extends to Asia, where it is said frequently to increase
the number of its tail-feathers to sixteen. Of the other
species of Snipe inhabiting East Siberia, two have twenty tail-

136 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

feathers, and one as many as twenty-four. This extraordinary
development of additional tail-feathers in East Siberia is
very remarkable^ and is not confined to the Snipes. Two
species of Ground-Thrushes, Geocichla varia from East
Siberia and G. horsfieldi from Java (the latter obviously the
result of a comparatively recent emigration from the former) ,
are distinguished from all other Thrushes by having fourteen
instead of twelve tail-feathers ; and the Sea-Eagle of Kamt-
schatka also stands alone amongst his congeners as the pos-
sessor of fourteen tail-feathers. It is perhaps impossible to
discover any rational explanation of these curious facts.
Modern evolutionists have invented the hypothesis of Sexual
Selection to explain those facts which appear to be incapable
of explanation by the theory of Natural Selection. It seems
impossible to imagine any benefit that could accrue to a
species by increasing the number of its tail-feathers; and
philosophers will probably explain this curious series of
facts by attributing it to the influence of sexual selection, on
the same grounds that many a man, not a philosopher, ex-
plains an action of which he is unable to give a rational
defence, by saying that it was a ivhim of his ivife !

20. Scolopax ^quatorialis *.

By far the handsomest species of Snipe is that which in-
habits Africa south and east of the Great Desert ; and it is
specially interesting because the geographical distribution of
it and its allies presents a parallel case to that of the three
species just mentioned. The Ethiopian Snipe is remarkable
for the clear definition of its markings and the velvety gloss
of the black on its upper parts. Evidently it is very nearly

* This species is often called Scolopax m'grijjennis, a name given by
Bonaparte to a Snipe said to have come from the Cape. He describes
the outer web of the first primary as black, whence the name iiigripemus.
As, however, the Ethiopian Snipe happens to be distinguished from the
tither species which breeds in the Ethiopian Region, and from the spe-
cies which only winters there, by the fact that the outer webs of its first
primaries are white, there can be little doubt th.at the name is a slip of the
pen for nlhipeimis ; but the adoption of either name is, of course, out of
the question.

Mr. H. Seebohui o?i the Genus Scolopax. 137

allied to the Common Snipe, with which it agrees in having
the outer web of the first primary Avhite, and in having
the axillaries varying in colour from unspotted Avhite to white
regularly and broadly banded with brown; in size, also, it
scarcely differs, but it may always be distinguished by the
whiteness of its under tail-coverts and outer tail-feathers, and
by the narrowness of the outer tail-feather on each side, though
the number of tail-feathers is the same (fourteen) . The rela-
tionship is close ; but there cannot be much doubt that the
Ethiopian Snipe is specifically distinct from its Pahearctic
ally, though the winter range of the latter is said to join the
breeding-grounds of the former in Abyssinia. It is worthy
of note that the European Snipe is a migratory bird, and has
consequently more pointed wings than those of its Ethiopian
ally, which is a resident. The Ethiopian Snipe inhabits the
east of Africa from Abyssinia to the Cape, and is doubtfully
recorded from Benguela and Senegambia on the west,

21. SCOLOPAX FRENATA PARAGUAY^.

Closely related as are the Common and Ethiopian Snipes,
the latter has a still closer relationship to the Chilian Snipe,
which is apparently an intermediate form having some of
the characters of each. The wings are more rounded than
in the one and not so much so as in the other. The shape
of the tail-feathers (the outer on each side attenuated) re-
sembles that of the Ethiopian Snipe; but the colour of the
under tail-coverts and outer tail-feathers is the same as in
the Common Snipe.

The only conclusion that appears probable seems to be
that the ancestors of the three forms were once residents
round the basin of the North Pole, and that they varied but
little from the present East- African and west South-American
species. After the Glacial epoch drove them south they
became residents in two colonies, one in the eastern hemi-
sphere and one in the western, in both of which they found
in the south conditions of life so similar to their former
existence that they have scarcely changed, though they have
been so long isolated. Both in the Old and in the New

SER. V. VOL. IV. L

138 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

World it appears that many individuals never crossed the
line, but, adopting migratory liabits, followed the retreating
cold almost to tlieir old quarters, and in consequence of
their more changed conditions of life have themselves under-
gone a somewhat greater change, and are now the Common
and American Snipe respectively.

The South-American form of the Common Snipe has an
extended range, and varies to some extent in consequence.
The Chilian Snipe appears to be confined to the highlands
of Bolivia, Chili, the Argentine Republic, and Paraguay. In
the latter country it meets with a very close ally —

22. Scolopax frenata brasiliensis.

The Brazilian Snipe is merely a small form of the preced-
ing (wing 4^ to 5 inches, instead of 5 to 6 inches). Its
range extends from Paraguay, through Brazil, to Guiana
and Venezuela.

23. Scolopax frenata magellanica.

The Falkland-Island Snipe is merely a pale form of the
Chilian Snipe, breeding on the Falkland Islands and near
the Straits of Magellan, migrating northwards in autumn
along the east coast of South America as far north as Rio de
Janeiro. These three Snipes do not differ in length of bill,
which varies from 2"4 to 2*8 inches.

24. Scolopax frenata andina.

In the Peruvian Andes a Snipe occurs which we may call
the Peruvian Snipe, combining the small dimensions of the
Brazilian Snipe with a bill of only 2 inches in length.

The last half-dozen species or subspecies of Snipe can
scarcely be regarded as more than tropical forms of the
Common Snipe. They vary very slightly in colour or pattern
of colour, the variation between the species being scarcely
greater than those within each species. It is a very remark-
able fact that in a genus like Scolopax, containing twenty or
thirty species distributed almost over the whole world, the
variation in colour sliould be so small; and the fact is all the
more remarkable when we discover that within the limits of

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 139

eacli species the range of variation is so large that the con-
struction of hard-and-fast diagnoses is very difficult. The
Semi-Woodcocks naturally divide themselves into two groups :
half the species having the inner and outer webs of the first
primary uniform in colour, whilst in the other half the outer
web is white or barred with Avhite. The same character
appears to be also an important one in the typical Snipes ;
and, so far as those which inhabit Europe, Asia, Africa, and
North America are concerned, it appears to be a fairly con-
stant one; but in South America it breaks down altogether.
In the four subspecific forms or local races of Scolopax
frenata the outer web is sometimes white, sometimes brown,
occasionally white on the basal half and brown on the ter-
minal half, and examples occur in which it is white on one
wing and brown on the other. The number of tail-feathers
is also so variable in many, perhaps in most, of the species
that its practical value as a diagnostic character is very small
indeed. The extent to which the outer tail-feathers are
barred does not vary quite so much as the colour of the
axillaries in some species ; but the shape of the outer tail-
feathers appears to be slightly more reliable. There can be
little doubt that the diagnosis of one or more tail-feathers on
each side stiffened and attenuated, though somewhat vague,
would exclude the five Woodcocks and the four typical
Snipes yet to be considered, whilst it would include the seven
Semi- Woodcocks and the twelve typical Snipes already
considered. The importance of the outer tail-feathers as a
specific character in this genus becomes obvious when the
somewhat startling fact is realized that, if the outer four or
five feathers on each side of the tail were cut away in ex-
amples of S. gallinago, S. ivilsoni, and S. paraguayce, it would
be impossible to guess to which of the three species any one
of them belonged.

It may appear an arbitrary and clumsy arrangement ; but
it is necessary to draw some definite line which will diagnose
the four typical Snipes yet to be considered from the twelve
preceding species. The two monster Snipes of South Ame-
rica may be dismissed on account of their barred primaries,

L 2

140 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax,

but the other ten species can only be satisfactorily deter-
mined by the width of their outside tail-feathers, which mea-
sure '2 inch or less, whilst those of the four species now to
be considered measure *3 inch or more.

These four species only breed in the Nearctic and Palte-
arctic Regions, or the Northern Zone ; and, with the curious
exception of East Siberia, no part of the Northern Zone is
inhabited by any other species of Snipe.

25. Scolopax gallinago.

The Common Snipe breeds throughout the whole of North
Europe and Siberia, but it is very rare north of lat. 70°, and in
the southern portion of its breeding-range it is chiefly confined
to mountain-chains. Its range extends west to Iceland and
the Faroes, and possibly to South Greenland, and it is said
that in both the former localities a few remain to winter. It
has been said to breed in Algeria, and is known to do so on
the southern slopes of the Alps and in South Russia. Both
Severtzow and Scully found it breeding in Turkestan ; and
Prjevalsky says that a few remain to breed in South-east
Mongolia. It is a winter visitor to the basin of the Mediter-
ranean and to North Africa, as far south in the west as the
Azores, Madeira, the Canaries, and the valley of the Gambia,
and in the east as far as the southern shores of the Gulf of
Aden. In Asia it winters in Persia, India, Ceylon, the
Andaman Islands, and Burma. It has once occurred on the
Malay Peninsula, but it passes regularly along the coasts of
Japan on migration to winter in China, Formosa, and the
Philippine Islands.

26. Scolopax gallinago wilsoni.

A comparison of a large series of skins of the North-
American Snipe with a still larger series of examples of the
Common Snipe presents some curious anomalies. The
extreme forms of the two species may be diagnosed as
follows : —

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax. 141

Scolopax gallinago. Scolopax wilsoni.

Tail-feathers fourteen in number. Tail-feathei's sixteen in number.

Axillaries white. Axillaries transversely barred with

broad dark bands.

Breast witli obscure dark lonyitii- Breast with obscure dark transverse

dinal streaks. bars.

Bill varying from 2'8 to 2'o inches Bill varying from 2'7 to 23 inches

iu length. in length.

Outer tail-feather crossed by three Outer tail-feather crossed by Jioe

dark bars. dark bars.

So far as I know, the American birds are always constant
to their characters ; but, unfortunately for the validity of the
two species, there is not one of these characters (except per-
haps the very short bill, which is not always characteristic
of the American form) which does not frequently occur in
examples from the Old World. Hume says that in India
Fan-tailed Snipes with sixteen tail-feathers are common
enough. Snipes with barred axillaries are perhaps the rule
rather than the exception, even in England. Snipes with
transversely- barred breasts are occasionally found in the Old
World, and the number of bars across the outer tail-feathers
of British-killed examples varies from three to five. Never-
theless, I have never seen an Old- World example of a Snipe
possessing all the characters of the American species.

It is easy to suggest a reason why the Nearctic Common
Snipes should vary less than the Palsearctic Common Snipes.
During the luterglacial period preceding the Glacial period
(probably the last of the series), which more or less differ-
entiated these two forms, they were presumably a circum-
polar species. The gradual accumulation of ice at the North
Pole gradually drove the species south, and soon isolated the
Nearctic from the Palsearctic birds. Isolation was followed
by its usual concomitant — differentiation, and the imjiossi-
bility of interbreeding caused the two groups to become at
least subspecifically distinct. The conformation of the
American continent did not prevent constant intercourse in
their temporary quarters in the south ; consequently, what-
ever changes took place in the species became common pro-
perty. On the other hand, in the Old World, the Snipes

142 Mr. H. SeeLoliin un tht Genus Scolopax.

were probably isolated, during a severe Glacial period^ in at
least three separate colonies — in West Africa, the valley of the
Nile, and the plains of India. As there is reason to believe
was the case with the Willow-Wren and its close allies the two
ChiffchafFs, the central colony appears to have been the most
altered — Snipes with pure white axillaries being most com-
mon in Eastern Russia and Turkestan. The Willow- Wrens
seem, however, to have been a more plastic race than the
Snipes, and their differentiation appears to have been com-
plete ; although the present range of the Willow- Wren over-
laps that both of the Eastern and Western ChifFchaff, the
result is that, if cross-breeding takes place at all, it only pro-
duces a barren hybrid, and the species remain distinct. We
may fairly assume that, in the case of the Snipes, dififerentia-
tion was not carried far enough, and that consequently the
Palsearctic Region is peopled with a race of mongrels.

The North-American Snipe is a summer visitor to the
whole of the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific up to
the Arctic Circle and down to the latitude of New York. It
winters in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and
the extreme northern portion of South America. A few
breed as far south as Maryland, and a few pass the winter as
far north as Texas.

27. Scolopax major.

The geographical distribution of the Great Snipe is speci-
ally interesting as affording one of many other examples of
migratory birds which have extended their breeding-range to a
considerable distance, but, in consequence of their having con-
tinued to follow their ancient ''fly-lines,^' have caused the line
of migration to and from their more recently annexed breeding-
grounds to be remarkably circuitous. The range of the Great
Snipe extends in summer from Scandinavia to the valley of the
Yenesay, but in winter is confined to the basin of the Medi-
terranean and the continent of Africa. The Great Snipe is
not even known to pass through Turkestan on migration, but
apparently crosses valley after valley in Asia until it turns
southwards in the company of the European members of the
species. It breeds in suitable localities throughout the basin

Mr. H. Seebolim on the Genus Scolopax. 143

of the Baltic, and in Scandinavia as far north as lat. 70°.
In the valleys of the Petchora and the Obi it ranges up to
lat. Q7\°, but in the valley of the Yenesay it has not been
met with further north than lat. QQh°- It passes through
North Persia and the Caucasus on migration, and winters in
suitable localities throughout South Africa, though a few re-
main in the basin of the Mediterranean.

As its name implies, it is rather larger than the Common
Snipe, which it resembles very .closely in the colour and
marking of its upper parts, though the white tips of its wing-
coverts are more conspicuous. Its under parts are more
profusely barred, but the chief distinction lies in the tail,
which consists of sixteen feathers. In the adult Great Snipe
the terminal half of the four outside tail-feathers on each
side is unspotted white, whilst in the Common Snipe it is
buff with a subterminal dark brown bar.

28. Scolopax gallinula.

The Jack Snipe is a much smaller bird, scarcely half the
weight of the Common Snipe, and easily distinguished by the
purple gloss of its mantle and the green inside web of its
scapulars. It breeds locally in the Arctic Regious as far
north as lat. 70°, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and on the
Dovrefjeld above the limits of forest-growth. It passes
through Turkestan and Japan on migration, and winters in
the basin of the Mediterranean, in Persia, Afghanistan, India,
Ceylon, Burma, and Formosa.

The geographical distribution of the Snipes is almost an
exact parallel to that of the Thrushes, a group of birds quite
as cosmopolitan. The Common Snipe and the Song-Thrush
and their respective allies inhabit the Nearctic and Palse-
arctic Regions. The Snipes of the Ethiopian Region and
the Planestici [Tiirdas olivaceus and its allies) of the same
Region find the closest possible allies in the Neotropical
Region. The Himalayan Semi- Woodcocks and Ouzels {Me-
rula) are represented by very near allies in tropical America,
though the former have not left traces of their emigration in
the Pacific Islands as the latter have done. The coincidence
can scarcely be regarded as accidental, but appears to be an
instance of the same causes producing the same effects.

144 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Scolopax.

In conclusion^ one question suggests itself as a necessary
corollary to these curious facts of the geographical distribu-
tion of the Snipes. What connection can be traced between
them and the Zoological Regions into which the world has
been divided by Sclater and Wallace ? The only reply that
can be honestly given is : — none at all ! The fact is that the
so-called Zoological Kegions are not zoological. They are
fairly accurate as regards the distribution of the Mammals ;
somewhat more so in relation to Passerine Birds, and some-
what less so in relation to true Reptiles. For Fishes and
Batrachians we are told that an entirely different set of
Regions have had to be invented, and these appear to be
much more applicable to Non-passerine Birds than those
usually adopted.

The geographical distribution of Scolopax appears to be
somewhat anomalous from either point of view. The Painted
Snipes are confined to the Equatorial Southern Zone, and
are found in each of its four Regions,^ — the Indian, the
African, the Tropical American, and the Australian Regions.
The Woodcocks are also found in the Northern Zone, but
those iuhabiting the Europeo-Asiatic Region and the eastern
half of the North-American Region appear to form one
group, whilst the other is found only in the south-east of
the Indian and the north-west of the Australian Regions.
The range of the Semi-Woodcocks being confined to the
Himalayas and the Andes, with outlying species in Japan,
and in Auckland Island, south of New Zealand, would be most
complicated if expressed in terms of either system of Regions.
The typical Snipes are only absent during the breeding-season
from the Oriental and Australian Regions ; but it is w^orthy
of note that the only species found in the Nearctic Region
finds its nearest ally in the Paleearctic Region, whilst some
of the Snipes of the Ethiopian Region are doubtfully distinct
from some of those of the Neotropical Region. The final
conclusion to be arrived at appears to be that the Snipes'
recognize to a considerable extent the Regions of Giinther
and Boulenger, but are lamentably ignorant of those pro-
pounded by Sclater and Wallace.

Dr. J. V. Madarasz on tivo new Birds from Tibet. 145

XVIII. — Descriptions of two new Birds from Tibet*.
By Dr. Julius von Madarasz.

1. Myiophoneus tibetanus^ n. sp.

J . Cserulescenti-ater ; fronte, apicibus plumarura pectoris
metallice spleudeutibus ; humeris ultramarinis ; remi-
gibus rectricibiisque atris ultramariiio tinctis ; rostro
flavo, culmine iiigrescente ; pedibus nigris. Long. tot.
c. 300 ram., al. 165 mm., caud. 120 mm., rostr. a fr.
26 mm., tars. 55 mm.

This new species is similar to M. temmincki, but smaller,
and differs in the colouring as follows : — the glistening tips
of the feathers on the breast and abdomen are infinitely-
smaller, and on the back totally absent ; the light blotches
on the end of the secondary coverts are also wanting. In
M. temmincki the bases of the feathers on the abdomen and
flanks are white ; in this new species, on the contrary, they
are uniformly black.

2. PUCRASIA MEVERI, U. Sp.

^ . Pucrasia xanthospilcB mari similis, sed pectore et abdomine
medio vividius castaneis ; rectricibus intermediis fulvis,
nigro-striatis, rectricibus lateralibus rufis, apicem versus
nigris, albo terminatis. Long. tot. c. 530 mm., al.
250 mm., caud. 240 mm., rostr. a fr. 28 mm., tars.
70 mm.

$ . Pncrasice xanthosjnice feminse similis, sed mento, gula et
colli lateribus luteis ; rectricibus intermediis fulvis,
nigro vermiculatis, rectricibus lateralibus rufis, apicem
versus nigris, albo terminatis. Long. tot. c. 480 mm.,
al. 220 mm., caud. 190 mm., rostr. a fr. 25 mm., tars.
65 mm.

Male. Forehead, cheeks, throat, and the lengthened part
of the crest black, vrith greenish-blue reflections from the one
point of view, and deep lilac from the other. Crown of head
and shorter part of the crest dusky sandy buff"; a patch on

* I have described a new species, Tetraophasis szechenyii, in the
' Zeitschrift fiir die gesammte Ornithologie,' 1885, p. 50, as coming from
Szli-csuan, East Tibet; but I have since been informed that all the
specimens, among which was that of the last-named species, were pur-
chased from a person who brought them from Central Tibet.

146 Dr. J. V. Madarasz on two new Birds from Tibet.

each side of the neck pure white ; behind, the white patches
and nape a band of ochre-yellow^ some feathers having a
black line on the margins. Back black, every feather
having along its shaft a 3 mm. broad line, which diminishes
towards the tips, some of them being yellowish, and others
grey mixed with brown, and all bordered with grey. The
lower back, rump, sides of the breast, and abdomen ashy grey ;
all the feathers bordered with black and grey, some rump-
feathers having a mixed dingy fawn-colour. Fore neck, middle
of the breast, and abdomen rich dark chestnut. Primaries
and secondaries of a darkish brown, the outer webs bordered
with light fawn-colour; secondary coverts black, fawn at
their bases, freckled with black ; a narrow line along the
shafts of light brownish grey ; all margined with grey. Upper
tail-coverts fawn-colour, striped and freckled with black.
Central tail-feathers rufous, becoming lighter at the tips,
with two irregular black lines on each side, margined with
fawn-colour; outer tail-feathers rich rufous on the outer webs,
and brownish on the inner margins, banded with black, each
feather tipped with pure white ; underside of tail brownish
black broadly tipped with white ; the under tail-coverts deep
chestnut, irregularly marked with black, all being broadly
tipped with white ; vent uniformly light chestnut.

Female. The head, a line through the eyes, and a narrow
band encircling the lower part of the throat black glossed
with green, each head-feather edged with light rufous ; ear-
coverts and a stripe on both sides of the nape light rufous
edged with black, glossed with green. Superciliary stripe,
chin, throat, and sides of neck tawny. All round the lower
part of the neck, breast, abdomen, and vent light rufous —
brighter on the lower neck and upper breast — with a greyish
shade ; each feather freckled and deeply margined with black,
shaft light. Back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pale brown,
striped with white, fawn-colour, and black, freckled with
black, deeply blotched with black on the interscapular region.
Primaries dusky brown, exterior margins fawn-colour; secon-
daries dusky brown, bordered on outside with light rufous
freckled with brown. Wing-coverts as in the male. The

On the Claivs and Spurs of Birds' Wings. 147

central tail-feathers rufous, irregularly patched with black ;
outer tail-featliers uniformly rich rufous, thinly margined
on the inner sides with dusky brown, each feather banded
with black and tipped with white ; underside of tail-feathers
similarly marked, but of a brownish dusky shade. Under
tail-coverts rich rufous, tipped with white.

I take the liberty of naming this new species after my
esteemed friend, the well-known ornithologist, Hofrath
Dr. A. B. Meyer, Director of the Dresden Museum.

The type specimens of these new species belong to the
Hungarian National Museum.

Budapest, Nov. 28, 1883.

XIX. — On the Claivs and Spurs of Birds' Wings.
By P. L. ScLATER, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

In the ' Proceedings ' of the Boston Society of Natural
History for 1881 (vol. xxi. p. 301) will be found an excellent
paper by Mr. J, Amory Jeffries, " On the Claws and Spurs on
Birds' Wings," whicli^ I regret to say, has hitherto escaped
notice in the columns of this Journal. It is, however,
eminently Avorthy of careful study. Mr. Jeffries shows
definitely for the first time, so far as I can make out*, that
the spurs which are in some cases found on the wings of
birds are of an entirely different nature from the claws also
met with on the same organs, and have, in fact, nothing
whatever to do with them.

The spur, as Mr. Jeffries points out, is a structure on the
wing which corresponds to the spur on the tarsus of the

* Even so recent an authority as Dr. Selenka (•' Broun's Thier-Reich,'
Aves, p. 75j has confounded together the spur and claw of birds. His
account of the subject contains several serious misstatements, and is
obviously not based on his own examination. Owen's ' Anatomy of
Vertebrates ' {cf. op. cit. ii. p. 74) likewise confounds claws and spurs. It
must be even admitted that Nitzsch (usually a model of accuracy, and
the first scientific describer of the claws of birds)* did not quite under-
stand the differences between claws and spurs (see his ' Osteographische
Beitrage,' no. 5. " Ueber das Nagelglied der Fliigeltinger, besonders dea
Daumens : " Leipzig, 1811).

148 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Claws

Common Fowl and of many others of the Phasianidse. It
consists of a bony core covered with a thick horny coat^ and
may, as I shall presently show, arise either from the carpus
or from the metacarpus. Its function appears to be purely
that of a weapon of offence. It is found in many quite
unconnected groups of birds, such as the Spur- winged
Plovers {Ho])lopterus) , the Jacanas {Parr a), the Screamers
{Chauna and Palameded), the Spur-winged Geese {Plectro-
pterus) , and the Torrent-Ducks {Merf/anetta). These genera
are widely separated ; and it is obvious that in each case the
spur must have been specially developed.

On the other hand, the claws on the wings of the bird, as
Mr. Jeffries has likewise clearly explained, are the homologues
of the claws on the feet : that is, they are dwarfed represen-
tatives of the nails on the anterior extremities which birds
have inherited from their reptilian ancestors. They are
absolutely useless to birds in their present state of existence
— at any rate when the bird is adult — as they are so- covered
over by the feathers that it is in most cases very difficult to
find them. If, however, a careful search be made at the end
of the first and second digits of certain birds, a small claw
will be discovered investing the last phalanx. Usually, if
present, the claw is found at the end of the first digit ; more
rarely it occurs on the second. When it is placed on the
first digit it will be found at the end of the second (or
ungual) phalanx; when it occurs on the second digit it will
be found at the end of the third (or ungual) phalanx. This
shows that the claw is a remnant of the nail that formerly
terminated the first two digits, and proves that, as Mr. Jeffries
says, the ancestors of birds had a two-jointed first finger and
a three-jointed second finger, both provided with claws.
This was also the case with Archceupteryx, which had, more-
over, a claw on its third digit *. But such is not the case
in modern birds, in which the claws, when still existing, are
found only at the extremities of the first and second digits.

My attention having been called to this subject, I have had

* See Vogt's description aud figure of the man us of Archceopteryx,
Ibis, 1880, pp. 438, 443.

and Spurs of Birds' Wings.

149

some preparations made which serve to illustrate several
new points^, or points which I think have not as yet been
quite clearly understood. These I will take up as they come
before me.

1. The Wing-claw of the King Vulture {Gypayus papa) .

Dr. E. Shufeldt (Am. Nat. vol. xv. p. 906) was the first
to show^ the presence of a claw on the index digit of Cathartes
atratus and PseudogrypJius californianus ; and its existence in
both species of Cathartes was subsequently confirmed by
Mr. W. A. Forbes (Am. Nat. xvi. p. 141). Dr. Shufeldt
alludes also to its existence in the King Vulture ; and I have
now great pleasure in confirming the presence of a well-
developed claw in this form of the Cathartidpe. The drawing
given herewith (fig. 1) represents the outer surface of the

Fi-. 1.

Outer surface of right wing of tlie King Vulture (Gypayus pcqia), reduced f ,
with feathers removed. CI, claw on first digit. The flesh is re-
moved from the radius (H) and ulna (^<).

right wing of a specimen of this bird that recently died in the
Zoological Society's Gardens. The claw {CI) at the extremity
of the first finger is small and very slightly curved^ but, as
will be seen,, very distinctly manifest. It measures about
•01,5 inch in length.

I have not yet had an opportunity of examining any
of the Vultures of the Old World, to see whether a corre-

150

(Jn the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Winys.

spending structure is met with in them ; but Dr. Shufeldt
was unable to find it in the specimens which he examined,
and if its non-existence is confirmed, another item will be
added to the many diJBferences which separate the Vultures of
the Old World from the so-called Vultures of the New
World.

2. The Claw and Spurs of the Screamer [Chauna derbiana).

The wing of a Screamer [Chauna derbiana) lately sent to
me by a correspondent in Venezuela has supplied a very
interesting specimen, as it affords an example of a well-
developed claw and two spurs coexisting in tlie same species.

ST- Sp.i ^^-2'

Outer surface of end of left wing of Screamer {Chauna derbiana), reduced
f , showing two metacarpal spurs (SjJ, Sp. 1) and claw on the first
digit (C/). D.\, first digit: PhA, first phalanx j Ph. 2, second
phalanx. D.2, second digit: PhA', first phalanx; Ph. 2', second
phalanx ; Ph. 3', third phalanx. D. 3, tliivd digit.

The wing-spurs in the Screamer are well known to be of
enormous size, and are no doubt formidable weapons of
offence. They are placed one on the proximal and the other at
the distal extremity of the coalesced metacarpals, and project
nearly in a straight line away from the radial edge. The first
spur, which rises from the base of the metacarpal, on the prox-

On some Papuan, Moluccan, and Sulu Birds. 151

imal side of the attacliment of the index digit, consists of an
elongated osseous hase, about 1*3 inch in length, slightly
recurved towards the radius. The horny covering, whichi is
shown in situ in the drawing [Sp), extends about "2 inch
further. The second spur [Sp. 1) is exserted nearly in the
same plane at the further extremity of the metacarpal ;
it is not quite so long, measuring, together with the horny
covering on it, about 1 inch in length, and is rather more
flattened in shape and has but slight indications of backward
curvature. Just in front of the first spur is situated the index
digit [D. 1) ; it consists of a long first phalanx measuring
about 1 inch in length, what is apparently a very short second
or ungual phalanx measuring only O'l inch, and a slight
pointed claw of about 0\2 inch in length attached to this
phalanx. Thus the whole first digit, from the base to the
extremity, measures 1*3 inch.

Nothing can better illustrate the entire diversity, in origin
and position, of the " wing-spur " and " wing-claw " than
this specimen.

[To be coutinued.]

XX. — On some Papuan, Moluccan, and Sulu Birds.
By T. Salvadobi, C.M.Z.S.

Through Dr. Nehrkorn's kindness I have been able to
examine some of the birds mentioned by him in his paper
" Zur Avifauna der Insel Waigiou" (Journ. f. Orn. 1885,
pp. 30-35), and I have found, as I suspected, that some
species have not been rightly identified. I should not have
mentioned this if it had had no bearing upon the geographical
distribution of some of the species ; but this being the case, I
think that it will be right to point out what those species
really are.

Cyclopsittacus aruensis, Nehrkorn, Journ. f. Orn. 1885,
p. 31.

Out of twenty specimens attributed to the above-men-
tioned species, two have been presented by Dr. Nehrkorn to

152 Count Salvadori on some Papuan,

the Turin Museum, and they both belong to Cy clopsHtacus
diopJithalmus , and uot to C aruensis, which is the southern
representative form^ confined to South New Guinea and the
Aru Islands.

Edoliisoma remotum, Nehrkorn, ibid. p. 3.2.

The male specimen mentipned by Dr. Nehrkorn, which
has been presented to the Turin Museum, cannot possibly
be attributed to E. remotum, Sharpe, from the far-distant
New Ireland group, having the throat and cheeks shining
black ; it is very much like the male of ^. meyeri, Salvad., from
Mysori in Geelvink Bay, from which it scarcely differs, being
only a little lighter; but I feel quite confident that when the
female of the Waigiou bird is fouml, it will turn out to
differ from the female of E. meyeri much more than the
males of the two allied species do. In the geims Edoliisoma
the females of allied species constantly dift'er, iniei' se, much
more than the fully adult males.

Hermotimia auriceps, Nehrkorn, ibid. p. 33.

The single female of this species mentioned by Dr. Nehr-
korn is rightly identified, but it has been included, by
mistake, among the birds from Waigiou, while, as shown by
the original label, it is from Galela (Helmaheira). H. auri-
ceps is confined to the Halmaheira group, and has never been
found out of it.

Calornis obscura, Nehrkorn, ibid. p. 33.

Dr. Nehrkorn mentions three specimens from Waigiou,
and he has already noticed them as being so different from
one another that he could scarcely recognize them as be-
longing to the same species. I have been able to examine
one of them, an adult bird, and I think that it belongs to
C. cantor oides.

CoRVUs VALiDissiMus, Nclirkom, ibid. p. 34.

I have not been able to inspect the specimen mentioned
by Dr. Nehrkorn, which is now in the Berlin Museum ; but
knowing that C vaJidissimus is confined to the Hahnaheira
group, I suspected that the specimen alluded to from Waigiou

Moluccan, and Sulu Birds. lo3

belonged to Macrocorax fuscicapillus, a large species, with a
powerful bill, already known from Waigiou. Dr. Nehrkorn,
writing to me on the subject, says that the bird must really
have been Corax fuscicapillus, as it had ^' eiuen schonen
braunen Kopf/'

Myristicivora melanura, Nehrkorn, ibid. p. 34.

Out of the seven specimens mentioned, one has been pre-
sented to the Turin Museum, and this belongs to M. bicolor,
having the under tail-coverts white, without the peculiar
black spot of M. melanura. It seems that the species of
the Myristicivora group are still not well understood, notwith-
standing all I have said about them in my paper " Osservazioui
intorno alle Specie del Genere Myristicivora, Rchb." (Ann.
Mus. Civ. Gen. ix. pp. 265-277), and especially in the 'Orni-
tologia della Papuasia e delle Molucche, ^ iii. pp. 107-118.
Dr. Guillemard quite lately (P. Z. S. 1885, p. 575) identified
one specimen from Halmaheira with M. bicolor; but, judging
from the description, I should say that it must belong to
M, melanura.

Having mentioned Dr. Guillemard, I take the opportunity
of making a few other remarks on his interesting " Report
on the Collections of Birds made during the Voyage of the
Yacht ' Marchesa,' " published in the Proceedings of the Zoo-
logical Society of London for last year.

Artamides POLLENS (Salvad.), Guillemard, P. Z. S. 1885,
p. 258.

This species is included by Dr. Guillemard among the Sulu
birds on the evidence of one specimen from Lapac Island.
" That this species/' he says, " should be found at such a great
distance [Sulu Islands] from the locality whence it was first
recorded [Ke Islands] is very curious-"'; " but,"' he continues,
" it is not improbable that we may, before long, obtain this
species from some of the intermediate localities." I feel
quite confident that such will not be the case, knowing that
there is already another allied species in an intermediate
locality — Artamides schistaceus, Sharpe, of the Sula Islands.
Knowing also how localized generally are the Gi'aucali,

SER. V. VOL. IV. M

154 On some Papuan, Moluccan, and Sulu Birds.

I would suggest that the specimen from Lapac Island,
different from the Ke Island specimens^ being " somewh a
darker on the cheeks, ear-coverts_, and lores, and apparently
smaller in all its measurements/^ should he the type of a
new species, for which I propose the name of Graiicalus
guiUemardi.

Eos iNsuLARis, Guillem. ibid. p. 565, pi. xxxiv.

This species seems to be intermediate between E. riciniata
from the Halmalieira group, and E. ivallacei from Waigiou,
Guebeh, and Batanta, and perhaps is more like the latter,
some specimens of this having a violet occipital spot like
E, insular is.

COLLURICINCLA MEGARHYNCHA, Gllillcm. ibid. p. 571.

Graucalus magnirostris, Forsten, Guillem._, ibid. p. 633.

Of the first species one specimen from Batchian is men-
tioned, and of the second one from Waigiou; but both the
localities assigned upset what is known of the geographical
distribution of these species. As regards the first specimen,
Dr. Guillemard remarks that " as neither this genus [Colluri-
cincla) nor Rhectes has been recorded from the Moluccas,
some doubt must exist as to the accuracy of the locality.''^
As to Graucalus magnirostris, Dr. Guillemard rightly notices
that " hitherto it has been considered as peculiar to the
Halmaheira group. '^ Trying to put things right, it has just
struck me that the labels of the two above-mentioned birds
may have been exchanged, and that, if that has happened,
everything would be clear. Colluricincla megarhyncha or,
more likely, C. affinis, Gr., which is very much like the
Colluricincla from Batanta, would be from Waigiou, and
Graucalus magnirostris from Batchian.

LoRius LORY (Linn.), Guillem. ibid. p. 621.

Dr. Guillemard mentions a specimen from Waigiou, which,
he says, '^ corresponds to Salvadori^s L. erythrothorax, but is
evidently only a variety of L. lory." If Dr. Guillemard
means to hint that my L. erythrothorax is a variety of
L. lory, I think that he is mistaken. In my ' Ornitologia '
I have alluded to many specimens like that mentioned by

On Birds from the vicinity of Manilla. 155

Dr. Guillemard, and they are young birds which in some
respects approach to L. erythrothorax, a perfectly distinct
species, with a different geographical distribution.

Chalcopsittacus ater (Scop.), Guiilem. ibid. p. 622.

It appears to me that the specimens from Mysol with the
forehead and the tibials red require comparison, as most
likely they constitute a peculiar race, intermediate between
Ch. a^er and Ch. insignis, Oust. In my ' Ornitologia' I have
already alluded to one or two specimens from Mysol showing
those variations.

Manucodia CHALYBEATA, Pcmi., Guillcm. ibid. p. 646.

Dr. Guillemard says that he is strongly inclined to regard
this species and M. atra as identical. Dr. Meyer has already
pronounced himself against Dr. Guillemard^s opinion, on
account of the different shape and dimensions of the bill in
the two birds (Zeitschr. f. ges. Orn. 1885, p. 374) ; I shall
only add, without repeating all I have said about the dis-
tinction of the two species, that the young birds of M. chaly-
beata are quite different from those of M. atra, and moreover
the geographical distribution, contrary to Dr. Guillemard^'s
opinion, is not the same. Manucodia atra, besides being
found nearly everywhere in New Guinea, is a very common
bird in the Aru Islands, where M. chalybeata does not occur.
Turin Zoological Museum, Feb. 5th, 1886.

XXI. — Contributions to the Ornithology of the Philippine
Islands. — No. 2*. On Additional Collections of Birds. By
R. G. Wardlaw Eamsay, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

I HAVE received within the last few months, from my friend
Mr. F. Maitland-Heriot, two further collections of birds
which were obtained in the neighbourhood of Manilla. The
more noteworthy species in these collections are : —

1. Falco melanogenys.

Falco melanogenys, Gld. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 139; Sharpe,
Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 385.

* For No. 1 see ' Ibis," 1884, pp. 3.30-335.

m2

156 Mr. R. G. Wardlaw Ramsav on Birds

A female Falcon^ not quite adult^ is identified by Mr. J. H.
Gurney as belonging to this species. The doubt expressed
by the late Lord TAveeddale^ Tr. Z. S. ix. p. 139 (Memoirs,
p. 306), as to the occurrence of this species in the Philip-
pines is thus removed. With reference to this specimen and
another, said to have come from the same islands, in the
Norwich Museum, Mr. Gurney writes in epist. as follows : —

" Both these Philippine Falcons are in the very charac-
teristic plumage of the immature F. melanogenys ; but it
would be tinteresting to obtain, if possible, a fully adult
Philippine-Islands example. These two are a little longer
in the wing than Australian specimens; the largest Aus-
tralian female of which I have a note has a wing-measurement
of 13*50 inches, the Norwich example has it 13*70 inches, and
yours 13*90 inches, whilst that of the female of F. peregrimis
ranges from 14*10 to 11*75 inches.^'

2. Ll.MNAETUS PHILIPPINENSIS (19)*.

Limnaetus philippensis, Gld., Tweedd. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 281
(p. 587).

Three specimens have been sent.

3. LOPHOTRIORCHIS KIENERI.

A young bird from ]\Ianilla is thus identified by Mr. J.
H. Gurney.

4. NiNOX PHILIPPINENSIS (29).

5. NiNOX LUGUBRIS (31).

Obtained in S. Mindanao by Mr. A. H. Everett. One
specimen now sent from Manilla.

6. pseudoptynx philippinensis (32).

7. Ceyx cyanopectus (54 & 60).

8. Ceyx melanura (58).

Both seem very common at Manilla.

* The numbers in brackets following the title are those of my revised
list of Philippine Birds, App. Tweedd. Orn. Mem., and those following'
the references to Lord Tweeddale's writings indicate the page on which
they will be found in the Memoirs.

from tilt vicinity of Manilla, 157

9. Lyncornis macrotis (76).

10. hierococcyx hyperythrus (88).

Cumlus Mjperijthrus, Gld. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 96 (1856).

Hierococcyx pectoralis, Cab. Mus. Hein. iv. pt. 1, p. 27
(1862) ; Wald. Tr. Z. S. ix. p. 161 (p. 327) ; Tweedd. P. Z. S.
1878, p. 946 (p. 637).

Hierococcyx fugax, Horsf. apud Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 65;
Wardlaw Ramsay, Ibis, 1884, p. 333.

Hierococcyx sparverioides, V.ig. apud Schrenck, Voy.
Armirland, p. 257, pi. 10.

Mr. Maitland-Heriot has sent me three adult and one young
specimen of H. hyperytJirus from Manilla, and as I have
compared these with the type and with a large series of allied
species in the British Museum, the Tweeddale and Hume
collections, and also in that of Mr. Seebohm, I am now of
opinion that Count Salvadori was partly right in uniting this
species to H.fuyax, Horsf. (/. c), inasmucli as many of the
specimens attributed to the latter species in ]\Ialacca and
Borneo, and perhaps Java, whence the type of H. fugax came,
are really the young of H. hijperythrus , Gld. The range
of H. hyperythrus is Japan, Amoorland, China, and the Phi-
lippine Islands, the young birds being found in Borneo and
Malacca, and perhaps Sumatra and Java in the winter. It
closely resembles H. nisicolor, Hodgs., which ranges from the
Himalayas to Tenasserim, descending perhaps into the Malay
peninsula, whence it has been recorded.

For some years I have possessed a specimen of a Cuckoo,
somewhat like H. sparverioides, collected in the mountains
of W. Sumatra by Mr. Carl Bock. As all the specimens that
I have ever seen of H. fugax, Horsf., were in the striated
plumage common to young Cuckoos, it occurred to me that
perhaps my bird was the adult of that species ; but I am now
convinced that it is not so, but an undescribed sj^ecies dif-
fering from H. sparverioides in being much smaller (wing 7"5)
and in being of a much darker and richer brown above ; the
entire head and throat, moreover, is ashy grey, very different
from the dark ashy beard of that species. I propose to call tins
species Hierococcyx bocki, sp, n. It is not H. msoides, Bl.,

158

Mr. R. G. Wardlaw Ramsay on Birds

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from the vicinity of Manilla. 159

the type of which is only a small specimen of H. sparverioides ;
nor is it H. strenuus, Gld.^ said to have come from the Phi-
lippine Islands^ which was described from a much distended
skin of the same species.

On a closer examination of a good series of H.fagax, it
is evident that many of the specimens are those of quite
mature birds. It follows therefore that we have in H. fugax
a species which in maturity retains a plumage which in most
other Cuckoos would denote immaturity. The same remarks
apply to the H. nanus, Hume, a pretty little Cuckoo from
Tenasserim — in fact^ a miniature oi H. fugax (wing 5*5 to 6
inches) . In Cuculus sonnerati, Lath.^ and C pravatus, Horsf.,
we find two species which never get beyond what is known
as the hepatic phase of plumage in Cuckoos. H. fugax and
H. nanus resemble H. sparverioides and H. bocki in having the
upper surface brown^ but in the striations of the breast they
are more like the young of H. hyperythrus.

The Cuckoos of this subgenus may be arranged as shown
in the table on page 158.

11. Cyornis herioti, sp. nov.

Cyornis banyumas (Horsf.), apud Tweedd. P. Z. S. 1878,
p. 615, 5 (p. 610).

The female of the two birds sent from Palawan by Mr. A.
H. Everett was attributed to C. elegans by Mr. Sharpe, Cat.

B. iv. p. 447.

Lord Tweeddale Avas in error, I think, in referring it to

C. banyumas, inasmuch as this specimen is a brown bird of
the C. rubeculoides group, whilst C. banyumas belongs to the
C. tickeUicB group, in which the female is blue, like the male.

The bird now sent by Mr. ]Maitland-Heriot is a female,
which most resembles C. elegans, but differs in having the
throat and breast pale olive-brown instead of bright rufous.
I propose to name it C. herioti, after the sender.

12. loLE PHILIPPINEN'SIS (18:2).

It is worthy of note that the birds from Negros and Gui-
maras are much larger (wing 4-35 inches) than those from
Luzon, Zebu, and N. ^Mindanao (Aving 3"7 to 4 inches).

160 Mr. E. G. Wardlaw Ramsay on Birds

13. LoCUSTELLA LANCEOLATA.

New to the Philippine list.

14. Ctsticola cursitans (197).

Cisticola cursitans, Tweedd. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 710 (p. 622).
New to the island of Luzon.

15. Anthus gustavi (209).
Two specimens.

16. Alauda wattersi (266).

Alauda ivattersi, Sw. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 389 ; Tweedd.
P. Z. S. 1878, p. 710 (p. 623).

Three specimens of this Lark, identified by Lord Tweeddale
with A. vj alter si, which is closely allied to, if not identical
with, A. ccelivox, Swinhoe, one of the niimerous subspecies
of A. arvensis.

Wing 3"3 inches.

It evidently breeds in the islands, as one of Mr, Heriot^s
specimens is that of quite a young bird.

17. MiRAFRA PHILIPPINENSIS, Sp. UOV.

Seven specimens of a small Mirafra, allied to M. parva,
Swinhoe, of Flores, but very much darker in plumage than
that or any of the other species.

Above deep brown, each feather margined with pale brown ;
lores and superciliaries yellowish white or buft"; outer edge of
some of the primaries and secondaries chestnut, which colour
extends more or less over the shoulders, especially in young
birds. Beneath buff, slightly rufous on the flanks and breast
in some specimens ; feathers of the throat and breast with a
triangular brown spot. Wing 2'7 inches, tail 2, tarsus -8.

18. Ptilocolpa griseipectus (280).

19. Excalfactoria chinensis (297).

The Philippine bird belongs to the true E. chinensis. See
AVald. Tr. Z. S. ix. p. 224 (p. 387).

20. Gallicrex cinerea (319).

from the vicinity of Manilla. 161

21. PORZANA BAILLONI (322).

Porzafia pygmcBa (Naum.), Tweedd. Tr. Z. S. ix. p. 230
(p. 392).
Two specimens sent. *

The Philippine habitat is thus confirmed.

22. PoRZANA TABUENSIS.

One specimen is sent. This species is new to the PhiHp-
pine list.

23. CicoNiA EPiscopus (348). .
New to Luzon.

24. GORSACHIUS MELANOLOPHUS (360).

An adult bird, with a chestnut head, which closely agrees
with an adult specimen from Japan (mentioned ' Ibis/ 1884,
p. 335) . Without more specimens it is impossible to give a
decided opinion, but I am more than ever disposed to think
that the Japanese and Philippine species are distinct from the
continental bird. Mr. Oates^s remarks (B. Burmah, ii. p. 260)
should, however, be consulted.

Through the kindness of Mr. G eorge Martin, of Auchen-
dennan, Alexandria, N.B., I have had the opportunity of
examining a collection of birds received by him from the
Philippine Islands. In the collection I have found a few
specimens which are worthy of note.

25. SCELOSTRIX CANDIDA (37).

Luzon, from Avhich it had not previously been recorded.

26. GrAUCALUS STRIATUS (110).

Guimaras : it does not appear to have been recorded from
this island before.

27. Pericrocotus novus, sp. nov.

An apparently undescribed species of Pericrocotus, of the
P. flammeus group, obtained in the province of Isabella, in
Northern Luzon, was in the collection. The specimen was
a male, but unfortunately it was lost in going through the
post to Mr. R. B. Sharpe. I omitted to take a description
of it previous to sending it; but as I have no doubt in my
own mind of the distinctness of the species, I do not hesitate

162 Mr. R. B. Sliarpe on Birds

to bestow on it the title of Pericrocotus nanus. It belongs
to the P. flammeus group, and is most nearly allied to P.
exsul of Java.

28. StURNIA VIOLACEA (252).

Luzon, to which new,

29. Calornis paxayensis (255).
Guimaras. Not previously recorded thence.

30. Ardetta sinensis.

Luzon. Not recorded before from Luzon.

XXII. — On a Collection of Birds fi'om the vicinity of Muscat.
By U. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c., Zoological
Department, British Museum of Natural History.

(Plate VI.)

For the collection here described the British Museum is
indebted to the kindness of Colonel Miles, and the
interest which attaches to any series of birds from a new
locality is certainly not wanting in the present instance.
The only information we possess up to the present concerning
the ornithology of this part of Arabia is contained in a short
reference in Mr. Hume^s diary of his expedition to Sind and
the Mekran coast (' Stray Feathers,' i. pp. 144-166). Mr.
Hume was at Muscat on the 22nd of February, 1872, and
stayed till the evening of the 24th. Beyond a few Gulls and
sea-birds, he found on shore only some Common Sandpipers,
Egyptian A-'ultures, Ospreys, Havens, Sparrows, Turtle-Doves,
and a Kingfisher ; but it was of course impossible for him
in such a short visit to get into the interior, where, however,
he was informed, there were many birds. We hope soon
to receive from Colonel Miles some further particulars as to
the exact localities where the specimens were procured, but
meanwhile I have thought it of some interest to give a list
of the species.

Where the species have not been mentioned in the British
Museum ' Catalogue of Birds,' I have referred to Mr. Hume's
" List of Indian Birds," published in ' Stray Feathers ' for

CENTRAL PAn?C'
NEV/VCRK.

Ibis 1886 P], VI,

J 0 Kfiilonian.'-; lltli .

Hanliart imp.

BUBO MILESI

from the vicinity of Muscat. 163

1879 (pp. 73-116) ; it contains full references to Jerdon's
' Birds of India ' and ' Stray Feathers/ in whicli works orni-
thologists will find many details respecting the birds mentioned
in the present paper,

Falco communis, Gm. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i.
p. 376.

No. 19. An immature bird.

Falco concolor, Temm. ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 405.

No. 12. Quite a young bird, the determination of which
has given me some trouble. The peculiar pink hue of the
under surface is quite different from that of any young
Hobby with which I am acquainted, and no specimen out of
our large series of Falco subbuteo can be found to match it.
I therefore believe it to be an immature Falco concolor,
although it does not resemble exactly any specimen I have
yet seen, nor any figure of the young bird. This, I fancy,
may be due to the fact that the Muscat specimen is younger
than any previously procured by naturalists. I have asked
Colonel Miles to endeavour to obtain an adult bird of this
Falcon, and shall await its arrival with interest.

The only specimen of this species from North-eastern
Africa in the Museum is an adult bird from Efat in Shoa,
obtained by Sir W. C. Harris, It is very much lighter grey
than any of the Madagascar specimens in the collection, but
much resembles the figure given by Grandidier and Milne-
Edwards (Hist, Nat. de Madagascar). This species would
appear to be subject to melanisai, as all the Madagascar
specimens in the Museum are blacker than the Efat bird.

Circus pygargus (L.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i.
p. 64.

No. 12. Two young birds.

Scops giu (Scop.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. ii. p. 47.
No. 2. An adult bird, agreeing with European specimens.
Mr. Cumming has sent examples of it from Fao.

Bubo milesi, sp. n. (Plate VI.)

A small Eagle Owl cannot be referred to any known species

164 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds

■with which I am acquainted. It is not B. ignavus nor B. tur-
comanus, for it is not half the size, and moreover belongs
to a section of the genus Bubo in which the last joint of the
toes is unfeathered. It has no " wig " like B. bengalensis or
B. ascalaphus, and is so much smaller that it could never be
mistaken for either of these species.

The nearest approach that I can find to the Muscat Owl is
in Bubo magellanicus ! ; for B. capensis is an Owl of a totally
different type, with large white ovate spots on the wing-
coverts and on the underparts, whereas B. milesi is narrowly
barred on the breast and abdomen, with the thighs and leg-
feathers pale tawny, indistinctly but regularly barred across
with dusky brown. The accompanying figure gives a good
idea of the species, which will be seen to be unlike any other
Pal£earctic or Indian Eagle Owl. The measurements of the
type specimen are as follows : — Total length 18 inches,
culmen 1-55, wing 12-7, tail 7, tarsus 2-4.

CoRvus UMBRiNUs, Sundev. ; Sharpe, Cat, B. Brit. Mus.
iii. p. 17.

No. 49. An adult specimen.

Oriolus galbula, L. ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 191.
No. 38. An adult female. Also forwarded to the Museum
from Fao by Mr. Gumming.

Saxicola picata, Blyth ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. v.
p. 367.

No. 5. Two adult females.

Saxicola Montana, Gould ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 384.

No. 33. Two adults.

Pycnonotus xanthopygus (Hempr. & Ehr.) ; Sharpe, Gat.
B. Brit. Mus. vi. p. 135.

No. 28. Two adult specimens. Muscat will probably be
found to be about the extreme eastern range of this species,
which did not occur in Mr. Gumming's Fao collection.

Argya sQUAMicEPS (Cretzschm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit.
Mus. vii. p. 395.

No. 21. Two adult specimens. It is rather interesting

from the v'lcimty of Muscat. 165

to find that the Babbling Thrush of the Muscat district is
A. sqnttmiceps and not A. huttoni, which is the species inha-
biting Persia.

Lanius fallax, Finsch ; Gadow^ Cat. B. Brit. Mus. viii.
p. 247.

No. 22. Two specimens^ which appear to agree with
those determined by Dr. Gadow as L. fallax in the British
Museum. One similar specimen was sent from Fao by
Mr. D. W. Gumming.

MoTAciLLA ALBA, L. ; Sliarpe^ Cat. B. Brit. Mus. x. p. 454.
Nos. 13, 17. Tw^o specimens in winter plumage.

Galerita cRisTATA, L. ; Humc, Stray F. 1879, p. 139.
No. 27. Two specimens.

Merops muscatensis, Sharpe, antek, p. 15.
M. affinis M. cyanophryi, sed rostro minore et linea super-

ciliari viridi-cyanea nee Isete cyanea distinguenda. Long.

tot. 7*5, culmen 1*0, alee 3*75, caudee 3'7, tarsi 0'35.
No. 15. This is a very interesting new form of Bee-eater,
intermediate between M. v?ridis and M. cyanophrys. In its
blue throat and eyebrow it resembles the latter species, as
might be expected, but the blue of these parts is greenish in
tint. The throat is paler and more verdigris-blue, the black
throat-spot is smaller, and the bill is shorter. Mr. Dresser
has kindly lent me his two specimens of M. cyanophrys, with
which to compare the Muscat bird. At the same time the
latter is approached by a Baluchistan example of M. viridis
which has a decidedly blue throat, but all the specimens of
M. viridis from India which show any blue on the throat
have only a green eyebrow, not even mixed with blue. Of
the two species, M. muscatensis must be compared with
M. cyanophrys rather than with M. viridis.

CoRACiAs iNDicA, L. ; Humc, t. c. p. 85.

No. 40. Two specimens. Both the birds sent agree
entirely with Indian examples. The British Museum has
also received a specimen from Fao, in the Persian Gulf,
presented by Mr. \V. D. Gumming.

166 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds

Alcedo ispidAj L. ; Hume, Str. F. 1879, p. 86.

Alcedo bengalensis, Hume, Str. F. 1873, p. 168.

No. 1. An adult specimen. Mr. Hume considers the
Kingfisher which he procured at Muscat to he A. bengalensis;
but Colonel Miles's specimen appears to me to be yl. ispida,
supposing that the two forms can really be distinguished as
more than races. After looking over ]\Ir. Hume^s immense
series of A. bengalensis, I do not think it will be possible to
maintain A. bengalensis as a distinct species; for, as he has
pointed out, the Sind birds are really intermediate, and I see
from his label that he has altered his opinion as to the Muscat
specimen, which is now labelled A. ispida. In future I thiuk
that A. bengalensis will have to be regarded as a small,
brightly-coloured, tropical race of the European A. ispida.

Upupa epops, L. ; Hume, Str. F. 1879, p. 90.
No. 39. One adult bird.

TuRTUR RisoRius, L. ; Humc, t. c. p. 110.
No. 35. Two specimens.

TuRTUR SENEGALENSIS, L. ; HumC, t. C. p. 110.

No. 41. Two specimens.

Pterocles lichtensteini, Temm. ; Hume and Marshall,
Game Birds of India, i. p. 65.
No. 44. One specimen.

Pterocles coronatus, Licht. ; Hume and Marshall, t. o.

p. 57.

Nos. 46, 48. Two specimens.

Ammoperdix heyi, Hume and Marshall, t. c. p. 49, note.
Nos. 31, 43. A pair.

Ortygornis pondicerianus, Gm. ; Hume and Marshall,
t. c. p. 52.

No. 30. One specimen.

HouBARA macqueeni (Gray & Hardw.) ; Hume and Mar-
shall, t. c. p. 17.

No. 48. An adult specimen.

from the vicinity of Muscat. 167

Crex crex (L.).

Crea? pratensis, Hume, Str. F. 1879, p. 113.

No. 37. An apparently adult bird.

FuLicA ATRA, L. ; Hume, t. c. p. 113.
No. 8. A specimen killed in winter.

OEdicnemus scolopax (Gm.) ; Hume, t. c. p. 112.
No. 29. An adult bird.

LoBivANELLUs iNDicus (Bodd.) ; Hume, t. c. p. 112.
No. 4. An adult specimen.

Charadrius fulvus, Gm.; Hume, t. c. p. 112.
No. 25. An adult specimen.

Squatarola helvetica (L.) ; Hume, t. c. p. 112.
No. 14. Two specimens.

^GIALITIS MOXGOLICUS (Pall.).

j^yialitis mongola, Hume, t. c, p. 112.
Nos. 11, 42. Two specimens in winter plumage, identified
by Mr. J. E. Harting.

^GiALiTis GEOFFROYi (Wagl.) ; Humc, t. c. p. 112.
No. 23. Two specimens, also identified for me by Mr.
Harting.

iEoiALiTis DUBius (Scop.) ; Hume, t. c. p. 112.
No. 15. One specimen.

ToTANUs ocHROPUs, L. ; Hume, t. c. p. 113.
No. 3. One specimen.

ToTANUs cALiDRis, L. j Hume, t. c. p. 113.
No. 6. One specimen.

ToTANUS GLAREOLA, L.

Rhyacophila glareola, Hume, t. c. p. 113.
No. 31. One specimen.

Tringa alpina (L.) ; Hume, t. c. p. 113.
Nos. 26, 34, 35. Four specimens.

Tringoides hypoleucus, L. ; Hume, t. c. p. 113.
No. 31. One specimen. Also noticed at Muscat by Mr.
Hume (Str. F. 1873, p. 145).

168 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

NuMENius MAJOR, T. & S. Fauii. Japou. p. 110, pi. Ixvi.
No. 47. All adult specimen. Mr. Harting pronounces it
to be tlie large Asiatic Curlew.

Demiegretta gularis (Bosc); Hume, Str. F. 1879, p. 114.
No. 18. An adult bird.

Larus HEMPRicHi, Bp. ; Humc, t. c. p. 115.
No. 10. A specimen in moult, changing from the brown
plumage into the full grey dress.

Larus ridibundus, L. ; Hume, t. c. p. 115.
No. 24. Two specimens.

Larus cachinnans. Pall. ; Hume, t. c. p. 115.
No. 9. An adult bird, identified for me by Mr. Howard
Saunders.

Phaeton indicus, Hume; id. t. c. p. 116.
No. 7. An adult bird, belonging to the short-tailed form,
called by Mr. Hume P. indicics.

XXIII. — A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whiiely
in British Guiana. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.R.S., &c.

[Continued from p. 78.]

520^. Fregata aquila.

Tachypetes aquila, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 763.
Fregata aquila, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N.
Am. ii. p. 128.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

521*. Pelecanus fuscus.

Pelecanus fuscus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 764; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. ii.
p. 139.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

522. Phalacrocorax brasilianus.

Halieus brasilianus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 764.

from British Guiana. 169

Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. ii. p. 156.

Camacusa.

523^. Plotus anhinga.

Plotus anhinga, Linn.^ Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 764;
Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. ii. p. 166.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

524*. Ardea cocoi.

Ardea cocoi, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 752;
Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i. p. 6.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

525. Ardea egretta.

Ardea egretta, Gm., Coues, B. N. W. p. 519.
Herodias egretta, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N.
Am. i. p. 23.

Ardea luce, 111., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 753.
Bartica Grove.

526. Ardea candibissima.

Ardea candidissima, Gm., Coues, B. N. W. p. 521.

Garzetta candidissima, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 28.

Ardea nivea, Lath., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 753.

Bartica Grove.

527*. Ardea tricolor.

Ardea tricolor, Miill. Syst. Nat. Supp]. p. 111.
*■ Hydranassa tricolor, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds
N. Am. i. p. 39.

Ardea leucogaster, Wagl., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 753.

Not represented in INIr. Whitely^s collection.

528*. Ardea c.erulea.

Ardea caridea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 238.

Florida carulea, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N.
Am. i. p. 43.

Ardea ccerulescens. Lath., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 753.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

SER. V. VOL. IV, N

170 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

529. Ardea agami.

Ardea agami, Grn.j Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana^ iii. p. 753.
Camacusa.

530, Ardea cyanurus,

Ardea cyanurus, Vieill. N. Diet. d^Hist. N, xiv. p. 421.
Ardea scapidaris, Licht.j Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 753.

Bartica Grove.

531*. BOTAURUS LENTIGINOSUS.

Butanrus lentiginosus (Sbaw), Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 754; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. VVater-Birds N. Am.i.p. G7.
Not represented in Mr. Wbitcly^s collection.

532*. BoTAURUS PINNATUS.

Ardea pinnata, Wagler, Isis, 1829, p. 662.
Botaurus pinnatus (III.), Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 754; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 181, pi. 91.
Not represented in Mr. Wbitely's collection.

533. TiGRlSOMA BRASILIENSE.

Tigrisoma tigrinum (Gm.) et T. brasiliense (Liun.), Cab.
in Scbomb. Guiana, iii. pp. 753, 754; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn.
p. 184.

Merume Mountains, Camacusa.

534*. NVCTICORAX NjEVIUS.

Ardea naevia, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 51, ^

Nycticorax gardeni (Gm,), Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana, iii.
p, 755.

Nycticorax griseus ncevius, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 55,

Not represented in Mr. Wbitely's collection.

535*. Nyctherodius violaceus.

Nycticorax violaceus (Linn.), Cab. in Scbomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 754.

Nyctherodius violaceus, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 61.

Not represented in Mr. Wbitely's collection.

from British Guiana. 171

536^. PiLHERODIUS PILEATUS.

Nycticorax pileatus (Lath.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiaua,
iii. p. 754'.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

537*. Cancroma cochlearia.

Cancroma cochlearia, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 755.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

538*. Mycteria Americana.

Mycteria americana, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 751 ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 79.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

539*. ClCONIA MAGUARI.

Ciconia maguari, Temm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 752.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

540*. Tantalus loculator.

Tantalus loculator, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 756 ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i. p. 81.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

541*. EUDOCIMUS RUBER.

Ibis rubra (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 756.

542*. Phimosus inpurcatus.

Ibis infurcatus,lAc\\i.,C2ih.'\n^c\ion\h. Guiana, iii. p. 756.

543*. Cercibis oxycercus.

Ibis oxycercus, Spix, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 756.

544*. Theristicus caudatus.

Theristicus caudatus (Bodd.), Elliot, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 498.
Ibis albicollis, Gm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 757.
Theristicus melanopis, auct.

These four species of Ibis are not represented iu
Mr. Whitely's collection.

n2

172 Mr. O. Salvin ow Birds

515. Harpiprion cayennensis.

Ibis caijennensis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^ iii.
p. 757.

Harjjiprion cayennensis, Elliot, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 502.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

546*. Platalea ajaja.

Platalea ajaja, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 755.
Ajaja rosea, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am.
i. p. 102.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

547"^. Phcenicopterus ruber.

PhcRnico-pterus ruber, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 761; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 415.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

548"^. Palamedea cornuta.

PaJamedea cornuta (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 751.

Not represented in Mr, Whitely's collection.

549"^. Chenalopex jubatus.

Chenalopex jubatus (Spix), Cal). in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 762.

550*. Dendrocygna viuuata.

Dendrocygyia viduata (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 762.

551*. Dendrocygna discolor.

Dendrocygna autumnalis, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 762.

Dendrocygna discolor, Scl. & Salv. Noraencl. Av, Neotr.
p. 161; P.Z.S. 1876, p. 375,

552*. Dafila bahamensis.

Dafila bahamensis (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 763.

These four species of Anatidie are not represented in
Mr. Whitely's collection.

from British Guiana. 173

553. Cairina moschata.

Cairina moschata (Liun.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 763 ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 378.
R. Yuruani (2700 ft.), Roraima.

554. Columba speciosa.

Columba speciosa, Gra., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 743; Knip & Temm. Pig. i. Columb. p. 39, pi. 14.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Roraima (3500 ft.).

555. Columba albilineata.

Columba alboUneata, G. R. Gray in Brit. Mus. List Birds,
iv. ColumbcC, p. 34 (descr. nulla).

Chloroenas albilineata, Bp. ex Gray, Consp. Av. ii. p. 51.

Roraima (6000 ft.).

The specimens from Roraima agree with our large series
from the Andes and the southern part of Central America.

556. Columba rufina.

Columba rufina, Temm. Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 743.

Chlorcenas rufina, Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 52.
Bartica Grove, Roraima (3500 ft.).

557. Columba plumbea.

Columba plumbea, Vieill. N. Diet. d^Hist. N. xxvi. p. 358.
Columba locutrix, Wied, Knip etj Pre v. Pig. ii. p. 80,
pi. 44.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

558. Columba vinacea.

Columba vinacea, Temm., Bp. Consp. Av. ii. p. 53.
Roraima, Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

559. CHAMiEPELIA GRISEOLA.

Columbina griseola, Spix, Av. Bras. ii. p. 58, pi. 75 a. f . 2.
R. Yuruani, Roraima (3500 ft.).

560"^. ChamjEpelia passerina.

Chameepelia passerina (Linn.), Cab. in Schonil). Guiana,
p. 743 ; Baird, B. N. Am. p. 606.

Not represented in Mr. Whitcly's collection.

174 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

561''^. CHAM.EPELIA TALPACOTI.

Chamoipelia talpacoti (Temm.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 744.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

562. Engyptila rufaxilla.

Peristera jamaicensis , Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 744.
Colomba rufaxilla, Richard & Bernard, Act. Soc. Hist. Nat.
Paris, i. p. 118.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Roraima (3500 £t.).

563. Geotrygon Montana.

Peristera montana (Linn.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 744.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merume Mountains, Roraima
(3500 ft.).

564. Crax alector.

Crax alector, Linn., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 746 ;
Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 514.
Camucusa.

565*. NOTHOCRAX URUMUTUM.

Crax urumutum, Spix, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 746.
Nothocrax urumutum, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 519.
Not represented in Mr. Wbitely^s collection.

566*. MiTUA TUBEROSA.

Crax mitu, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 270o
Mitua tuberosa (Spix), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 520.
Urax erythrorhynchus, Sw., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 747.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

567*. Mitua tomentosa.

Urax tomentosa (Spix), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 746.
• Mitua tomentosa, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 520.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

568. Penelope greeyi.

Penelope (jreeyi, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 266, pi. 22;
Scl. & Salv. P.Z. S. 1870, p. 523.

from British Guiana,

i / o

Salpiza marail, Cab. in Schomb, Guiana, iii. p. 745 ?

Bartica Grove, Caraacusa, Roraima (3500-5000 ft.) .

The specimens of Penelope sent Lome by Mr. Whitely all
seem to belong to this species, a small form of P. marail
with a more rufous abdomen. Not finding the true P. marail
in these collections, it seems to me probable that Schom-
burgk^s birds so named belong here.

569*. Penelope jacucaca.

Penelope jacucaca, Spix, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 523.

Saljiiza jacucaca, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 745.

A Brazilian species not represented in Mr. Whitely^s col-
lection, Schomburgk's specimen being doubtfully referable
to it.

570*. Penelope cristata.

Salpiza cristata (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 745.

Penelope cristata, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 525.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection. I have never
seen Guianan specimens of this species.

571*. PlPILE CUMANENSIS.

Penelope pipile (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 745.

Pipile cumanensis (Jacq.), Scl. & Salv, P. Z. S. 1870,
p. 529.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

572. Ortalis motmot.

Ortalida motmot (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 744 ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 532.

Bartica Grove, Roraima (3500 ft,).

573*. EUPSYCHORTYX CRISTATUS.

Ortyx cristatus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 747.

Enpsychortyx cristatus, Gould, Mon. Odontoph. pi. 9,
Not represented in Mr, Whitely's collection.

574: Odontophorus guianensis.

Odontophorus guianensis (Gm,), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 747; Gould, Mon. Odontoph. pi. 23.
Bartica Grovc^ Merume Mountains, Camacusa.

176 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

SZS"^. Rallus longirostris.

Rallus longirostris, Bodd., Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 444.

Rallus crepitans, Linn., Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 760.
Not represented in Mr, Whitely^s collection.

576. Aramides cayennensis.

Ortygarchus cayennensis (Gm), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 759.

Aramides cayennensis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 447.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

577^. Aramides axillaris.

Ai'amides axillaris, Lawr., Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 449.

Ortygarchus mangle. Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 760
(nee Spix).

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

578. Porzana albicollis.

Porzana albicollis (Vieill.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 451.

Crax mustelina, Licht., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 760.

Roraima (3000 ft.).

579. Porzana cayennensis.

Porzana cayennensis (Gm.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 451.

Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500-5000 ft.) .

580. Porzana concolor.

Porzana concolor (Gosse), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 452.

Merume Mountains.

581. Thyrorhina schomburgki.

Crax schomburgki. Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, ii. p. 245,
iii. p. 760.

Thyrorhina schomburgki, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868,
p. 458 ; Ex. Orn. p. 133, pi. Q7 .

Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500 ft.).

from British Guiana. 177

582*. PORPHYRIO MARTJNICUS.

Porphyrio martinica (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiauaj iii.
p. 761 i Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 459.
Not represented in Mr. Wliitely's collection.

583"^. Gallinula galeata.

Gallinula galeata, Licht., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 760; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 462; Baird, Brew., &
Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i. p. 388.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

584. Heliornis fulica.

Heliornis fulica (Bodd.), Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 469.
Podoa surinamensis (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 765.

Merume Mountains, R. Yuruani (2700 ft.).

585*. Aramus scolopaceus.

Notherodius scolopaceus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb, Guiana,
iii. p. 759.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

586. Eurypyga helias.

Eurypyga helias, 111., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 752.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

587. PsoPHiA crepitans.

Psophia crepitans^ Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 751.

Camacusa, R. Atapurau.

588*. Ql^DICNEMUS bistriatus.

(Edicnemus bistriatus (Wagler), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 749 ; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 60.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

589*. Parra jacana.

Parrajassana, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 759.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

590. HOPLOPTERUS CAYANUS.

Hoplopterus cay anus (Lath.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 750.
Roraima.

178 Mr. O. Salviii on Birds

591*. Vanellus cayennensis.

Vaaellus cayennensis (Lath.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^
iii. p. 750.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

592. Charadrius virginicus.

Charadrius virginicus, Becbst. Allg. Ueb. der Vog. iii.
p. 455 ; Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii p. 750.

Charadrius fulv us , var. virginicus, Coues, B. N. W. p. 450.
R. Yuruani (2700 ft.).

593*. iEoiALITIS SEMIPALMATA.

^gialitis semipalmata (Bp.),Baird, Brew.,& Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 154.

Charadrius brevirostris, Neuw., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 750.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

594*. ^GIALITIS WILSONIA.

yEgialitis wilsonia (Ord), Coues, B. N. W. p. 456.

Ochthodromus wilsonius, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 168.

Charadrius crassirostris, Spix, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 750.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

595. -^GIALITIS COLLARIS.

Charadrius azara, Temm., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 751.

Bartica Grove.

596*. Strepsilas interpres.

Strepsilas interpres (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 751 ; Baird, Brew. & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 119.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

597*. HiMANTOPUS NIGRICOLLIS.

Hypsibates nigricollls (Vieill.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 758,

Himantoptts niyricoUis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1873, p. 454.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

from British Guiana. 179

598. Gallinago frenata,

Scolopax frenata, 111., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^ iii. p. 758.
Gallinago frenata, Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 196.
Bartica Grove^ Merume Mountains^ Roraima (3500 ft.).

599. Gallinago undulata.

Gallinago undulata (Bodd.), Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 196.
Scolopax puludosa, Gva., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana^ iii.
p. 758.

Merume Mountains^ Roraima (3500 ft.) .

600^. Macrorhamphus griseus.

Macrorhamphus gristus (Gm.)^ Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 758 ; Baird^ Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 196.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

601*. Tringa canutus.

Tringa canutus, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 758; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 211.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

602*. Calidris arenaria.

Calidris arenaria. 111., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 759 ;
Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i. p. 249.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

603*. Ereunetes pusillus.

Ereunetes pusillus (Linn.), Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 205.

Ereunetes semipalmatus (Wils.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 758.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

604*. Symphemia semipalmata.

Cataptrophorus semipalmatus (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb.
Guiana, iii. p. 758.

Totanus semipalmatus, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 285.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

180 Mr. O. Salvia on Birds

605*. TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS.

Totanus melanoleucus (Linn.), Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana,
iii. p. 757 ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 269.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

606. Totanus flavipes.

Totanus flavipes (Wils.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 757 ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. i.
p. 269.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

607. Rhyacophilus solitarius.

Totanus solitarius (Wils.), Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 278.
Roraima (3500 ft.).

608. Tringoides macularius.

Tringoides macularius (Linn.), Baird, Brew., & Ridgw.
Water-Birds N. Am. i. p. 301.
Bartica Grove, Camacusa.

609*. NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS ?

Numenius phceopus, Cab. in Scliomb. Guiana, iii. p. 757.

It is probably to A^. hudsonicus that Prof. Cabanis refers
under the name of N. phaopus. It is not represented in
Mr. Whitely's collection.

610*. Rhynchops nigra.

Rhynchops nigra, Linn., Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-
Birds N. Am. i. p. 192.

Rhijnchops melanurus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 761.
Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

611*. Sterna magnirostris.

Sterna magnirostris, Licht., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 761.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

612*. LaRUS ATRICILLA.

Xema atricilla (Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 761.

from British Guiana. 181

Lams atricilla, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N.
Am. i. p. 254.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely's collection.

613*. PODICEPS DOMINICUS.

Colymbus dominicus, Linn., Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 765.

Podiceps dominicus, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds
N. Am. i. p. 438.

Not represented in Mr. Whitely^s collection.

614. TlNAMIJS SUBCRISTATUS.

Trachypelmus subcristatus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 749.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, Merum^e ]\Iountains, Roraima
(3500 ft.) .

615. Crypturus variegatus.

Crypturus variegatus (Gm.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 748.

Bartica Grove, Camacusa, ]\Terume Mountains.

C. noctivugiis, a species of South-eastern Brazil, is included
in Prof. Cabanis^s list of Schomburgk^s collection ; but it is
open to doubt if it, as well as its near ally, C. variegatus, both
occur in British Guiana.

616. Crypturus pileatus.

Crypturus sovi (Gra.), Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii.
p. 748.

Bartica Grove, Merume Mountains, Roraima (3500

ft.?).

In the next Number of this Journal I hope to conclude
this paper with a summary showing the relationships of the
Bird-fauna of this portion of Guiana with that of the rest of
South America.

[To be continued.]

18.2 Mr. H. Parker's Notes from Ceylon.

XXIY.— Notes from Ceylon. By H. Parker, F.Z.S.

The folloAving Notes, which are supplementary to Col.
Legge's ' Birds of Ceylon/ deal cliiefly Avith distribution and
nidification in the extreme south-east of Ceylon, the dates of
the latter being, in many cases, very irregular, considering
that the island is only about three-fourths of the size of
Ireland.

Of the places mentioned, Tissa-maharama (Tissa), 20 miles
north-east of Hambantota, and 6 miles from the sea, and
Ramb-hara Wihara (Ramb.), 9 miles from the sea, in a strip
of heavy forest on the banks of the Wallaweganga, are iu
South-east Ceylon; while Vil-ankulam (Vil.) is in the south-
central part of the Northern Province. The mouths men-
tioned are those in which nests have now been found, mostly
in addition to the dates previously published. Col. Legge's
arrangement and nomenclatu.re are followed.

Spilornis spilog aster (Blyth). April (Mannar), May
(Tissa, yoimg). In the former case an Q^g was lying in the
nest without any lining. It is a rather broad oval, 3-39 in.
by l-Sl in., and, as may be supposed, it exhibits a decided
similarity to the egg of Spizaetus ceylonensis. The shell is
rough and lustreless, dull white in ground-colour, thickly
sprinkled with underlying spots of pale " brownish lake-red"
(according to Syme's 'Werner's Nomenclature of Colours '),
large and occasionally almost confluent in the large (or
upper) half of the shell, and minute and paler in the other
half. Irregularly scattered over these are broken spots and
small blotches of '' orange-coloured brown," varying from
deep to pale in tone, and decidedly largest and most nume-
rous in the upper half of the egg.

In the latter case, the nest, a substantial structure of
sticks, nearly three feet wide, had a slight lining of two or
three twigs with quite fresh green leaves on them. These
are probably renewed every day. The nest contained a
young bird, covered with white down ; its iris was veiy dark
grey, almost black ; bill leaden black ; cere leaden, almost
as dark as the bill ; feet lemon-yellow ; claws bright black.

Mr. II. Parker's Notes from Ceylon. 183

Ou the approach of a possible encmy^ the eaglet behaved
like other young diurnal Raptors, raising itself on its tarsus,
extending its plumeless wings^ and opening its mouth widely.
Even a tame Tantalus, which bullied every thing else most
unceremoniously, treated this helpless bird wuth respect
after it had showed its apparent readiness to fight him.

PoLioAETus icHTHYAETUs (Horsf.). December (Vil.). A
nest contained an eaglet in down and an addled egg, lying on
a bed of fresh green leaves, which the bird was seen to renew
daily. The egg, which is comparatively small, is a blunt
oval, 2-51 in. by 1'98 in. It is rather rough in texture, and
of a very pale cream-colour, almost white, with a faint gloss.

Falco PEREGRiNATOR (Sund.). A dark Falcon, with dull
reddish underparts, which frequented Tissa for some weeks,
was apparently this species : I was unable to approach it.

Pal.eorniseupatrius (Linn.). Feb. (Tissa). All the nests
examined contained three young birds.

Pal.eornis torquatus (Bodd.). Feb. (Tissa), April
(Ramb.).

PAL^ORNiscYANOCEPHALUs(Linn.). Feb. (Tissa). Found
sparingly at Vil-ankulam.

Picus MAHRATTENsis (Lath.). May (Tissa) , Feb. (Ramb.) .
Probably breeds throughout the year.

YuNGiPicus GYMNOPHTHALMUS (Blyth) . Feb. (Tissa), July
(Vil.). A nest of this Pigmy Woodpecker was in a hole,
10 feet from the ground, in a dead branch three inches thick.
The entrance was circular, and one inch in diameter. The
cavity was excavated down the branch for 8 inches, and was
2 in. by 2| in. wide. Two eggs were lying on the bare
wood. A second nest contained three eggs. They are very
blunt ovals, with a slight gloss, and are pinkish when quite
fresh, but become pure white when cleaned out. Average
size "62 in. by 'So in.

Brachypternus ceylonus (Forster). July (Tissa).
Probably breeds throughout the year.

18 1 Mr. H. Parker's Notes from Ceylon.

Brack YPTERNUs intermedius (Legge). This is the com-
mon Woodpeckerat Vil-ankulam. It feeds on the ground
sometimes.

Phoenicophaes pyrrhocephalus (Forster). Plentiful at
Ramb-hara Wihara. At the end of March some birds had
paired, and dissection showed that the breeding-season was
not distant ; it may be in May.

Harpactes fasciatus (Forster). Plentiful at Ramb-hara,
and in forest north-east of Vil-ankulam.

Anthracoceros coronatus (Bodd.). Three eggs of this
Hornbill, taken in dense forest in Juue, were brought to me
at Vil-ankulam. The men who took them stated that the
hole was plastered up, as usual with Hornbills_, and that
one of the birds (which they ate) was inside.

The eggs, which are decidedly small for such a bird, are
typical ovals. They are glossless, and of a very coarse
texture (but not chalky), with many pit-marks of varying
shapes and sizes. Writing on them seemed like writing on
stone. Their colour is a dull brownish, deep grey cream,
possibly once nearly white and now discoloured ; many of
the pit-marks are stained by dirt, which gives the shell a
spotted appearance. In a suitable position the eggs exhibit
a sub-spotting of white, apparently caused by small portions
of shell with a finer texture than the rest. The lining is
white. Two measure 2'04 in. by 1'53 in. ; the other is 1*96
in. by 1*48 in. Fortunately they were hard-set, so that the
young birds could be identified ; these had the usual large
bills, but of course no " horn.''

Ceyx tridactyla (Pall.). This lovely Kingfisher appa-
rently frequents all the streams of the drier " low-country "
districts. One flew through my room at Ramb-hara Wihara.

Merops swinhoii (Hume). March, April (Tissa).

Caprimulgus asiaticus (Lath.), June (Tissa), July
(Vil.), August (Hamb.), October (Mannar).

Lanius CRisTATUs (Liuu.). Twice recorded at Tissa on
October 7th ; it leaves at the end of April.

Mr. H. Parker's Notes from Ceylon. 185

Lanius caniceps (Blyth). In November 1884, I met with
one of these Shrikes at Udukiriwila, 10 miles inland from
Tangella, S.P.

BucHANGA ATRA (Hermann). This Drongo is resident at
Vil-ankulam.

RiiiPiDURA ALBiFRONTATA (Frankl.) . March, June, July
(Tissa).

Alseonax muttui (Layard). Not uncommon at Ramb-hara
Wihara. During March the yong males were just beginning
to utter a very low and not unpleasing song. The birds
were quite tame, and when only a few yards from me would
sing for nearly half an hour at a time, occasionally stopping
to catch a passing insect.

CiTTociNCLA MACRURA (Gm.). Juuc (Vil.), July (Tissa) .
Two nests contained three eggs each, not distinguishable
from those of the Magpie-Robin. One nest was in the
hollow end of a broken branch, quite close to a path along
which numerous carts and people had been passing daily for
some weeks. A nestling which I tried to rear had the
usual spotted plumage of young Robins, the white feathers
being like those of the adult.

DuMETiA ALBOGULARis (Blyth). Febr., May, June, Nov.
(Tissa). Probably breeds throughout the year.

Alcippe nigrifrons (Blyth). June, August, Sept. (Vil.).
In the north nearly all the eggs are laid in May and June,
according to my experience.

Pellorneum fuscicapillum (Blyth) . The egg figured
in the ' Birds of Ceylon ' appears to be that of a Drymoeca
[D. valida or D. jerdoni),

Pyctorhis nasalis (Legge). Febr., July, Nov., Dec.
(Tissa). Appears to breed throughout the year.

Prinia hodgsoni (Blyth). Jan., May (Tissa), Probably
throughout the year. This is the common Prinia in all
South-east Ceylon. The five or six nests that I have seen

SER. V. VOL. IV. o

186 Mr. H. Parker's Notes from Ceylon.

were made inside one or two leaves, near tlie ground, and the
eggs were unspotted.

Drymceca valida (Blyth). Breeds throughout the year in
South-east Ceylon. Two to four eggs, but usually three.

Drymceca jerdont (Blyth). Breeds throughout the year
in South-east Ceylon. Two to four eggs, but usually three.

AcROCEPHALUs sTENTORius (Hemp. & Ehr.), July (Tissa).
Permanent at Tissa-maharama.

Dendrophila frontalis (Horsf.). April (Ramb-hara)

PiPRisoMA AGILE (Tickell). Occurs at Ramb-hara.

HiRUNDO RUSTiCA (Linn.). Arrives at Tissa from August
30th to Sept. 12th, and leaves at the end of April. These
Swallows sleep in immense numbers in the bulrushes there,
arriving in flocks before dusk. Before returning, they
amuse themselves by rapid evolutions, high and low in the
air, sometimes flying in a w ide continuous band or ring over
their sleeping-quarters. As it grows dusk they suddenly
drop into the rushes. Probably they come from great
distances ; very few are visible in the neighbourhood during
the day.

LiMONiDROMus iNDicus (Gm.). Recorded at Tissa on
Sept. 20th, but it may arrive a little earlier.

Ploceus manyar (Horsf.), Frequents reeds from Tissa to
Udukiriwila. At the former place this Weaver-bird is now
much more numerovis than P . philijjpinus ; but the increase
nmst have occurred during the last five or six years, after the
repair of the irrigation works, since Col. Legge did not observe
the bird there. Probably there are two chief breeding-seasons
(as in the case of P. philipplnus) , at the times when the paddy-
crops ripen, one in March, April, and May, and the other in
July, August, and September ; but eggs can be taken through-
out most of the year. The eggs are alw^ays three in number.
The tube of the nest appears to be added only after they are
laid. Every Weaver-bird's arrival in the colony is received
with great enthusiasm, exhibited by an active fluttering of
Avings and much miscellaneous noise.

Mr. H. VsLilier's Notes ft'om Ceylon. 187

ACRIDOTHERES MELANOSTERNUS (Legge). AugUSt, NoV.

(Tissa), July, Nov. (Vil.). Appears to breed througlioiit
the year.

EuLABEs PTiLOGENYS (Blyth). Not uncommou at Ramb-
bara Wibara.

CoLUMBA INTERMEDIA (Strickl.). Jime (S.E. coast).

CoTURNix cHiNENSis (Linn.). August (Tissa).

Gallinula CHLOROPUs. March, Junc, July (Tissa). The
Moorhen shows great mobility of habits in Ceylon. In the
north-west (Mannar district only) it is numerous and a
regular migrant ; in the extreme south-east it is numerous
and a permanent resident ; while throughout the rest of the
island it is only known as one of the rarest species, and, so
far as I am aware, no addition has been made to the three
specimens recorded in the ' Birds of Ceylon.' Considering
the size of the island, this appears to be an abnormal distri-
bution.

In the north-west this bird is excessively shy, it is rarely
found near the shore, it is almost impossible to flush, and it
never leaves the dense sedge in which it hides. In the south-
east, on the contrary, it is as tame as in England, it is quite
commonly found near the margins of open sheets of water,
and it flies at once on being frightened. Finally, it has
been known to breed — once at Mannar, and twice at Tissa.

Feb.: $ (Mannar, breeding). Length 13"30 inches ; ex-
panse 21-30; wing 6-70; tarsus 1'95 ; tail 3*20; bill 1-20.

June : $ (Tissa, breeding). Length 13*40 inches ; expanse
21-62; wing 6-72; tarsus 2*10; tail 3-40; bill from gape
1-15.

PoRPHYRio POLiocEPHALUs (Lath). July (Tissa). As Col.
Legge records it in the early part of the year, the Blue Coot
must have two broods in the south-east.

The nestling is black-haired. It has a white bill, the base
being crimson at the sides ; purple or lilac casque ; reddish-
purple legs ; lilac toes ; spur on the winglet lilac and very
prominent.

o2

188 Recentli/ published Ornitholoyical Works.

Hydrophasian'us CHIRURGUS (Scopoli). April, June, July
(Tissa). The nest is a small shallow patch of weeds on the
water. The young nestling is black, with a bright brown
streak down the middle of the head and back, and another
down each side. Iris dark brown, nearly black.

EsAcus RECURviROSTRis (Cuv.) . March (to east of Tissa) .

PoDiCEPs FLUviATiLis (Tunst.). May (young), June
(Tissa) . A floating nest of weeds.

Dendrocygna JAVANICA (Horsf.). June, July (Tissa).
One nest in long grass, on the surface of the water, was
cleverly domed.

Phcenicopterus ROSEUS (Pall.). According to natives who
have correctly described the nest of the Flamingo, the breed-
ing-season is early in the year, about March, in the south-
east.

Xenorhynchus asiaticus (Lath.). Mr. Byrde, Assistant
Government Agent at Mannar, obtained two young birds last
year, about March, from a nest in his district. They are quite
tame, and stalk about near his house.

Herodias alba (Linn.). The bill of the Great Egret is
yellow in the breeding- season.

Herodias intermedia (Wagler). The bill of this Egret
is yellow in the breeding-season.

XXV. — Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications.

[Continued from p. 98.]
30. Adrianof on the Birds of North-western Mongolia.

[Ocherki Severo-Zapadnoi Mongolii. G. N. Potanin. Vypusk iii.
St. Petersburg-: 188-3. 8vo.]

The above is as much as need be given of the Russian
title of M. Potanin's rejjort of his travels in North-
western Mongolia in 1879-80, through a region of large
lakes receiving the drainage of tlie mountain-ranges on the
confines of Russia and China. At pp. 241-243 is a list of

Recently published Omit ho logic at Works. 189

the species of birds^ 37 in number, examples of which were
collected by Mr. Adrianof. This list, although containing
nothing very remarkable, forms an addition to our knowledge
of the avifauna of that almost unexplored country.

31. 'The Auk.'

['The Auk,' a Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. III. No. 1.
January 18S6.]

Nearly half the present Part is devoted to an important
Vi^swne of the Birds of the West Indies by Mr. C. B, Cory, so
well known for his labours on the ornithology of the Antilles.
Mr. Edgar A. Mearns sends notes of his observations in
Ariz(ma on the Zone-tailed Hawk (^Buteo ahbreviatus) and
the Mexican Black Hawk {Urubitinga anthracina) ; Mr.
Henshaw concludes his list of Birds observed in New
Mexico ; and Mr. W. E. D. Scott contributes a fifth paper on
tiie breeding-habits of some Arizona Birds, so that the south-
western section of North America is receiving its fair share of
attention. From tlie first instalment of an interesting paper
by Mr. Evermaun, on the Birds of Ventura County, Call-
forniaj we learn that not only is the Barn-Owl [Strix flam-
meus americanus) gregarious in winter to the extent of con-
sorting in flocks of upwards of fifty, but that it also nests in
the holes of the barrancas in such close proximity that eleven
nests were dug into, involving some time and labour, in a
single day. Mr. William Brewster commences an account
of his experiences in the western portion of North Carolina,
a mountain-region which, with the adjacent portions of
Georgia and South Carolina, may be said to have formed a
terra incognita to the ornithologist, although not unvisited
by the tourist and sportsman. Two new subspecies are dis-
tinguished— Junco hyemalis carolinensis and Vireo solitarius
alticola.

Among the General Notes, a communication by Mr. W.
A. Jeffries will be read with interest owing to its bearing
upon the question of migration, which is now receiving so
much attention. Mr. Jeffries states that at 2 p.m. on the
8th of last May, when two days and a few hours outward-

190 Recently published Ornithological Works.

bound from New York, and more than GOO miles from land,
scattered flocks of Sandpipers were observed, all flying
strongly, nor swerving from their course in any way, and
in a S.E. by E. direction ! This, if persisted in, would have
landed them in Africa ; but perhaps the weather, which was
somewhat foggy, may have been responsible for this erratic
proceeding in the month of May.

32. Barnes on the Birds of the Bombay Presidency.

[Handbook to the Birds of the Bombay Presidency. By Lieut. H.
Edwin Barnes, D.A.O. 8vo. Calcutta : 1885.]

Mr, Barnes's Handbook is a concentration into one volume
of " Jerdon,'' or at least of such portions of it as relate
to the Birds of the Bombay Presidency, Its object is to place
within the reach of all the author^s fellow -workers in that part
of India " a book that will enable them to identify any bird
they may meet with.'' This object, we think, Mr, Barnes
has carried out successfully, although it is obvious that by
following so closely the method and arrangement of a book
that Avas published so many years ago he has, in many cases,
sacrificed correctness to convenience, Mr, Barnes has been
a careful observer of bird-life during his twenty years' re-
sidence in India, and his notes on this branch of his subject
may be confidently relied upon.

33, Bechham on some Kentucky Birds.

[List of the Birds of Nelson County. By Charles Wickliffe Beckham.
Kentucky Geol. Surv. September 1885.]

In 1883 Mr. Beckham published a list of the birds of
Nelson County, Kentucky, in the Journal of the Cincinnati
Society of Natural History, Upon this is based the present
paper, which has been prepared to accompany a report on
the geology of the district. The list contains the names of
171 species. The accompanying observations were mostly
made in the vicinity of Bardstown, which is situated "just
on the western limit of the ' Blue-grass Region,' forty milevS
south-east of Louisville,"

Recently published Ornithological Works. 19]

34. Blomefield's ' Reminiscences of Selby.'

[Reminiscences of Prideaux John Selby, and Twizell House; also
brief notices of other North-country Naturalists. By Leonard Blonie-
field (late Jeuyns). 8vo. Bath : 1885. (For private circulation.)]

We have already; noticed (Ibis, 1885, p. 441) the ' Re-
miniscences of YarrelP by the veteran Mr. Bloraeficld, and
we have now before us a similar but more extensive pamphlet
containing his experiences of Selby and others. The author
paid four visits to Twizell, making several excursions with
Selby in the neighbouring part of Northumberland, on one
of which he was present at the third anniversary of the Ber-
wickshire Naturalists^ Club, the first of those associations
for observations in the field which have since increased in
immber, and have, in an unpretending manner, fostered an
interest in natural history. Selby's fine collection of birds
remains at Twizell House, the property of Selby's third
daughter, Lady Tancred ; but at one time it was found to be
in a sadly neglected state, and although Mr. Blomefield has
been told that its preservation for the future has been
assured, he remarks regretfully that the place is no longer
to be thought of in connection with naturalists and natural-
history pursuits.

35, Booth on BintisJi Birds.

[Roufrh Notes on the Birds observed during Twenty Years' Shooting
and Collecting in the British Islands. By E. T. Booth. With Plates
from Drawings by E. Neale, taken fi'om specimens in the Author's
possession. Parts V.-IX. Folio. London : 1883--85.]

We have unavoidably allowed several of these numbers
to remain unnoticed, and now we can only enumerate
those species which are regarded by the author as of
«utticieut importance to be figured. Part V. contains two
plates of the Red-breasted Merganser, adults and young,
iind six excellent illustrations of the successive stages of
plumaj>e in the Gannet. In Part VI. we see Mr. Neale at
his best in his delineations of Ptarmigan (3 plates), com-
pared with which the 1 plates of the Arctic Skua seem

192 Recently published Ornithological Works.

somewhat flat. In Part VII. he is again very happy in his
3 plates of the Eider^ and the 2 of the Goosander, the young
of which just emerging from the downy stage have never,
we believe, been figured before — certainly never so well.
The phases of plumage in the Pomatorhiue Skua are in-
teresting. Part VIII. contains Montagu's Harrier (2
plates). Woodcock (2 plates), and 1 plate each of the
Whooper, Pochard, Goldeneye, and Loug-tailed Skua. In
Part IX. 3 plates are devoted to the Shoveller, and 1 each
to the Dotterel, Black-tailed Godwit, Great Crested Grebe,
Great Black-backed Gull, and Fulmar. The letterpress
relating to these and to many other species is excellent.

36. Canadian Record of Science.

[The Canadian IJeoord of Science, including the Proceedings of the
Natural History Society of Montreal, and replacing the Canadian Natu-
ralist. Vol. I. Nos. 2-4.]

It could hardly be expected that a journal of this kind
would contain much ornithological matter, but we observe
an article in No. 4, by Mr. C. N. Bell, which gives an in-
teresting account of the '' Dance of the Prairie Chicken "
{Pedicecetes phasianellus) .

37. Cory's New List of West-Indian Birds.

[A List of the Birds of the West Indies, including the Bahama Islands
and the Greater and Lesser Antilles, excepting the Islands of Tobago
and Trinidad. By Charles B, Cory. Revised Edition. 4to. Boston,
U.S.A. : 1886.]

This is a new and revised edition of the useful list of West-
Indian Birds, of which we have spoken in last yearns volume
(Ibis, 1885, p. 443). The names are arranged in systematic
order, and the localities only are added. A few additional
tables showing the species peculiar to each individual island
would have increased the xisefulness of the work.

38. Dalgleish on the Birds of Culross and Tulliallan.

[Li.st of the Birds of Culross and Tulliallan. By John J. Dalgleish.
Forming the Ajpendix to 'Culross and Tulliallan; or, Perthshire on
Forth : its History, Antiquities,' &c. By David Beveridge. 8vo.
Edinburgh: 1885.]

Recently published Ornithological Works. 198

The natural features of the above district, including the
opposite shores of the Firth of Forth, present considerable
variety, which will account for the number of species (152)
mentioned in the list. The author's observations extend
over more than thirty years, and are supplemented by notes
on the Waders and Water-fowl of the Firth by Mr. Harvie-
Brown. The remark implying that the breeding-range of the
Stock Dove in Scotland was not known to extend beyond
Dunkeld, was probably written nearly two years ago, and
Mr. Dalgleish is doubtless by this time well aware that the
bird nests in the rabbit-warrens near Nairn and Forres on
the sandy shores of the Moray Firth.

39. Des Murs on European Birds.

[Musee Ornithologique lUustre. — 1. Les Oiseaux de Rivage et de
Terre; 2. Les Oiseaux d'Eau: — Classification, Sjiiouymie, Description,
Moeurs des Oiseaux d'Europe : leurs G^ufs, leurs Niels. Par O. Des Murs.
2 vols. EoyalSvo. Paris: 188G.]

These two imposing volumes are illustrated by 145 " chro-
motypographies,^^ taken, with scarcely an exception, from the
illustrations to Morris's ' British Birds ' and the ' Nests and
Eggs o£ British Birds,' and Bree's ' Birds of Europe not
observed in the British Islands/ We have seldom seen
appropriation accompanied by so many blunders in the
taking. The brown egg of the Common Bittern is attri-
buted to the Little Bittern, and vice versa ; the pale blue egg
of the Night- Heron is given to the Spoonbill, while the
egg of the latter is placed under the Glossy Ibis; the eggs
of the Curlew and the Whimbrel are transposed, as are those
of the Greenshank and the Dusky Redshank, and so on ad
infinitum. The letterpress is in no respect an advance upon
Degland and Gerbe's ' Oiseaux d'Europe,' published nearly
twenty years ago. We are unfeignedly grieved to see such
a book associated with the name of the author of the
' Oologie,' a work in which an attempt was made to classify
birds by their eggs.

40. Finsch and Meyer on neio Paradise-birds.

[Vogel von Neu CUiiuea, ziimeist aus der Alpenregion am Siidostab-

194 Recently published Ornithological Works.

hange des Owen Stanley-Gebirges (Hufeisengebirge, 7000-8000' hocLi),
gesammelt von Karl Hunstein, bearbeitet von O. Fiuscli und A. B.
Meyer. I. Paradiseidse. Zeitsch. f. d. gesamm. Ornitb. 1885, p. 369.]

Of this very interesting paper we are^ with the kind per-
mission of the authors and Dr. J. v. Madarasz^ preparing
a translation^ which will appear in our next number. Mean-
while we may state that the new species described are : —
Phonygama purpweo-violacea, Astrarchia stephanice, Epima-
chus meyeri, Paradisea finschii, Paradisornis rudolphi, and
Diphyllodes hmisleini. Of these, the first two and last two
are figured, as is also the splendid male of Amblyornis sub-
alaris, Sharpe.

41. GiglioU and Manzella on Italian Birds.

[Iconografia dell' Avifauna Italica, ovvero Tavole ilkistranti le
specie di Uccelli che trovansi in Italia, con brevi descrizioni e note.
Testo del Dott. Enrico Hillyer Giglioli. Tavole di Alberto Manzella.
Fasc. XIX.-XXVII. Folio. Prato : 1882-84.]

The above parts of this work have reached us since our
last notice of it (Ibis, 1883, p. 378). The letterpress con-
tinues to be all that might be expected from its author, and
amongst the rarer species we notice the description and
figure of the specimen of Qiierquedula formosa obtained,
for the first time in Italy (near IModena), in January 1882.

42. Gould's 'Birds of New Guinea.'

[Tlie Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands, including
any new Species that may be discovered in Australia. By [the late]
John Gould, F.R.S. &c. Part XX. Folio. London : 1885.]

The twentieth Part of this great work, with the letter-
press, as before, by JMr. R. B. Sharpe, contains illustrations
by W. Hart of the following species : —

Paradisea decora. Euthyrhynchus fulviguLi.

Oacatua triton. griseigula.

ophthalniica. Eectes leucorhynchus.

(Edistoma pygraajuni. cerviuiventris.

Ptilotis albonotata. Galornis gularis.

Rlianiphocluuis crussiro.'slris. Stigmatops chloris.
Euthvrhvuchus llavijiula.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 195

The Grey-chested Paradise-bird is, it will be remembered,
the magnificent species discovered by Mr. A. Goldie in the
D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and first figured in this Journal
for 1883, pi. viii.

43. Lawrence on Birds from Yucatan.

[Description of a new Species of Bird of the Genus Engyptila, with
Notes on two Yucatan Birds. By George N. Lawrence. Ann. N. Y.
Acad. Sci. iv. p. 271.]

Mr. Lawrence describes a new Pigeon, from a specimen
obtained by Mr. G. F. Gaumer in Yucatan, as Engyptila
vinaceifulva, and states that it " does not resemble any other
member of the genus." Mr. Lawrence takes this opportunity
to vindicate the claims of his Leptoptila fulviventris. from the
same country, to rank as a good sj^ecies : Mr. Salvin (P; Z. S.
1883, p. 434) could not distinguish it from Leptoptila albi-
frons. Mr. Lawrence also gives further details concerning
his Choitura gaumeri, from three additional specimens received
from Mr. Gaumer.

44. Murdoch on the Birds of Point Barrow.

[Report of the Expedition to Point BaiTow, Alaska. By Lieut. P. H.
Ray, U.S. Army. Birds by John Murdoch, A.M., Sergeant Signal Corps,
U.S. Army, pp. 104-128 and 200. 4to. Washington : 1885.]

This report contains details of exceptional interest re-
specting the birds observed at the most north-western
American Station, situated on the Arctic Sea in 71° 23' lat.
N., and 156° 40' long. W. It is an Eskimo settlement,
discovered during the voyage of H.M.S. ' Blossom ' in 1826,
visited by Capts. Dease and Simpson of the Hudson's Bay
Company^s service, who determined the coast-line from the
mouth of the Mackenzie River to Bering Sea, and was also
the winter-quarters of H.M.S. ' Plover^ in 1852-1854; but,
with the exception of a note by the late Dr. Adams (P. Z. S.
1859, p. 130), little was known o£ its fauna. Nearly all the
birds and eggs collected by the American Expedition during
their stay, from the autumn of 1881 to that of 1883, were
obtained within a circle of fifteen miles from the station, in

196 Recently published Ornithological Works.

a country which is described as a slightly rolling " tuudra "
studded with lakes and ponds ; and although the species are
little more than fifty in number^ several are worthy of"
special notice. Among the latter is one of the group of
Great Northern Falcons, bearing the somewhat cumbrous
name of Hlerofalco gyrfalco sacer, Ridgw. ; and the breed-
ing-habits and nest of the Pectoral Sandpiper [Tringa macu-
lata) are now fully described by the finder of the eggs, one of
which has been figured in Mr. Seebohm^s ' British Birds '
(pi. 68), from a specimen lent by the Smithsonian Institu-
tion. The Buft-breasted Sandpiper {Tryngites riifescens)
was also abundant from the early part of June, depo-
siting its eggs on the higher and drier parts of the tundra,
and never in the lower marshy portions. The most
abundant bird was the King Eider [Somateria sjjectabilis) ,
flights of thousands passing still further northwards from
tlie latter part of April, comparatively few remaining to
breed in the vicinity of the settlement ; and on the return-
migration in autumn the numbers were not nearly so great.
Most interesting of all, however, is the description of Ross's
Gull [Rhodostetlda rosea), with two coloured plates illus-
trating two stages of plumage in this once rare bird, far
more specimens of which were obtained at Point Barrow
than previously existed in all the museums and collections
put together. None were obtained in spring; but in
September and October large flights, consisting principally of
birds of that same year, approached the shore from the south-
west, travelling in a north-easterly direction. Nor were any
seen to return ; but the supposition is that they retrace their
course, when out of sight of land, on meeting the pack-ice,
on the edge of which they pass the winter ; and it is sug-
gested that one of their breeding-grounds may be on some
undiscovered land north of Wrangel Island. The captain
of a whaler, considered to be a trustworthy witness, who re-
ported having seen large numbers over loose ice north-west
of Cape Hope (say in about 69° N. lat.) on June 10th,
1883, was probably not far from some land where they would
breed. With the return of the expedition the chance of

Recently published Ornithological Works. 197

obtaining thoroughly identified eggs and young in down
is indefinitely postponed ; for although two fine adults (one of
them now in Mr. Seebohm's possession) appear to have been
obtained last summer near Disco, in Greenland, further
information is wanted as to the egg said to have been taken
with them. At p. 200 of this interesting report, of which
we have only given a brief abstract, is a list of a few birds
observed at Plover Bay, Eastern Siberia.

45. Menzbier on the Posthumous Works of Severtzoff.

[G3uvres Posthumes de M. le Dr. N. A. Sewertzow, piibliees par la
Societe Imperiale des Natm-alistes de Moscou, redigees par M, M. Menz-
bier. I. Zwei neu oder maiigelhaft bekannte russiscbe Jao-dfalken.
II. Etudes sur les variations d'age des Aquilines palearctiquea et leur
valeur taxonomique. Nouv. Mem. Soc. Imp. d. Nat. d. Moscou, tome
XV. livr. 3 (1885).]

In the former of these two articles the group of the Great
Northern Falcons is discussed by the late Professor whose
name we retain in the orthography familiar to our readers.
The single specimen from Bering* Island, on which is based
the Hierofaico grebnitzkii, sp. n,, to judge by the pretty figure
and description, does not seem to depart very materially
from the form which is usually known to Eurojiean orni-
thologists as Falco islandu^ ; and so thinks Dr. Stejneger
who himself obtained four examples of the Bering Island
Grey Falcon, besides a fifth received from Mr. Grebnitzky,
though, in accordance with the view before announced (Auk
1885, p. 187), Dr. Stejneger names it F. rusticolus, con-
sidering F. islandus to be that which in this quarter of the
globe has usually been called F. cand'icans or groenkmdicus.
The second supposed new species, Hierofaico uralensis, has
already been noticed in these pages (Ibis, 1883, p. 105).
We should doubt its being more than a local form of F. gyr-

* Mr. Menzbier continues tbe cacography " Behring/' uotwithstandino-
proof that tbe navigator's name was Bering, as may be seen in Mr. Elliot's
♦ Fur Seals of Alaska ' and other works of authority. But it is probably
" Behring " anctorvm lylurimonwi, and those who choose to fo:iow a
multitude to do evil will continue to misspell it.

198 Recently published Ornithological Works.

falco, but generally paler in colour. As an immature ex-
ample was formerly figured^ it is a pity that we have not now
in addition the representation of an adult. As regards the
second paper, it is only the commencement of a treatise
which will not be finished until this year. After that, per-
haps, Mr. J. H. Grurney will give us the benefit of his
views upon the entire subject, which is a somewhat wide one.
Severtzoff's ' Ornithologie de Turkestan ' will, we are told,
form a separate volume.

46. ' The Naturalist:

[' TLe Naturalist : ' a Journal of Natural History for the Nortli of
England. Edited by W. D. Roebuck and W. E. Clarke. Nos. 116-128.]

We are glad to see, in Nos. 117 and 118, the continuation
and conclusion of the useful bibliography of papers for 1884,
relating to the Birds of the North of England, to which we
have already drawn attention (Ibis, 1885, p. 230), while
interesting commvinications from various well-known orni-
thologists are not wanting. Messrs. Clarke and Cordeaux
keep us informed as to the arrivals and migrations on the
east coast; Mr. J. Backhouse, jun., sends notes on the Birds
of Upper Tcesdale; Mr. Alfred C. Chapman contributes
some interesting experiences of the Northumberland coast
birds ; and Mr. Armistead treats of those of the Solway
district. Mr. Southwell states that a previously unre-
corded specimen of the Whiskered Tern [HydrocJielidon
hybrida), formerly in the collection of the late Mr. Rising,
of Horsey, near Yarmouth, was obtained in 1842 at Hornby
Castle, on the Swale, in Yorkshire, probably the most
northern occurrence of this species. A note by Mr. Archer,
on a Spotted Eagle killed on 31st October last, in Nor-
thumberland, is followed by an article by Mr. J. H. Gurney,
on the two races or subspecies of Spotted Eagle found in
Europe, the Northumberland example being referred to the
larger form, known as Aquila clanga. Many of the minor
notes are interesting, and ' The Naturalist ' shows no signs
of flagging.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 1 99

47. Newton's Memoir of the late John Scales.

[Memoir of the late John Scales. By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S.
Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc. vol. iv. p. 81.]

Ornithologists, especially those of Norfolk, are much
indebted to Professor Newton for this interesting memoir of
a naturalist who was of an East-Anglian family, although
actually born in Yorkshire. The eai'ly life of John Scales
was decidedly eventful ; for, strange as it may appear, a man
with whom some of our readers were well acquainted was
captured as a lad by a French cruiser on a voyage from
Hull to London, and detained in France until ransomed by
his father! In 1812 his assistance was required in the
management of the large farm and warren of Beachamwell ;
and thenceforth his name became associated with Nor-
folk, especially, as readers of Stevenson's ' Birds of Norfolk '
will remember, as regards the Great Bustard. He made
several excursions to the continent, however, on one of
which he obtained the richly marked Great Auk's egg which
was the gem of his oological collection ; he also visited
Switzerland, and Valkenswaard, the head-quarters of
falconry, in Dutch Brabant. Unfortunately his collec-
tions, papers, and correspondence were destroyed by a fire
more than twenty years ago ; and as Scales seldom com-
municated the results of his researches to any of the maga-
zines of natural history, there is every reason to be thankful
to Professor Newton for the fragmentary remains which have
been preserved. The longest and most interesting letters
are those addressed to the writer of the Memoir, princi-
pally about the Great Bustard ; but there are many notes
on other species. For instance, writing in May 1856, Scales
says that he never knew of the Woodlark breeding in Nor-
folk, nor did he ever see one in his part of the county, and
he was inclined to think that it was a new comer ; in which
he agreed with Professor Newton, whose subsequent ex-
perience has been that, although local, the species is not
uncommon, aiid breeds annually in some parts of the above
county and of Suffolk. Scales left Norfolk in 1812, and in

200 Recently published Ornithological Works.

\S^^ was elected the first Principal of the lloyal Agricultui'al
College at Cirencester, subsequently undertaking the manage-
ment of some estates in Ireland, where he continued his
natural-history pursuits; but his collections, books, and
papers were lost through a fire at Cork. He died at
Brighton on 25th September, 1884, in his ninety-first year.

48. Olphe-GalUurd on the Birds of Western Europe.

[Contributions a la Faune Ornithologique de I'Europe Occidentale.
Par Leon Olpbe-Galliard. Fasc. xxxiii., Mars 1885 ; Fasc. v., Juin
1885. 8vo. Bayouue.]

The first Part of this work (c/. 'Ibis,' 1885, p. 231) could not
well avoid its title ; but it will be observed that in the subse-
quent issues the numeration is as far as possible from being
consecutive. We have hitherto deferred our notices of the
above two Parts, in the hope that some more would have
appeared to fill up the gaps, but none have reached us, nor
do we think that any others have been published. The former
of the two now before us treats of the Ploceidse, " an African
family, with the exception of the Sparrows, which are their
representatives in Europe." The latter Part in date of issue
contains Family V., Cygnidse ; the author adopting Wagler's
genus Olor for the Cygnus musicus &c. group, but advocating
the orthography Holor, in which we do not think he will have
many followers.

49. Palacky on the Distribution of Birds.

[Die Verbreitung der Vogel auf der Erde, Monograpliie vou Dr.
Johann Palacky. 8vo. Wien : 1885.]

After some preliminary remarks, the author takes Gray's
'Hand-list,' and reviews the distributions of the 11,162
species therein mentioned in 70 different groups. In a
second section Dr. Palacky treats of his subject geographi-
cally, and divides the world ornithologically into four prin-
cipal divisions (America, the Palsearctic Region, Africa,
Australia), with a number of subdivisions to each. The
treatise appears to us to be rather that of a compiler than
of one drawing his conclusions from original work ; but
this is, perhaps, a necessity of the case.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 201

50. Sharpe and Wyatt on the HirundinidEe.

[A Monogrfiph of the Ilirundinidse, or Family of Swallows. By R.
Bowdler Sharpe and Claude W. Wyatt. Part II. December, 1885.
London : Sotheran & Co.]

The second number of this Monograph^ which appears to
be quite up to the standard of its predecessor^ contains
figures and descriptions of Hirundo senegalensis, H. eethiopica,
H. domicella, Chelidon dasypus, Cotile ftdigula ; a figure
of the young of Chelidon urbica ; and the description only
of Hirundo gordoni, which is regarded as merely a small race
and West- African representative of H. semirufa.

51. Stnithsonian Report for 1883.

TAnnual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, showing the Operations, Expenditures, and Condition of the Insti-
tution for the year 188-3. Washington : 1885.]

The 'Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1883'
contains (pp. 220-225) Mr, Ridgway^s Report on the De-
partment of Birds of the National Museum of the U.S. The
total number of specimens entered on the Museum Register
during that year was 3631. Among these most imj)ortant
accessions are specified. The account of the " explorations "
(p. 11 et seq.) will also be read with interest, as likewise
Prof. Gill's record of the progress of Zoology in 1883. It
seems a great pity that, owing, we believe, to official exigen-
cies, the Smithsonian Reports cannot be rendered available
to the world in general at an earlier date. Thus we do not
receive the Report for 1883 until the end of 1S85.

52. Stejneger on the Birds of the Commander Islands and
Kamtschatka.

[Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Commander Islands and
in Kamtschatka. By Leonhard Stejneger. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no, 29.
1885.]

This is the official report of Mr. Stejneger^s ornithological
observations in the Commander Islands and Kamtschatka,
during his expedition of 1882-83, of which we have already
spoken (see ' Ibis,' 1885, p. 110). It contains (1) a review of

SEH. v. VOL. IV. V

202 Recently published Ornithological Works.

the species of birds collected or observed inthese two localities;
(2) a synopsis of Kamtscliatkaa birds ; and (3) the author's
'^conclusions'" — three essays which are certainly worthy
of careful attention. The species collected or observed in the
Commander Islands and Kamtschatka by Mr. Stejnegcr were
140 in number^ of which 35 were Passeres. Full details are
given of the synonymy and nomenclature of each of them,
besides an account of their habits and method of occurrence
in the districts spoken of. We fear, however, that some con-
sternation will be caused on this side of the Atlantic by the
names employed in certain cases. These names are stated
to have been arrived at on the principles laid down l)y the
American Ornithologists' Union, and^ as the author candidly
admits, will be found to deviate " not inconsiderably " from
those usually adopted"^. Very full and interesting accounts
are given of the Auks and Puffins of the Northern Pacific
and their curious seasonal changes, which are illustrated by
several coloured plates. " Charitonetta " is proposed as a
new generic name for Anas albeola, Linn.

In the Synopsis of Kamtschatkan Birds, which forms part
ii. of the volume, 186 species are included, and two more are
added in an Aj^pendix, on Dybowski's authority.

In the " conclusions " the general facies of the avifauna of
this part of the world is discussed ; and it is shown that the
Ornis of the Commander Islands is chiefly Kamtschatkan,
''since only 11 species have been taken in them which do
not belong to the Kamtschatkan fauna. '"*

53. Taczanoivski's Ornithologij of Peru.

[Ornitliologie du P6rou. Par Ladislas Taczanowski. Tome troisieme.
lleDDes: 1880.]

Our congratulations are due to M. Taczanowski on the

* As the author is a stickler for correct names, it may he remarked
that ^' Eniconetta^' (p. 170) shoula be written '^ Henico)ietta,'^ the deriva-
tion being eviKos, singular, and that " Somateria v-nigra " (op. cit. p. 173)
was properly altered by Bonaparte to S. v-nigrum, as the adjective
should agree with the neuter "v," not with the feminine " iSntna-
teria." Again, the generic term " Aythya,'^ if used, should be trans-
literated " .Ethvia," from tlie Greek aWvia.

Letters, Announcements , ^c. 203

issue of his third and concluding volume of the ' Ornithology
of Peru.' No such important work upon the birds of the
Neotropical Region has appeared since Pelzeln's 'Ornithology
of Brazil/ We have here the results of the various expedi-
tions of MM. Jelski and Stolzmann, collected in a uniform
shape^ and combined with those of the many other authors
who have treated of Peruvian ornithology.

The number of species to be attributed to the avifauna of
Peru, according to M. Taczanowski's researches, is 1349,
which, though large when we consider the extent and variety
of elevation of the country, is not greater than we might
have expected. On turning to the excellent map prepared
by M. Stolzmann which accompanies the third volume, and
in which the principal localities where collections have been
made are indicated, it will be at once manifest how large a
part of Peru still remains ornithologically unexplored. There
can be no doubt therefore that in the remote Andean valleys
rich harvests still remain for future collectors. The follow-
ing species appear to be described as new in the present
volume: — Picmnnus pvmctifrons, Chrysoptilus jmnctipectus,
ChaincEpetes tschudii, Crypturns rubripes, Nothoprocta god-
mani, and R alius peruvianus.

XXVI. — Letters, Announcements, S^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to the
Editors of ' The Ibis :'-—

Slioreham, Ootacamund,
January 27th, 1886.

Sirs, — I have just returned from a trip to Southern
Travancore, and I hope very shortly to send you a paper on
the birds which I collected there, as well as on a collection
made, in September 1884, on the Anamullai Hills.

When in Trivandrum (the capital of Travancore), I was
asked to go through the collection of birds in the museum
there, and in doing so I came across two specimens of a
Laughing-Thrush and two specimens of a Blackbird. The

204 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

former were labelled Trochalopterum cachinnans, Jerd.^ the
latter Merula simiUima, Jerd.j but I saw at once that they
were not of these species^ and were to me unknown. I pointed
out this to Mr. Harold Ferguson, who was with me, and asked
him where the specimens were obtained. The specimens had
been purchased, together with a number of other Southern
Indian birds, from a native somewhere on the west coast by
Mr. AthoU Macgregor, when he was Resident of Travancore ;
and this is all that can be definitely ascertained about them ;
but Mr. Ferguson has promised to write to Mr. Macgregor
for more definite information.

As both species are more nearly allied to Nilgiri forms, it is
not improbable that they were obtained on the higher ranges
of the Palghat Hills, a portion of the country I have not yet
worked, but which I hope to visit later in the year.

The following are descriptions of both species ; I may pre-
mise by mentioning that the two specimens of each species
are identical one with the other. Both the Blackbirds are,
unfortunately, females ; the Laughing-Thrushes are not
sexed : —

Trochalopterum cinnamomeum, sp. nov.

Similar to T. cachinnans, Jerd., but entirely wanting the
black markings of head, face, and chin ; no ash-colovu* on
the posterior portion of the supercilia. Lower parts deep cin-
namon-brown ; chin darker.

A broad superciliary stripe from base of nostril to nape,'
white as far as posterior angle of eye, and from thence
gradually shading to ochreous bufi"; lores rusty brown ;
cheeks and ear-coverts ochreous buff". Chin, fore part of
throat, and feathers at base of lower mandible very dark
red-brown. Lower parts cinnamon-brown, olivaceous on
flanks and lower tail-coverts ; lower wing-coverts and axil-
laries pale cinnamon-brown, this colour tinging also the
inner edges of the primaries ; rest of under surface of pri-
maries hair-brown. Top of head dark hair-brown, slightly
tinged with ashy on the nape ; rest of upper parts, including
tail, olive-brown, with a hardly perceptible greenish tinge ;

Letters, Announcements , d§c. 205

quills hair-brown, with their outer edges olive-brown. Length
8 inches, wing 3"5, tail 3*7, tarsus 1*3, culmen 0'8,

Merula erythrotis, sp. uov.

Similar to M. simiUima, Jerd., but with the feathers at
base of upper and lower mandibles, lores, cheeks, and ear-
coverts russet-brown ; small triangular patch behind the
eye naked and coloured yellow.

The two specimens are both apparently females, agreeing
exactly in colour, except for the differences noticed above,
with adult females of M. simillinia, Avith which I have
compared them.

One specimen is slightly immature, a few of the wing-
coverts showing small triangular huffy patches at their tips ;
in this specimen the feathers in the angle of the gonys and
a few feathers on the lower throat are tinged with russet-
brown.

The skins measure: — Length 9'4, 9*6 inches; wing 4*8,
4'9j tail 4*2 ; tarsus 1"2; culmen 0"9.

The naked patch behind the eye, which is very distinct in
both specimens, renders this species conspicuously different
from all the other Blackbirds of Southern India.

I have to thank Mr. Harold Ferguson for allowing me to
bring the specimens away with me to describe.

I am,

Yours &c.

Wm. Davison.

University Museum of Zoology
and Comparative Anatomy,
Cambridge, February 1886.

Sirs, — Being engaged on the continuation of Bronn's
' Klassen und. Ordnungen des Thier-reichs, Bd. vi. Abth. iv.
Vogel,^ which is to contain a general exhaustive account of
the anatomy of birds, and a systematic arrangement to be
based upon a summary of their structure, I feel the want of
various important forms, some of which hitherto it has not
been my good fortune to examine. I hope, therefore, that

20G Letters, Announcements, ^c.

gentlemen interested in the progress of this work "will be able
to snpply rae with specimens of the birds mentioned in the
following list : —

Atrichia. Syrrhaptes.

Meliphaginae, especially Pterocles.

Moho. Chionis,

Climacteiis. Glareola.

Trochilidfe. Opisthocomus.

Chasmorhyiiclius. Eurypyga.

Bucco. Heliornis.

Trogou. Psophia.

Batracliostomus, Caiiama.

Centropus. Dicholoplius.

Geococcyx. Tinamus. ■»

Otidiphaps. Turnix.
Diduiiculus.

It is important that the speeimens should be well preserved,
which is only possible if they are submerged, in a fresh con-
dition, in good spirit (no matter if the spirit be distilled
from figs, alfarroba, potatoes, or grapes), the stronger of
course the better.

It is advisable to open the bird's belly by a small slit with-
out injuring the intestines, and to pour some spirit into its
throat and gullet. After the birds have remained for a time
in one vessel, it will be of great advantage to change the
spirit and then firmly to close the jar or bottle by securing
the stopper with grease, or bees' -wax (not sealing-wax or any
other resin), and by tying a piece of bladder over it.

The preparations made of the specimens sent to the above
address will be added to the Collection of the University.

Most important for the purpose stated above are nestlings ;
I should therefore feel greatly obliged for well-preserved
nestlings of almost any birds, with the exception of the more
common European sorts. Especially welcome would be the
very young or embryos of Casuariusy Dromaus, Apteryx
and Rhea, Penguins, Phcenicopterus, Procellariincp, Buceros,
Stringops. Yours &c.,

11. Gadow.

Letters, Announcements, S:^c. 207

Sirs, — In ' The Ibis * for January last, p. 89, you express
your regret that the " grave error " of charging the Golden
Oriole with eating fruits, especially cherries, should have
been sanctioned and propagated by one of the new groups of
Birds in the British Museum. I should be the veiy last to
cast any aspersion on the character of this old favourite of
mine; but I must express it, not as my opinion, but as the
result of direct observation, that, in South Germany, Orioles
feed freely on ripe sweet cherries. So far as I know, the
only way of catching them is by snares baited with cherries,
and those which I had alive were so caught. The group
to which you take objection was made up from my distinct
recollection of the home of a pair of cheny-eating Orioles.

Nevertheless, I should have considered it a grave error to
doubt the correctness of observations made in other parts of
the country, and was quite prepared to be taught that the
Golden Oriole is only locally a cherry-eater. However, on
referring to the original statement by your authority, M.
Crette de Palluel, I find that he certainly does not contradict
the fact which I intended to represent in that group, but
rather that he attempts to prove too much. After having
stated that he had captured a great number of Orioles to
examine the contents of their stomachs (the greater the pity!),
and that he had found them gorged with noxious insects,
with only a small quantity of fruit in some, he winds up with
the following words, which were omitted by you : — " The
Oriole does not digest the seeds of the fruits which it eats ;
it is therefore the natural propagator of fruit-trees, and not
their enemy. ^'' As a matter of fact, it is just as well to state
that the Golden Oriole does not swallow the stones of the
cherries which it eats.

Having before me M. Oustalet^'s Report, I was also
tempted by your notice of it to read his account of using
electricity in the capture of birds, as it seemed to me an
extraordinary statement in a report addressed to a Minister
of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, who might be supposed
to be acquainted with the elements of physical science. I
do not think that the procedure, as described bij M. Oustalet,

208 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

would prove to be a successful investment or call for
ministerial interference ; but in your version you have so
much improved upon the invention^ that the experiment may
be safely predicted to end in total failure; and the electric
shock on the birds, which are expected to " fall like ripe
fruit '^ from the " dead tree encircled with a band of copper/'
would be much less severe in its efiects than that which
you administered by your account upon the diaphragm of
your readers.

Natural History Museum, A. GuNTHER.

Feb. 25, 1886.

[The writer of the notice in question does not appear to
have made his meaning clear to Dr. Giinther. No doul)t
Golden Orioles do feed, to an extent varying with circum-
stances, upon ripe cherries, but the idea considered unde-
sirable for propagation was that cherries constituted the
ordinary food of this species during the period of incubation.
The only English county in which Golden Orioles have been
proved to have nested is Kent, renowned for its cherry-
orchards. Suppose that another pair escape the usual fate
of a conspicuous species until the cradle-shaped nest is
formed : the unsophisticated proprietor of the orchard is
pleased to watch the birds whose habits^ food, &c. are
unknown to him, and he proudly exhibits them to his friends.
" Ah \" says one who has studied in the British Museum
of Natural History, " those birds won't leave you a
cherry on your trees — why, they just live on cherries ;
I've seen them stuffed at the Museum, with the hen bird
sitting comfortable on her nest, while the old cock has
just brought her two cherries in his bill." The subsequent
action of that Kentish farmer will depend upon his credulity,
but it may be imagined ! Take a parallel case. There is
the greatest difficulty in persuading a gamekeeper to spare
a Kestrel, although its value to the farmer is undoubted,
mice forming the principal part of its food. It is, however,
certain that the Kestrel, when pressed by a clamorous brood,
will pick up young Pheasants ; but it would be quite

Letter's, Announcements, 6;c. 209

wrong to suppose that game-birds of any kind constitute
its ordinary food, whatever ignorant game-preservers may
say. Would it not, help to intensify the hatred vvitli
which such people regard every " hawk,^^ and would it
not " sanction and propagate a grave error,'^ if a group of
Kestrels were to be publicly exhibited in our Museum,
showing the old birds feeding their nestlings with young
Pheasants ? It would be as misleading to say that English
children (especially those of Norfolk) feed on blackberries,
and to quote the ballad of ''The Babes in the Wood^^ in
proof thereof. — U.S.]

Milton, Co. Halton,

Ontario, Canada,
February 5th, 1886.

Sirs, — The weather here is now severe, 18° below zero this
morning, with about a foot of snow over the country, but
not a R-edpole has come as yet.

I am looking out for the long-expected Linota hornemanni.
It seems now to be rather a rare straggler here. • But even
the common L. Unaria has not put in an appearance this
year. Some years they are plentiful, and during others not
one is to be seen. It is very strange. A few "Meadow-
Larks'' {Sturnella) have been trying to pass the winter here
(the snow did not lie till late in January), but at last they
have disappeared, either frozen to death or gone south. It
was rather curious to see these summer-birds feeding on
horse- dung on the sleigh-tracks. One kept about our
stables for a time, generally feeding on the pile of horse-
dung outside the door; there it was joined by another, but
they have gone at last. Not in a condition to fly far, they
must have died. A few Snow-Buntings now and then,
generally feeding on the sleigh-tracks, are the only birds to
be seen now, except in the woods, where there are a few
Woodpeckers and Titmice and Nuthatches. Canada in
winter is a most dreary country so far as ornithology is
concerned.

There is no doubt whatever, I think, of the excellency of

SER. V. VOL. IV. Q

210 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

Linota exiUpes as a species^ althougli Mr. Seebohm is unable
to comprehend it. How, after seeing them both in life, he
could confound them, and write such a careless note on
them as he has done in ' Siberia in Europe/ footnote,
p. 51, I cannot imagine.

Yours &c.,

W. E. Brooks.

Science in Indiana. — The Indiana Academy of Science
was organized on Dec. 29th, 1885, with the following
officers :—D. S. Jordan, M.D., President; J. M. Coulter,
Ph.D., J. P. D. John, D.D., Rev. D. R. Moore, Vice-
Presidents; Amos W. Butler, Secretary; Prof. O. P.
Jenkins, Treasurer; J. N. Hurty, Librarian. Amos W.
Butler was appointed Curator of the department of Orni-
thology. Mr. Butler read a paper on " The past and
present of Indiana Ornithology.^^

The Abundance of Quails last year. — Lord Walsingham
has sent us the following further communication from the
Earl of Ducie (see supra, p. 101), dated Mentone, January
12th, 1886 :—

" I have procured some definite information respecting
the Quails, which tends to explain their appearance in un-
usual numbers last year. Why they should have been
numerous only in Central England I cannot understand.

" A certain Signer Chiappori, of Genoa and Ventimiglia,
who shoots along this coast at the time of migration, reports
that Quails did not arrive in 1885 until the 11th May. The
legal season for shooting them is very brief, lasting only to
May 10, a period which generally covers the time of their
stay on this coast. They usually arrive April 27. None
were therefore killed in this district last spring. He reports
further that none bred in Piedmont, where he usually finds
plenty in autumn. A few bred along the sea-coast of the
Riviera, an exceptional circumstance. He, and others, re-

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 211

marked that the Quails last season were smaller than usual,
and that many were of a very dark colour/'

The Generic Term Simorhynchus, — Dr. Stejneger, in his
article above referred to {supra, p. 201), as Dr. Cones before
him, is much exercised at not being able to find where
Merrem, in 1819, established the genus " Simorhynchus,"
and begs the assistance of his brother ornithologists in solving
this problem. If Dr. Stejneger will turn to Ersch and
Gruber's ' Allgemeine Encyclopadie der Wissenschaften und
Kiinste,' vol. ii. p. 405 (1819), under the article '' Alca,'' he
will find the mysterious genus described as follows : —

" (3) Starike. Simorhynchus. Die Stariken, denen wir im
Teutschen ihren russischen Namen liessen, gesellte Pallas,
durch den allein wir die erste genauere Kenntniss derselben
haben, den Aiken bei, obgleich er bei einer Art selbst die
Unahnlichkeit anerkannte, und sie sich auch von den beiden
vorhergehenden Gattungen auffallend unterscheiden. Ihr
Schnabel steigt niimlich vorn aufwarts, so dass seine Spitze
hoher liegt ; wie der Mundwinkel, er ist jederzeit glatt und
olme Wachshaut. Ihre Mundofnung ist klein. Ihre Nasen-
locher liegen von der Stirn entfernt, von einer Erhohung der
Haut eingefasst, welche gewissermassen Nasenlocherfliigel
bildet. Ihre Fliigel bestehen aus 10 Schwungfedern der
ersten und 16 der zweiten Ordnung. Die zweite ist die
langste. Ihre Fiisse sind wie bei den vorigen, und ihr
kurzer Schwanz bestcht aus 14 Ruderfedern. Man findet
sie allein im Meere zwischen Asien und Amerika, und sie
legen ein einziges Ei auf die kahlen Felsen.^'

As species of his genus Simorhynchus, Merrem enumerates
subsequently (p. 406) S. cristatus { = Alca cristatella) and
(p. 407) S. psittacula { = Alca psittacula) . I presume, there-
fore, that the former species, as suggested by Dr. Stejneger,
may be regarded as the type of Simorhynchus of Merrem,
leaving Alca psittacula to Cijclorhynchus of Kaup, for those
who are inclined to separate that species generically. — P. L. S.

212 Letters, ArmouncemeiUs, &;c.

The Wings of Birds. — Professor Flower, F.R.S., Director of
the British Museum of Natural History, gave a lecture ou
Friday, 19th February, at the Royal Institution, on the Wings
of Birds. He said that the power of flying through the air
was one of the chief characteristics of the class of birds.
Although some members of the other great divisions of the
Vertebrata possessed the power in a greater or less degree,
they were exceptional forms, whereas in birds the faculty of
flight was the rule, its absence the exception. He then
pointed out the peculiar modifications of the fore limb of
the bird which fitted it for his use as a flying-organ. In the
vast majority of existing birds the wing was constructed
upon the same essential type down to all the details of the
number, arrangement, and structure of the feathers, and of
their position in relation to the different bones constituting
the skeleton of the wing, which were fully described and
illustrated by diagrams. Minor modifications of this type
resulted in organs so diff'erent in appearance and use as the
powerful wings of the Albatross and Swift, which enable
their possessors almost to live in the air, and those of the
Great Auk and Dodo, too small and feeble to raise the body
from the surface of the ground. A totally different type, so
far as the arrangement and structure of the feathers are
concerned, is seen in the fin-like wings of the Penguins — birds
which, on this as well as on other grounds, ought to occupy
a far more distinct position in the class than has hitherto
been accorded to them. A third type of wing is that of
the birds of the Ostrich group, in which the feathers are
so imperfectly developed as to make them useless as organs of
flight. The question which naturally presents itself with regard
to these birds is whether they represent a stage through which
all have passed before acquiring perfect wings, or whether they
are descendants of birds which had once such wings, but which
have become degraded by want of use. In the absence of
palseontological evidence it is diflicult to decide this point.
The complete structure of the bony framework of the Ostriches
wing, with its two distinct claws, rather points to its direct
descent from the reptilian hand, without ever having passed

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 213

througli the stage of a flying-organ. The function of loco-
motion being entirely performed by the powerfully developed
hind legs_, and the beak mounted on the long and flexible
neck being sufficient for the offices commonly performed by
hands,, the fore limbs appear to have degenerated in some
members of the group, as the Cassowary and Apteryx, to mere
rudiments, and to have entirely disappeared in the extinct
Dinornis of New Zealand, just as the hind limbs of the
whales disappeared when their locomotory functions were
transferred to the tail. This view is strengthened by the
great light that has been thrown on the origin of the wings
()£ flying-birds by the fortunate discovery of the Archseopteryx
in the Solenhofen beds of Jurassic age, as in this most re-
markable animal, half lizard and half bird, the process of
modification from hand to perfect flying- wing is clearly de-
monstrated. The lecturer mentioned, in conclusion, that
specimens showing the structure of the principal forms of
the Aviugs of birds were being prepared for exhibition in the
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road.

The British Association Migration Committee. — We have
from time to time drawn attention to the inadequate support
given to the Committee for reporting on the Migration of
Birds, and we have contrasted the sum which it receives from
a semi-private source (,£30) with the £1000 accorded,
merely as a commencement, by the United States Govern-
ment for a similar purpose. We now publish the following
appeal : —

Great Cotes, Ulceby, Lincolnshire,
February 1st, 1886.

Migration of Birds.

Dear Sir, — You are doubtless aware that in 1880 a Com-
mittee was appointed by the British Association for the
purpose of collecting observations on the Migration of Birds
at Lighthouses and Lightships, and that this Committee has
since been annually reappointed by the same Association,
which in 1882 granted £15, in 1883 and 1881 £20, and in

214 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

1885 £30 in aid of the expenses incidental to tlie enquiry.
Six reports have already been issued by the Committee^ and
a seventh is now in course of preparation.

About 200 stations on the coasts of Great Britain and
Ireland, and the outlying islands, as well as several foreign
stations, are annually supplied with letters of instruction
and printed schedules for registering the occurrence of
birds.

The work of distributing these circulars, the constant
correspondence with the observers, the tabulation and re-
cording of each separate entry and subsequent writing of
the report entail a great amount of labour, and from the
increasing interest taken in the enquiry, as indicated by the
number of well-filled schedules sent in, there is every
prospect of the work being much heavier in the future.

It is highly desirable that the observers should be supplied
with some means of forwarding the wings and feet of any
birds killed against the lanterns of the lighthouses and light-
ships, as well as small specimens entire. Unless this is
systematically done, no really accurate results of the species
on migration can be arrived at.

Unfortunately, the funds at the disposal of the Committee
are totally inadequate to meet the annually increasing and
heavy demands made upon it, and in the last year the ex-
penditure amounted to jfi74 13^. lOd., the receipts (including
the Grant made by the British Association) to £SG 10s. Od.,
leaving a balance of £38 3*. lOd. to be made good by the
members of the Committee.

On these grounds, therefore. Donations or Annual Sub-
scriptions are earnestly invited from those taking an interest
in the subject. Should you be inclined to contribute to the
funds of the Committee, I shall be glad if you will fill up and
return to me the enclosed form, or otherwise intimate your
intention to me at your earliest convenience.

I am, dear Sir,

Faithfully yours,

John Cordeaux,
Secretary to the Committee.

Letters, Announcements^ ^c. 215

Habits of the Rufous-backed Humming-bird (Selaspliorus
riifus).— Ill the lust Part of 'The Auk' (pp. 76-77), Mr.
H. W. Henshaw gives the following interesting account of
this beautiful species, as observed by him in mountains about
forty miles east of Santa Fe, New Mexico : —

'' The number of representatives of this and the preceding
species that make their summer homes in these mountains is
simply beyond calculation. No one whose experience is
limited to the Eastern United States can form any adequate
idea of their abundance. They occur from an altitude of
about 7500 feet far up on the mountain sides, as high up, in
fact, as suitable flowers afford them the means of subsistence.
They are most numerous at an altitude of from 8000 to 9000
feet. During the entire summer they frequent almost ex-
clusively a species of &crophularia which grows in clumps in
the sunnier spots of the valleys. From early dawn till dusk
the Humming-birds throng around these plants intent on
surfeiting themselves Avith honey and the minute insects
that the honey attracts. The scene presented in one of these
flowering areas is a most attractive one. Males and females
all flock to the common feeding-ground, and as the Hummers,
especially the Rufous-backed species, are pugnacious and hot-
tempered in the extreme, the field becomes a constant battle-
ground whereon favourite flowers and favourite perching-
grounds ai'e contested for with all the ardour that attaches
to more important conquests. The fiery red throat of the
Rufous-backed Hummer is an index of its impetuous, aggres-
sive disposition; and when brought into conflict with the
other species it invariably asserts its supremacy and drives
its rival in utter route from the fields. Nor do the males of
this species confine their warfare to their own sex. Gallantry
has no place, apparently, in their breasts, and when conquest
has put them in possession of a perch near a clump of flowers
they wage war on all fresh comers, females as well as males.

" Some idea of thenumber of Humming-birds in this locality
— and in this respect this whole mountain area is alike — may
be gained from the statement that in a single clump of the
Scrojihularia I have counted eighteen Hummers, all within

21 G Letters, Annoinicemeiits, ^-r.

reach of an ordinary fishing-rod. There was scarcely a
moment in the day when upwards of fifty could not be
counted within the area of a few yards in any of the patches
of this common plant/^

New Birds fi-om Celebes. — In an account of a meeting of
the Vereiu flir Naturwissenschaft of Brunswick, held on the
18th February last_, published in the ' Braunschweigische
Anzeiger ' for March 3rd, which Dr. W. Blasius has kindly
forwarded, will be found short characters of the two new
birds from Celebes, named Dicatmi nehrkorni and Rallus
plateni. The specimens thus described formed part of a
large collection made by Dr. Platen at Rurukan, in Northern
Celebes, in 1884 and 1885, of which, no doubt, a fuller
account will ultimately be given.

New and Recent Expeditions. — Mr. G. C. Bourne has re-
turned safely from his visit to Diego Garcia, and amongst
his spoils has brought back a collection of birds, comprising
representatives of abovit 15 species. These are all Waders
and Sea-birds with the exception of a single Weaver-bird,
apparently Foudia madagascariensis , which has been no doubt
imported from Mauritius. Mr. Bourne will read a report on
his birds at one of the approaching meetings of the Zoological
Society of London.

Mr. Henry J. Elwes has received the appointment of Natu-
ralist to the Embassy which is about to proceed to Lhassa
with the object of opening Tibet to the trade of India.
There can be no doubt that in this instance at least we have
the right man in the right place. Mr. Elwes's well-known
energy and intimate acquaintance with the fauna of Dar-
jeeling alike render him in every way fitted for this arduous
post, and all the fraternity of the B.O.U. will, we are sure, join
us in wishing him success in his somewhat hazardous journey.
Mr. Elwes will -leave England very shortly for Darjeeling,
whence the Expedition will start in the early part of the
summer. ,.,».

CENTRAL PARK, "^ ^
NEW YORK. ^^. /

THE IBIS.

FIFTH SERIES.

No. XV. JULY 1886.

XXVII. — Further' Notes on Phylloscopus borealis in Norivay.
By Robert Collett, F.M.B.O.U.

In the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society of London for
1877, p. 43, I published some observations on Phylloscopus
borealis and its occurrence in Norway. I had found this
species during the summer of 1876 established in several
places in Finmark, as in the inner valleys of Porsanger
and in the valley of the Pasvig river in South Varanger.
Since then I have visited Finmark on several occasions
during the summer, and have frequently had opportunities of
observing P. borealis in the previously known spots, as well
as in fresh localities. I therefore wish to make some further
observations concerning this interesting species as a supple-
ment to my former paper.

Phylloscopus borealis is to be found breeding in Finmark
(Norwegian Lapland) in many of the luxuriant birch-woods
both in West and East Finmark, To the west of the North
Cape I have not met with it up to the present, nor espe-
cially in the rich valleys in Alten, which, however, I have
had but little opportunity of visiting ; but I believe it not
unlikely that it will be found inhabiting this district also
and thus prove that it has extended its range to the western

SER. y. VOL. lY. a

218 Mr. R. CoUett on Phylloscopus borealis.

seas. Its northern boundary in our land may be said to be
70° 20', while, in Siberia, Mr. Seebohm did not meet with it
north of 69°.

It was especially in the months of June and July 1885
that I had good opportunities of observing this species
during its summer residence in our latitudes. That year I
visited the wide Tana valley * ; and here I found P. borealis
everywhere about the lower course of the river (Matsjok,
Seida, Oldernses, Polmak), where the birch- woods were
tolerably luxuriant, and where the ground was not too dry,
but well overgrown with plants and grasses. In South
Varanger, where I have met it on several previous occasions
(in Langfjord and on the Pasvig river), I found it last
summer again in the old localities at Elvenses and Salmi-
Javre, and met with it also in Jarfjord.

At several of these places, especially at Polmak, in Tana,
and at Salmi-Javre on the Pasvig, these birds were com-
paratively numerous, and during a few hours^ walk I have
met with a dozen singing males.

As the luxuriant birch- woods are only to be found in the
larger valleys, these are the chief places of resort of this
species ; but they do not live on the plateaus or open places,
even when these are partially wooded, as the woods there are
generally more or less thin and the trees stunted. They
frequent both the birch trees and willow- thickets, and often
sit singing from the top of the tall fir trees which are to be
found singly or in small numbers in the birch-woods. In
its habits P. borealis resembles the other Phylloscopi, but is
wilder, flies with greater strength, and appears reluctant to
show itself so openly between the leaves as, for instance,
P. trochilus. They are often seen fluttering about the end
of the branches like the last-mentioned species in order to
look for insects.

Concerning the breeding of P. borealis but little, so far as
I know, has yet been published.

Near Lake Baikal, in 1866-71, Dybowski found it breeding

* Lately described by Mr, Alfred Chapman in ' The Ibis ' for 1885,
p. 158, in his " Birds' -nesting Ramble in Lapland."

Mr. R. CoUett on Phylloscopus borealis. 219

in woods of Pinus cembra and Pinus pichta ; and he describes
the nest in the following terms (Journ. f. Ornith. 1872^
p. 359) : — " Er macht es in der Form einer Hiitte, indem er
dem vorhandenen Grase oder Moose die Gestalt eines Gewol-
bes giebt. Das letzte hebt er von der Erde etwas in die Hohe
und glattet es aus, und erst unter diesem natiirlichen Gewolbe
macht er ein Lager von lauter trockenen Zirbelbaumnadeln
(P. cembra). Auf diese Weise hat er eigentlich kein Nest^ es
ist nur ein natiirliches Gewolbe und ein Lager." It will be
seen that none of the nests described below exhibited a trace
of the peculiarity of construction described by Dybowski.

On July 6, 1877, at Egaska, on the Yenesei, a little north
of the Arctic Circle {67°) , Mr. Seebohm found a nest with
five fresh eggs (which were rather larger than those of P.
trochilus) of a white colour, with very pale r^d spots. The
nest was built on the ground in a rather open wood, ou the
side of a tussock, between grass and other plants, and was
semidomed and composed only of dry straws, without feathers
or moss (' Ibis,' 1879, p. 9). *

As my sojourn in Finmark in 1885 was just in the districts
where this species is found more or less frequently, I did my
best to trace out its breeding-habits in our country; and
my efforts were at least partially successful.

At Matsjok, the last large tributary of the Tana river
before its outlet to the sea, I met with the first specimen on
June 22nd, and they were then evidently just arrived, as the
season was unusually little advanced. The next day it was
heard to sing for the first time. In a female shot on the
26th (at Polmak) the eggs in the ovary were but little deve-
loped, scarcely so large as hemp seeds ; and when on June 30th
I left the valley for some time, the breeding-season had not
commenced, although it was evident that the birds had
paired and had probably commenced to build.

When, on July 11th, in company with my friend Mr.
Landmark, a zealous oologist, I arrived at the Pasvig river
in South Varanger, P. borealis appeared to be just in the
middle of its breeding-season ; but during the few days we
spent in that locality we did not succeed, although we spared

r2

220 Mr. R. Collett on Phylloscopus borealis.

no pains^ in finding any nests. At least six males were
singing continually throughout the whole day close to our
station^ Bornsund, at Salmi-Javre j but the females hardly
ever permitted themselves to be seen, while the enormous
swarms of mosquitos rendered any close observations almost
impossible. We searched for two days unceasingly amongst
the singing males. We found a number of other nests in
the immediate neighbourhood, but obtained no evidence that
nests of P. borealis lay near the spot where the males were
singing.

On June 25th I was again at Matsjok ; and now, in the
course of two days, I found three nests of this species, each
containing half-grown young ones. At that time it was
easy enough to find the nests, as we were attracted to the
birds by their very peculiar call- note. The males had by
this time almost ceased to sing, and it was now altogether
difficult to discover the birds. A good way of finding them
was to place one^s self close to a nest of Fringilla monti-
fringilla, and cause its owners to utter their loud calls of
anxiety. This never failed to bring a number of the small
birds of the district to the spot. One single sharp note of
P. borealis and a glimpse of it between the leaves would be
sufficient to show that its quarters were not far off". Then I
had to search for the place ; and on getting near the nest,
the parents exhibited great signs of anxiety, although they
were sometimes cautious enough, and I was once obHged to
wait patiently for two hours exposed to the attacks of the
blood-thirsty mosquitos before the female would fly to her
nest amongst the tall forest plants.

The first nest I found (on July 37th) was placed at the foot
of a slope thickly covered with birch trees, and was well
hidden by Cornus suecica, halfgrown Chamcsnerion angusti-
folium, Veronica longifolia, and Melica nutans. It lay under
the root of a tree, which partly formed a roof to the nest.
The other nest, found the same day at another slope in the
wood, had no such protection; but both nests were com-
pletely domed, as is usual in those of the other Phylloscopi.
They were most loosely constructed ; the outer base was

Mr. R. Collett on Phylloscopus borealis. 221

composed of some dry birch-leaves ; the outside consisted of
coarse straws and moss, the interior of finer straws, but
without a trace of hairs or feathers. The number of young
birds in the first was seven, in the other six. Each brood
was about nine days old.

The third nest (July 28th) also lay on a high slope covered
with birch trees, protected by a thin branch of juniper and
surrounded mostly by Cornus suecica, while the other tall
forest plants here were absent. This nest was thus somewhat
exposed. Like the others, it was domed and loosely put
together, inside with fine straws, outside of larger, but never-
theless soft, straws, as well as a good deal of two kinds of
moss which covered the ground in the immediate neighbour-
hood, viz. Hylocomimn splendens, Hedw., and Dicranum sco-
parium, Hedw. The number of young was six, nearly ready
to fly*.

In these three nests the first eggs must have been laid
about July 11th, 10th, and 9th; the number of eggs were
seven, six, and six respectively. The distance between the
first and second nest was about three kilometres, between the
second and third about one kilometre.

Whilst the females are sitting, the males have each their
singing-place, which they hardly ever leave. It was on a
little hill within the woods covered with larger birch and a
few pine trees which towered above the others. Here the
male would sit, in the top of the loftiest trees, and sing
almost incessantly the whole day; it stopped only for a
few moments, when it generally entirely disappeared, and
sometimes it could then be seen to meet the female. Some
minutes after it would perch again on the top of its tree, as
a rule on the same branch, and recommence its song again.

The singing-place is undoubtedly at some distance from
the nest ; as previously stated, my friend and myself could
never discover a trace of the nest there, although the ground
around was most carefully searched. The singing male did
not take the least notice of our presence, and never by a move-
ment or change of note did it exhibit the slightest anxiety.
* This brood is now mounted in the University Museum, Christiania.

232 Mr. R. Collett on Phylloscopus borealis.

The indefatigable manner in which the male gives forth its
monotonous, but nevertheless strongly sounding, song is
almost incredible. The song consists, as I have previously

remarked, of a single note, zi-zi-zi-zi , repeated

unusually quickly, fourteen to sixteen times in succession.
After each song follows a short period of rest, which in the
height of the singing-time scarcely exceeds half a minute,
when it recommences its song again. The song of the diflPerent
specimens was almost precisely alike, but in some it might
sound a little more or less harsh than in others. Seebohm has
compared the song to the trill of the Redpole ; and this seems
to be a suitable description, although it appeared to me to
resemble more the first quick notes of the song of Sylvia
curruca.

In these latitudes, where the day is but little lighter than
the night, the song might be heard at any hour and even at
midnight. A little after the middle of July most of the
males had ceased to sing, although at Matsjok once or twice
I heard the song so late as the 28th of that month.

This species never occurs in great numbers ; but as each
male in a district does not conceal itself from notice, the
males are consequently more easily secured than the females,
which, as a rule, are somewhat difficult to obtain. After the
singing-time is past, the males are also but seldom seen ;
their characteristic and sharp call-note is then the only thing
to direct one's attention to them. This call-note can best be
described by a short and whistling " tseers,'' and may be
heard at a long distance. It does not closely resemble the
cry of any other northern bird, but is most like the note
which Cindus aquaticus utters during its flight. This
note is always heard when one approaches its nest or its
young.

The food of P. borealis consists chiefly of mosquitos, which
at their breeding-time swarm in myriads in the birch- woods.
On two occasions I have found the larvse of a Cidaria or
other Geometrid larva in its stomach, as well as other soft
insects.

Amongst the numerous specimens I have shot in Finmark

Mr. R. Collett on Phylloscopus borealis. 223

during the summer I can find scarcely any variation in the
coloration of the plumage ; in some males the green colour
may be somewhat more strongly developed than in others
shot at the same time.

As previously mentioned, these birds appear to arrive
rather late in the spring. Mr. Seebohm, in 1877, met with the
first arrivals on June 18th, and a few days afterwards found
them in considerable numbers. In 1885, at Matsjok (Tana),
they could hardly have arrived before June 22nd, but two or
three days afterwards they were numerous. No information
can be given concerning their departure. The last specimen
shot by me was on July 28th (at the third nest), the day before
I left the Tana ; it had already commenced to moult, and had
a considerable number of new feathers on its head and back.

In conclusion I will give the measurements of sixteen

freshly killed specimens shot by me in Finmark in 1878 and

1885. -. ,

Males.

Total

leugth. Wings. TaU.

mm. mm. mm.

a 140 70 49

h 137 70 61

c 135 73 53

d 135 73 52

e 135 70 49

/ 135 69 50

g 133 70 48

h 132 69 43

i 132 67 45

j 131 70 53

k 130 68 49

I 129 67 48

m 127 70 50

n 127 69. 50

Females.

o 125 67 48

J} 124 65 49

According to these measurements (together with those
previously reported) the average length of this species will
be, for males 132 millim., and for females 124 millim.
Christiania, January 31, 1886.

224 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

XXVIII. — A Review of the Species of the Genus Himantopus.
By Henry Seebohm.

The germs Himantopus contains ten species, and embraces
tlie Stilts_, the Avocets, and the Peruvian Stilt and the Banded
Avocet, which form the connecting links between them.

This genus of birds is remarkably homogeneous and well
differentiated from all allied genera, and contains species so
closely related to each other, that there can be no possible
reason for subdividing it in the way which has been adopted
by most ornithologists.

The synonymy o£ the genus Himantopus is as follows : —

Type.

Himantopus, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 34
(1760) H. melanopterus,

Avocetta, Brisson, Orn. vi. p. 538 (1760) H. avocetta.

Recurvirostra, Linnseus, Syst. Nat. i.
p. 256 (1766) H. avocetta.

Macrotarsus, Lacepede, Mem. de PInst.
iii. p. 518 (1801) H m,elanopterus.

HypsibateSy Nitzsch, Ersch u. Grub.
Encycl. xvi. p. 150 (1827) H. melanopterus.

Leptorhynchus, Dubus, Mag. Zool. v.
pi. 45 (1835) H. pectoralis.

Cladorhynchus, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 69
(1840) tl. pectoralis.

It is difficult to say to which genera Himantopus is nearest
related. The softness of the plumage resembles that of Pha-
laropus, hnt this is probably an evidence of analogy rather than
of affinity. The delicate reticulation of the tarsus is similar
to that of the bar-tailed species of Charadrius, to which, in
spite of the dissimilarity of the bill, the genus may possibly
be more nearly allied. The ten species included in Himan-
topus may be diagnosed from all the other species of the
family Charadriidse by the combination of three characters.
Each of these is found in many other species of the family,
but no species belonging to it combines all three, except the

Mr. H. Seebohra on the Genus Himantopus. 225

ten species which constitute the genus Himantopus. These
three characters are a long bill and a long and reticulated
tarsus. The genus may therefore be diagnosed as follows : —
Charadriidse having the tarsus covered all over with a net-
work of fine hexagonal reticulations^ having more than three
fourths of the bill (measured from the frontal feathers) beyond
the nasal orifice, and having the tarsus at least twice the
length of the middle toe.

The species may be diagnosed. as follows : —

lost seconda- \ C .. ~>,

white } ' ^^^"^"'^

Innermost seconda-
ries

Toes deeply webbed . . -J americanus

pectoralis.

ruhricollis

<■ White on scapulars.

I Outer webs of seconda-
( ries chiefly dark.

andinus

In pied plumage ; black
on hind neck not reach-
ing to the crown ....

Breeding - plumage I
entirely dark |

mexicanus

h'asiliensis

leucoceiyhalus

7iovce-zelandi(s

melanopterus

> No white on wings.

J

In pied plumage ; black
on hind neck not ex-
tending under the eye.

The range of the genus is almost cosmopolitan, but it does
not extend into the Arctic Region nor to the smaller islands
of the Pacific. Four species breed in the Australian Region,
two in the Nearctic and two in the Neotropical Regions. The
remaining two species breed in the Palsearctic Region, but
one breeds also in the Oriental Region, and the other in the
Ethiopian Region. This information has little interest be-
cause it has little significance, except perhaps that Australia
appears to have been the centre of distribution of the genus,
an inference probably false. If the genus be split into three,
bad is made worse, and the key to the geographical distribu-

226 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

tion is broken. I propose to approach the subject from quite
a dififerent point of view.

A careful study of the geographical distribution of the
couple of hundred species and subspecies of birds which com-
pose the family Charadriidse leads to the conclusion that
they are the variously modified descendants of a species of
wader which lived on the shores of the north polar basin
some time before the close of the Glacial epoch. During
one of the later Glacial periods this circumpolar species was
driven south, and split up into parties, which were isolated
in various parts of the tropical and subtropical regions, and
became^ during the period of their isolation, differentiated
into species. These species were the ancestors of the present
genera of Charadriidse^ and during the interglacial period
which followed their differentiation (probably the last of the
half dozen or so which occurred) most of them followed the
retreating cold and became (with few exceptions) once more
cii'cumpolar ; but instead of being, as they formerly were,
of one species, they then consisted of a dozen or more well-
defined species, from one of ^Yhich no doubt the genus Hi-
mantopus descended. During the last Glacial period the
dozen or more species were again dispersed, each of them was
split up into parties, which becoming isolated from each other
were differentiated into the now existing species.

Let us endeavour to trace the history of the ancestral
species from which the ten species now forming the genus
Himantopus are descended, and let us try to follow its emi-
gration, from the period when it consisted of only one species
living on the shores of the north polar sea, down to the pre-
sent time when its descendants have become ten species
scattered over the greater part of the globe.

Probably the first split in the circle of circumpolar birds
was the intervention of a glacier, stretching from the north
pole down the mountains of Greenland. The semi-isolation
caused by the stoppage of any interbreeding between the
birds of the Atlantic coast of America and that of Europe
must naturally have produced a differentiation between the
birds of Grinnell Land and Scandinavia, and there is reason

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus. 227

to believe tbat the former became Stilts and tbe latter
Avocetsj but inasmuch as interbreeding could take place
between the birds of each bay and those of the next, along
the whole line in one direction, it can scarcely be doubted
that at first the Stilts were connected by a series of inter-
mediate forms with the Avocets. The next cause of isolation
(which was probably complete) was most likely a glacier
stretching across tbe north pole from the Rocky Mountains,
either to Novaya Zemlya or to the mountains of Eastern
Siberia. This must soon have been followed by the evacua-
tion of the Polar basin, and the emigration of the birds in
four parties along the four shores leading to the south.
The causes already explained must have produced an emi-
gration of Stilts along one coast of the Atlantic, an emigra-
tion of Avocets along the other, whilst the emigration along
the two coasts of the Pacific must have consisted on the one
side of Avocets with a strong strain of Stilt in them, and on
the other of Stilts with a strong strain of Avocet blood.

The next step to take is to examine the ten species of the
genus, and ascertain if all four parties of emigrants have left
descendants, and to determine by what characters they may
now be detected. The four groups of which we are in
search are Stilts, Semi-stilts, Avocets, and Semi-avocets.
The three first species on the list, H. avocetta, H. rubricollis,
and H. americanus, are unquestionably thorough-bred Avo-
cets, diagnosed as mantle white, scapulars and secondaries
for the most part white. The five last species on the list,
H. mexicanus, H. brasiliensis, H. leucocephalus, H. novce-
zelandice, audi/, melanopterus , are as unquestionably thorough-
bred Stilts, having all the parts mentioned above black in-
stead of white. These are the important characters which
date farthest back, but it is worthy of note that in these two
groups the black mantle, &c., is correlated with a straight
bill, very slightly webbed feet, and the absence of a hind toe ;
wliilst the white mantle is correlated with a recurved bill,
strongly webbed feet, and the presence of a hind toe. We
have now two species left, H. andinus and H. pectoralis. The
former is called an Avocet, and the latter a Stilt, by the

328 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

writers who place such an extravagant value on structural
characters. In my opinion H. andiniis is a model represen-
tative of a Semi-stilt. It has the black mantle and wings of
the Stilts^ whilst its strain of Avocet blood crops up in the
less important characters of its recurved bill, webbed feet,
and hind toe. H. pectoralis, on the other hand, is an ex-
cellent Semi-avocet, its white mantle and the white on its
wings proclaiming it an Avocet, whilst its straight bill and
the absence of a hind toe show its relationship to the
Stilts.

The third step in the argument is the apportioning of the
four groups to the four routes. The case is a very simple
one. The Semi-stilt and the Semi-avocet are, by the terms
of the hypothesis, the representatives of the two Pacific-
coast emigrations ; and as the Semi-stilt inhabits Peru, and
the Semi-avocet Australia, there can be no dispute that the
Semi-stilts emigrated along the American shores of the
Pacific, and the Semi-avocets along the Asiatic shores of
that ocean. The shores of the Pacific are so much more
mountainous than those of the Atlantic, that the ice of the
Glacial periods must have extended much further south on
the former than it did on the shore of the Atlantic, a cir-
cumstance which may account for the fact that the Semi-
stilt and the Semi-avocet both crossed the line and settled
in the cooler parts of the southern hemisphere. The Avocets
consequently represent the Old-World pair, the true Avocets
migrating along the Atlantic coast. The Stilts being the
New-World couple, we must apportion the Atlantic coast of
America to the true Stilts.

Their further migrations must be considered when their
mutual relationships have been discussed. The first group
contains three species, which may be regarded as true
Avocets.

HiMANTOPUS AVOCETTA.

Avocetta avocetta, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 538 (1760).
Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 256 (1766) ;
et auctorum plurimorum.

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himautopus. 229

Scolopax avocetta (Briss.), Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 92
(1769) .

Avocetta europaa, Dumont, Diet. Sc. Nat. iii. p. 339
(1816).

Recurvirostra sinensis, Swinhoe, Ibis^ 1867^ p. 401.

Plates: Dresser^ Birds of Europe, vii. pi. 534; Gould,
Birds of Gt. Britain, iv. pi. 53.

Habits : Seebohm, British Birds, iii. p. 74.

Effgs : Seebohm, British Birds, pi. 24. figs. 2, 5.

The Common Avocet may be distinguished by the colour
of its forehead, crown, and hind neck, which are black in the
adult and broivn in young in first plumage. Its white inner-
most secondaries when adult are also peculiar to the species.

The increase of population and the drainage of marshes
have restricted the breeding-places of the Avocet in Europe
to the islands off the coast of Denmark and Holland, the
marshes of Southern Spain, the delta of the Rhone, and the
lagoons on the shores of the Black Sea. To Southern Scan-
dinavia and the rest of Central and Southern Europe, with
the exception above mentioned, the Avocet has become, as it
is in our islands, only an accidental visitor ; but further east
it is more abundant, breeding in Palestine and Persia, where
it is a resident, and in North Turkestan, the extreme south-
west of Siberia, South-east Mongolia, and South Dauria,
where it is a summer visitor, wintering in China, Formosa
Hainan, India, and occasionally Ceylon. It has been re-
corded from the main island of Japan. In Asia Minor it is
principally known on passage, though a few are said to
remain during the winter ; and it is said to breed throughout
Africa in suitable localities.

HiMANTOPUS RUBRICOLLIS.

Recurvirostra novae-hollandicR , Vieillot, N. Diet. d^Hist,
Nat. iii. p. 103 (1816).

Recurvirostra rubricollis, Temminck, Man. d^Orn. ii. p. 592
(1820) ; et auctorum plurimorum.

Avocetta novce-hollandia, Ellman, Zoologist, 1861, p. 7470.

Plates : Gould, Birds of Australia, vi. pi. 27.

230 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

Habits : Buller, Birds of New Zealand, p. 201.

Effffs : Campbell, Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,
p. 55.

The Australian x\vocet may be diagnosed at all ages by its
combination of the following characters : — secondaries white
on both webs, a great deal of white on the scapulars, biit none
on the innermost secondaries. In breeding-plumage the head
and neck are chestnut.

It is found throughout Australia, except in the extreme
north, and occasionally occurs in Tasmania, New Zealand^
and Norfolk Island.

The Australian Avocet is an intermediate form between
the Common Avocet and the North- American Avocet ; it
has less white on the wing than the former and more than
the latter.

Himantopus americanus.

Recurvirostra americana, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 693
(1788); et auctorum plurimorum.

Recurvirostra occidenialis, Vigors, Zool. Journ. iv. p. 356
(1829).

Plates : Wilson, Amer. Orn. pi. 63. fig. 2 ; Gray, Gen.
Birds, iii. pi. 155.

Habits : Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water-Birds N.
Amer. i. p. 341.

Eggs : Thienemann, Vogeleiern, pi. ixvi. fig. 3.

The North-American Avocet may be distinguished at all
ages by the colour of its secondaries, which are white, with a
large patch of brown on the outer web. In breeding-plumage
the head and neck are pale chestnut.

It breeds in North America, as far north as the Great Slave
Lake, and as far south as Texas. To the northern portion
of its range it is only a summer visitor, wintering in Central
America and the West Indies.

These three species constitute the group of true Avocets.
Their ancestors seem to have left the Polar basin by way of
the European shores of the Atlantic, and to have occupied
Africa and the southern portion of the Palsearctic Region.

Mr. H. Seebohra on the Genus Himantopus. 231

Finding the Oriental Region already occupied during the
breeding-season by the Stilts^ they seem to have sent off a
detachment to Australia during the Glacial period. Here
also the ground appears to have been partially occupied
by congeneric species^ so that a second emigration became
necessary, which found a home on the west coast of the
United States.

Himantopus pectoralis,

Recurvirostra leucocephala, Vieillot, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat.
iii. p. 103 (1816).

Recurvirostra orientalis, Cuvier, Reg. An. i. p. 496 (1817).

Leptorhynchus pectoralis, Dubus, Mag. Zool. v. pi. 45
(1835) ; et auctorum plurimorum.

Himantopus palmatus, Gould, Syn. Birds Austr. ii. pi. 14
(1837).

Cladorhynchus pectoralis (Dubus), Gray, List Gen. Birds,
p. 69 (1840).

Cladorhynchus orientalis (Cuv.), Selys-Longch. Bull. d'Ac.
Roy. Belg. xviii. pt. i. p. 9 (1851).

Cladorhynchus leucocephalus (Vieill.), Harting, Ibis, 1874,
p. 252.

Plates : Gould, Birds of Australia, vi. pi. 26.

Habits : Gould, Handb. B. Austr, ii. p. 248.

Egffs : Campbell, Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,
p. 55.

The Banded Stilt (or Banded Avocet, as it ought to be
called) may be distinguished at all ages and seasons by its
white mantle and brown scapulars, a combination found in no
other species of the genus. A second and equally good
diagnosis is webbed feet, but no hind toe. In breeding-
plumage the lower breast is chestnut, shading into a brown
ventral band.

It is a resident in the southern half of Australia, and has
occurred in Tasmania.

The Banded Avocet is the sole representative of the Semi-
avocets, which I have endeavoured to show probably emi-
grated from the Polar basin along the Pacific coast of Asia.

232 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

HiMANTOPUS ANDINUS.

Recurvirostra andina, Philippi & Landbeck, Wiegm. Arch.
1863, pt. i. p. 131.

Plate : Harting, Ibis, 1874, pi. ix.

Habits : Philippi and Landbeck, loc. cit.

Eggs : unknown.

The Peruvian Avocet (or Peruvian Stilt, as it should be
called) is the only species of the genus having webbed feet
and a hind toe which has no white on the secondaries.

It is only known from a plateau of the Peruvian Andes,
16,000 feet above the sea.

The Peruvian Stilt is the sole representative of the Semi-
stilts, which, according to my hypothesis, emigrated from
the Polar basin along the Pacific coast of America.

Himantopus mexicanus.

Himantopus nigricollis, Vieillot, N. Diet. d^Hist. Nat. x.
p. 42 (1817).

Himantopus mexicanus, Ord, Wils. Orn. Amer. vii. p. 52
(1824) ; et auctorum plurimorum.

Hypsibates nigricollis (VieilL), Cabanis, Schomb. Guian.
iii. p. 758 (1818).

Macrotarsus nigricollis (Vieill.), Gundlach, Journ. Orn.
1856, p. 422.

Plates: Wilson, Am. Orn. pi. 58. fig. 2; Sclater & Salvin,
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 453 (woodcut of head).

Habits : Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer.
i. p. 346.

Eggs : Thienemann, Vogeleiern, pi. Ixiii. fig. 6.

The North- American Stilt is an intermediate form between
the Common Stilt and the Chilian Stilt. It may be recog-
nized by the distribution of the black on the back of the neck,
which not oxAy passes underneath the eye but also extends
over the crown and joins the black on the mantle. Young
in first plumage resemble adults, except that the black is
replaced by brown.

It breeds iu the southern half of North America, and

Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus, 233

winters in the uortliern half of South America, but iu the
central portion of its range it is said to be a resident.

HiMANTOPUS BRASILIENSIS.

Himantopus brasiliensis, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 684
(1831).

Himantopus iiigricollis , auctorum multorum, nee Vieillot.

Plates : Sclater & Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 454
(woodcut of head) ; Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water-
Birds N. Amer. i. p. 345 (coloured plate of head).

^'^^^^*' I Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 162.

The Chilian Stilt may be recognized by the distribution of
the black on the back of the neck, which extends underneath
the eye, but not on the croivn, and is almost always separated
from the black mantle by a white collar. Young in first
plumage are supposed to differ only in being duller in
colour.

It is said to breed in the Chilian subregion of South
America, the more southerly birds migrating northwards iu
autumn to winter in South Brazil.

The Chilian Stilt appears to be most nearly related to the
Australian Stilt, scarcely differing from it except in having a
black band on the side of the head, and less white on the
collar. It is, however, almost as nearly related to the North
American Stilt, being, in fact, an intermediate form between
the two.

Himantopus leucocephalus.

Himantopus leucocephalus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837,
p. 26; et auctorum plurimorum.

Himantopus novce-hollandice, Bonaparte, Compt. Rend, xliii.
p. 421 (1856).

Himantopus albus, Ellman, Zoologist, 1861, p. 7470.

Plates : Gould, Birds of Australia, vi. pi. 24.

Habits : Gould, Handb. B. Austr. ii. p. 246.

Eggs : BuUer, Birds of New Zealand, p. 204.

The Australian Stilt may be recognized when adult by the

SER. V. VOL. IV. s

234 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

distribution of the black on the back of the neck, which does
not extend to any part of the head, and is separated from the
black mantle by a white collar. Young in first plumage are
said to resemble the young of" the Common Stilt.

The Australian Stilt breeds in Australia and New Zealand,
and has occurred in Tasmania. It is probably only a winter
visitor to the Malay Archipelago, where it has been recorded
from New Guinea, Celebes, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, the
Philippines, and some of the smaller islands.

It is most nearly related to the Black Stilt on the one
hand, and on the other to the South- American Stilt.

Himantopus novvE-zelandi/E.

Himantopus novas- z el andia, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1841,
p. 8; et auctorum plurimorum.

Himantopus melas, Hombr. & Jacq. Ann. Sc. Nat. Paris,
xvi. p. 320 (1841).

Himantopus niger, Ellman, Zoologist, 1861, p. 7470.

Himantopus spicatus, Potts, Trans. New Z. Inst. 1872,
p. 198.

Plates : Gould, Birds of Australia, vi. pi. 25.

Habits : BuUer, Birds of New Zealand, p. 205.

Eggs : Harting, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1874, pi. Ix. fig. 10.

The Black Stilt in adult summer plumage is black all over,
more or less glossed with green on the upper parts. In
winter plumage it is difficult to distinguish from H. leuco-
cephalus, but in the Black Stilt the sides as well as the back
of the neck are black, and the white collar and central tail-
feathers are marked with black. The latter character is still
more marked in young in first plumage.

The Black Stilt is a resident in New Zealand, and is said
to stray occasionally to Australia.

The similarity of the winter plumage to that of the Aus-
tralian Stilt proves the close relationship of the two species.
The Black Stilt doubtless emigrated either from Chili or
from Australia to New Zealand, and acquired in the latter
country a special nuptial dress, the result, in all probability,
of sexual selection.

Mr, H. Seebohm on the Genus Himautopus. 235

HiMANTOPUS MELANOPTERUS.

Himantopus himantojnis, Briss. Orn. v. p. 34 (1760).

Charadnus himantopus^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 255 (176G).

Himantopus candidus, Bonn. Tabl. Encycl. i. p. 24 (1790).

Himantopus vulgaris, Bechst. Orn. Tasclieub. ii. p. 325
(1803).

Cursorius himantopus (Briss.), Turton, Brit. Faun. p. 02
(1807).

Himantopus rufipes, Bechst. Naturg. Deutsclil. iii. p. 446
(1809).

Himantopus atropterus, Meyer, Taschenb. ii. p. 315 (1810).

Himantopus melanopterus, Meyer, Ann. Wetter. Gesellsch.
iii. p. 177 (1814) ; et auctornm plurimorum.

Himantopus albicollis, Vieill. N. Diet. d^Hist. Nat. x. p. 41
(1817).

Hypsibates himantopus (Briss.), Nitzseh, Ersch u. Grub.
Encycl. xvi. p. 150 (1827).

Himantopus plinii, Flem. Brit. An. p. 112 (1828).

Himantopus asiaticus, Less. Bev. Zool. 1839, p. 44.

Himantopus intermedius, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc.
p. 265 (1849).

Himantopus autumnalis (Hasselquist), apud Gray, Holds-
worth, Legge, Heuglin, Walden, Gurney, &c.

Plates : Dresser, Birds of Europe, vii. pis. 535, 536.

Habits : Seebohm, British Birds, iii. p. 79.

Eggs: Seebohm, British Birds, pi. 24. figs. 4, 6.

The Common Stilt, when in fully adult male plumage, may
be recognized by its pure white head and neck. Less mature
birds have black on the back of the neck, extending over the
crown, biit not reaching the m,antle. Young in first plumage
scarcely difl'er from those of the North- American Stilt.

The Common Stilt is most abundant during the breeding-
season in India and Ceylon, where its numbers are increased
during winter. Further east it is found during the cold
season in Burma ; and stragglers have occurred in Cochin
China, Timor, the Philippine Islands, and North China.
West of India it is a regular summer visitor to Afghanistan,
Turkestan, North Persia, Palestine, Asia Minor, to the salt-

s 2

236 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Himantopus.

lakes of the Kalmuk and Kirghis steppes^ the lagoons on the
shores of the Black Sea, the delta of the Rhone, and the
marismas of Southern Spain and Portugal. It is an acci-
dental straggler on migration to the rest of Europe as far
north as the Baltic. It is a resident in Northern Africa, where
its numbers are largely increased during winter, and it has
been found in various localities throughout that continent ;
but no reliable evidence of its breeding in South Africa has
been obtained. It has been found both in the Canary Islands
and Madagascar.

The five species last mentioned represent the true Stilts.
They are so closely related to each other that the precise
order of their emigration is not very easy to determine, but
we may begin by assuming that they left the Polar basin
along the Atlantic shores of America; thence they seem to
have crossed the tropics to the Chilian subregion of South
America, where the second species was isolated and differ-
entiated. A second detachment appears to have crossed the
Atlantic to the Canary Islands and Spain, whence they spread
eastwards up the Mediterranean to the Oriental Region.
Meanwhile the restricted area of the Chilian subregion seems
to have compelled some of the white-crowned Stilts to
emigrate a second time. They seem to have crossed the
Pacific to New Zealand and Australia, where those in-
habiting the former locality developed a special breeding-
plumage.

The lessons to be learnt from a study of the genus Himan-
topus appear to be numerous and important.

1st. The Zoological Regions of Sclater and Wallace, how-
ever important they may be as regards Passerine birds, throw
little or no light on the geographical distribution of the Stilts
and Avocets.

2nd. The key to their distribution is to be found in the
various coast-lines leading from the Polar basin.

3rd. The unnecessary splitting of genera makes it very
difficult for the student to understand the geographical dis-
tribution of birds.

4th. The exaggerated importance too often attached to so-

On some new Pai^adise-birds. 237

called structural characters makes it still more difficult for
the student to perceive the true relationship of birds.

5th. The differentiation of species in consequence of isola-
tion^ and the production of subspecific forms in consequence
of semi-isolation^ prove the great importance of interbreeding
in preventing the indefinite multiplication of species.

XXIX. — On some new Paradise-birds.
By O. FiNscH and A. B. Meyer*.

(Plate VII.)

Amongst the collectors who at first founded and aftervpards
materially increased our knowledge of the zoology of South-
eastern New Guinea^ the principal credit is due to our
fellow-countryman, Karl Hunstein^ of Friedberg, in Hesse.
A first-rate shot, collector, and observer, it was he wlio,
after the failure of the gold-diggers^ expedition (in the ranks
of which he first visited New Guinea, seven years ago), in
company with the well-known collector, Andrew Goldie,
made several excursions into the same district of New
Guinea and eastwards to Milne Bay and the d^Entrecasteaux
Islands. In all these expeditions, which (although con-
siderable collections of natural -history and ethnographical
objects were made) had the main object of gold-prospecting,
Hunstein, although his name has not hitherto been brought
prominently forward, was the real collector fj and to him our
thanks are due for the discovery of most of the new birds
transmitted by Goldie to Australia and England.

* [Translated, by permission of the uutliors, fi-om their article in the
' Zeitschrift fii]- die gesammte Ornithologie,' 1885, Heft iv., entitled
" Vogel von Neu-Guinea, zumeist aus den Alpenregion am Siidost-
abhange des Owen-Stanley Gebirges (Hufeisengebii-ge, 7000-8000 f.
hoch), gesammelt von Karl Hunstein," part i.]

t See Sharpe, Ann. Nat. Hist. (5) yi. p. 231 (1880) ; id. Jouru. Linn.
Soc, Zool. xvi. p. 423 (1883) ; Eamsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. viii.
p. 15 (1883) et X. p. 242 (1885). Phonygama hmsteim, Sharpe (op. cit.
p. 442), and Donacicola hunsteini, Finsch (Ibis, 1886, p. 1, pi. i.), are both
named after Hunstein.

238

Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

Before 1880 Hunstein^ ulong with Dan, O'Connor and
other gold-diggers, had penetrated into the heart of the
Owen-Stanley Mountains, as far as the south-western branch
of the range, which was named by him " Horseshoe Moun-
tain/'' On information furnished by the above-named ex-
plorers, Finsch, during his sojourn in South-eastern New
Guinea in 1882, where he met with them in Port Moresby,

WEfJ ST/^NL£Y /W*

HUNSTfilN^ COLLe.(TINC-STAT«lN
IN TH£ HORSe-SHoe Mout/rAIDIi

THE Po/nfT Pfte^iou-f(-y neACMfPBi Hon3T£jti

HON A fALLS

■^y

District of Port Moresby.

prepared a rough map of this district, which has not yet
been published and from which the map herewith given has
been taken.

Hunstein left Goldie and his companions in 1883, and
in 1884 undertook on liis own account an expedition to the
Owen-Stanley Mountains with the intention of getting to a
higher elevation than before, because he knew from his

some neio Paradise-birds. 239

jjrevious experience that by this meaus only he could expect
to make new discoveries^ especially among the Paradise- birds.
He went first, accompanied by only one native attendant, to
the Astrolabe Mountains, which he had already repeatedly
visited, and the inhabitants of which he knew well, and met
with a friendly reception.

The Astrolabe Mountains constitute a plateau, divided into
two districts by a confluent of the Goldie river, the Laloki,
which breaks out of them between two steep ridges of rock
and forms below them the imposing " E,ona Falls/^ These
districts are called — that on the western side '' Taburi,'^ and
that on the eastern " Schogari/' It may be remarked that
on the Astrolabe range, the height of which is given at
3824 feet on the English charts, the nights are cold, and the
constant precipitation makes a residence very unpleasant
for the collector.

After passing by the sources of the river *' Camp Welsh,^^
which flows into Hood Bay, Hunstein made his first halt at
Moroke, the chief village of the district of the same name,
and began his collecting there. Undeterred by the warnings
of the natives, the bold explorer pushed forward thence into
the Horseshoe Mountain, which lies between Mount Owen-
Stanley and Mount Obree of the English charts, a region
into which he, as in many other spots in New Guinea, was
the first white man to place his foot. Here the vegetation was
already sufficient to convince the practised eye that heights
had been reached which had never before been attained by
any collector in this district. There appeared a world of
new trees and new plants. The discovery of a rhododendron
with wonderful white flowers, which has been since described
by our celebrated fellow-countryman. Baron v. Miiller of
Melbourne, leaves no doubt of the truth of this. Rhodo-
dendrons have also been found in the Arfak Mountains, in
North-western New Guinea. But the keen collector was
rewarded not only by finding rare plants, but also by the
discovery of new species of birds. Amongst those were
three beautiful and previously unknown Paradise-birds, to
which two more were afterwards added.

240 Drs. O. Finscli and A. B. Meyer on

It is quite evident that the stay in tliis mountain-region,
where continuous precipitation renders the preparation of
birds very laborious and that of plants almost impossible,
vras an excessively hard task, and one that could be only
undertaken by a man of steel and iron^ who was at the same
time on the best terms with the natives, and a person of
untiring industry and unbroken strength. Such a man was
Karl Hunstein. Avoiding the scattered habitations of the
natives, who were by no means friendly, Hunstein passed his
time in the bush, and ascended almost daily the mountain-
chain about 2000 feet higher, in order to obtain the beautiful
Paradise-birds, of the existence of which he became assured
by the feathered ornaments worn by the natives. Amongst
these were, along with others, the tail-feathers of the male of
the Epimachus meyeri, which Hunstein at once recognized as
a new species, but of which, in spite of every effort, he only
succeeded in obtaining a single female. This bird, as well as
Astrarchia stephanice and Paradisornis rudolpM, were only
to be met with in a hostile district, into which Hunstein
could occasionally penetrate when unnoticed by the natives,
and not without danger to his own life.

The greater part of the collections now to be described were
obtained in this interesting and previously untrodden mountain -
region, which, on account of the presence of the rhododendron,
may be appropriately termed alpine. Very little was col-
lected at Moroke, and nothing in the coast-district of Port
Moresby, where the vegetation resembles that of Australia in
its Eucalypti, or upon the way from Port Moresby to the
Astrolabe range.

It is due to the fortunate incident that one of us, already
well known to Hunstein, in whose company he had made
a journey in 1882 into the interior from Port Moresby,
met the latter in Cooktown, that this very interesting col-
lection has found its way to Dresden, and thus to be pub-
lished, although after much greater delay than was desirable"^.

* The typical specimens have been raostl}' placed in the Royal Zoolo-
gical Museum at Dresden.

some new Paradise-birds. 241

Besides this first portion treating of the Paradise-birds col-
lected, a second paper will be given devoted to birds of other
families. We also take this opportunity of mentioning a few
species which Finsch obtained from the English collector,
McCormac, during his visit to Milne Bay, and which are
from the coast-district, no collector in this neighbourhood
having yet penetrated into the interior.

A Paradise-bird obtained in exchange from the natives on
the previously unvisited north-east coast of Kaiser- Wilhelms-
land has also turned out to be a new species {Paradisea
finschi). Lastly, we take this opportunity of mentioning
some species belonging to the same district which were
obtained by Meyer in his former journey on the coast of the
Bay of Geelvink.

Among the nineteen species of Paradise-birds mentioned
in this memoir, six appear to be new to science, and amongst
these are two of new genera, Astrarchia and Paradisorriis.
Besides this, we have been able to describe the hitherto
unknown females of two species, Parotia lawesi and Lopho-
rhina minor, as also the hitherto unknown and splendid
male of one species, Amblyornis subalaris. All these, except
Paradisea finschi, of Kaiser- Wilhelmsland, come from Horse-
shoe Mountain.

Lastly, during the necessary comparisons, we have felt
constrained to separate an already known species of Paradise-
bird from the island of Jobie as Diphyllodes jobiensis, and a
hitherto overlooked species from the south of the Bay of
Geelvink as Manucodia rubiensis.

Berlin and Dresden, November 1885.

1. Manucodia chalybeata.

Examples of this species from the coast of Milne Bay,
opposite the Killerton Islands, agree very well with spe-
cimens from Andai, Passim, and Inwiorage, on the Bay
of Geelvink {Meyer), except that in the former the neck-
feathers seem to be more brilliantly coloured and are alto-
gether rather more bluish.

242 Drs. O. Fiiisch and A. B. Meyer on

2. Manucodia iiuBiENsis, Mejer^ sp. nov.

M. cluilybeata simillima^ sed minor : long, alee 155-1 GO^
caudie 126-8^ rostri 32-33 millitn.

Hub. Rubi^ Nov. Guin.

From this most southern point of the Bay of Gcelvink,
which is very remarkable in its ornithology, two examples
{Meyer) lie before us, which are distinguished by their small
size from those of other localities. Besides, the under
surface of the neck seems to be green in place of blue, and
tlie curling of the feathers is very slightly developed. The
bill is but little stronger than in Phonygama keraudreni.

3. Manucodia atra (Less.).

Examples of this species from the Aroo Islands seem rather
larger than those from the Bay of Gcelvink (Dorey, Passim,
Inwiorage : Meyer) .

Guillemard (P. Z. S. 1885, p. 646) is of opinion that
M. atra and M. chalybeata are not specifically different,
although the form and size of the bill are alone sufficient to
prove this idea untenable. Moreover, Guillemard^s alleged
reason, that it is not probable that two so nearly allied species
should occur in the same district, is untenable for New
Guinea, as there are many analogous cases known. The
same author gives measurements of M. jobiensis smaller
than those of Salvadori; but these differences are perhaps
attributable to sex.

4. Phonygama purpureo-violacka, Meyer, sp. nov.

P. keraudreni similis, sed dorso, alis caudaque purpureo-

violaceis, concoloribus, et occipitis coUique plurais

valde elongatis distinguenda : long, tota 300, alae 106-

167, caudae 130, rostri 30-31, tarsi 34 millim.

Whole upper surface up to the head and neck beautiful

purplish violet ; under surface green, with bluish glance,

especially on the sides ; under surface of wings and tail

greyish black. Side-feathers of the head still more lengthened

than in P. keraudreni, the neck-feathers all around broader

and markedly longer, and bluish green in colour, like the

whole head, tipped with blue only on the nape. The upper

mandible is furrowed longitudinally, of which there is only a

some new Paradise-birds. 243

slight appearance in P. keraudreni, and the base of the bill
is rather narrower.

This species differs from P. keraudreni in the uniform
coloration of the wings and back^ as also in the brilliancy
and nuance of the colour, besides in the much lengthened
head- and neck-feathers. From P. hunsteini, Sharpe (Journ.
Linn. Soc, Zool. xvi. p. 442), it differs in its smaller size,
which agrees with that of P. keraudreni ; moreover, there is
no blue in P. hunsteini, and the head is oil-green, whereas it
is bluish green in P.puiyureo-violacea. Sharpe is of opinion
that P. hunsteini comes from Normanby Island.

5. Parotia lawesi, Ramsay, Pr. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. x.
p. 243.

Mr. Ramsay has described only the male of this species,
of which the female differs from the corresponding sex of
P. se.rpennis more than the male.

Fern. Supra brunnea ; capite et collo nigris ; corpore subtus
brunnescente, nigro transfasciolato ; subalaribus obscure
cinnamomeis : long, tota 250, ahe 142-144, caudae 100,
rostri culm. 15, rostri hiatus 34, tarsi 45 millim.

The female of P. sexpennis is silver-grey on the under
surface, with undulating punctures of black and yellow, and
similar under wing-coverts. That of P. lawesi is below
bright reddish brown, with black cross markings, and has
uniform chestnut-brown under wing-coverts. At the back
of the head the feathers are lengthened and are of a dark
chestnut- brown narrowly edged with black, and with black
bases ; the feathers on the sides of the head are not so much
lengthened as in P. sexpennis. Thus, although the upper
surfaces of tbe two females are nearly similar, except for the
longer tail of P. sexpennis, their lower surfaces are altogether
different.

The young male of P. laivesi is like the female, but is not
of so light a red-brown above, has a black neck, and on the
under surface is of a deeper and brighter brown-red colour.
The length of the tail is 100 millim.

The principal differences between the males of the two
species are as follows : — The frontal feathers of P. lawesi

244 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

form uot a broad but a narrow plaque, and their tips
converge in the middle into a straight line running back-
wards ; the plaque is narrowed and prolonged behind^ where
it passes into a dark olive-brown. The neck-shield is of a
uniform steel-blue with violet nuance, instead of green and
blue. The vinous-red silky tinge of the upper surface is
absent ; its hue is much paler. The shortness of the tail is
also especially noteworthy : in P. sexpennis it measures 130-
135 milUm., in P. lawesi only 84-88 millim. ; so that the
female and young male of P. lawesi have a longer tail than
the adult male.

6. LOPHORINA MINOR.

Lophorina superba minor, Hamsay, Pr. Linn. Soc. N. S.W.
X. p. 24.2(1885).

Mr. Ramsay has described the male of this new species
from South-eastern New Guinea. The female was unknown
to him.

Fern. Similis feminse L. superba, sed supra olivaceo-brunnea,
minor, et taenia superciliari in occipite confluente, varie-
gata, distinguenda : long, tota 220, ake 120, caudae
80, rostri culm. 21, rostr. hiatus 30, tarsi 28 millim.

The measurements of the female of L. superba are '^ wing
125, tail 95-100 millim.^^ The head and neck are black in
L. minor as in L. superba, but L. minor has on each side a
broad superciliary stripe of white-spotted feathers which
unite at the nape. In L. superba only slight indications of
this superciliary stripe are perceptible behind the eyes. In
L. minor the face and sides of the neck are spotted like the
throat, in L. superba these parts are black. The lower
surface of L. minor seems somewhat more yellowish than in
L. superba, and the back, the smaller wing-coverts, and the
tertials as well as the tail are olive-brown instead of dark
chestnut-brown. The outer edges of the secondaries are
broad and rusty brown in L. minor, in L. superba they are
narrower and brown, and the inner Avebs of the wiug-
feathers beneath are broad and bright rusty brown, instead
of being imiform blackish brown. Thus the females of the
two species are quite distinct.

some new Paradise-birds. 245

The principal difiPerence between the males of the two species
is in the scaling of the middle portion of the breast-shield,
where in L. minor each feather bears a tongue-shaped velvety-
black stripe, which does not quite reach to the point. Ram-
say does not allude to this particular. Besides in L. minor
the nasal plumes are shorter, while the chin-plumes are
longer ; the metallic plate at the back of the head is edged
with violet, and the whole bird is somewhat smaller. More-
over, the outer feathers of the breast-shield appear to be
considerably longer.

In a young male specimen the breast-shield is already
somewhat developed, but not so the neck-shield; the colour
of the former is reddish violet and already shows the black
central stripes on the central feathers. The upper and
under surfaces are as in the female, except the wings, which
have begun to change. The superciliary stripes do not join
at the back of the head, as is the case in the female. The
head-shield shows the violet tinge stronger than in the adult
male.

AsTRARCHiA, Mcycr, nov. gen.

Rectricibus duabus intermediis longissimis, naviculiformibus,
superne concavis et rectricibus lateralibus brevibus, a
genere Astrapia differt.

7. AsTRARCHIA STEPHANIE, Sp. UOV.

Mas. Pileo nitide cseruleo et viridi-violaceo, fronte, loris et
genis nitide viridibus, frontis plumis velutinis, erectis ;
capitis lateribus plumis longis, velutinis, viridibus,
purpureo- et cupreo-violaceo ornatis ; scapularibus,
interscapulio, dorso, uropygio, axillaribus et hypochon-
driis nigro-velutiuis, sub quadam luce olivaceo-niten-
tibus ; supracaudalibus nigro-velutinis ; gula,' gutture
et collo antico seneo-viridibus, sub quadam luce
cajrulescentibus, colli lateribus plumis longis ornatis ;
fascia pectoral! lata nigra, sub quadam luce oliA^aceo
et lilaceo nitente, fascia nitidissime cuprea cincta ;
corpore subtus obscure cupreo-velutino, sub quadam
luce viridi ; crisso et subcaudalibus nigro-violaceis ;
tibiis violaceo-nigris ; alls et alarum tectricibus nigris,
plus minusve purpureo-nitentibus ; subalaribus violaceo
marginatis ; rectricibus duabus intermediis longissimis.

246 Drs, O. Fiusch and A.. B. Meyer on

naviculiformibus^ superne concavis, nitide rosco-violaceis^
subtus iiigris ; rectricibus lateralibus brevibus^ superne
concavis, supra et subtus nigris ; rectricum duarum
intermediaruni scapis supra ad basin albis ; rostro
nigro ; pedibus nigris ; iride nigra : long. tot. 840, al.
15G, caud. 64, rostr. 25, rostr. hiat. 30, tarsi 41 millim.
Male. Nasal feathers, directed rather forwards, velvety
black tipped with shining metallic green and blue; loral
feathers recumbent, directed forwards, shining green ; region
round the eye likewise metallic green ; rest of the head a mix-
ture of metallic green, blue, violet, and purple. Lengthened
feathers on the sides of the head velvet-black, with metallic
reflections passing from green into violaceous copper-colour
and bronze. Neck and upper back velvety black with
greenish bronzy reflections ; the feathers long and loose ;
upper tail-coverts black. Wings above black, secondaries on
the outer webs, tertiaries on both webs, and upper wing-
coverts with slight violet reflections ; lower surface of wings
blackish, under wing-coverts partially edged with violet.
Chin, throat, and front of neck steel-green, with metallic re-
flections ; the covered basal portions of the feathers brownish
black, separated from the broad green apical portions by a
concealed narrow blue band ; the whole of the feathers of
the neck-shield in some lights blue, and lengthened, except
those on the sides of the throat. A broad band across the
breast, almost two centimetres in diameter, is velvet-black,
with bronzy, greenish, blue, and violet reflections ; this is
bordered below by another band of metallic cojiper four
millimetres in breadth. Belly velvety black, with copper-
brown and green reflections. Under tail-coverts black, with
a bluish- tinge. The flanks and axillaries resemble the
upper surface. The thighs are violet-black. Tail black ;
the webs of two elongated middle rectrices, which are turned
upwards and arched together, are of a delicate rosy purplish
with metallic gloss ; the shorter and less concave lateral
rectrices are less metallic, and the bands of shading are less
pronounced. The basal third of the shafts of the two middle
tail-feathers on their upper surface are clear white; the
rest of the shafts black. Bill, feet, and irides black.

some new Paradise-birds. 247

It is especially the form of tlic tail that gives us the
opportunity of separating this new species generically^ inas-
much as the subdivision of the Paradise-birds into genera has
now-a-days been carried to so great an extent, whether
rightly or wrongly we need not at the present moment
inquire. The webs of the two central tail-feathers (about
10 centimetres broad and 64 long) are arched upwards
towards one another so as to form a sort of open channel ;
towards the ends their edges approach so near one another
as to constitute a broadened pipe ; the webs of the lateral
feathers are similarly turned up^ but to a less extent. While
the tail of Astrajna nigra is regularly graduated, in that of
Astrarchia the graduation is irregular. But besides this, the
deviations from Astrapia are so numerous that the generic
separation can be well substantiated.

In Astrarchia stephanice the lengthened feathers of the
chin are wanting, and the feathers of the neck-shield are
not curved upwards, but smooth and recumbent. Besides,
in Astrarchia the large lateral head-plumes are wanting,
although the corresponding feathers are somewhat elongated.
Again, the metallic band from the eye down the neck to the
breast and the green band at the back of the neck are both
absent, besides which there are other minor differences in
coloration, which it is not necessary to enumerate. It need
only be remarked that the colour of the middle tail-feathers
is more blue in Astrapia nigra than in Astrarchia stc-
phanicE.

We have only the male of this species, which has been
named by Finsch after the Archduchess Stephanie, Crown-
Princess of Austria.

8. Epimachus meyeri, Finsch, sp. nov.

Fern. Supra brunnescenti-olivacea ; capitis plumis obscure
fuscis, rufo marginatis, nucha rufescente ; loris et capitis
lateribus nigrescentibus, clarius variegatis ; gutture
iisdem coloribus, sed subtiliter transfasciolato ; coi-pore
subtus et subalaribus fasciis alternis nigrescentibus et
brunnescenti-albidis ornatis; alls dorso concoloribus,
subtus fuscis ; Cauda olivacea, supra vix brunnescente

248 Drs. O. Fiusch and A. B. Meyer on

tiiicta, subtus pallidiore ; rostro et pedibus nigris ; iride
cserulea : long. tot. circa 540-550, al. 158-160, caad.
320, rostr. 73, tars. 42 millim.

Of this species we have only a female, which, however, is
easily distinguished from the female of the allied E. speciosus
by its more olive-coloured upper surface, by the want of the
rusty-red colour on the wings, by the brighter reddish brown
of the head, which is also extended on to the nape, by the
scale-like appearance of the head, and, lastly, by the fine
undulations of the whole under surface. 'J'lie bright cross
stripes are more olive-yellow than in E. speciosus ; the under
surface of the wings is uniform blackish grey with scarcely
brighter margins instead of the reddish-brown inner webs of
E. speciosus, and the tail has no reddish tinge. The bill is
but slightly longer than in E. speciosus, but considerably
more compressed and less curved.

That this is not the unknown female of E. ellioti. Ward,
is evident from the length of the bill, which in E. ellioti is
50 millim. This is besides unlikely on other grounds. In
E. speciosus the bill is of about the same length in both
sexes. It is evident that the unknown male of E. meyeri
will probably be found to differ in not unimportant points
from E. speciosus.

9. Drepanornis cervinicauda, Sclater.
D. albertisi similis, sed minor et pallidior.

The difference in the general size of the two species is not
very considerable, but the measurements of the bill and tail
are sufficiently different to make their constant variations of
importance when accompanied by appreciable diversities in
colour.

The whole upper surface in D. cervinicauda is brighter,
the back is more of a yellow-olive instead of brownish olive,
as in D. albertisi ; the lower back and rump rusty yellow
instead of rusty red, the tail pale yellow instead of rusty
yellow ; the edgings of the inner webs of the tertiaries are
like the tail, whilst in D. albertisi the tail is much darker.
The reddish-blue sheen of the head, which is so apparent in
D. albertisi, is altogether, or almost altogether, wanting in

some new Paradise-birds. 249

D. cervinicauda ; the tufts of feathers above the eyes are
very small and consist only of a few feathers, whereas they are
larger in D. albertisi ; the naked spaces on the back of the
head are less extended in D. cervinicauda than in D. albertisi ;
the underside of the tail in D. cervinicauda is not much
brighter than in D. albertisi, so that there is a much greater
contrast between the two surfaces in the latter. Lastly, the
inner webs of the inner surface of the wings are broadly
edged with isabelline colour in D. cervinicauda, whereas in
D. albertisi these edgings have a strong brownish tinge.

The females are still more different in colour, inasmuch as
in D. albertisi the whole upper surface is rusty brown, while
in D. cervinicauda it is olive with the exception of the
tertials and the rump, which are rusty brown, but always
appreciably brighter than in D. albertisi. Again, the tail is
considerably brighter above, but nearly similar below. The
under surface of the body of D. cervinicauda is also rather
brighter, and apparently less regularly banded.

Drepanornis bruijni, Oust., from the eastern coast of the
Bay of Geelvink, is a perfectly distinct species from D. al-
bertisi and D. cervinicauda, as Oustalet^s description * and
examples of it now before us (from 136^° to 137° E. long.)
show. Especially remarkable is the stronger and light-
coloured bill. The full plumage of this species is not yet
known, unless it turns out that both sexes are clad alike in
dull plumage as in the specimens already obtained.

Drepanornis cervinicauda was placed by Salvadori (Orn.
Pap. ii. p. 553 and iii. p. 552) under D. bruijni and D. al-
bertisi with a quaere, by Ramsay (Proc. L. S. N. S. W. iv.
p. 469) and Sharpe (Journ. Linn, Soc, Zool. xvi. p. 445)
cursorily under D. albertisi, until Sclater (P. Z. S. 1883,
p. 578) distinguished the southern form as D. albertisi cer-
vinicauda, and Sharpe figured it in Gould's ' Birds of New
Guinea ' (pt. xviii. 1884, pi. 1) as D. cervinicauda. Our
view is that the specific rank is correct in this case, as in that
of so many other representative species in the ornis of New

* (y. Oustalet, Bull. Assoc. Sci. de France, 1880, p. 172 ; Ibis, 1881,
p. 164; Guillem. P. Z. S. 1885, p. 649.

SER. V. VOL. IV. T

250 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

Guinea. As regards the shades of coloration now in question,
the figures of D. albertisi given by Sclater (P. Z. S. 1873,
pi. xlvii.) and Gould (B. New Guin. pt. i. pi. iii. 1875) are
of little value.

10. Craspedophora intercedens, Sharpe.
Milne Bay.

To distinguish between this species and Craspedoyhora
magnifica is difficult; the differences are certainly small. It
seems that in the male the upper surface, especially on the
tertiaries, in a particular light, when the direction of the eye is
nearly parallel to the upper surface of the bird, tends rather
more to blue than to purple as in C. magnifica ; other obvious
differences it is not easy to discover. On the other hand the
female differs still more, as Sharpe (Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool.
xvi. p. 444) has pointed out. Certainly the upper surface is
brighter and the eye-stripe is not blackish ; but that the lower
surface is different, as Sharpe maintains, is not apparent in the
examples from Milne Bay.

The differences from C. albei'ti are also pointed out by
Sharpe, /. c, and those of the female of the last named
species agree with the characters given by Salvadori (Orn.
Pap. ii. p. 558). The upper surface of C. alberti passes into
olive, which is not the case in C. intercedens, although it
does not appear to have so much of a chestnut-brown tinge
as C. magnifica {cf. Salvadori, op. cit. p. 553). But I do
not doubt of the constant difference of the Southern New-
Guinea form from those of North-western New Guinea and
Australia, although the divergence is small. C. intercede?is,
however, seems to approach more nearly to C. magnifica than
to C alberti.

11. Paradisea finschi, Meyer, sp. nov.

Mas. P. minori similis, sed minor, et dorso, uropygio et

corpore subtus brunnescentibus : long, rostri 31, tarsi

40 millim.

Hab. Nova Guinea septentrionalis-occidentalis, Karan.

" I obtained only imperfect skins of this species from the

natives of the north-east coast (Emperor William^s Land) at

some new Paradise-birds. 251

142° 30' E. long., about 60 miles west of D'Urville Island :
on the Admiralty chart ' Passir Point ' is marked here, but
on such point exists in reality. Only at this one spot on the
north coast did the natives bring Paradise-bird skins for sale
along with ornamental plumes of Dasyptilus. All skins
from this locality are small in dimensions/^ {Finsch.)

The single native skin which constitutes the type of this
species has the brown of the upper surface not pure chest-
nut, as in P. minor, but paler brown, and the under surface
is not chestnut-brown with a vinous tinge as in P. minor, but
more of a reddish brown. These variations in colour are
very noticeable. Besides, P. finschi differs from P. minor in
the size and the form of the bill, which is more slender and
elongated in the latter ; its length in P. minor reaches 32-35
millim. in specimens in the Dresden Museum. There seems
to be also a difference in the colour of the upper mandible,
which in P. finschi has a light-coloured culmen.

In Western New Guinea P. minor occurs, in Southern
New Guinea P. novae-guineae (Salvad. Orn. Pap. ii. p. 609),
the latter approaching P. apoda of Aroo. From the north-
east of the great island no example of this form has yet
been brought, although we are assured of its occurrence
there, for example in Astrolabe Bay. It may be presumed
that the north-eastern form will be nearer to P. minor than
to P. apoda, because the great central chain of New Guinea
running from east to west cuts off the north from the south.
It would be interesting to ascertain whereabouts on the
north coast P. minor passes into P. finschi.

[The first species of Paradise-bird obtained from Emperor
William^s Land bears appropriately the name of its dis-
coverer, who at the same time was the first to mark out the
new German colony. — M.]

12. Paradisea raggiana, Sclater.

Astrolabe Mountains and Milne Bay.

At fifteen miles in the interior from Port Moresby, accord-
ing to Hunstein, this species is first met with, but does not
occur on the Horseshoe Mountain. It extends to Basilisk
Island and westward to Bentley Bay.

2t

252 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

Examples from Milne Bay seem to have the brownish-
violet breast- shield rather darker and the parts immediately
below also darker than examples from the Astrolabe Moun-
tains. In the latter also there appears to be a yellowish
nuance on the green throat-feathers, instead of the bluish
nuance of the former. The Milne-Bay specimens measure
about half a millimetre more in the length of the wing, and
also show a rather more yellowish nuance on the undersides
of the wings and tail when the direction of the eye is parallel
to the light falling upon it. But all these apparent differences
are very slight, and there is not sufficient evidence of their
constancy to separate the birds as local forms. At the same
time it is right to notice these small differences occurring in
neighbouring localities in order to arrive at a correct know-
ledge of the variation of species in connection with geo-
graphical distribution.

Paradisornis, Meyer, gen. nov.

Rostro altiore, magis compresso et curvato, rectricibusque
duabus intermediis angustis, spatuliformibus, a genere
Paradisea diflPert,

13. Paradisornis rudolphi, sp. nov. (Plate VII.)

P. rudolphi mas ab omnibus Paradiseis hucusque notis para-

cercorum plumarum forma et colore Cccruleo-cyaneo

differt. Sincipite, loris, genis, mento, gula et gutture

plumis velutinis,nigris, nitide obscure flavo- virescentibus ;

regione postoculari nuda ; oculis supra et subtus plumis

nitide albis, longis, sericeis ornatis ; occipite obscure

purpureo-castaneo nitente ; nucha et interscapulio nitide

nigrescentibus, plumis basin versus cinerascentibus,

medio cyaneis, apicibus nitide nigresceutibus ; dorso et

uropygio cserulescenti-nigro variegatis ; cauda supra

cserulescente ; alls supra cserulescenti-cyaneis, remigum

pogoniis internis nigris, alarum tectricibus cyaneis, ter-

tiariis interne clarius cyaneo marginatis; pectoris plumis

longis nigrescentibiis, abdomen versus virescenti-cseru-

leo nitentibus ; abdomine et tibiis nigris, nitentibus ;

cauda subtus cyanescente, subcaudalibus virescenti-

nigricantibus ; alis subtus fuscis, remigum priniariorum

Ibis. 18 8 6. PI . VII.

PAKADISORT^IS RUDOLPH!

some neio Paradise-birds. 253

marginibus intemis cinereis, secundariorum cyanescenti-
bus ; subalaribus bninnescentibuSj fusco variegatis ; axil-
laribus subtus virescenti-cyaneis, supra brunnescentibus ;
paracercorum plumis longis, rectis, subrigidis, exterius
brunneis, intus ad basin ultramarinis, apicem versus
violaceo-lilacinls^ brevibus, pbis minusve curvatis, ad
basin cyaneis, medio ultramarinis, apicem versus cyaneis
paulo virescentibusj barum tectricibus brevioribus niger-
rimis, longioribus curvatis, pulcbre castaneis ; rectri-
cibus duabus intermediis longissimis, angustis, spatuli-
formibus, supra violacescentibus, subtus nigris, spatubs
macula cyanea ornatis ; rostro flavido-albo ; pedibus
brunnescentibus (?) ; iride brunnea : long. tot. circa
270, al. 160, caud. 80, rectr. intermed. 440, rostr.
culm. 38, a nar. 29, tars. 37-38, paracerci plumis longis
270 millim.
Fem. Capite, collo et summo dorso nitide obscure purpureo-
nigris, colli plumis lateralibus et posticis longis ; palpe-
bris sicut in mari ; summi dorsiplamis longis, velutinis,
parte media obtecta et subtus virescenti-cyaneis ; dorso
imo et uropygio virescenti-nigris ; supracaudalibus et
Cauda cyanescenti-caeruleis ; alls sicut in mari ; gula
virescenti-nigra ; gutture et pectore summo obscure
castaneis, obsolete nigro transfasciolatis, plumis subtus
plus minusve virescenti tinctis ; abdomine summo vires -
centi-brunneOj medio et imo brunnescentibus, nigro
transfasciolatis, medio phimarum apicibus cyaneis, omni-
bus subtus cyaneo-virescentibus ; hypocbondrii plumis
longis, obscure brunneis, nigro transfasciolatis, subtus
virescenti-cyaneis ; tibiis nigris ; crisso et subcaudalibus
rufescentibus ; cauda subtus virescenti-cyanea transfas-
ciolata; rostro flavido-albo ; pedibus brunnescentibus (?) ;
iride brunnea : long. tot. circa 270, al. 153, caud. 94,
rostr. culm. 32, rostr. hiat. 36, tars. 48 millim,

Male. Front and sides of the head, neck, and shoulders
satiny black, with dark yellowish-green metallic sheen,
which disappears behind; eyelashes long, white, silky;
behind the eye a naked spot; back of head and nape
dark cherry-brown. Back greenish blue mixed with black.
Wings above blue, in front brighter, the lesser and middle
coverts edged with bright blue, as also the tertiaries on the
inner webs ; inner webs of the wings black ; breast-shield
with long feathers, blackish, in certain lights alternately

254 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

glancing bluisli and greenish ; towards the belly terminating
in a well-defined broad blue cross band^ and on the sides
passing into the ultramarine of the ornamental plumes.
Belly shining satiny black. Under wing-coverts brownish
mixed with dark grey. Axillaries exteriorly brownish^ in-
teriorly bluish green. Under surface of the wings blackish
grey^ with brighter inner edgings on the primaries and
bluish on the secondaries. The ornamental plumes are
divided into two portions : the larger outer ones are rather
rigid, and on the underside are bright ultramarine blue at
their bases and pass into lilac ; on their upper sides, i. e. on
the hinder sides, they are shining brown ; the shafts of
these feathers above at their bases are white, with the end
half brown, below they are entirely bright brown. The
smaller inner ornamental plumes, which are in part strongly
curved inwards, are bright blue at their base, in the middle
portion ultramarine or cobalt-blue, passing towards the
apices into bright greenish blue; upon the smaller orna-
mental plumes lie as coverts a row of shortened chestnut-
brown feathers strongly curved, and upon part of them
another row of black feathers. The tail is blue above with
brighter edgings, and dirty greenish at the base ; below it is
uniform bright blue. The two lengthened middle tail-
feathers carry at their bases brownish webs on a white shaft ;
at the end of the other tail-feathers these webs disappear
almost entirely, and then again gradually increase to a
breadth of half a centimetre the two together ; the spatula-
shaped tips are about 7 millim. in diameter ; the colour of
these feathers is above black changing to violet ; below black,
with a light bright blue spot at the tip ; the shafts are black
both above and below. The bill is yellowish white ; the feet
(in the dried skin) brownish horn- colour; the iris (according
to Hunstein's information) is brown.

Female. Flank-feathers loose and lengthened, on their
inner sides greenish blue; belly rusty reddish with dark
cross bands ; the feathers on their undersides bluish green.
Tail beneath with lightly marked sliadings, which disappear
towards the tail-end. Thighs black. Feathers of the upper

some new Paradise-birds. 255

back long, loose, satiny black, beneath greenish blue. Side-
feathers of the hinder neck lengthened and erectile.

This species has been named by Finsch Paradisornis
rudolphi, in honour of his Imperial and Royal Highness
Rudolph, Crown-Prince of Austria, the high and mighty
protector of ornithological researches over the whole world.

14. DiPHYLLODES CHRYSOPTERA, Gould.

Mas. Mari D. magnificoi similis, sed alis supra pulchre auran-
tiacis et interscapulio brunnescenti-sanguineo diversus.

Hab. Nova Guinea merid.-orientalis.

This species was separated from D. magnifica by Gould
upon examples of unknown origin. But subsequently it was
supposed that its habitat had been ascertained to be Jobi
{cf. Salvadori, Orn. Pap. ii. p. 641), until Sharpe (Jo am.
Linn. Soc, Zool. xvi. p. 444) announced that he had com-
pared GoukVs types with examples from Southern New
Guinea, and found them to be perfectly identical. He thus
raised the question whether Jobi birds agree altogether with
GoukVs types and with specimens from Southern New Guinea.
Examples from Jobi now lie before us, and are not identical
with those from Southern New Guinea. GoukVs types were
certainly from Southern New Guinea, and to the species
from that country the name chrysoptera must therefore
belong, whilst the Jobi bird must be separated. It is true
that GoukVs figure does not agree with examples from
Southern New Guinea, as Salvadori has already pointed out,
but Sharpens decision as to the full identity of GoukVs types
with specimens from this locality settles the question.

D. chrysoptera differs from D. magnifica not only in the
bright orange-yellow colour of its wings, as given by Sharpe
(Cat. Birds, iii. p. 175), but also in the blood-red colour of
the hind neck-feathers, which in D. magnifica are only chest-
nut-brown or dark brownish red. Besides, the colour of the
head, which in D. magnifica is brownish, is light orange-
brown in D. chrysoptera, and the colour of the belly is bright
purple, whereas in D. magnifica it has but a trace of this
colour, and the breast-shield is more of a blue-green than

256 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on

a grass-green. The females are likewise different. The
head, rump, and under tail-coverts are browner in D. chry-
soptera than in D. magnifica, and the feathers of the front of
the head have a very noticeable orange-brown tinge, remind-
ing one of these parts in the male. The dimensions are
also different : —

wing 105-108-O, tail 38-40 millim.

„ 10.3-112, „ 56-60 „

„ 116, „ 50

„ 112, „ 64

It is surprising that Sharpe says nothing about these
differences.

D. chrysoptera \ '^

6

D, magnifica ,

15. DiPHYLLODES JOBIENSIS, Sp. nOV.

Paradisea speciosa, part., Schlegel, Ned.T. Dierk. iv. pp. 17,
50 (1871) ; Rosenberg (nee Bodd.), Reis. Geelv. p. 56 (1875) ;
id. Mai. Arch. p. 557 (1879).

Diphyllodes chrysoptera, Meyer, Mitth. Zool. Mus. Dresden,
i. p. 6, Anm. (1875); Beccari, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. vii,
p. 710 (1875); Salvadori, ibid. p. 971 (1875), ix. 192,
no. 21 (1876); Sharpe, Cat. iii. p. 175 (1877); Salvadori,
Orn. Pap. ii. p. 641 (1881).

Mas. Mari D. magnificcB similis, sed alis supra flavo-auran-
tiacis diversus.

Hab. Ins. Jobi.

The male of D. jobiensis is distinguished from that of
D. magnifica by the orange-yellow colour of the wings,
which have a tinge of ochre, and by the slight bronzy and
brown glance on the belly. The length of the wing is 113-
114 millim., of the tail 48-50 millim. The female is very
different from that of D, magnifica, being of a brownish grey
instead of olive-brown, except on the edgings of some of the
secondaries, which are more brownish ; the underside is of a
clearer whitish. Length of the wing 113 millim., of the tail
65 millim.

16. Diphyllodes hunsteini, Meyer, sp. nov.

Mas. Mari D, chrysoptera' similis, sed alis supra aurantiaco
miniatis diversus : long. tot. circa 185, al. 111-112,

some new Paradise-birds. 257

caud. 53, rostr. hiat. 32, rostr. culm, ab apice plum,
front. 18*5, tars. 29 millim.

Hab. Nova Guinea (Horseshoe range).

An immature male, but differing from D, chrysoptera in
such a way that it is not possible to ascribe the peculiar
characters to its stage of life. The colour of the wings is
much more brilliant than in D. chrysoptera ; the nasal
plumes are longer ; the back and rump are still more of a
reddish brown ; the belly is not violaceous, but like that of
D. magnifica, and tinged with greenish on the sides ; the
breast-shield is rather grass-green than bluish green; the
inner webs of the wing-feathers beneath more reddish than in
D. chrysoptera. The stage of the development of the tail is
interesting ; one of the two elongated middle tail-feathers has
on both sides broad webs of a brownish colour (the broadest
part of the whole feather measures 9 millim. across), with a
central stripe of a metallic reddish violet, while the other
has already acquired the narrow shape and bluish -green
metallic colour of the adult. The great length of the re-
maining tail-feathers may perhaps be explained by the fact
that the female Dljihyllodes has usually a longer tail than
the male. It may be objected that it is possible that the
immature form of this Diphyllodes may be more brilliant than
the adult ; but on the other hand a young male of D. magni-
fica, almost in the same stage as the preceding, does not
differ in the colour of the wings from the adult bird.

17. Amblyornis subalaris, Sharpe.

Sharpe described in 1884 (Jourii. Linn. Soc, Zool. xvii.
p. 408) only the female of this species. The male possesses
a deep orange-red erectile hood : it is otherwise like the
female which Sharpe describes, but altogether rather more
olivaceous, and has bright shaft-stripes on the throat ; the
reddish orange-coloured hood is bordered on the sides with
dark brown, and has dark tips on some of its middle feathers ;
the front is dark as in the female. The immature male has
more black on the head. The bill is considerably smaller
than in A. inornata.

258 Mr. P. L. Sclater on a new

18. -^LURCEDUS sTONEij Sharpe.

A specimen of this species has a greenish head with
yellowish stripes in the middle, and a yellowish forehead,
no doubt the remains of the immature plumage.

19. tElurcedus melanocephalus, Ramsay,

This species has been lately founded by Ramsay (Proc.
Linn. Soc. N. S. W. vii. p. 25). The following diagnosis will
supplement his description : —

^. arfakiano, Meyer, similis, sed fascia nuchali nigra et
maculis tectricum alarum nullis, jugulo et gutture varie-
gatis, pectore et abdomine brunnescentibus diversus :
long. tot. circ. 290, al. 152, caud. 120, rostr. 33, tars. 44
miUim.
This species comes between ^. arfakianus and JE. mela-
notis of Aroo, but is nearest to the former. In its throat
being not black it approaches ^. melanotis, although this
part is somewhat dark in jE. melanocephalus . In its dark
head it resembles JE. arfakianus, but there is no sharply
defined cervical band. The uniform green wing-coverts re-
mind one of ^. buccoides of Western New Guinea and
jE. stonei of Southern New Guinea. yE. melanocephalus
seems to be darker than ^. arfakianus on the under surface
of the tail, and to have a narrower terminal band. The
feathers of the throat in ^. melanocephalus are black at the
bases and tips, but have a broad white intermediate band, so
that the white predominates, whereas in yE. arfakianus the
black predominates. The whole under surface is washed with
olive-brown, and is much darker than in ^. arfakianus and
^. melanotis.

XXX. — Description of a new Ground-finch from Western
Peru. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

(Plate VIII.)

My excellent and much valued correspondent, Prof. William
Nation, of Lima, has lately sent me a single skin of a
Ground-finch from the upper valley of the Rimac, which
seems to belong to an undescribed and very distinct species

ii)is.i885,pi.virr

^

J.B.KEulemans lith

Hanhat't imp .

HZMOPHILA PULCHRA

Ground-finch from Western Peru. 259

of the genus HcBmophila. It is evident from the specimens
previously forwarded by Prof. Nation from the same district^,
as also from the fine novelties in plants recently gathered by
Mr. John Ball in the upper valley of the Rimac, that there
is still much to be done by collectors on the Transandean
slopes of Peru.

The Ground-finch I propose to characterize as

H^MOPHiLA PULCHRA, sp. uov. (Plate VIII.)

Supra cinerea, praecipue in interscapulio, brunneo lavata;
fronte, loris et spatio inter lora et gulam nigris : alis
nigris ; secundariorum limbis exteruis latis cum horum
tectricibus et scapularibus adjacentibus distincte cas-
taneis ; tectricibus minoribus cinereis : caudse vix rotun-
datse, nigrsBj rectricibus duabus externis pro majore
parte albis, proxima utrinque laterali albo terminata :
subtus cinerea, gula nigra^ ventre et crisso albis ; late-
ribus fulvo tinctis ; subalaribus albis ; alarum pagina
inferiore cinerea : rostro et pedibus flavis : long, tota
Q'2, alse 2*8, caudae 2"8 poll. Angl.
Hab. Peruvia occidentalism in valle fl. Rimac, ad alt.
7000-8000 ped.

The black face and throat, chestnut scapulars, and pale
yellow bill and feet render this species quite unmistakable.
The wings are short, the third and fourth primaries slightly
exceeding the second and fifth in length. The feet are not
strong for a bird of this group. The bill is rather elongate,
and the culmen slightly incurved. It would not, in fact, be
difficult to make out new generic characters for this species ;
but for the present I propose to put it in Hcemophila, of
which there is already one sjsecies known from Western Peru
(i7. stolzmanni).

The single specimen received was obtained by a corre-
spondent of Prof. Nation at Matucana, in the upper valley
of the Rimac, which is about 8000 feet above the sea-level.
It was found flying about on the low bushes near the river.
The sex was noted " male ;" the irides '' black,^^ bill and feet
"■ bright yellow.''''

* See articles on the birds of Western Peru by P. L. Sclater and W.
NationinP. Z.S.1866,p. 100; 1867, p. 340; 1869, p. 146; 1871, p. 496.

260 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

XXXI. — Notes on Woodpeckers. — No. XII. On the Genus
Chrysophlegma. By Edward Hargitt, F.Z.S.

In the present genus I have only included six species, one of
which, C. fnystacale of Salvadori, has been described since
Malherbe published his monograph. The remaining yellow-
naped species, which modern authors place either in this
genus or in Callolophus, are to my mind true Gecini, and I
have therefore transferred them to the genus Gecinus. The
introduction of a species bearing the name of C. squami-
collis will possibly create some surprise amongst ornitholo-
gists; but the Malaccan bird hitherto designated C. mentale
turns out not to be true C mentale of Temminck. The only
author who has remarked the specific difference between the
Javan and the Malaccan birds appears to have been Reichen-
bach, who, in his ' Handbuch,^ after giving a clear descrijation
of the Malayan species, made the mistake of calling it Venilia
mentalis — a name which, as I show below, belongs absolutely
to the Javan bird. In the same work he names another species
Venilia gularis, which, from the description given, is most
certainly the true C. mentale of Temminck, from Java. In my
notes attached to the species I have more fully entered into the
subject, and, I hope, have proved satisfactorily that Lesson's
title squamicollis must be employed for the Malaccan
species. Reichenbach includes only two yellow-naped species
in the genus Chrysophlegma, and places the others in the
genus Venilia. Sundevall, in his ' Conspectus Avium Pici-
narum,' under Tribus 18 [Fici flavinuchales) comprises all
the yellow-naped species which are included by the authors
of our day in the genera Chrysophlegma and Callolophus;
and Malherbe, in his ' Monograph,' places them in his genus
Chloropicus.

In the preparation of this paper I have made use of the
collection in the British Museum, and, through the courtesy
of Dr. Giinther and Mr. Sharpe, I have been permitted to
examine the specimens of Picidse contained in the superb
collection recently jjresented by Mr. Hume to the British
Museum, and brought to this country, at great personal risk.

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chiysophlegma. 261

by Mr. Sharpe^ to whom ornithologists will for ever be
indebted. The Hume Collection possesses a large series of
all the Indian species, including adult males and females and
the youngj carefully sexed and dated, and from almost every
locality which the species is known to inhabit. With the
advantages of having such a complete series placed before one
for inspection, difficulties which were at first most perplexing
became more easy of solution, and a knowledge of the
changes of plumage more readily acquired, so that I am
now enabled to place before the readers of ' The Ibis ' many
notes which appear to me to be interesting, and which I
could not have supplied had it not been for this recent addi-
tion to our National Museum. I am also under many obliga-
tions to Dr. Jentink and Heer Biittikofer, of the Leiden
Museum; and also to Dr. Oustalet, of the Paris Museum,
who has given me much valuable information concerning the
species of the present genus contained in the collection under
his superintendence.

Key to the Species.

a. Underparts uniform.

n'. Sides of the neck and the cliest olive.
a" , Malar stripe yellow.

a'". Chin and upper throat yellow .... Jiamnuclia,S , p. 262.
h"\ Chin and upper throat olive-black,

the former varied with rufous .... mystacale, (S , p. 265.
b" . Malar stripe rufous.

c'". Throat varied with white Jlavimicha, $ , p. 262.

rf'". Throat not varied with white .... jiiystacale, $ , p. 265.
b' , Sides of the neck and the chest rufous,
c". Malar stripe dusky brown, spotted with
white,
e'". Throat black, spotted with white . . mentale,^ ■, p- 267.
/'". Throat striped black and white .... squamicoUe, ,3 , p. 209.
d". Malar stripe rufous.

g'". Throat black, spotted with white . . mentale, $ , p. 267.
h'". Throat striped black and white. . . . squmnicolle, $, p. 2^,

b. Underparts crossed with wavy lines of

brownish black.
c'. Upper parts strongly washed with red ;
yellow nuchal crest also washed more or
less with red.

262 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

e". Forehead and entire face more or less

red, and together with the chin and

throat nearly uniform miniatum, cJ , p. 273.

f. Forehead and fore part of face brown,

and together with the chin and throat

distinctly spotted with blackish brown

and bufFy white miniatum, 5 j P- 273.

d'. Upper parts green varied with yellow, and
having at most only a few spots of red ;
nuchal crest entirely yellow,
g". Forehead and entire face more or less

red, and together with the chin and

throat nearly imiform malaccense, ^ , p. 276.

A". Forehead and fore part of face brown,

and together with the chin and throat

distinctly spotted with blackish brown

and buffy white malaccense, 5 , p. 276.

1. Chrysophlegma flavinucha.

Picus flavinucha, Grould, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 120 ; Blyth^
J. A. S. B. xii. p. 1003 (1843) -, Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin.
p. 57 (1866) ; Giebel, Thes. Orn. p. 154 (1876).

Dryotomus Jiavigula, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. 1837, p. 106; id.
Icon. iued. in Brit. Mus. nos. 167, 168; id. in Gray^s ZooL
Misc. 1844, p. 85.

Gecinus flavinucha, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 438, pi. cix. ^
(1846) ; id. Cat. Mamm. &c. Nepal, Coll. Hodgs. p. 116
(1846) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 58 (1849) ; Irby,
Ibis, 1861, p. 229 ; Gray, List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 74 (1868) ;
id. Hand-list B. ii. p. 191. no. 8679 (1870).

Chloropicos flavinucha, Malh. N. Classif. Mem. Acad.
Metz, 1848-49, p. 350.

Chrysophlegma flavinucha, Could, B. Asia, vi. pi. xxxvi.
(1850) ; Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 127 (1850) ; id. Consp.
Volucr. Zygod. p. 10 (1854) ; Reichenb. Handb. Scans.
Picinffi, p. 357. no. 824, pi. dcxxvii. figs. 4171, 4172, ^ ?
ad. (1854) ; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E.I. Co. ii. p. 662
(1856-58) ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. &c. Nepal, Coll, Hodgs.
2nd ed. (1863) ; Jerd, B, Ind. i. p. 289 (1862) ; Beavan,
Ibis, 1865, p. 411; Bulger, op. cit. 1869, p. 156; Beavan,
torn. cit. p. 414; Jerd. op. cit. 1872, p. 9; Hume, Str. F,

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 263

1874, p. 472 ; id. & Gates, op. cit. 1875, pp. 12 & 71 ;
Blytb & Wald. B. Burm. p. 76 (1875); Hume, Str. F.
1877, p. 26; id. & Davison, op. cit. vi. p. 137 (1878);
Hume, op. cit. 1879, p. 87; Bingham, op. cit. 1880, p. 164;
Salvin, Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 391 (1882) ; Gates, Str. F. 1882,
p. 191 ; id. B. Brit. Burm. ii. p. 43 (1883).

Chloropicus flavinucha, Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 106,
pi. Ixxiii. figs. 1, 2, 3 (1862).

Adult male. Above, including scapulars, rump, upper
tail-coverts, and wing-coverts, uniform vivid glossy green;
bastard-wing brownish black, the feathers barred at the base
with rufous ; primary-coverts brownish black, externally mar-
gined with green and barred with rufous ; quills brownish
black, the outer webs of the inner primaries washed with red
at the base, some being edged with bright green, and the
whole barred with rufous ; oviter webs of the secondaries
partially or entirely bright green, all (except the innermost)
having rufous barring near the shafts ; inner webs of all
the quills barred with rufous, the tips of the innermost green ;
shafts blackish brown ; tail black, the outer and dwarf
feathers browner, the central being slightly margined at the
base of the outer webs with greenish ; shafts black ; fore-
head rufous mixed with dull red, the crown more varied with
olive ; elongated occipital feathers olive, faintly striped with
dull red ; nuchal crest bright golden yellow ; nasal plumes
brown ; lores and under the eye dirty yellowish green ; ear-
coverts and side of the face dingy olive ; cheeks, chin, and
throat lemon-yellow ; side of the neck and fore neck blackish
olive, the extreme base and basal margins of the feathers of the
latter being white, partly visible, and giving a striped appear-
ance ; chest dull olive ; underparts grey, with a dusky olive
tinge, the thighs and under tail-coverts washed with yel-
lowish; under wing- coverts yellowish on the edge of the
wing, the remainder white, the whole being varied with pale
rufous and barred with dusky olive ; axillaries white, the
outer webs tinged with dusky greenish ; under surface of
the wing black, broadly barred with rufous, the barring
extending across the shafts; tips of the outer primaries

264 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chiysophlegma.

greenish grey, and the tips of the shafts white : '' bill dusky
bluish white ; iris red ; eyelids, gape, and naked skin at gape
greenish blue ; legs dusky blue ; claws horny " ( Oates) .
Total length 13'0 inches, culmen 1-75, wing 6*5, tail 4-7,
tarsus I'l ; toes (without claws) — outer anterior 0-87, outer
posterior 08, inner anterior 0*6, inner posterior 0'4.

Immature male. Differs from the fully adult male in
having the upper parts of a duller green, the feathers being
margined with yellow ; the forehead less rufous, and the
crown and occiput less varied with reddish brown ; the
nuchal crest more orange ; the lores and sides of the face more
dusky, and the cheeks, chin, and throat of a paler and more
dingy yellow; the underparts being smoky grey (without
any tinge of olive), darker and browner on the chest.

Nestling, probably male. In this stage of plumage the
crown and occiput are slightly paler than in older birds,
the dull red markings partaking more of the character of
spots or bars than of stripes; nuchal crest deep golden
yellow ; cheeks, chin, throat, and fore neck dull buffy white,
the throat and fore neck having dusky brownish spots ;
underparts smoky grey, browner on the chest ; under wing-
coverts dull rufous varied with dusky. In other respects
resembling the adult.

Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having the
cheeks, chin, and upper part of the throat rufous, faintly
striped with blackish, the bases of these feathers being white ;
lower throat and fore neck white, each feather having a
large patch (somewhat triangular) of brownish olive, almost
black at the apex ; upon the fore neck a tinge of rufous sur-
rounding the dark tip ; the soft parts as in the male. Total
length 13-0 inches, culmen 1-7, wing 6*63, tail 47, tarsus
1-15.

Immature female. Differs from the adult female in having
the sides of the face darker green, the cheeks, chin, and
upper throat less rufous and more mixed with black, and
the tips of the feathers of the lower throat and fore neck
blacker.

This species is found in the Himalayas as far west as

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 265

Masuri, extending into Assam and Cacliar^ and ranging
south into British Burmah as far as the central portion of
the province of Tenasserim, but not occurring so far south
as Meetan. In writing upon this species. Dr. Jerdon re-
marks : — " Found throughout the Himalayahs extending
from Assam to Burma. At Darjeeling I observed it chiefly
in the zone from 2000 to 6000 feet.'-' The most western
locality to be found in Hume's series is Masuri ; but he
also has other specimens from the neighbourhood of Nynee
Tal and Almora, Colonel Irby procured it on one of the
lower hills between Nynee Tal and Kaleedonghee in
Kumaon, and in the British Museum are several specimens
from Nepal, collected by Mr. Hodgson. A large series
from Sikkim, collected by the late Mr. Mandelli, is in
the Hume Collection, and shows the species to be resident,
as the specimens have been obtained in almost every month
of the year ; and according to Capt. Bulger it is seemingly
common in the forests of that country, which extend
downwards towards the Little Kungeet river. Mr. Inglis
states that in North-eastern Cachar this • Woodpecker is
not uncommon, and that it remains all the year. He only
met with it in dense jungles. McClelland obtained it in
Assam. To the south, Mr. Blyth says it is not uncommon
in Arracan j and Mr. Gates remarks that it is found com-
monly all over the Pegu Hills, but he did not meet with it in
the plains. In Tenasserim^ Messrs. Hume and Da\dson state
that it is confined to the low hills and their neighbourhood,
in the northern and central portions of the province, and the
latter gentleman observes that it does not appear to get as
far south as Meetan. Capt. Bingham says that it is fairly
common in the Thounghyeen valley.

2. Chrysophlegma mystacale.

Chrysophlegma mystacalis, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov.
xiv. p. 182 (1879) ; Wardlaw Ramsay, P. Z. S. 1880, p. 16;
Nicholson, Ibis, 1883, p. 242.

Adult male. Entire back, scapulars, wing-coverts, rump,
and upper tail-coverts yellowish olive, slightly golden ;

SER. v. VOL. IV. U

266 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

feathers of the bastard-wing, likewise the primary-coverts,
brownish black edged externally with olive ; primaries
brownish black, the outer webs of the innermost washed
with dull red, partially edged with olive, and having bar-like
spots of rufous, the inner webs clearly barred with rufous ;
outer webs of outer secondaries dull red margined with
golden olive ; inner webs brownish black barred with rufous ;
inner secondaries having the outer webs and tips of the inner
golden olive, the remaining portion of the inner webs
brownish black deeply notched with rufous (except the
innermost, these being only margined with rufous at the
base) ; shafts brownish black ; tail and tail-shafts black ;
nasal plumes olive ; forehead, crown, and elongated occipital
crest golden olive, slightly rufous on the forehead and outer
edge of the crown; nuchal crest bright golden yellow.j lores
and sides of the face and neck olive ; a broad yellow cheek -
stripe ; chin and throat olive-black, the former varied with
rufous ', from the fore neck to the under tail-coverts (in-
clusive) olive, richer in colour on the chest ; the outermost
under wing-coverts olive, the inner ones black, barred with
pale rufous ; axillaries olive : " irides reddish brown ; bill
very pale blue; legs and feet bluish green " (//. 0. Forbes).
Total length 11 "5 inches, culmen 1-5, wing 5*6, tail ■i*6,
tarsus 1"05; toes (without claws) — outer anterior 0*82, outer
posterior 0*8, inner anterior 0*6, inner posterior 0'38.

Adult female. Resembles the adult male, but has a rufous
cheek-stripe. Total length ll'O inches, culmen 1*25, wing
5*4, tail •i"25, tarsus I'O.

In the collection of Mr. Frank Nicholson I have seen a
specimen obtained by Mr. H« O. Forbes at Blalana, Sumatra,
upon the 29th of January, at an elevation of 3000 feet, " Sex ? "
upon label. This example has, in addition to the yellow
malar stripe, the chin and upper throat varied with yellow,
of the same colour as the cheek-stripe. It is apparently an
adult bird, and I think there can be no doubt that it is a
male. The descriptions are taken from a pair of birds
kindly lent to me by Major Wardlaw Ramsay.

C. mystacale was first described by Count Salvaaori (Ann.

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 267

Mus. Civ. Geuov. xiv. p. 182, 1879), from specimens
procured by Dr. Beccari at Mount Singalan, and is confined
to the island of Sumatra, and, so far as we know, it is found
in the western and central portion of the island, close to
the Equator. Mr. Carl Bock procured it in the neigbour-
hood of Padang, and Mr. H. O. Forbes obtained it in the
forest near Hoedjoeng, Blalauw.

3. Chrysophlegma mentale.

Picus mentalis, Temm. PI. Col. 384, ^J (1826).

Picus gularis, Temm. MS. ; Wagl. Syst. Av. Picus, sp. 89
(1827).

Gecinus mentalis (pt.). Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 439 (1846), &
iii. App. p. 21 (1849) ; id. List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 77 (1868) ;
id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 192. no. 8686 (1870).

Venilia mentalis, Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 128 (1850).

Brachylophus mentalis, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Bp.
Consp. Volucr. Zygod. p. 10 (1854).

Venilia gularis, Reichenb. Handb. Scans. Picinse, p. 358.
no. 827, pi. dcxxviii. figs. 4180, 4181 (1854).

Picus mentalis (pt.), Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin. p. 58
(1866) ; Giebel, Thes. Orn. p. 167 (J876).

C/iloropicus mentalis (pt.), Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 112,
pi. Ixxv. figs. 4, 5 (1862).

Adult male. Entire back, scapulars, rump, and upper
tail-coverts uniform olive ; wing-coverts brilliant Indian red ;
bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish, margined ex-
ternally with green ; quills black, spotted with rufous-buff
upon both webs, the outer webs of the primaries red at the
base, this colour increasing upon each inner feather and
upon the secondaries covering the entire web, some of
the inner feathers being tipped and margined near the tip
with olive, the apical half of the outer webs of the primaries
uniform ; shafts of quills brown ; tail and tail-shafts black ;
nasal plumes dusky brown ; forehead, crown, lores, space
round the eye, and the ear-coverts dull olive, the occipital
feathers brighter and varied with rufous ; a few of the
feathers on the sides of the occiput tipped with red ; nape

u2

2G8 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegraa.

lemon-yellow, varied with rufous; hind neck olive, varied
with rufous ; chin, throat, and cheeks black, spotted with
white, each feather with two minute spots at the tip ; the
feathers of the lower throat margined with white at the tip ;
posterior half of the face, sides of the neck, fore neck, and
chest rich rufous ; underparts and under tail-coverts uniform
olive ; under wing-coverts rufous, varied with blackish olive.
Total length 11*0 inches, culmen 1'5, wing 5"0, tail 4'2,
tarsus 0*9 ; toes (without claws) — outer anterior 0*8, outer
posterior 0"65, inner anterior 0*6, inner posterior 0*35.

Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having the
outer edge of the forehead and crown rich rufous, this colour
forming a conspicuous stripe over the eye ; cheeks and chin
rich rufous, the middle of the throat alone being brownish
black, each feather having two spots of white near the tip,
the lower feathers of the throat similar to these, but having
their tips rufous. Total length 11*0 inches, culmen 1*45,
wing 5'6, tail. 4'2, tarsus 0*95.

Fledgling. In general coloration resembling the adult, but
very much duller, especially on the head and underparts, the
top of the head and the face being very dusky, almost black ;
the chief differences, however, being in the markings of the
cheeks, chin, and throat, the cheeks having dull rufous
striations, the chin and throat not having the spotted cha-
racter of the adult, the feathers having more of a buffy white
apical margin, duller upon the chin ; lesser wing- coverts
dull olive, spotted with red.

This bird being rare in collections, I give the chief points
in which it differs from C. squamicollis. In the present
species the chin and throat are spotted with white, not
striated ; the apical half of the outer webs of the primaries
and also the apical portion of the secondaries are uniform ;
the rufous spots on the quills are very much smaller and less
conspicuous, being, on the inner webs of the secondaries,
small rounded spots, not bar- like and not crossing the whole
of the web; the yellow nuchal crest is shorter and less
brilliant. It is also larger than the Malaccan species.
Malherbe's descriptions of the adult male and the adult

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 269

female of his C. mentale are not taken from the Javan bird,
his description of the young male is taken from a Javan
example in the Leiden Museum, which I have seen. As
regards Malherbe's representations of the present species in
his 'Monograph^ (pi, Ixxv. figs. 4, 5), the male is not the
Javan bird; the figure of the female is partly taken from
C. mentale, and partly from the Malaccan bird ; the side of
the face is characteristic of the Javan species, but the throat
has been altered to be in harmony with the author's views.
Malherbe considered the birds having spotted throats to be
the young, and those having the striped throat he regarded
as the adnlt ; and if the adult Javan birds at present in the
Leiden Museum were in the collection when it was visited
by that writer, he would have looked upon them as immature,
and have figured as adult the striped-throated bird, which is
another species.

C. mentale has a limited range, being confined to the
Island of Java. My descriptions of the adult male and of
the fledgling are taken from specimens in the Leiden
Museum, that of the female being taken from an example
in the British Museum.

4. Chyrsophlegma squamicollle.

Pious mentalis (non Temm.), Vig. Mem. Raffl. p. 668
(1830) ; Less. Compl. Buff", ix. p. 314 (1837).

Pious sguamioollis, Less. Traite, p. 2.29 (1831).

Geoinus mentalis (pt.). Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 439 (1846),
iii. App. p. 21 (1849) ; id. List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 77
(1868) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 192. no. 8686 (1870).

Geoinus mentalis (non Temm.), Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As.
Soc. p. 59. no. 269 (1849) ; Wall. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
2nd ser. xv. (1855) .

Picus mentalis (pt.), Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin. p. 58
(1866) ; Giebel, Thes. Orn. p. 167 (1876).

Venilia mentalis (non Temm.), Reichenb. Handb. Scans.
Picinse, p. 358. no. 827, pi. dcxxviii. figs. 4178, 4179 (1854) ;
Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. p. 665. no. 970
(1856-58) ; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 456.

370 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Germs Chrysophlegma.

Chrysophelgema mentalis (non Temm.), Jerd. B. Ind. i.
p. 291 (1862) ; Hume, Str. F. 1874, p. 472 ; Blytli & Wald.
B. Burm. p. 7Q>. no. 115 (1875) ; Salvin, Cat. Strickl. Coll.
p. 391 (1882).

Chloropicus mentalis (pt.), Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 112,
pi. Ixxv. figs. 4, 5 (1862).

Callolophus mentalis (non Temm.) Salvad. Ucc. Born,
p. 49 (1874) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1877, p. 9 ; Hume & Davison,
Str. F. vi. p. 138 (1878) ; Hume, op. cit. 1879, pp. 52, 87 ;
Sharpe, Ibis, 1879, p. 242 ; Salvad, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov.
xiv. p. 181 (1879); Gates, B. Brit. Burm. ii. p. 46 (1883) ;
Guillemard, P. Z. S. 1885, p. 405.

Adult male. Above, including scapulars, rump and upper
tail-coverts, uniform bright green, the rump-feathers tipped
with yellow ; wing-coverts bright Indian red, olive along the
forearm ; bastard-wing dusky brown, the feathers edged
with green ; primary-coverts dusky brown, edged externally
with red and spotted upon the inner webs with pale rufous
brown ; quills brownish black, the primaries externally mar-
gined at the base with Indian red and barred with rufous ;
the outer webs of the secondaries almost entirely Indian
red, spotted with rufous near the shafts ; inner webs of all
the quills having large rufous spots or bars ; some of the
innermost quill-feathers having the outer web and tip green ;
shafts black ; tail, likewise the shafts, black ; forehead,
crown, and occipital crest olive ; nuchal crest chrome-yellow,
the bases of the upper feathers being rufous ; upon the lower
part of the hind neck an indication of a rufous collar ;
lores and side of the face, including ear-coverts, dusky olive;
cheeks blackish brown, barred with dull white; chin and throat
white, each feather having a broad central stripe of black ; side
of the neck, chest, and a band across the hind neck rufous ;
underparts and under tail-coverts olive, the latter more dusky;
under wing-coverts pale rufous, washed with yellowish and
having olive and blackish barring. Total length 10*75 inches,
culmen 1*4, wing 5"3, tail 3'7, tarsus 0*9; toes (without
claws) — outer anterior 0*8, outer posterior 0'65, inner
anterior 0*55, inner posterior 0'4.

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 271

Mr, Davison gives the soft parts in the species as follows :
— " Legs and feet green ; claws plumbeous ; upper mandible
dull black, lower mandible and edges of upper mandible
near nostril pale plumbeous ; orbital skin dark green, at
times pale green ; irides deep red."

Immature male. Has the dusky malar stripe varied with
rufous and spotted with dull white, the white on the feathers
not presenting the barred appearance which distinguishes
the fully adult male bird. Not having seen a very young
male, I cannot say if it has the malar stripe rufous, as in the
female, which the admixture of the rufous colour on the
cheeks of the immature bird would suggest.

Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having the
cheeks and chin rufous. Total length 10' 5 inches, culmen
1*4, wing 5"3, tail 3*7, tarsus 0"95.

Young female (July) . May be distinguished from the adult
female by having the striations on the white chin and throat
of a pale brownish dusky, and not deep black ; the top of the
head and the occiput dusky green; the ear-coverts pale
brown, with the slightest tinge of green ; the cheeks, sides of
the neck, and the chest paler rufous, and the underparts of
a duller green.

The present bird has long been common in collections, but
no exact comparison of the Javan and Malaccan birds
appears to have been made. Reichenbach perceived the
differences ; but by the names he applied to the two species
he rather added to than cleared up the confusion which
existed. I have come to the conclusion that the name
mentale belongs only to the Javan form, and that the
Malaccan bird must be called C. squamicolle (Lesson).
The latter author, in his 'Traite d'Ornithologie/ p. 229,
bestowed the name of Pious squamicollis upon a bird from
an unknown locality ; and it appears reasonable to suppose
that his description was taken from a specimen in the Paris
Museum (the only one in the collection at that date, and
from an unknown locality). This specimen was received
in exchange from Temminck in 1 823 ; but it was apparently
not the Javan species, the true C. mentale, but probably

272 ]\Ir. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

came from Borneo or Sumatra. No specimen of the true
C. mentale was acquired by the Paris Museum until 1831,
after the publication of Lesson^s ' Traite.^ Dr. Pucheran
(Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1853, p. 162) regarded as the type
of Picvs squamicollis the specimen in the Paris Museum
received from Temminck in 1823, and in this I agree with
Dr. Pucheran ; but I think he erred in considering the bird
to be nothing more than the female of C. mentale (Temm.),
which it certainly is not.

The adoption of Lesson's name for the present species
will probably be unlooked for by many ornithologists ;
but I consider that my reasons for accepting the title are
valid, and I shall therefore give them as briefly as possible,
and endeavour to reinstate a species which has not been
recognized since the date of its discovery by any author
except Reichenbach. Temminck described the Javan bird as
Picus mentalis, and his MS. name of gularis had also refe-
rence to the same species. This synonym was adopted by
Wagler for the Javan bird ; and the latter author's descrip-
tion, although indefinite in some respects, bears evidence of
having been taken from the true C. mentale; therefore
Wagler's title is a mere synonym. In 1831 Lesson, in his
' Traite,' described a bird of this genus from an unknown '
locality, to which he gave the name of Picus squamicollis.
It is the Malaccan bird, and, as I have already stated, I take
it to be the type of the present species. Reichenbach, in his
^ Handbuch (Scans. Picinse,' p. 358), clearly points out the
differences between the true C. mentale from Java and the
present species, but unfortunately names the bird which
has the feathers of the throat white with a black central
stripe {i. e. the Malaccan species) Venilia mentalis, and the
one having these feathers black with white spots at their
extremities (i. e. the Javan species) Venilia gularis. If
Lesson's title were to be rejected for the present species,
that of Reichenbach, although he was fully aware of the
value of the species, could not stand, as Temminck had
already applied the same name to the Javan bird.

I am greatly indebted to Dr. Oustalet for having sent me

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 273

particulars of all the specimens of C. mentale and also of the
Malaccan species contained in the Paris Museum^ and also for
having compared them with drawings of both species which I
sent to him ; and I accept without hesitation Lesson^s title of
squamicollis for the specimen obtained by the Paris Museum
from Temminck in the year 1823, which is undoubtedly the
species of Malacca and Borneo.

The habitat of the present species is Southern Tenasserim,
the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. In Tenas-
serim, according to Messrs. Hume and Davison, it is " con-
fined to the extreme south of the province, and very rare
there ; probably only an occasional straggler.^^ Mr. Davison
procured it at Bankasoon ; Stoliczka found it in the Province
of Wellesley ; and the Hume Collection contains Malayan
examples from Klang, Salangore, Pulo Seban, Neealys,
Chohong, Johore, Malacca, and Singapore Island, illustrating,
as far as possible, the entire geographical range of the bird
in the Malayan Peninsula. This species also formed part of
the collection made in Sumatra by Sir Stamford Raffles, and
Mr. Wallace procured it in the same island. Examples
from Borneo are to be found in most museums. In the
latter island it has been collected in Lumbidan and Brunei
by the late Governor Ussher, and it has been recorded
from the Lawas River by Mr. Treacher. Mr. Everett pro-
cured it at Bintulu. It has been obtained at Sarawak by
the Marquis Doria and Dr. Beccari ; and I have in my col-
lection a specimen from Jambusan [Dr. Platen). On the
north-eastern coast it has been found by ]Mr. Lempriere at
Silam, and Dr. Guillemard also met with it at that place and
at Sandakan.

5. Chrysophlegma miniatum.

Picus miniatus, Forst. Ind. Zool. p. 14, pi. iv. (1781) ;
Lath. Syn. i. pt. 2, p. 595 (1782) ; Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 432
(1788) ; Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 241 (1790); Penn. Ind. Zool.
p. 39, pi. vi. (1790) ; Shaw, Gen. Zool. ix. p. 210, pi. xxxv.
(1815) ; Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 176 (1821) ; Lath.
Hist. B. iii. p. 361 (1822) ; Gray & Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. i.
pi. XXX. fig. 1 (1830-32) ; Less. Traits, p. 222 (1831).

274 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

Picus miniatus (pt.), Wagl. Syst. Av. Picus, sp. 98 (1827) ;
Vig. Mem. Raffl. p. 669 (1830); Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin.
p. 59 (1866); Giebel, Thes. Oru. p. 168 (1876).

Malacolophus [Brachylophus) miniatus, Swains. Classif. B.
ii. p. 308 (1837).

Gecinus miniatus (pt.), Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 439 (1846) ;
id. List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 75 (1868) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii.
p. 191. no. 8682 (1870).

Chloropicos miniatus (pt.), Malh. N. Classif. Mem. Acad.
Metz, 1848-49, p. 350.

Venilia miniatus (pt.), Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 128
(1850) ; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E.I. Co. ii. p. 664
(1856-58).

Br achy tophus miniatus, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Bp.
(pt.) Consp. Volucr. Zygod. p. 10 (1854).

Venilia miniata (pt.), Reichenb. Handb. Scans. Picinse,
p. 358. no. 830, pi. dcxxix. figs. 4184-85 (1854).

Chloropicus miniatus (pt.), Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 116,
pi. Ixxvi. figs. 1, 2 (1862).

Adult male. Upper and middle back wasted with bright
Indian red upon a ground of dusky olive, barred and spotted
with pale yellow ; scapulars and wing-coverts Indian red ;
bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish brown, red ex-
ternally ; quills blackish brown, the primaries having their
outer webs margined with red at the base, this colour ex-
tending further up the web on each inner feather, the re-
maining part of the outer webs obliquely spotted with buff,
the basal half of the inner webs transversely spotted with
bufly white ; outer webs of the secondaries red, the inner
webs transversely spotted with buffy white on the basal half,
the spots on the innermost feathers having a barred cha-
racter ; shafts of primaries pale brown, those of the secon-
daries blackish brown ; lower back and rump washed with
lemon-yellow on a ground of dusky olive, spotted and barred
with white, the yellow being confined to the margin and tip
of each feather ; upper tail-coverts blackish brown spotted
with white, some of the uppermost having a yellowish margin
and the spots bar-like ; tail brownish black ; shafts black ;

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 275

nasal plumes brown; forehead^ crown, and occipital crest
carmine-red, the bases of the feathers being bufly brown on
the sinciput and greyer on the occiput ; nuchal crest yellow,
washed with red; hind neck like the back; lores brown,
spotted with red ; sides of the face and neck brownish bulF,
the feathers of the face tipped with pale red, those on the
side of the neck faintly spotted with huffy white at the tip,
and having an almost obsolete central spot of brown, the
feathers on the lower side of the neck barred with brown
and the greater part having a pink tinge ; chin and throat
buff, with a few paler spots and some almost obsolete spots
of brown ; fore neck and chest buff, whiter upon the under
surface of the body, and the whole crossed by zigzag markings
of blackish brown ; under tail-coverts dusky brown, spotted
and barred with dull buffy white ; under wing-coverts olive-
dusky, spotted and barred with white. Total length 9*0 inches,
culmen 1'2, wing 5*2, tail 3-15, tarsus I'O; toes (without
claws) — outer anterior 0-83, outer posterior 0'8, inner anterior
0*58, inner posterior 0'35.

Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having the
forehead, lores, face, the whole of the neck and the chest
covered with minute rounded spots of blackish brown and
buffy white. Total length 9*0 inches, culmen ].-07, wing
5-0, tail 3-1, tarsus 0*92.

Dr. Sclater (P.Z.S. 1863, p. 211) has pointed out the
differences betw^een the present species and C. malaccense,
and blames Malherbe for having wrongly named the bird
Chloropicus miniatus, which he represents in his Monograph,
plate Ixxvi. figs. 1, 2. I cannot entirely agree with Dr.
Sclater ; and I am of opinion that the male bird figured by
Malherbe is true Chrysophlegma miniatum, and not C. malac-
cense. The red back shows this to be the case ; and although
in C. miniatum the nuchal crest is always more or less red, still
I do not remember to have ever seen a single specimen in
which there was not a small amount of yellow upon some of
the feathers. The majority, however, of the nuchal feathers
are red, the remainder being yellow washed with red, gene-
rally at the tips, and I have seen a specimen in which some

276 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

of the feathers were red tipped with yellow. The yellow of
the crest does not^ however, assume the definite form repre-
sented in Malherbe's plate, which is misleading. The same
author^s figure of the female has neither the hack of C.
miniatwn nor of C. malaccense, and is so unsatisfactory that
one cannot with certainty say from which species it was
taken.

C. miniatum is confined to the island of Java, whence
the Leiden Museum contains numerous examples. In the
British Museum there is a specimen of Mr. Wallace^s from
East Java, which in no way differs from examples procured
in other parts of the island. This species is clearly separable
from the allied one, C. malaccense, which is found in Southern
Tenasserim, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
and may be distinguished from the latter species by its red
back and beautifully developed and longer red crest, the
latter colour spreading on to the nuchal feathers and replacing
the yellow. I think there can be no doubt that some of the
specimens of C. miniatum in the Leiden Museum have been
wrongly sexed ; the birds with the spotted face are sometimes
marked on the collectors^ labels as males, and those with the
face unspotted and washed with red are occasionally labelled
as females. I have always considered that the reverse is the
case, and this view is in accordance with that of Malherbe ;
and when we find it to be so in the allied species C. malaccense,
according to such excellent collectors as Messrs. Davison,
Darling, and Oates, I think there can be no reason to doubt
that the sexual distinctions would correspond in C. mi-
niatum.

6. Chrysophlegma malaccense.

Le Pic de Malacca, Sonn. Voy. Ind. ii. p. 211 (1782).

Malaccan Woodpecker, Lath. Syn. Suppl. p. iii (1787).

Picus malaccensis , Lath. Ind, Orn. i. p. 241 (1790); id.
Hist. B. iii. p. 362 (1822) ; Drap. Diet. Class. Hist. Nat.
xiii. p. 500 (1828) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 192 (1845).

Picus miniatus (non Forst.), Shaw & Nodd. Nat. Misc. xi.
pi. ccccxiii. (1800).

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 277

Chrysonotus miniatus (non Forst.), Eyton^ P. Z. S. 1839,
p. 106.

Gecinus miniatus (pt.). Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 439 (1846) ;
id. List Picid. Brit. Mus. p. 75 (1868) ; id. Haud-1. B. ii.
p. 191. no. 8682 (1870).

Chloropicos miniatus (pt.), Malh. N. Classif. Mem. Acad.
Metz, 1848-49, p. 350.

Gecinus malaccensis, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 59
(1849).

Gecinus miniatus, Blyth, Cat.. B. Mus. As. Soc. App.
p. 336 (1849).

Venilia miniatus (pt.), Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 128
(1850); Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. ii. p. 664
(1856-58).

Venilia miniata, Beichenb. Handb. Scans. Picinee, p. 358.
no. 830, pi. dcxxix. figs. 4184-85, 6 $ (1854) (pt.) ; Moore,
P. Z. S. 1859, p. 456.

BracMjlophus miniatus (pt,), Bp. Consp. Volucr. Zygod.
p. 10(1854).

Chloropicus miniatus (pt.), Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 116,
pi. Ixxvi. figs. 1,2 (1862).

Chrysophlegma miniata, Jerd. B. Ind. i. p, 291 (1862) ;
Hume, Str. F. 1873, p. 450; id. op. cit. 1874, p. 472.
Venilia malaccensis, Sclat. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 211.
Chrysophlegma malaccensis, Wald. Ibis, 1871, p. 165 ;
Hume, Str. F. 1875, p. 324; Salvin, Cat. Strickl. Coll.
p. 392 (1882).

Callolophus malaccensis, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 50 (1874) ;
Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 103 ; id. Ibis, 1876, p. 35 ; Tweedd.
op. cit. 1877, p. 289 ; Hume & Davison, Str. F. vi. pp. 140,
510 (1878); Hume, op. cit. 1879, p. 52; Sharpe, Ibis,'
1879, p. 242; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. xiv. p. 182
(1879) ; Gates, B. Brit. Burm. ii. p. 47 (1883).

Picus miniatus (pt.). Vigors, Mem. Raffl. p. 669 (1830);
Sundev. Consp. Av. Picin. p. 59 (1866) ; Giebel, Thes. Orn.
p. 168 (1876).

Adult male. Above green, with irregular yellowish cross
markings, and sparingly spotted with blood-red; scapulars

278 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma.

and wing-coverts blood-red ; bastard-wing brown, spotted on
the outer webs with buff ; primary-coverts brown, externally
margined with a redder tint ; quills blackish brown, the
outer webs of the primaries partially or entirely margined with
blood-red and notched with buff, the inner webs spotted with
the same ; the secondaries having the outer webs blood -red,
the inner webs notched and spotted with buff j shafts dark
brown ; rump and upper series of upper tail-coverts bright
lemon-yellow, lower series of upper tail-coverts blackish
brown, spotted with buff; tail and tail-shafts black ; forehead,
crown, and occipital crest blood-red inclining to pinky red,
slightly dusky brown on the forehead ; elongated nuchal crest
yellow; lower hind neck green, barred with yellowish and
spotted with blood-red; lores and side of the face rufous washed
with red, the feathers having red tips ; side of the neck clear
bright red ; from the chin to the chest inclusive pale rufous,
the latter spotted with blackish brown and buffy white ;
entire underparts pale buff, crossed by zigzag markings of
blackish brown, these being narrower on the abdomen ;
under tail-coverts pale buff, barred with blackish brown ;
under wing-coverts blackish brown, with large pale buff
spots : " legs and feet dirty green ; lower mandible pale
bluish ; upper mandible horny black ; eyelids dirty green "
[W. Davison). Total length 10*25 inches, culmen 1"1, wing
4-8, tail 2*7, tarsus 0*9; toes (without claws) — outer anterior
0*78, outer posterior 0*75, inner anterior 0*55, inner pos-
terior 0"4.

Young male (May 13tli). Differs from the adult male in
having the upper parts dusky green, the upper portion of
the back without the irregular transverse yellow markings,
the feathers having dull yellowish tips ; the yellow on the
rump and upper tail-coverts paler ; the red on the wings less
brilliant ; the forehead and crown dusky brown, the feathers
having dusky tips ; the whole of the face, neck, and chest
dull buffy brown, the face having faint dusky transverse
markings, the sides of the neck and the chest having these
dusky markings more pronounced, the chin and throat being
uniform ; occipital crest duller red, and the nuchal crest

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma. 279

pale yellow ; underparts similar to the adult, but the dark
zigzag markings less black, fewer and broader, and having a
washed-out appearance.

Another young male (Klang, Salangore, May 15th), also in
the Hume Collection, has the irregular transverse dusky
markings extending on to the chin and throat, but they are
very faint ; the top of the head red, and the irregular yellow
markings on the back showing clearly, and even in the
nestling plumage the feathers of the forehead and crown are
sometimes tipped with red. As the bird becomes older the
red on the forehead and crown increases, and in a specimen
obtained upon August 16th (Jahore, W. Davison) the red is
beginning to appear on the cheeks. In this example the
upper back is greener, the feathers with brighter yellow
tips and having a spotted appearance. The length measure-
ment of this specimen is 9*82 inches, and the soft parts are
given as follows : — " Upper mandible black ; lower mandible
pale blue ; iris brown ; legs and feet pale bluish green, claws
bluish horny " ( W. Davison) .

Nestling. Above dusky olive, the back having dull yellowish
spots, the scapulars being tipped with dull lake-red ; wing-
coverts dull lake-red, dusky brown along the forearm ;
quills blackish brown, the primaries having the outer webs
margined at the base with dull lake-red, and notched along
nearly the whole length with brownish white ; the inner
webs spotted with brownish white ; outer webs of the secon-
daries dull lake-red, the inner webs spotted or deeply
notched with brownish white ; shafts of primaries brown,
those of the secondaries black ; feathers of the rump tipped
with lemon-yellow ; upper tail-coverts greenish dusky, with a
trace of lighter spotting ; tail and tail-shafts black ; forehead
and crown dusky brown, the tips of the feathers being lake-
red ; the occipital feathers bright red and elongated ; nuchal
crest yellow ; lores dusky brown ; sides of the face and neck,
likewise from the chin to the lower breast inclusive, dingy
brown mottled with a lighter dingy rufous ; remainder of
underparts and under tail-coverts dusky, with large faint
spots of dingy brownish white ; under wing-coverts dusky
brown, spotted with brownish white.

280 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Cluysoplilegma.

Adult female . Differs from the adult male iu having the
upper parts deeper green, and the cross markings less regular
and not so yellow; the red upon the wings rather duller;
the rump dull green with yellowish cross markings, and the
feathers slightly tipped with lemon-yellow ; forehead and
crown more dingy, the former minutely spotted with buff or
huffy white ; lores, space round the eye, and cheeks blackish
brown, spotted with buffy white ; from the chin to the breast
deeper rufous, the chin and throat being thickly spotted with
blackish brown and buffy white, the remainder having wavy
cross markings of blackish brown and a few spots of buffy
white, the sides of the neck having a few spots of red ; under-
parts lighter, the cross markings appearing darker : " legs
and feet pale dirty green, claws horny green ; lower mandible
bluish white, upper mandible horny black ; irides red ; eye-
lids dark grey" {W. Davison). Total length 10'63 inches,
culmen I'l, wing 4'8, tail 3"6, tarsus 0*87.

Young female. The Hume Collection contains two young
females, one from Kossoom, May 23rd (J. Darling, Jun.),
the other from Nealys, near Malacca, October 14th {W.
Davison). Neither of these are so young as the young male
described, they are more rufous on the face, neck, and
chest, but may easily be distinguished from the young of the
opposite sex by the whitish spots on the forehead, lores, face,
chin, and throat, these spots being partially edged with
dusky. The specimen dated May 23rd has the underparts
very similar to the adult bird, whereas the one obtained
October l^tth has the under surface of the body resembling
that of the very young male, and is very probably a bird of a
second brood.

The specific differences between this bird and C. miniatum,
from Java, have been already pointed out by Dr. Sclater in
the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society^ for 1863, p. 211,
and I think there can be no doubt that the bird having the
back and almost the entire nuchal crest red is confined to the
island of Java. Lord Tweeddale (Ibis, 1877, p. 289) states that
he possessed an example collected in East Java by Mr. Wallace,
and marked a male, which he could not separate from true
C. malaccense, and, further, that Sumatran examples collected

Mr. E. Hargitt on the Genus Chrysophlegma, 28]

by Mr. Buxton were considerably varied or washed with red
on the back. All I can say is, that a male of C. miniatum from
East Java, collected by Mr. Wallace, and forming part of
the British Museum collection, is quite different from C.
malaccense. It is possible that in the younger stages of
plumages the Javan and the Malaccan birds may resemble
each other ; never having seen the young of C. miniatum, I
cannot say, but in the fully adult dress the Malaccan bird
never assumes the red back, and has at most a few spots or
blotches of this colour. I have examined a very large series
of C. malaccense in the British Museum (comprising the
Hume Collection) as well as those in my own cabinet, and I
have not found a single specimen from any locality that
could be mistaken for the Javan bird, neither have I seen
any examples of C. miniatum from Java that could not be
readily separated from the Malaccan species. C. malaccense
is found in Southern Tenasserim, throughout the Malayan
Peninsula, and also in Sumatra, Bangka, and Borneo. In
Tenasserim, according to Messrs. Hume and Davison, it is
confined to the southern portions of the province and is
rather common. Mr. Davison, in his note on this species
(Str. F. vi. p. 141, 1878), says : — " A bird of the evergreen
forests, not occurring in open country, but, unlike the other
Callolophi, rather partial to mangrove swamps, in which I
have shot them. These, too, I never saw on the ground. It
has none of the peculiar habits of C. puniceus, and its note
rather resembles that of the Gecini." Tavoy is the most
northern locality whence the latter collector obtained speci-
mens. Mr. E. C. Buxton procured it at Lampongin South-
east Sumatra; and from the same island, as well as from
Bangka, there are examples in the Leiden Museum. In the
British Museum there are two specimens from Sumatra, one
having been collected by Raffles and formerly in the Indian
Museum, the other having been obtained in the island by
Mr. Wallace. In Borneo, Governor Ussher found this species
in Lumbidan, Brunei, and on Moara Island, and it was pro-
cured by Mr. Treacher on the Lawas River. Mr. Everett
forwarded specimens from Sibu and Matu, and at Sarawak it
was obtained by the Marquis Doria and Dr. Beccari.

SER. V. — VOL. IV. X

282 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithologu of Transvaal.

XXXII. — Additional Notes on the Ornithologij of Transvaal.
By Thomas Ayres. Communicated by John Henry

GURNEY.

[Continued from 'The Ibis/ 1885, p. 351.]

[In the following pages the species which had not been pre-
viously recorded from Transvaal by Mr. Ayres are numbered
consecutively to those previously collected by him in that
country. — J. H. G.]

CiRCAETUs PECTORALis, Smith. Black-chcsted Harrier
Eagle.

In our winter of 1884 this very handsome Eagle was much
more plentiful about Potchefstroom than usual ; the follow-
ing year there were comparatively few about. Specimens
sent.

A. Male, adult, Potchefstroom, 4th June, 1884.

B. Female, adult, Potchefstroom, 25th June, 1884 (very
small for a female) .

C. Female, adult, Potchefstroom, 16th July, 1884. Crop
and stomach contained two large toads, both swallowed
whole.

D. Female, adult, Potchefstroom, 20tli July, 1884. Crop
and stomach contained toads.

[I have taken the following measurements of these speci-
mens : —

A. S

B. $

c. 2

D. $

CiRCAETUs ciNEREUS, Vicill. Ciuercous Harrier Eagle.

Female, Pilaus Berg, Rustenburg district, 10th July,
1883. Iris yellow ; bill black ; tarsi and feet greenish white.

I have only met with this species in the warmer districts
or bush-veldt.

Wiug.

Tarsus.

Middle toe s. u.

in.

in.

in.

22-00

3-60

1-80

21-60

3-60

2-20

22-20

3-80

2-10

22-50

3-60

2-10

—J. H. (

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 283

[In this specimen the feathers of the under surface of the
body have no white bases ; I have taken from it the following
measurements : —

Wing.

Tarsus.

Middle toe s.u.

in.

in.

in.

22-60

3-90

2-85.

—J. H. G.]

Melierax gabar (Daud.). Gabar Hawk.

Male, adult, Limpopo river^ 26th May, 1884. Iris and
tarsus red.

This bird was very busy amongst the rough-chambered
nests of the Red-billed Weaver, Textor erythrorhynchus, and
was seen to enter six in succession, no doubt in quest of
young birds ; but his chance of success would have been very
much greater had he made his search three months later.

AcciPiTER MiNULLUs (Daud.). Little African Sparrow-
hawk.

Female, adult, Limpopo river, 11th August, 1885.

This little Hawk was chasing with wonderful rapidity and
power of twisting and turning, amongst the branches of
some high trees, a small Finch which had the greatest diffi-
culty in escaping, and probably would not have done so had
not the Hawk caught sight of me as I was standing motion-
less and watching the chase, when it immediately gave up
the pursuit, but settled Avithin easy range of my gun.

377. NisAETUS PENNATus (GmcL). Booted Eagle.

Female, Rustenburg, 12th February 1884. Total length
in the flesh 19| inches. Iris hazel ; bill slate-colour, but with
the base and gape yellow; feet yellow. Was shot while
feeding on a hedgehog which it had apparently just killed.

[The specimen sent was in the pale phase of plumage,
very similar to a male from France and a female from
Morocco, both preserved in the Norwich Museum. I find
myself unable to recognize the several allied subspecies into
which N. pennatus is by some ornithologists subdivided. —
J. H. G.]

x3

284 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal.

Aqxjila rapax (Temm.). Tawny Eagle.

Male^ adult^ Limpopo river, near its junction with the
Pongola river, 27th July, 1884.

Female, adult, Rustenburg, 17th July, 1884.

The last-named specimen had just eaten a chicken when it
was shot.

BuTEO DESERTORUM (Daud.). Dcscrt Buzzard.

Male, adult, 4th January, 1885.

Female, adult, 12th January, 1885.

I found several of these Buzzards amongst some mimosas
on the Moi river, about twenty-five miles above Potchef-
stroom, and succeeded in obtaining two of them.

MiLvus ^GYPTius (Gmel.). Yellow-billed Kite.
Female, immature, Marico river, 10th March, 1884.
About Potchefstroom I have for several years past seen
but few of these Kites.

Caprimulgus europ^us, Linn. European Nightjar.
Male, Potchefstroom, 12th February, 1885.
So far as my experience goes, this species is always scarce
throughout Transvaal.

CoRAciAs CAUDATA, Vicill. Lilac-brcastcd Roller.

In our winter of 1885 I found this handsome Roller fairly
plentiful on the upper portions of the river LimpojDO above
Vlei Poort, but they were wonderfully shy and so difficult to
obtain that in two months I got but two.

CoRAciAS N^viA, Daud. White-naped Roller.
This species is occasionally to be met with either solitary
or in pairs on the banks of the river Limpopo.

Merops bullockoides. Smith. White-fronted Bee-eater.

A few of these Bee-eaters are to be found during our
winter on the river Limpopo, attracting one's attention by
their loud and rather harsh notes.

Saxicola monticola, Vieill. Mountain Wheatear.
This species is widely distributed, and apparently through-
out the country, being found here and there in suitable

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 285

localities ; buildings suit it well, and were it undisturbed it
would soon become common in Potchefstroom.

[The many variations of plumage to which this Wheatear
is liable may make it desirable to append the following de-
scriptions of two specimens now sent by Mr. Ayres.

Male^ immature, Potchefstroom, 6th January, 1885. En-
tire upper and under surfaces blackish brown (but brownest
on the abdomen) , excepting, however, the shoulder-patch and
upper tail-coverts, these are white, but the feathers com-
posing the former have their bases and shafts black ; the tail
in this specimen presents the following peculiarities — one
rectrice of the central pair is black throughout, the other is
black except the basal moiety of the exterior web, which is
white, the remaining rectrices are white, but tipped, more or
less extensively, with black.

Male, Potchefstroom, 12th January, 1885. In this speci-
men the plumage is black above and below, with the follow-
ing exceptions : — The crown of the head is brownish grey,
interspersed with a very few apparently newer white feathers ;
the shoulder-patch resembles that of the preceding specimen,
but with the white more extended ; a few unmoulted feathers
on the upper surface are dark brown, the newer adjoining
feathers being black ; the tail, which is in process of moult,
has the exterior pair of rectrices old and entirely white, the
other rectrices, which are only partially developed, being
black, but with white bases to some of the lateral ones ; the
upper tail-coverts and the tips of some feathers of the under
tail-coverts are white. — J.H.G.]

Saxicola galtoni (Strickl.). Galton's Wheatear.

This species is sparsely distributed on the Upper Limpopo
river, and also amongst the mimosas in the Potchefstroom
district.

Phylloscopus trochilus (Linn.). European Willow
warbler.

Male, Potchefstroom, 10th January, 1885,

This species migrates every year to Transvaal during our
summer months.

286 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal.

AcROCEPHALUS B^TicATUS (Vieill.) . South-Afiican Reed-
Warbler.

This species leaves Transvaal in Aprils and appears again
with other migrants in our early spring. I am more in the
swamps and amongst the reeds in our winter than in summer,
but have never met with one of these Warblers in winter,
either amongst sedges, reeds, or hedgerows, where in summer
they are plentiful ; neither is it found in winter in the more
northern and warmer districts of Transvaal. The nests of this
species vary a good deal in size and appearance, some in fact
look as if they had been added to year by year, though this
could scarcely be so.

CiNNYRis MARiQUENSis (Smith). Southcm Bifasciated
Sun-bird.

These Sun-birds are found very sparsely on the Limpopo
river during our winter months, feeding amongst the aloes
which grow plentifully on the dry stony ridges ; the males
frequently fight and chase each other about with much
vigour, although it is not the breeding-season.

HiRUNDO RUSTiCA, Linn. Chimney Swallow.

Male and female, Potchefstroom, 12th January, 1885.

I found these Swallows, mostly young birds, congregating
on the mimosas in company with H. cucullata.

[Both specimens sent appear to be birds of the previous
spring, in course of change into adult dress. — J. H. G.]

MuscicAPA GRisoLA, Linn. Spotted Flycatcher.
Potchefstroom, 12th January, 1885.

The Spotted Flycatcher is a regular summer migrant to
Potchefstroom, though by no means in great numbers.

Pachyprora molitor (Hahn & Kiist.). White-flanked
Flycatcher.

This is a very scarce species on the river Limpopo ; I saw
but two, both solitary, during the two winter months which
I spent in that locality.

[Mr. Ayres has sent a specimen, evidently a male, and so
marked by him, in which both ends of the pectoral band are

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 287

rufous, and with a slight rufous tinge on the centre of the
otherwise white throat ; these peculiarities are probably
the remains of immature plumage resembling the dress of
the adult female. A similar stage of plumage has been re-
corded by Mr. Sharpe in the young males of two allied
species, Platystira cyanea and Pachyproru senegalensis [vide
Ibis, 1873, pp. 158 & 164).— J. H. G.]

Lanius collaris, Linn. Fiskal Shrike.

Female, Potchefstroom, 26th April, 1884. Stomach con-
tained grasshoppers.

This Shrike, and also Laniarius silens, is sparsely distri-
buted amongst the mimosa bushes growing on the ridges of
the Mooi river valley in the Potchefstroom district.

Enneoctonus collurio (Linn.). European Red-backed
Shrike.

Males, immature, Potchefstroom, 6th, 10th, and 16th
January, 1885.

The Red-backed Shrike is found in the same localities as
the two species last mentioned, but is perhaps sometimes more
plentiful.

[In all three of the specimens sent the assumption of the
adult dress has just commenced. — J. H. G.]

Telephonus senegalus (Linn.) . Senegal Tchagra Shrike.

These Shrikes are by no means uncommon on the river
Limpopo, and one or two may often be seen amongst a com-
pany of small birds which frequently collect together without
any apparent cause. [In previous volumes of ' The Ibis ' I
have erroneously applied the specific name erythropterus to
Natal and Transvaal examples of this species. — J. H. G.]

Laniarius atrococcineds (Burch.). Crimson-breasted
Bush Shrike.

These birds are tolerably common on the Upper Limpopo,
amongst the thorny and dense mimosas which bear the name
of cat-thorns, where it is not always an easy matter to follow
them or even to get a bird that has been shot.

288 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal.

Crateropus bicolor, Jard. Pied Babbling Thrush.

On the Upper Limpopo, above Vlei Poort, I saw several
flocks of this species in June and July 1885, and almost
always found a single bird, or a pair, of Laniarius coccineiis
in their company, and hunting with them on the ground for
their insect diet.

378. Lamprocolius sycobius, Peters. Peters^s Glossy
Thrush.

Male, river Limpopo, 3rd July, 1884'.

This beautiful Grakle is plentiful during our winter about
some parts of the river Limpopo.

Lamprotornis australis. Smith. BurchelPs Glossy
Thrush.

Burcheirs Glossy Thrush is the commonest of the Grakles
on the river Limpopo, and next to it, in point of numbers,
comes Lamprocolius phcenicopterus -, both species are very
shy and difficult to get within range of, but both may often
be seen feeding on the ground in company, frequently also
together with Francolins and other birds.

BurchelFs Glossy Thrush is very handsome when in good
plumage, and' is furnished with ample wings and tail ; its
flight is much more heavy than that of most of the other
Grakles.

[On comparing four males of Lamprotornis australis with
four females, all obtained by Mr. Ayres near the river
Limpopo, I observe that the males are considerably the larger ;
taking the largest specimen of each sex, I find the following
differences of size : —

Wing.

Tarsus.

Tail.

in.

in.

in.

Male 7-50

1-85

6-70

Female 6-75

1-70

5-75
—J. H. G.]

Pholidauges leucogastef

I (Gmel.^

). White-bellied

Glossy Thrush.

[This species, as well as the nearly allied P. verreauxi re-
corded in 'The Ibis,' 1884, p. 228, occurs in the Rustenburg

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 289

district ; Mr. Ayres has sent me an adult male of each race
from thence, both shot in December 1883.

P. verreauxi ranges as far north as Mombasa, from whence
I received an adult male, which was also recorded in 'The
Ibis ' for 1881, p. 127.— J. H. G.]

TocKus ERYTHRORHYNCHUS (Gmcl.) . African Red-billed
Hornbill,

These Hornbills are plentiful about the river Limpopo,
both singly and in small companies ; in our winter months,
when fruits are scarce, they may be often found feeding on
certain bulbous roots which grow plentifully in patches along
the banks of the river, and of which the Francolins are also
particularly fond. It is not an uncommon occurrence to flush
a lot of Francolins, Jardines, Babbling-Thrushes, Spreos, and
these Hornbills all together ; they evidently feed together
very amicably on much the same diet, though the Spreos,
no doubt, look out for insects more than for bulbs.

[Mr. Ayres has sent five specimens of this Hornbill,
obtained by him in the neighbourhood of the river Limpopo,
and from these I have taken the following measurements : —

Culmen.

Wing.

Tail.

in.

in.

in.

Male, shot 9tli July

2-90

7-90

8-30

Female, shot 6th July . . .

2- 55

7-20

8-20

Female, shot 12th June . . .

2-50

7-05

7-45

Female, shot 9th July . . .

2-45

7-25

7-30

Female, shot 9th July . . .

2-10

7-15

7-30

In all these specimens the ear-coverts are white, but with
the central portion of each feather slaty black, which causes
a general eflPect of dark grey ; the feathers above the ear-
coverts are similarly marked, but with the white in each
feather much more predominant. — J. H. G.]

EsTRELDA ERYTHRONOTA (Vicill.) . Black-checkcd Wax-
bill.

Male, AHei Poort, river Limpopo, 5th August, 1885.

This is not a common species on the banks of the Limpopo,
but when found it is generally in small companies amongst

290 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal.

thorn-bush, often alighting amongst the grass for the small
seeds abundantly strewn upon the ground.

Lagonosticta rubricata (Licht.). South-African Ruddy
Waxbill.

Male, river Limpopo, 11th July, 1885.

Pyromelana taha (Smith). Taha Bishop-bird.
This little Bishop-bird has now (1886) almost disappeared
from the neighbourhood of Potchef stroom ; why, I know not.

Pytelia melba (Linn.). Southern Red-faced Finch.

These beautiful little birds aflect the dense thorn- bush in
preference to more open places ; they are generally tame and
easily got when found ; one scarcely ever finds more than a
pair together.

Hyphanturgus oLivACEus, Hahn. Cape Weaver-bird.

About Potchefstroom the birds of this species are much
brighter in plumage this season (1886) than I have ever
noticed them previously.

Fringillaria tahapisi (Smith). Rock Bunting.

This species frequents the rough, rocky, scrubby ranges on
the upper parts of the Mooi river, where it is not un-
common.

[Judging from dissected specimens sent by Mr. Ayres, it
would seem that the females are brown on those parts of the
head which in the adult males are black. — J. H. G.]

MiRAFRA N^viA (Strickl.). Dark-lined Lark.

These Larks are rather common amongst the thorn-trees on
the banks of the Limpopo, where they occur either singly or
in pairs. When disturbed they usually settle on tlie top of
some low thorn, and remain till the cause of alarm has dis-
appeared, when they return to the ground in search of seeds
and insects.

MiRAFRA NIGRICANS (Suud.). Walilbcrg's Lark.

Male, shot 10th January, 1885. Iris fine hazel-brown;
bill dusky brown, with the under mandible bluish, the com-
missure and gape yellowish ; tarsi and feet ashy white.

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 991

This is the second specimen of M. nigricans which I have
met with. I found it amongst the scrubby bush on a rocky
range of hills^ some couple of miles from the banks of the
Mooi river and about twenty from the sources of that stream.
My attention was attracted to the bird by its large size,
dipping flight, and Pipit-like appearance.

[This specimen, like the previous one obtained by Mr.
Ayres and recorded in ' The Ibis/ 1884, p. 231, appears to
be partly in immature plumage ; and in the present instance
the assumption of the adult dress seems to have made but
little progress. Both specimens were killed on 10th January,
the first in 1882, the second in 1885.— J. H. G.]

Chrysococcyx cupreus (Bodd.). Didric Cuckoo.

During our present summer months (1886) these Cuckoos
are particularly scarce, although in 1885 they were more
plentiful than had ever been known before.

CoccYSTES GLANDARius (Linu.). Great Spotted Cuckoo.

A male specimen was shot at Potchefstroom on 8tb Feb-
ruary, 1886, and brought tome in the flesh; but its possessor
did not wish to part with it. The stomach of this bird con-
tained a quantity of beetles, principally of a species of Cetonia,
of moderate size.

This Cuckoo is one of our rarest visitants, though in the
Orange Free State my friend, Dr. Symonds of Kroonstad,
has killed several.

Campethera bennetti (Smith). Bennett's Woodpecker.

This specimen fell, when shot, from the top of a tree, with
a broken wing and at least ten yards from the stem, but
hopped very nimbly to the trunk, and before I could run up
was out of reach and climbing so rapidly that I was obliged
to fire again to secure it. These Woodpeckers are wonder-
fully quick climbers and are always scarce here.

PcEOGEPHALus MEYERi (Riipp.). Mcyer's Parrot.
I found a few pairs of these Parrots along the banks of
the Limpopo during our winter months.

293 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of TVansvaal.

TuRNix LEPURANA (Smith). Kurrichane Hemipode.

This is an exceedingly scarce Quail in the Potchefstroom
district and, I think, more so than was the case in former
years, I never remember to have found more than two
together.

Pterocles bicinctus, Temm. Double-banded Sand-
grouse.

Male and female found breeding, 27th May, 1884, near the
river Limpopo, where my brother met with this species and
also P. namaqua plentifully, and found them frequenting
certain " pans'" for their evening drink .

Pternistes swatnsont (Smith). Swainson's Francolin.
Male and female, river Limpopo, August 1885.
This species is abundant on the Limpopo, and is in the
habit of congregating in numbers.

Francolinus natalensis. Smith. Natal Francolin.

Male, river Limpopo, 15th July, 1885.

This Francolin, called by the Boers " Namaqua Pheasant,"
is fairly common on the Limpopo, where it frequents the
same localities as the preceding species. It is seldom that
more than two or three are to be found together.

Francolinus pileatus. Pileated Francolin.

Female, river Limpopo, 4th August, 1885.

This species is much scarcer than either of the two Frau-
colins just mentioned, though it is found in the same
localities. It does not congregate like Pternistes swainsoni.

Francolinus gariepensis. Smith. Orange-river Fran-
colin.

Male, Potchefstroom, 17th April, 1885.

Male, river Limpopo, 26th July, 1885.

Male, river Limpopo, 6th August, 1885.

Each of the above specimens gave a wing-measurement of
6| inches, and a total length 'in the flesh of 14 inches.

According to my experience, this is a very scarce Fran-
colin ; but I twice found it in covies amongst rocky hills on
the banks of the river Limpopo. It is a fine heavy bird and

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 293

excellent eating ; the Boers call it the '' Mountain-Par-
tridge/'

Francolinus subtorquatuSj Smith. Coqui Francoliu.
This is also a decidedly scarce species on the river
Limpopo.

EupoDOTis RTJFiCRisTA (Smith). Red-crested Bustard.

Male and female, river Limpopo, 20th July, 1885.

This Bustard is somewhat scarce about the Limpopo
river, and is not always easily found, though two or three
are generally together. Besides its monotonous cry of goo,
goo, it also whistles a short song, which any one unacquainted
with this habit would take for the notes of some small bush-
bird, such as a Shrike or Thrush.

Crex egregia (Peters). Greater African Crake.

Potchefstroom, 25 th February, 1885.

This Crake continues to be a scarce species.

ToTANUS GLAREOLA, Liuu. Wood Sandpiper.
Male, Potchefstroom, 8th December, 1883.

Gallinago MAJOR (Gmcl.). Solitary Snipe.

Male, Potchefstroom, 6th April, 1885. Weight 8 oz.

380. Ardea melanocephala, Vig. & Childr. Black-
necked Heron.

Male, Potchefstroom, 20th June, 1884. Field-rats and
locusts in the stomach.

Male, adult, Potchefstroom, 22nd July, 1884. Total
length in the flesh 36^ inches. Iris tawny yellow, with an
outer ring of dark umber ; bill dusky brown, but pale on the
under mandible ; bare skin about the base of the bill and the
eye fulvescent whitish ; bare portions of the tibiae, tarsi, and
feet black.

The Black-necked Heron is by no means uncommon about
Potchefstroom during our winter months, and is generally to
be found feeding on the ploughed lauds, where it is not
unusual to see three or four together.

294 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal.

Ardea purpurea^ Linn. Purple Heron.

Female, adult, Potchefstroom, 7ih. June, 1884. Stomach
contained small perch.

These Herons are still tolerably numerous about the
swamps of the Potchefstroom district, though their numbers
are gradually decreasing, owing, no doubt, to the increase of
shooting and to the reed-beds where they breed being disturbed
by the cutting of the reeds for thatching.

Ardea rufiventriSj Sund. Rufous-bellied Heron.
One of these Herons was shot by ray brother on the river
Limpopo, at its junction with the river Matlabas.

Butorides atricapilla (Afzel.). African Black-headed
Heron.

Male, immature, river Hex, Rustenburg district, 8th
December, 1883.

This species is not found in the Potchefstroom district, but
is not uncommon here and there in certain localities in the
warmer parts of Transvaal.

[As neither edition of Mr. Layard^s work describes the
immature plumage of this Heron, it may be well to mention
that it differs from the adult dress in the presence of a tri-
angular spot of buffy white on each feather of the wing-
coverts except those of the least coverts, where the corre-
sponding spots are brown and are also smaller ; the scapulars
are spotted like the greater coverts^ and the interscapulary
feathers are marked with spots resembling those on the lesser
coverts, but not so dark ; the sides of the head are streaked
alternately with black and brown, and a few minute brown
streaks are interspersed amongst the black feathers of the
crown ; the whole under surface of the body differs from that
of the adult bird in being variegated with alternate longi-
tudinal striations of blackish slate-colour and buffy white. —
J. H.G.]

Ardetta podiceps, Bon. Rufous-necked Little Bittern.
Female, adult, Potchefstroom, July 1884.
[In ' The Ibis ' for 1878, p. 300, I expressed an opinion
that an immature Little Bittern, sent by Mr. Ayres from

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 295

Potchefstroom, was referable to the northern A. minuta ;
but having recently reexamined this specimen, and compared it
with numerous examples both of A. minuta and of A. podiceps,
I am disposed now to refer it to the latter species, and to
believe that A. minuta has not been satisfactorily identified
as a native of South Africa. The two species (or rather sub-
species) are, in fact, very closely allied, and, when in imma-
ture plumage and not sexed, cannot always, as it seems to
me, be discriminated with certainty.

It may perhaps be useful to record the following memoranda
which I have noted with reference to these two races of Little
Bitterns : — The adult males of A. podiceps have the sides of
the head and also the sides and back of the neck of a vinous
brown, with more or less of a rufous tinge, whilst the corre-
sponding parts in the adult males of A. minuta are of a
somewhat pale fawn-colour, which is occasionally suffused
with a very slight tinge of grey. The adult females of both
species have the sides and back of the neck of a rufous
brown, but the rufous tint is decidedly deeper and richer in
the iemales of A. podicejjs than in those of A. minuta, and
both in the females and immature birds there is a general
tendency in the southern race to exhibit a slightly deeper
tint on the brown portions of the plumage than is usual in
the more northern species. Except as above mentioned, I
do not find that the two races differ in coloration ; but the
average dimensions of specimens of A. minuta are slightly
larger than those of A. podiceps, the measurements of male
birds of both species being usually a little in excess of those
of the females, which makes it needful to compare individuals
of the same sex in discriminating the two races.

The following measurements (in inches and decimals) have
been taken from specimens in the collections of my son, Mr.
J. H. Gurney, Jun., and myself, and from others kindly lent
me by Canon Tristram, Mr. Dresser, and Mr. Seebohm; the
examples of A. podiceps are all from Transvaal, except one
adult male in my collection from the Gaboon, which is the
most northern example of the southern race with which I am
acquainted.

296 Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornitholoyy of TVansvaal.

Adult, R. Gaboon ....

Adult, Transvaal

Adult, Transvaal

Nearly adult, Transvaal
Immature in change,

Transvaal

Adult, Transvaal

Adult, Transvaal

Adult, Transvaal

Nearly adult, Transvaal
Immatm'e, Transvaal . .
Immature, Transvaal . .
Adult, Transvaal

' rdetta podiceps.

Males.

Bill from

Wing.

Tarsus.

Middle toe s. m.

forehead.

iu.

in.

m.

in.

5-40

1-60

1-60

2-00

5-45

1-60

l-6o

1-90

0-65

l-6o

150

1-95

5-20

1-60

1-40

1-90

5-0.5

i-GO

1-50

2-05

5-60

1-70

1-65

1-90

Females.

0-55

1-60

1-60

1-90

o-Oo

1-50

1-50

1-90

5-05

1-50

1-45

1-90

5-10

1-60

1-60

1-85

5-20

1-60

1-5.5

1-70

5-00

1-60

l-oo

1-80

Ardetta minuta.
Males.

Norfolk, adult 6-15

Holland, immature .... 6-00

France, adult 6-05

Malta, adult 6-20

Malta, adult 6-10

Tunis, adult 5-85

Egypt, adult (j"05

Syria, immature 6'00

Turkestan, adult 6-20

Females

Norfolk, adult 570

Sussex, immatui'e .... o'56

Italy, adult 5-85

Algeria, adult 5-95

Algeria, adult 5*55

Egypt, nearly adult .... 5-90
Transcaucasia, nearly

adult 5-50 \m

1-65
1-60
1-60
1-60
1-70
1-80
1-70
1-85

1-65
1-70
1-75
1-60

1-GO

1-50

1-90

1-60

l-7o

1-55

1-90

1-60

1-95

1-66

1-90

1-60

1-90

1-60

200

1-65

1-90

1-66

1-95

1-40

1-80

1-45

1-90

1'60

1-60

2-00

1-50

1-90

1-40

1-80

1-50

1-90

J.H. G.]

Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 297

381. CicoNiA ABDiMii,, Licht. White-bellied Stork.
Female, January 8th, 1885. Iris light tawny brown; bill

reddisb at the tip, greenish at the base ; bare skin round the
eye and about the chin red ; feet and front part of the tarsi,
also the uncovered part of the tibiae, dusky brown.

Another female, killed the same day, differed in having the
entire tarsi a dingy brick-red and the bare skin in front of
the ear bluish.

I killed the birds now sent about thirty miles from Pot-
chefs troom, near the Mooi river. These Storks are often
to be seen in various parts of the Potchefstroom district in
the rainy season, i. e. during our summer months. They are
always in companies, though I have not seen them here in the
vast numbers sometimes to be found in other parts of South
Africa.

382. CicoNiA NIGRA, Linu. Black Stork.

Male, Potchefstroom, June 12th, 1884. Bill and bare skin
round the eye bright dark crimson ; feet, tarsi, and bare part
of tibise very bright scarlet. Stomach contained small perch
and crabs.

This very handsome Stork, the first of the species that I
have ever had, was shot just outside the town of Potchefstroom
in a swamp where many water-birds are often to be found.
It was a solitary specimen.

383. Mycteria senegalensis, Shaw. African Jabiru.
Female, Rustenburg district, 2nd April, 1883.

This is a rare species with us. The specimen sent was shot
near Rustenburg. I do not remember to have ever seen it in
the Potchefstroom district.

Nettapus AURiTUs (Bodd.) . African Dwarf Goose.

The specimen sent is one of two that were observed in
a swamp about a mile from the town of Potchefstroom,
This species is of very rare occurrence here, but, being much
less shy than most of the water-fowl, it is comparatively easy
to shoot it.

384. [Baza VERREAUxi (Lafr.) . Verreaux's Baza.

This species was obtained, not unfrequently,.by Mr. Ayres

SER. V. VOL. IV. Y

298 Mr. T. Ayres o)i the Ornithology of Transvaal.

in Natal ; but as he has not recorded it from Transvaal,
I may take this opportunity of mentioning that an adult
specimen sent from Transvaal to Mr. Whitely, of Woolwich,
has lately been added to the Norwich Museum.

This, however, is not the most northern locality in which
this species is found. There is, in the Norwich Museum, an
adult example from the district of the Zambesi ; and Captain
Shelley possesses another obtained at Rabbai, near Mombasa,
as recorded by him in the P. Z. S. 1881, p. 562.

I have examined several adults of this species, and in all of
them I have observed a peculiarity which is not noticed in
Mr. Sharpens description of this Hawk, viz. a patch of dark
rufous feathers in the centre of the upper part of the nape,
of a somewhat square shape, and measuring from an inch to
an inch and a half in vertical, and the same in transverse
diameter.

I have only been able to examine three adults of the allied
African species, B. cuculoides, in all of which there was
merely an extremely slight trace of rufous on the nape, in
place of the conspicuous patch exhibited by the adults of B.
verreauxi, I may add that there appears to be a noteworthy
difference in the colouring of the soft parts of these two
nearly allied species. Mr. Ayres, referring to an adult
female of B. verreauxl in ' The Ibis ' for 1864, p. 356,
describes the iris and cere as " light yellow '' and the tarsi
and feet as " yellow ;" whilst Mr. J. Biittikofer states that, in
a male of B. cuculoides obtained by him in Liberia, the iris
was " red " and the " cere and feet orange " {vide ' Notes
from the Leyden Museum,'' vol. vii. p. 156).

The most striking distinction between the two African
species of Baza is, however, that of the colouring of the
under wing-coverts described by Mr. Sharpe in the British
Museum Catalogue, vol. i. p. 351. — J. H. G.]

[I am desirous to take this opportunity of correcting an
error which I made in ' The Ibis,^ 1885, p. 349. I there
referred to certain measurements of Herodias intermedia as
" given by Mr. Sharpe -," but I ought to have said " given
by Mr. Ayres/^— J. H. G.J

Mr. S. Bligli on Kiener's Hawk-eagle, 299

XXXIII. — Note on Kiener^s Haivk-eagle. By Samuel Blioii.
(Communicated by John Henry Gurney.)

[As Lophotnorchis kieneri is one of the rarer of the
eastern Hawk-eagles^ the following particulars extracted
from a letter received from my friend Mr. Samuel Bligh are,
I think, worthy of record. — J. H. G.]

" I SPENT the month of February at Kotraalie (Ceylon)
with my friend Mr. Master, on whose estate, just twelve
years ago, I shot an adult male oi. Lophotriorchis kieneri, the
first ever recorded as having been obtained in Ceylon.

" For two or three months previous to my visit, Mr. Master
had often written to me that he was much troubled by an
Eagle which, two or three times a week, would play havoc
amongst his Pigeons, rarely missing a week in coming and
in securing a Pigeon.

" Mr. Master had shot at the Eagle, but had failed to do
more than frighten it.

^' The day after I arrived it put in an appearance, and
the poor Pigeons, a flock of sixty or seventy, seemed quite
bewildered with the Eagle circling above them and waiting
on them, till they were fairly terrified, when it would make
a heavy awkward stoop and clutch the nearest Pigeon ; it
did not come within fair gun-shot, but I fired to save the
Pigeon, and distinctly saw that the Eagle was hit.

" Three days later it was there again ; I saw that it was
gaining elevation for a stoop, waited, and the Pigeons keeping
low this time, I dropped it as it was nearing the flock, and it
fell almost at my feet quite dead. It proved to be an adult
female of L. kieneri ; very like the male which I shot twelve
years before, but larger, weighing 2^ Ibs.^ I found that it
was the same bird that I had shot at two days before, as
fresh wounds were plain upon the legs, and on skinning it I
found that a thigh-bone had also been hurt long ago, but
was well healed ; its crop contained the fresh remains of a
Palumbus torringtonice."

* [The male previously obtained by Mr. Bligli weighed If lb. —
J. II. G.J

y3

300

On the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Wings.

XXXIV. — On the Claios and Spurs of Birds' Wings.
By P. L. ScLATER, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

[Continued from p. 151.]

3. The Spur of the Spur-winged Goose {Plectropterus
gambensis) .

In Plectropterus gambensis we find a very different arratige-
ment prevailing from what is met with in Chauna (above,
p. 150). The single spur {Sp) is placed, not on the meta-
carpals at all, but on one of the carpal bones ; it projects
about an inch in length, with a slight curvature towards the
radius.

There is an ungual phalanx, as in Chauna, at the extre-
mity of the first digit, but I am not sure that there is any

Fig. 3.

ph. 2

End of rig-ht wing- of Plectropterus (jamhensis, reduced one half. Sp, spur.
D. 1, first digit : Ph. 2, ungual phalanx of ditto. D. 2, second
digit ; D. S, third digit, m.c, metacarpals. U, ulna. B, radius.

corneous covering in this case to represent the unguis. The
whole of the first digit measures 1"3 in. in this bird, being
rather more than in Chauna derbiana, although the radius
and ulna are slightly shorter.

4. The Spur of Parr a.
In Parra we return, as regards the single spur, to nearly
the same arrangement as is found in Chauna. The spur is
placed at the basal extremity of the coalesced metacarpals.

On the Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 301

whence it projects on the radial edge, about 0'4 in. in length.
In the accompanying figure (fig. 4) it is represented of the

Fig. 4.

V

D.3

End of right wing of Farrajacana, of the natural size. Sp, spur. D. 1,
D. 2, D. 3, digits. R, radius. Z7, ulna, w.c, metacarpals.

natural size. Immediately in front of it is the first digit^
which in this bird consists of a single phalanx much pointed
at the extremity.

XXXV. — A Review of the Species of the Family Ploceidse of
the Ethiopian Region. By Captain G. E. Shelley, F.Z.S.
— Part I. Viduinse.

(Plate IX.)

The Ploceidse, or Weavers, most nearly approach the Frin-
gillidse, from which they may be readily separated by their
possessing an extra or bastard primary. From the Alaudidse,
which also have a bastard primary, they may be distinguished
by their feet, which, in the Ploceidse, are adapted for clinging
on to boughs, and in the Alaudidse for running on the ground.
On the other side of the Ploceidse I should place the Orio-
lidse and the Sturnidse.

The present review has been undertaken in the hopes of
assisting in the comprehension of this intricate family, and
in forming a classification which I shall be able to follow
in future. I divide the Ploceidse into two subfamilies of
nearly equal proportions, the Viduinse and the Ploceinse ;
these two subfamilies are not very sharply marked, but
their members will, I trust, be easily recognized.

The first subfamily, Viduinse, to which I shall confine my
observations at present, is distinguished by the bastard pri-

302 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

mary being very small and finely pointed, except in the genus
Spermospiza and, possibly, in a few of the more nearly allied
species, which are excessively rare in collections, and of which
I have not been able to examine good series ; nevertheless,
from their general appearance, I believe their affinities to be
probably much nearer to Pytilia than to any other genus.

With regard to the specimens examined, I shall only notice
types, those from new localities, and those with dates.

Key to the Genera of ViduiNjE.

a. Mantle never striped in any stage of plumage. Hind
claw sliorter and more curved. None of the inner
feathers of the wing ever lanceolate. None of the

tail-feathers ever obtusely pointed Div. 1. Estkeld.^.

a^. Bill comparatively slender and very unfinch-lilie.
Distance from gonys to tip of lower mandible
greater than the depth of the bill. Plumage
with no bright red nor yellow. Entire under- [p. 304.

parts uniform. Tail entirely black 1 . Niyritit,

h\ Bill stouter and finch-like.

b^. Tail square, and extending beyond the wing

by about the length of the tarsus. Plumage [p. 307.

mostly pale brown 2, Philefcerux,

c^. Tail rounded or graduated.

c^. Bill very stout ; culmen arched.

c*. "With no red on the plumage, and no pale

ends to the tail-feathers. Sexes very

similar.

c'. Breast white or nearly so, with dark

mottlings on the sides. Tail rather

short and rounded. Legs dark. Bill [p. 308.

blue-black 3. Spermcstes,

<f'. Breast rarely white, and never with

dark mottlings on the sides. Legs and [p. 310.

bill rarely very dark 4. Mtmia,

dK With white ends to the tail-feathers.

Sexes dissimilar. With some red con- [p. 312.

fined to the heads of the males only .... 6. Amadina,
(P. Bill very stout, and shaped like a pyramid.
Culmen straight. Upper mandible with a
powerful tooth near the base. Plumage
brown or black, with the head, rump, and [p. 313.

tail red 0. Pyrenedcs,

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Hegion. 303

, Bill variable in strength. Culmen arched,
e*. Tail rounded, but never decidedly gra-
duated, liill longer. Rump and upper
tail-coverts generally' red. Tail generally
washed with red.
e\ Wings more rounded; second primary
never sinuated ; primaries nearly uni-
form black or brown, never edged with
olive, yellow, nor red. Bill blue or
black. Mantle never grey,
e". Bill very strong.

e' , Bill metallic blue, . tipped with
orange. Mantle black. Bastard
primary very large, more than half
the length of the next. Second
and third quills considerably [p. 314.

shorter than the fourth 7. Spermospka,

f. Bill black. Mantle red. Second,

third, and fourth primaries nearly [p. 316.

equal 8. Cryptospiza,

/". Bill moderately strong. Breast black [p. 317,

or brown, with large white spots , . 9. Hyparyus,
f^. Wings more pointed ; second primary
generally sinuated.
</''. Quills never uniform but always
broadly edged with olive, yellow, or
red. Breast generally barred or
boldly spotted, never red. Bill gene-
rally entirely red. Never with
a distinct red band through the [p. 318.

eye 10. PytUiu,

¥'. Quills uniform brown. Throat and
breast generally uniform vinous red.
Generally with minute white spots
on the sides of the chest. Bill never [p. 321.

entirely red 11. Lagonosticta,

f^. Tail generally decidedly graduated. Bill
short. Tail-feathers rarely shaded with
red. Bastard primary always small;
second primary never sinuated. Tail
reaching beyond the wing by more than [p. .326.

the length of the tarsus 12. Estrehla,

yK Tail square and very short, not reaching

beyond the wing by nearly the length of [p. 337.

the tarsus 13. Ortygospiza,

304 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

b. Mantle striped in some stage of plumage. Hind
claw longer, less curved, and more slender. Gene-
rally with some of the inner feathers of the wing
lanceolate. Tail-feathers often obtusely pointed. . Div. 2. ViDUiE.
h\ In adult males feathers of the back never mottled
with dark centres.
Ir. Tail square, or square with the exception of
the four centre leathers. Plumage with no
bright red nor yellow.
1y\ Tail entirely square. Entire plumage glossy [p. 338.

black. Bill and legs red 14. Ihjiwcliera,

c^. Tail square, with the two or four centre fea- [p. 339.

thers very much elongated 15. Vidua^

e'. Tail rounded or graduated, and never very
short: the ends of the feathers never obtusely
pointed. Plumage: tail and breast entirely [p. 343.

black 10. Coliuspasser,

(P. Tail square, very short, and the feathers ob-
tusely pointed. Plumage : tail brown, with
pale margins to the feathers; adult males [p. 3.")0.

alwavs with some bright red or yellow .... 17. Pyromehina,
c'. Back always brown, with dark centres to the

feathers. Tail short and square, with the ends [p. 355.

of the feathers obtusely pointed 18. Quelea,

1. NiGRITA.

1841. ^thiops, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841. p. 30 Type.

(previously employed in Mammalia) . N. canicapilla.

1842. Nigrita, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1842, p. 145 . N. canicajnl/a.
18G0. Percnopis, Heine, J. f. 0. 1860, p. 144. N.fusconota.

The genus Nigrita is a very abnormal form with regard to
the bill, and has been placed by Prof. Snndevall C' Avium
Tentamen,' p. 20) in his family Ampelinse, but, I consider,
should be retained in the present family.

This genus consists of three groups : the first represented
by the white-breasted and more slender forms N. fusconota,
from south of the equator, and its northern representative
N. uropygialis.

The second group consists of two stout little birds, with
very arched bills, much compressed at their sides, A^. luteifrons
and N. lucieni, whigli I believe to be distinct species, although
Dr. TIartlaub once descri])cd A^. lucieni as the immature

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 305

plumage of N. luteifrons. Tn the British Museum there are
two adults, one from the Caraaroons { Crossleij), and an imma-
ture bird from the Gaboon {Du Chaillu),Yi^\it\j determined as
N. luteifrons. This immature bird has the plumage nearly
uniform bluish grey, slightly darker above, and consequently
differs from the type of iV. lucieni and from a perfectly similar
specimen from the Gaboon {Walker) in these two latter birds
having the upper part of the head exactly similar to the adult
of N. luteifrons, and on the sides of the head a broad black
circle round the eye extending forward to the bill. Although
I cannot prove that N. lucieni is not the adult female of N.
luteifrons, I feel justified in keeping them separate.

The third group consists of N. canicapilla, its northern
representative, N. emilice, and the rufous-breasted N. bicolor.
N. cinereocapilla, Sharpe, is only a printer's error for N.
canicapilla. N. canicapilla, Hartl. (Orn. W.-Afr. p. 130),
from Aguapim should, I have no doubt, he referred to N.
emilicB, which, from my own experience, is the common
species near Abouri in those mountains. Although I have
not seen a Senegambian specimen, I feel little doubt that the
N. canicapilla, Rochebrune (Faun. Senegamb. p. 236), refers
to N. emilia. The locality '' Gaboon -" for N. emilice, in
Sharpens Cat. Afr. B. p. 61, is, I think, undoubtedly incorrect,
having been copied from a dealer's label.

Key to the Species.

a. Underparta white. Mantle pale brown.

«\ Lower back uniform with mantle 1. N. fusconota.

b\ liower back buff, much paler than mantle 2, iV. iiropj/gialis.

h. Underparts black or grey. Mantle grey.

e\ Forehead white. No white spots on wings.

c^. Underparts black in adults, gxey in young. ... 3. W. luteifrons.
d"^. Underparts always grey. A broad black band

round the eye 4. N. lucieni.

cf. Forehead and underparts black. Some white
spots on wings,
e^. Slightly larger. Lower back white. With
white tips to the greater wing-coverts and

inner secondaries 5. N'. canicapilla.

f . Slightly smaller. Lower back darker. With

30G Captain G. E. Shelley on the

no white on the greater wing-coverts nor

secondaries 6. iV. emilia.

c. Undei-parts reddish brown. Mantle dark slaty brown 7. N. bicolm:

1. NiGRITA FUSCONOTA.

Nigrita fusconotus, Eraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 145, Fernando
Po (type exam.) ; id. Zool. Typ, pi. 49.

Percnopis dorsofusca, Heine, J. f. O. 1860, p. 144.

Hab. W. Afr., from the Congo to the Gaboon and Fer-
nando Po.

a, (^ . April, Chinchonxo (Shelley Mus.).

2. Nigrita uropygialis.

Nigrita uropygialis, Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 384, pi. 11.
fig. 1, Fantee (type exam.).
Hab. W. Afr., Gold Coast.

3. Nigrita luteifrons.

Nigrita luteifrons, J. & E. Verr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1851,
p. 420, Gaboon.

Hah. W. Afr., Gaboon and Camaroons.

Nigrita bocagei, Sharpe, MS. 1 ^^.^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^p^^

Nigrita luteifrons, ]v., Hartl. J.f.O. Gaboon (Brit.Mus.).
1861, p. 176 J

Nigrita lucieni, Sharpe & Bouvier, Bull. S. Z. France,
1878, p. 75, Ungoraoyo and Conde (type in Brit. Mus.).

Hab. W. Afr., Congo to Gaboon.

5, Nigrita canicapilla.

jEthiops canicapillus, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 30, Fer-
nando Po.

Nigrita canicapilla, Eraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 145 ; id. Zool.
Typ. pi. 48.

Nigrita cinereocapilla, Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 385 (laps, cal.) .

Hab. W. Afr., Angola, from the Quanza to Abeokuta and
Fernando Po.

a, (^ . March, Chinchonxo {Shelley Mus.).

6. Nigrita emili^,

Nigrita emiliae, Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 384, pi. 11. fig. 2,

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 307

Fantee (type exam.) ; id. Cat. Afr. B. 1871, p. 61^ ''Gaboon
( Verreaux) " !

t Nigrita canicapilla, Rochebrune^ Faun. Senegamb. 1884,
p. 236, Casamanse, Gambia.

Hab. W. Afr,, Gold Coast and ? Senegambia {Rochebrune).

a. February, Abouri {Shelley).

7. NiGRITA BICOLOR.

Pytelia bicolor, Hartl. Syst. Verz. Brem, 1844, p. 76, Gold
Coast.

Nigrita bicolor, Sclat. Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 83.

Percnopis bicolor, Hein, J. f. O. 1860, p. 144.

Hab. W. Afr., from the Congo to Senegambia.

a. January, Cape-Coast Castle [Shelley), b. February,
Abouri [Shelley).

2. Philet^rus.

1837. Philetairus, Smith, Charlesworth's Mag. Type.

Nat. Hist. 1837, p. 536 P. socius.

Key to the Species.

a. Mantle dark brown, with pale brown edges to the fea-

thers. Breast pale brown, with a patch on the sides

of the body of black feathers edged with buff 8. P. socius.

b. Mantle uniform pale brown.

b^. Crown black. Underparts white, with the sides of
the body brown, mottled with large black blotches ;
central line of the breast similarly mottled 9. P. cdhanist,

c\ Crown white. Underparts uniform brown, like

the mantle 10. P. arnaudi.

8. PniLETiERUS SOCIUS.

Loxia socia, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 1790, p. 381, Cape.
Ploceus socius, Cuv. Regne An. i. 1817, p. 384.
Coccothraustes socia, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 540.
Philetairus lepidus, Smith, Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist.
1837, p. 536.

Euplectes lepidus, Swains. An. in Menag. 1838, p. 309.
Phileteerus lepidus, Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. 1838, pi. 8.
Hab. S. Afr., between about 20^' and 30° S. lat.

308 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

9. PlIILET^RUS CABANISI.

Niyrita cabanisi, Fischer & Reichen. J. £. O. 1884, p. 54,
Pare in Masai (type exam.).
Hab. E. Afr., Pare.

10. Philet^.rus arnaudi.

" Niyrita arnaudi, Pucheran, MS. Paris Mus. ; " Bp. Consp.
i. 1850, p. 444, White Nile; Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. pi. 20.

Hab. N.E. & E. Afr., between 10° N. lat., and 3° S. lat.,
from the White Nile to Masai-land.

«, ^ . March, Lado. b. April, Wasonerbor [Shelley
Mus.) .

3. Spermestes.
1837. Spermestes, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. Type.

p. 201 ;S^. cucullatus.

1861. Amaurestes, Reichb. Singvog. p. 86,

pi. 44. fig. 322 S. frinyilloides.

Key to the Species.

a. Larger. Wing more than 2-2 inches long.
Head and neck black. Mantle and wings
brown, with a few white streaks on the wing-
coverts U.S. frinyilloules.

h. Smaller. Wing less than 2 inches long. With
no white streaks on the wing-coverts.
h^. Mantle and quills earthy brown, with a

metallic green patch on the shoulders .... 12. & cucullatus.
c\ Mantle chestnut. Quills black, partially

barred with white 13. S. rnfodorsalis.

d^. Head, neck, and mantle unifcrm black.
d^. Quills and rump strongly barred with

white 14. S. poeus

e^. Quill and rump uniform black, the former
occasionally marked with a few white
spots 15. S. hicolor.

11. Spermestes fringilloides.

Ploceus frinyilloides, Lafr. Mag. Zool. 1835, pi. 48.
Amadina frinyilloides. Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 370.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 309

Munia fringilloides , Bp. Consp. i. 1850^ p. 153.

Amaurestes fringilloides, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 86,
pi. 44. fig. 322.

Spermestes fi'ingilloides , Oust. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. 1879,
p. 112.

Hah. E. and W. Afr. : Zanzibar Province, Mosambiquc,
Gaboon, Liberia, and Senegambia.

a. April, Zanzibar [Shelley Mus .) .

12. Spermestes cucullatus.

Spermestes cucullatus, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 201,
Afr. ; Miill. Descr. Nouv. Ois. Afr. 1854, part iv. pi. 16.

Loxia prasipteron, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 104, Senegal.

Amadina cucullata, Sundev. CEfv. K, Vet.-Ak. Forh.
Stockh. 1849, p. 159.

Coccothraustes scutatus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 1856, p. 39.
no. 388, N.E. Afr.

Spermestes scutatus, Heugl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 18.

Amadina, sp. ?, Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 321, Shupanga, on
Zambesi.

Estrelda cucullata, Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 46.

Hab. The whole of Africa south of about 16° N. lat., and
the Comoro Islands.

a. August, Rimo, N.E. Afr. b, c. October and Novem-
ber, Durban, d. April, Accra. e,f. February and March,
Cape-Coast Castle, g. April, Elmira [Shelley Mus,).

13. Spermestes rufodorsalis.

Spermestes rufodorsalis, Peters, J. f. O. 1863, p. 401, In-
hambani.

Amaditia punctipennis, Bianc. Spec. Zool. Mosamb. fasc.
xviii. 1867, p. 325, pi. 4. fig. 1.

Hab. E. and S. Afr., east coast from Lamu to Inhambani.

14. Spermestes poensis.

Amadina poensis, Eraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 145, Fernando
Po; id. Zool. Typ. pi. 50. fig. 1.

Spermestes poensis, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 454.

Hab. W. Afr., Congo to Gaboon and Fernando Po. Pro-
bably entirely replaced by S. bicolor north of the Equator.

310 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

15. Spermestes bicolor.

Amadina bicolor, Fraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 145, Cape
Palmas; id. Zool. Typ. pi. 50. fig. 2.

Spermestes bicolor, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 454.

? Amadina poensis, Ilartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 148 (part.)
Casamanse.

? Spermestes poensis, Rocliebrune, Faun. Senegamb. 1884,
p. 248.

Hab. W. Afr., from tlie Gold Coast to the Bulama Islands
and probably Senegambia.

a. February, Abouri {Shelley).

4. MUNIA.

1836. Munia, Hodgs. As. Research, xix. Type.

p. 153 M. ruhronigra.

1850. Padda, Reichb. Syst. Nat. pi. 76 . . M. oryzivora.

1851. Oryzornis, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851,

p. 172 M. oryzivora.

1851. Urolonga, Cab. t. c. p. 173 . . • . M. cantans.
1861. Eudice, Reichb. Singvog. p. 46, pi. 16.

figs. 146-149 M. cantans.

1861. Lepidopygia, Reichb. t. c. pi. 17. fig.

152 . M. nana.

This genus, as I have employed it, may have somewhat the
appearance of a refuge for the destitute. It is not a very
sharply defined group, but I consider it more advantageous
to keep these five species together than, as I should other-
wise have done, to divide them into five genera, which would
follow each other in the same order in which I have placed
the species. I have examined good specimens of all these
forms, and do not find distinguishing characters of sufficient
importance to render their generic separation imperative,
and they appear to me to constitute a group sufficiently
easily recognizable not to be confounded with any other of
the genera that I have employed.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 311

Key to the Species.

a. Upper parts olive-yellow. Sides of head white.

In the male the black of the chin and upper

throat extends behind the ear-coverts 10, M. sharpii.

b. With no olive nor yellow on the upper parts.

¥. Bill not pink. Cheeks and ear-coverts not
uniform white.
b"^. Lower mandible red, upper one blackish.
Upper throat black. Rump and upper

tail-coverts brown 17. M. nana.

c^. Both mandibles of the same colour. No
black on throat. Head more or less
spotted,
c^. Underparts nearly white. Rump and
upper tail-coverts black. Inner wing-
feathers barred 18. M. cantans.

d^. Head and neck grey. Breast rufous-buff.

Rump and upper tail-coverts white .... Id. M. caniccps.
c\ Bill pink. • Mantle and chest grey. Cheeks

and ear-coverts white , 20. M. oiizivora.

16. MUNIA SHARPII.

Amadina sharpii, Nicholson, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 130, pi. 10,
Abeokuta (type exam.).
Hab. W. A£r., Abeokuta.

17. MuNIA NANA.

Pyrrhula nana, Pucher. Mag. Zool. 1845, pi. 58, Mada-
gascar.

Spermestes nana, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 454 ; Milne-Edw.
and Grandid. Hist. Madag. Ois., Atlas, ii. pi. 183. figs. 1, 3.

Lepidopygia nana, Reiclib. Singvog. 1861, p. 46, pi. 17.
fig. 152.

Hab. Madagascar.

18. MuNIA CANTANS.

Loxia cantans, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 859.
Coccothraustes cantans, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 529.
Fringilla cantans, Licbt. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 27.
Estrelda cantans, Eiipp. Syst. Uebers. 1845, p. 77.
Amadina cantans, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 370.

312 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Uroloncha cantans, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 173.

Eudice cantans, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 46, pi. 16.
figs. 146-149.

Spermestes cantans, Finsch, Trans. Z. S. vii. 1869, p. 268.

Hab. N.E., E., and W. Afr., southward from about 16°
N. lat. to Massiro in 4° S. lat. E. Africa, and in W. Africa
confined to Senegambia.

19. MUNIA CANICEPS.

Pytelia caniceps, Reichen. Oru. Centralbl. 1879, p. 139,
Massa in E. Afr.; Reichen. & Schal. J. f. 0. 1879, p. 326,
pi. 2. fig. 3 (type exam.).

Spermestes caniceps, Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. Brem. viii.
1882, p. 203.

Hab. E. Afr., Lado to Masai-land.

a, ^ . April, Tarrangola (Etnin Bey, Shelley Mus.) .

20. MuNIA ORIZIVORA.

Loxia orizivora, Linn. S. N. i. p. 302.

Padcla, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, pi. 61.

Coccothraustes orizivora, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 545.

Munia orizivora, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 451.

Oryzornis orizivora, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851^ p. 172.

Padda orizivora, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 42, pi. 15.
figs. 135-139.

Hab. E. Afr .J only as an introduced bird, Zanzibar Pro-
vince, Mauritius, and Reunion.

5. Amadina.

1827. ^ma^iwa. Swains. Zool. Journ. iii. 1827, Type.

p. 319 A. fasciata.

1851. Sporothlastes, Cab. Arch. f. Naturg.

1847, pt. i. p. 331 A. fasciata.

Key to the Species.

a. Upper parts barred with black. Males with

the ear-coverts and a broad band across the

throat red 21. A. fasciata.

b. Upper parts with no black bars. Males ^Yith

the entire head red 22. A. erythrocephala.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 313

21. Amadina fasciata.
Loxiafasciata, Gm. S. N. i. 1788^ p. 859.
Loxie fasciee, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, pi, 58.
Loxia jugularis , Shaw {fide Giebel, Thes. Orn.).
Coccothraustes fasciatus, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 529.
Fringilla detruncata, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, pp. 25, 26.
Amadina fasciata, Swains. Zool. Journ. iii. 1827, p. 349 ;

id. B. W. Afr. i. pi. 15.

Sporothlastes fasciatus, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 173.

Hab. N.E., E., and W. Afr., southward from about 17°
N. lat. to Masai-land in E. Africa, and to Casamanse on the
West Coast.

22. Amadina erythrocephala.

Loxia erythrocephala, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 301.

Loxia brasiliana, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 848.

Grevelin, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, pi. 49.

Coccothraustes erythrocephala, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817,
p. 530.

Loxia maculosa, Burch. Trav. S. Afr. ii. 1822, p. 269,
S. Afr.

Fringilla reticulata, Voigt, Cuv. Thierreich, i, 1831, p. 582.

Amadina erythrocephala, Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. 1841,
pi. 69.

Sporothlastes erythrocephala, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851,
p. 173.

Hab. S. and W. Afr. It ranges from Matabele and the
Transvaal to Great and Little Namaqua, Damara, Lake
Ngami, Benguela, and northward to the Loango Coast in
"W. Africa.

a, ($ . June, Bloomfontein {Shelley Mus.).

6. Pyrenestes. rp

1837. Pyrenestes, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 156 . P. ostrinus.

Of this genus I can only recognize one species : it is
subject to considerable variation, which I am unable to
account for.

The general plumage is sometimes brown and sometimes

SER. V. — VOL. IV. z

314 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

black ; that this is not a sexual difference is fully proved by
Mr. J. Biittikofer, who met with a colony all breeding in the
brown plumage in Liberia in October (Notes from the Leyden
Mus. 1885j p. 199) . That the colouring is not mere seasonal
is shown by a specimen in the British Museum, labelled " ^ ,
November, Shonga on Niger {Forbes),'' which is a large
specimen in a black plumage ; and I have never seen a bird
in the moult between the two.

With regard to size, a typical large brown sjjecimen in my
own collection measures — wing 2" 95 inches; w^hile the type
of the small race, P. coccineus, has the wing 2*2 inches.
Two of my own specimens from the Gold Coast, agreeing well
with the figure of P. coccineus, have their wing 2*45 and
2" 70 inches ; so I cannot admit size to be of any specific
value, and the difference in the strength of the bill, which is
very variable, is probably due to age. In the British Museum
there is a black specimen of the small form from the Gold
Coast.

23. Pyrenestes ostrinus.

Loxia ustrinus, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p, 79, pi. 48.

Coccothraustes ostrinus, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 548.

Pyrenestes sanguineus, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 156,
pi. 9.

Pyrenestes coccineus, Cass. Pr. Ac. Philad. 1848, p. Q7j
Sierra Leone, Monrovia ; id. Journ. Ac. Philad. 1849, pi. 31.
fig. 2.

Pyrenestes ostrinus, Bp. Consp. 1850, p. 450.

Pyrenestes personatus, Du Bus, Bull. Ac. Brux. xxii.
part 1, 1855, p. 151, Senegal.

Hab. W. Afr., from the Gaboon to Seuegambia.

7. Spermospiza.

1837. SjJermophaga, Swains. B, W. Afr. i. p. 164 Type.

(nee Schonh. 1833, Ent.) .... S.hcBmatina.
1840. Spermospiza, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 43 . S. hcematina.

With regard to the genus Spermospiza I agree with
Yerreaux in recognizing two species — S. hamatina, origi-

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 315

nally named after a male specimen, and S. guttata, after a
female specimen. Although there is a great resemblance
between these two species, and the sexes differ in a remark-
ably similar manner, there appear to be good characters for
their separation, and distinct geographical areas for their
distribution.

M. Rochebrune (Faun. Senegamb. p. 2i6) only admits one
species of Spermospiza ; but as his description of the sexes
and young does not agree with the evidence before me, I
have been obliged to disregard his observations. I have in
my own collection an undoubtedly young bird with no white
whatever on the breast (agreeing perfectly with a young bird
in the British Museum), and an adult bird with the sides of
the head, upper tail-coverts^ and the abdomen entirely black,
which was marked ''male" by Mr. Burton, naturalist, in
Wardour Street; and I have no doubt as to his correctness
in this matter, as at the time I asked him to be very parti-
cular, for the bird having died in Mr. Wiener's aviary, he was
specially anxious to ascertain the sex. This form, however, is
regarded by M. Rochebrune as the female, and the specimens
with white spots on the abdomen as the young.

The remaining genera of trie division Estrelda appear to
constitute three very natural groups : —

1. Spermospiza group : comprising Spermospiza, Cryptospiza,

and Hypargus.

2. Pytilia group : comprising Pytilia and Lagonosticta.

3. Estrelda group : comprising Estrelda and Ortygospiza.

Key to the Species.

a. Bill only tipped with oninge-red, that colour not
extending more than halfway down the cutting-
edge of the lower mandible.
a}. Entire upper parts as well as the sides of the

head and abdomen uniform black 24. S. hcentatina, S ■

b\ Sides of the head, front of crown, and upper
tail-coverts red, of a much darker shade than
the throat ; abdomen black, spotted or barred

with white 8. hcematina, $ .

z 3

316 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

h. Bill with the entire cutting-edges of both man-
dibles broadly edged with orange-red ; sides
of the head and upper tail-coverts bright red,
of the same shade as the throat ; no portion of
the crown nor centre of the forehead washed
with red in either sex.

b^. Abdomen uniform black 25. S. guttata, cS .

c\ Abdomen black, spotted or barred with white S. guttata, § .

24. SpERMOSPIZA HiEMATINA.

Loxia heematina, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 102, pi. 67,
Africa.

Coccothraustes hcematina, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 534.

Spermophaga cyanorhyncha, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837^
p. 164.

Spermospiza hcematina, Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, p. 43
(part.) .

Spermospiza guttata, Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 384, $ , Fantee.

Hab. W. Afr., Abeokuta to Senegambia.

a. March, Cape- Coast Castle (;S/ie//ey). b. March, Wassaw
{Shelley Mus.).

25. Spermospiza guttata.

Loxia guttata, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 103, pi. 68, $ ,
Congo.

Coccothraustes guttata, YieiW. N, D. xiii. 1817, p. 533.

Fringilla pustulat a, Yoigt (nee 111.), Cuv. Thierr. ii. 1831,
p. 581.

Spermospiza guttata, J. Verr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1852,
p. 312.

Spermospiza hcematina, Oust. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. 1879,
p. 113, Ogowe.

Hab. W. Afr., Congo to the Gaboon,

8. Cryptospiza.

1884. Cryptospiza, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Type.

Gen. 1884, p. 180 C. reichenoivi.

So far as I can judge from a hasty examination of the
type of Cryptospiza reichenowi, which is mounted in the
Berlin Museum, I think it is rightly placed in a genus by

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 317

itself, and apparently forms a somewhat natural link between
Spermospiza and Hypargus.

26. Cbyptospiza reichenowi.

Pytelia reichenoivii, Hartl. Ibis, 1874, p. 166, Bondongo,
in Camaroons; Reichen. J. f. O. 1875, pi. 2. fig. 1.

Cryptospiza reichenowi, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1881,
p. 180, Sboa.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr., Shoa and Camaroons.

9. Hypargus.
1861. Hypargus, Reicbb. Singvog. p. 21, Type.

pi. 6. fig. 49 H. margaritatus .

As all the species of this genus are rare, I have not been
able to examine a sufficient number of specimens to draw
any definite characters from the relative measurements of
the quills.

Key to the Species.

a. Dark portion of the breast black ; entire throat
and sides of the head red.
a}. Spots on breast smaller and snow-white .... 27. H. niveiguttahis.
6\ Spots on breast larger and shaded with pink . 28. H. margaritatus.
h. Dark portion of the breast rufous-brown ; sides

of the head and throat grey 29. H. monteiri.

27. Hypargus niveiguttatus.

Spermospiza guttata, Bianc. (necV.), Spec. Zool. Mosamb,
fasc. xviii. 1867, p. 326, Mosambique.

Spermophaga niveiguttata, Peters, J. f. 0. 1868, p. 133,
Inhambani.

Hypargus niveiguttatus, Shelley, P. Z. S. 188], p. 588,
pi. 52. fig. 2.

Hab. E. and S. Afr. The east coast between 2° and 25°
S. lat., from Lamu to Inhambani.

28. Hypargus margaritatus.

Spermophaga margaritata, Strickl. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist,
xiii. 1844, p. 418, pi. 10, Cape Town.

Amadina verreauxi, Des Murs, Icon. Orn. 1849, pi. 64.
Habropyga margaritata, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 461.

318 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Hypargos verreauxi, lleiclib. Singvog. 1861, p. 22, pi. 6.

fig. 49.

Hypargus margaritatus, Sharpe, ed. Layard^s B. S. Afr.
1884, p. 476.

Hab. S. Afr., Cape Town.

29. Hypargus monteiri.

Pytelia monteiri, Hartl. P. Z. S. 1860, p. Ill, pi. 161,
Bern be in Angola.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. : Upper White Nile, about 5° N.
lat., and from Angola to the Loango Coast.

a, ? . November, Kudermo {Emin Bey), b,^; c, $ . Lan-
dana {Shelley Mus.).

10. Pytilia.

1837. Pijtilia, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 202, Type.

note P. jjhoenicoptera.

1837. Pytelia, Swains. Class. B. ii. p. 280. P. jyhoenicoptei'o,.
1851. Zonogastris, Cab. Mus. Hein. i.

p. 172 P. melba.

1861. Marquetia, Reichb. Singvog. p. 48 . P. melba.

Pytilia and Lagonosticta run very naturally into each
other, and show their affinities to Hypargus mostly in the
pattern of the colouring of the underparts of some of the
Pytilia and in the upper parts of the Lagonosticta.

Pytelia cajjistrata, Hartl., I refer to under the genus
Estrelda.

I have not seen a specimen of P. lineata.

Key to the Species.

a. Upper parts entirely olive ; underparts pale

olive, many of the breast-feathers with dusky

centres, each enclosing two large white spots . 30. P. nitidula.

b. Breast black, boldly spotted with white in the

male ; entire plumage olive in the female ;

bill red 31. p. schlegeli.

c. Breast barred ; rump and upper tail-coverts and

portion of the tail red ; bill uniform red or
slaty grey.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 319

c'. Of a more olive sliade ; wing-feathers never

margined with bright red.

d^. Bill red in the adults; general plumage

less grey.

c^. Quills edged with olive-yellow ; in adult

males lower throat and crop yellow ;

breast paler and more distinctly-

barred 32. P. melha.

(P. Quills edged with orange-yellow; in
adult males lower throat and crop
grey; breast darker and less regularly

barred 33. P. afra.

d^. Bill slaty blue ; general plumage greyer ;
wing - feathers margined with deep

yellow 34. P. hypoc/rmnmica.

d}. General plumage grey ; wing-feathers mar-
gined with bright red.

e-. Bill slaty grey 35. P. phoenicoptera.

f-. Bill red 36. P. lineata.

30. Pytilia nitidula.

Estrelda nitidula, Hartl. Ibis, 1865, p. 269, Natal.

Amadina hartlaubi, Bianc. Spec. Zool. Mosamb. £asc. xviii.
1867, p. 324, pi. 4. fig. 2.

Hab. S. Afr. : Natal, and " Mosambique " {Bianconi), pro-
bably Inhambani.

a, ^ . Durban {Shelley Mus.) .

31. Pytilia schlegeli.

Pytelia schlegeli, Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 482, pi. 14. fig. 2 c? ,
3 ? , Fantee.

Hab. W. Afr. : Gaboon, Fantee, and Liberia.

32. Pytilia melba.

Fringilla melba, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 319, '^ China" !

Fringilla speciosa, Bodd. PI. Enl. 1783, pi. 203. fig. 1.

Fringilla elegans, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 912; Vieill. &
Oud. Gal. Ois. i. pi. 64.

"^Fringilla formosa. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 1790, p. 441,
'andia"!

Fringille beau marquet, Vieill, Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 49,
pi. 25.

Loxigilla elegans, Less. Traite Orn. 1831, p. 444.

320 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Estrelda elegans, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40, p. 101.

Estrelda speciosa, Des Murs in Lefebvre's Voy. Abyss.
1845-50, p. 173.

Estrelda melba, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B..ii. 1849, p. 369.

Pytelia melba, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 461.

Zonogastris elegans, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 172.

Pytelia citerior, Strickl. Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 151.

Marquetia elegans, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 48, pi. 18.
figs. 159, 160.

Zonogastris citerior, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 19,

Zonogastris melba, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 138.

Hab. The whole of Africa south from about 16° N. lat.,
with the exception of tropical West Africa between the
Gaboon and Casamanse.

The northern and southern forms have frequently been
separated under the titles of P. citerior and P. melba, but
the characters are not, I consider, sufficiently constant and
well marked.

a, ^ . August, Kuro [Jesse), b. May, Lado [Emin Bey).
c, ? . October, Bamangwato. d, ^ . September, Matabele.
e, ^ juv. June. /, ^ - December, Damara [Shelley Mus.).

33. Pytilia afra.

Fringilla afra, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 905; Vieill. N. D.
xii. 1817, p. 243 (type exam.).

Estrelda afra. Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849, p. 369.

Pytelia afra, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 462.

Pytelia melba, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 442 (part.).

Pytelia wieneri. Buss, Gef. Welt. August 1877, p. 317;
Forbes, P. Z. S. 1880, p. 40, pi. 47. fig. 2.

Pytelia cinereigula. Cab. Orn. Centralbl. December 1877,
p. 182, Mombas (type exam.) .

Hab. E. and W. Afr. : Zanzibar Province from Lamu to
Dar-es-Salaam, and from Angola to Landana.

a, ^ . March, Landana [Shelley Mus.) .

34. Pytilia hypogrammica.

Pytelia hypogrammica, Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 56, Fan tee
(type exam.).

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 321

Hab. W. Afr., Niger and Gold Coast.

a, $ . February, Abokobie in Aguapim [Shelley).

35. Pytilia phcenicoptera.

Pytilia phonnicoptei'a, Swains. B. W, Afr. i. 1837, p. 203,
pi. 16.

Estrelda erytht'opteron, Less. Echo du Monde Sav. 1844,
p. 295, Gambia.

Zonogastris phcenicoptera, Heugl, Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 622.

Hab. N.E. andW. Afr., Upper White Nile and Senegambia.

36. Pytilia lineata.

Fringilla [Estrelda) lineata, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 1856,
p. 40. no. 401 (no descr.).

Pytelia lineata, Heugl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 17 (orig. descr.).

Zonogastris lineata, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 21 ; id. Orn.
N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 623, pi. 19. fig. 1 (head).

Hab. N.E. Afr., Abyssinia.

11. Lagonosticta.

1851. Lagonosticta, Cab. Mus. Hein. Type.

i. p. 171 L. rubricata.

1850. y4mawc?a?;a, Bp. Consp.i.p. 459

(part.) L. amandava (Linn.).

1868. Rhodopyga, Heugl. J.f. 0. 1868,

p. 13, pi. 1. fig. 3 . . . . L. rhodopsis.
1873. Lychnidospiza, Heugl. Orn.

N.O.-Afr. App. p. cxxxvii . L. rara.

Estrelda shows its affinities to the present genus through
its red-rumped, rounded-tailed raembers, especially when we
compare the grey L. nigricollis with E. caerulea.

Key to the Species.

a. With no black on the head nor throat.

a^. Sides of the head, the throat, and sides of the
chest vinous red.
tt^. Bill red, with the culuien black; under tail-
coverts not black.

322 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

a^. With a pink shade on the red portions ;
crown and mantle ashy brown, with no

red shade 37. L. rvfojncta.

h^. With no pink shade on the red portions ;
entire crown, neck, and mantle washed

with red 38. L. senegala.

b^. Bill slaty black ; under tail-coverts blaclt.
c'. Crown and mantle washed with red.

e*. Chest black, with only the sides of the
crop red ; with no trace of white spots

on the sides of the chest 39. L. vara.

d\ Entire chest red ; with white spots on the

sides of the chest. reiaJ]

(P. Red parts darker and much brighter . . 40. L. rhodojia-

e^. Red parts paler and pinker 41. L.jamesoni.

<P. Crown and mantle not washed with red.
/*. With a pale base to the lower mandible ;
back and wings brown, and less ashy than

the crown and back of the neck 42. i. mbricata.

g"^. With no portion of the bill pale ; crown,
back of neck, back, and wings uniform

deep slaty brown 43. L. polionota.

h^. Entire underparts duller, nearly uniform ashy
brown, only slightly tinted with red ; with no
trace of white spots on the sides of the chest. . 44. L. rhodopsis.
h. With the sides of the head and upper throat black.
//'. Black of head and throat surrounded by red.
K^. Black of crown confined to the forehead ; chest

red, with no white spots on the sides 45. i. vinacea.

i^. Front half of crown and lower chest black;

with white spots on sides of the chest 46. L. Jarvata.

i'. Black of head surrounded by gTey; forehead,
crown, mantle, and breast uniform grey ; with
white spots on the sides of the chest 47. X. nigricollis.

37. Lagonosticta rufopicta.

Estrelda rufopicta, Fraser, P. Z. S. 1843, p. 27, Gold
Coast; id. Zool. Typ. pi. 51.

Lagonosticta rufopicta, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 19, pi. 4.
fig. 38.

Lagonosticta {Estrelda) lateritia, Heugl. J. f. O. 1864,
p. 251, N.E. Afr.

Pijtelia rufopicta, Fisch. J. f. O. 1869, p. 336.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 323

Astrilda rufopicta, Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. Brem. xii.
1881, p. 103.

Estrelda bilineata, Gray, MS. in Brit. Mus., Niger (type
exam.).

Hub. N.E. and W. Afr. : Upper White Nile, and from the
Niger to Senegambia.

a. March, Cape-Coast Castle (Shelley).

38. Lagonosticta senegala.

Senegali rouge, Briss. Orn. iii. 1760, p, 208, pi. 10. fig. 2.

FringiUa senegala, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 320, ex Briss.

? Fringilla ignita, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 906, ex Brown.

Petit Senegali rouge, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 31, pi. 10.

Fringilla minima, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 183, ex Ois.
Chant, pi. 10.

Estrelda minima, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40, p. 101.

Lagonosticta minima. Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 172.

Lagonosticta ignita, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 18, pi. 4.
fig. 36.

Lagonosticta senegala, Reichb. t. c. fig. 37.

Estrelda senegala, Hartl, Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 143.

Pytelia minima, Finsch, Trans. Z. S. vii. 1869, p. 267.

Lagonosticta russi, Reichen. J. f. O. 1875, p. 453 (type
exam.).

Estrelda rueppelli. Gray, MS. in Brit. Mus. (type exam.).

Hah. N.E., E., and W. Afr. Tlie whole of E. Africa from
17° N. lat. to Durban in Natal, Damara, Loango Coast,
Niger, Casamanse, and Senegambia.

39. Lagonosticta rara.

Lagonosticta vel Estrelda w^e/Gwo^a5^r«,Heugl. (nee Swains.)
J. f. O. 1863, p. 273, Djur and Kosango.

Hahropyga rara, Antin. Cat. 1864 (March), p. 72.

Estrelda vel Hahropyga hypomelas, Heugl. J. f. O. 1861
(May), p. 252.

Rhodopyga hypomelas, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 13, pi. 1.
fig. 4.

Rhodopyga rara, Salvad, Att. R. Ac. Tor. 1870, p. 742.

324 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Habropyga hypomel<Bna, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 611.

Lychnidospiza melanogastra, Heugl. Orn, N.O.-Afr. 1873,
p. cxxxvii.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. : Upper White Nile, and Lukoja on
Niger. Between 5° and 10° N. lat., but not recorded to the
west of 5° E. long., nor east of 35° E. long.

a, ^ . August, Lukoja on Niger {Forbes, Brit. Mus.).

40. Lagonosticta rhodopareia.

Lagonosticta rhodopareia, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 16,
Bogos.

Estrelda rhodopareia, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 446,
note.

Lagonosticta rubricata, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 615.

? Estrelda rubricata, Reichen. J. f. 0. 1877, p. 229, Loango
Coast.

Lagonosticta polionota. Cab. (nee Shelley) J. f. O. 1878,
p. 229, Mombas; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 588, Dar-es-
Salaam.

? Lagonosticta rubricata, Bocage, Orn. Angola, 1881, p. 362,
Landana.

Habropyga cenochroa, Hartl. Orn. Centralbl. 1882, p. 91,
Central Afr. (type exam .) .

Hab. N.E., E., and ? W. Afr. Southward in E. Africa from
21° N. lat. to Dar-es-Salaam ; and I expect it is the species
referred to above from the Loango Coast and Landana.

a. Dar-es-Salaam {Kirk, Shelley Mus.).

41. Lagonosticta jamesoni.

Lagonosticta jamesoni, Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 355, Matabele.
Hab. S. Africa, Matabele.

a, ^ . December, Tatin R. b, $ . August, Umvuli R.
{Jameson, Shelley Mus. types).

42. Lagonosticta rubricata.

Fringilla rubricata, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 27,
Caffraria.

Estrelda rubricata, Gray& Mitchell, Gen.B.ii. 1849, p. 368.
Lagonosticta rubricata, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 171.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 325

Hab. S. Africa : Transvaal, Natal, and Cape Colony.

The references recording tins species from Loango Coast
and Landana I have i^eferred to L. rhodopareia, as I fancy it
is more probably the bird intended.

a. May. h. August, Natal {Slielley Mus.).

43. Lagonosticta polionota.

Lagonosticta polionota, Shelley, Ibis, 1873, p. 141, Fantee.

Hab. W. Africa, Gold Coast.

a. March, Cape-Coast Castle [Shelley, type).

44. Lagonosticta rhodopsis.

Estrelda j-hodopsis, Heugl. J. f, O. 1863, p. 166, Gazal
river.

Rhodopyga rhodopsis, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 13, pi. 1.
tig. 3.

Habropyga rhodopsis, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 610.

Hab. N.E. Africa, Upper White Nile district.

45. Lagonosticta vinacea.

Estrelda vinacea, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 143, Casa-
manse.

Lagonosticta vinacea, K/cichb, Singvog. 1861, p. 18.
Hab. W. Africa : Casamanse, Senegambia,

46. Lagonosticta larvata.

Anadina larvata, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40, pp. 97, 101,
pi. 36. fig. 1, Simen.

Habropyga larvata, Bp. Consp. i. 1870, p. 461.
Lagonosticta larvata, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 16.
Hab. N.E. Africa, Abyssinia.

47. Lagonosticta nigricollis.

Estrelda nigricollis, Heugl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 273.

Habropyga larvata, Antin. Cat, 186i, p. 71, fide Salvad.
Att. E. Ac. Tor. 1870, p. 742.

Lagonosticta nigricollis, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 17, pi. 1.
fig. 1.

Hab. N.E. and W. Africa : Upper White Nile district, and
Lukoja on Niger.

a, ^ . Lukoja, August {Forbes, Brit. Mus.).

326 Captain G, E. Shelley on the

12. ESTRELDA. „,

Type.
1815. Bengalis, Rafinesque, Analyse, 1815,

p. 68 (no descr.) ?

1827. Estrelda, Swains. Zool. Journ. iii.

1827, p. 349 E. astrild.

1831. Loxigilla, Less. Traite Orn. p. 443

(part.) ?

1847. Habropyga, Cab. Arch. f. Naturg.

1847, pt. i. p. 331 E. astrild.

1850. Granatina, Bp. Consp. i. p. 458 . . E. granatina.

1850. Neisna, Bp. t. c. p. 460 E. subflava.

1851. /S^or«^m^/iMs, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 170 E. subflava.
1851. Urceginthus, Cab. t. c. p. 171 . . . E. granatina.
1861. Mariposa, Reichb. Singvog. p. 6, pi. 1.

figs. 1, 2 E. angolensis.

1861. Astrilda, Reichb. t. c. p. 8 . . . . E. granatina.
1861. Coccopygia, Reichb. t, c. p. 23 . . . E. quartini.
1861. Melpoda, Reichb. t. c. p. 26, pi. 7.

figs. 62-64 E. melpoda.

1861. Bnmhilda, Reichb. t. c. p. 48, pi. 18.

fig. 158 E. erythronota.

1873. Haplopygia, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr.

1873, App. p. cxxxvii E. astrild.

The division Estreldse I end with Ortygospiza, wliich_, in
some respects, forms a connecting link with the division
Viduse, which I begin with Hypuchera.

Bengalis, Rafin., Avas probably intended for this genus ;
but no characters were given, and no type ever indicated.
Habropyga was proposed as an amendment for Estrelda, but
is, I consider, inadmissible. I may point out that if this
genus is broken up as has been frequently done, Granatina,
Bp., has priority over Urceginthus, Cab.

I have included in this genus three species of which I
know nothing — 55. Pytelia capistrata, Hartl. ; 58. Estrelda
salvatieri, Rochebrune; and QQ. Fringilla viridis, Vieill.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 327

Key to the Species.

a. Huiup and upper tail-coverts never blue.

a\ Bill : both mandibles blackish. Rump and
upper tail-coverts red.
d^. General plumage grey. No black on head.
Tail shorter.

a'. Tail red 48. E. cccrulescens.

b\ Tail black.

6*. Abdomen and under tail - coverts

blacker 49. E. perreini.

c*. Abdomen and under tail -coverts

greyer Subsp. 50. E. incana.

P. General plumage not so grey. With some
black on the head. Tail longer.
(P. Crown ashy brown. Sides of the head
black.

dK Under tail-coverts black 51. ^. erythronota.

eK Under tail-coverts white 52. E. channosina.

e^. Crown black. Sides of the head not
black.
f*. Mantle grey, barred with black.

Flanks red 53. E. atncapilla.

g*. Mantle olive-brown. No red on

breast M. E. nonnula.

55. E. capistrata.
¥. Bill : upper mandible black, lower one red.
Rump and upper tail-coverts red.
h^. Abdomen and under tail - coverts less

yellow 6Q. E. dufresnii.

}?. Sides of the head and upjier throat

black E. dufresnii, J ,

t^. Sides of the head grey, upper throat

white E. dufresnii, $ .

r. Abdomen and under tail-coverts yellower.

/. Rump redder. Throat whiter 57. E. quartinia.

k^. Rump more orange-red. Throat greyer 58. E. salvatieri.
c'. Bill : both mandibles orange-red.
l'^. With no crimson band through the eye,
contrasting with the cheeks and ear-
coverts. Rump and upper tail-coverts
red.

P. Sides of the head grey 59. E. paludicola.

m^. Sides of the head orange 60. E. ^nelpoda.

m-. With a crimson band through the eye,

328 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

contrastiug strongly with the surround-
ing plumage.
n^. Eump and upper tail-coverts brown,
finely barred with black. Under tail-
coverts black.
«■*. With no red shade on any of the
upper pai'ts, under tail-coverts en-
tirely black (SY. E. astrild.

0^. Upper parts, especially the rump,

slightly shaded with red. The

throat, flanks, and under tail -

coverts also washed with red. Subsp. 62. E. rhodopyya.

0^. Rump and upper tail-coverts uniform

black. Under tail-coverts white.

p^. Smaller. Breast shaded with pink.

Culmen and gonys not black .... 63. E. cinerea.
q^. Larger. Breast not shaded with pink.

Culmen and gonys black 64. E. rufibarba,

jf. Rump and upper and under tail- coverts
red. Breast yellow, with the sides

olive barred with yellow 65. E. suhjlava.

60. E, viridis.
b. Rump and upper tail-coverts blue.
r\ Blue portions of plumage ultramarine.

>'^. Upper throat black. Breast cinnamon . . 67. E. yrunatina.
s^. Upper throat cinnamon. Breast blue. . . . 68. E. ianthinoyadra.
s^. Blue portion of the plumage verditer blue.

Throat the same colom- as the rump .... 69. E. anyolensis.

48. ESTRELDA CiERULESCENS.

Bengali gris-bleu, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805_, p. 27, pi. 8.

Fringilla carulescens, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817_, p. 176.

Estrelda cesrulescens , Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 195.

Lagonosticta carulescens, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 171.

Habropyga ccerulescens, Reichb. Siugvog. 1861, p. 12^ pi. 2.
figs. 14, 15.

Habroj^yga fimbriata, Reichb, t. c. pp. 12, 49, pi. 18. figs.
365, 166.

Hab. W. Afr.j Casamanse and Senegambia.

49. Estrelda perreini.

Fringilla perreini, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 179, Congo.
Estrelda melanogastra, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 194.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 329

Esirelda ])en'eini, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 143, " Cas-

samanse (Verr.) " ? ; ? Rochebrune, Faun. Senegamb. 1884,
p. 254, nee pi. 21. fig. 2.

Pytelia perreini, F. 8z; H. Yog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 447, note.

Hahropijga perreini, Reichen. J. f. 0. 1877, p. 29, Loango.

Hah. W. Afr., Congo and Loango Coast.

The oceurrence of this sjDecies at Casamanse and Sene-
gambia is fairly open to doubt. The figure referred to this
bird by Rochebrune (/. c.) cannot apply to this species, for it
differs in having the upper back red, like the rump, instead
of grey, and the lower mandible pink instead of slaty grey.
If it is a correct picture, the specimen from which it was
taken must belong to a species new to science.

50. Subsp. ESTRELDA INCANA.

Esirelda incana, Sundev. ffifv. K. Vet.-Ak. Forh. Stockh.
1850, p. 98, CafPraria.

Hahropyga natalensis, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 170,
Natal.

Estrelda cesrulescens, Licht. Nomencl. 1857, p. 48 (part),
Mosambique.

Hahropyga incana, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 12.

Fringilla ccErulescens , Bianc. (nee Swains.) Spec. Zool.
Mosamb. fasc. xviii. 1867, p. 326;

Pytelia incana, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 446.

Hah. S.E. Afr., from Mosambique to Natal.

a, 6 . October, Durban [Shelley Mus.).

51. Estrelda erythronota.

Astrild a moustaches noires, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 37,
pi. 14.

Fringilla erythronota, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 182.

Estrelda lipiniana, Smith, Rep. Exped. Expl, Centr. Afr.
1836, p. 49, N.E. of Kurrichaine.

Estrelda erythronota. Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 368, pi. 90. fig. 1.

Hahropyga erythronota, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 169.

Estrelda lipiniana, Strickl. & Sclat. Contr. Orn. 1852,
p. 150.

SER. V. VOL. IV. 2 A

330 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Hah. E. and S. Afr. : southward from Ngaruk in Masai-
land, about 4° S. lat., to the Transvaal, and from thence to
Great Namaqua, Damara, and Lake Ngami.

«, S . November, Omaruru. h, <5 . July, Objimbinque.
c, ?. July, Damara (/SAe//e?/ ilf2/6\) . The female only differs
in being slightly duller than the male.

52. ESTRELDA CHARMOSINA.

Habropyga charmosina, Reichen. J. f. O. 18S1, p. 333,
Berbera.

Hah. E. Afr. : Berbera, about 10° N. lat.

53. EsTRELDA ATRICAPILLA. (Plate IX. fig. 1.)

Estrelda atrkapilla, J. &E. Verr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1851,
p. 421, Gaboon.

Hah. W. Afr. : confined to the Gaboon.

54. Estrelda nonnula.

Astrilda nonmda, Hartl. J. f. O. 1883, p. 435, Kudurma
(Emin Bey) .

Hah. E. Afr. : Upper White Nile, south of 5° N. lat.

55. Estrelda capistrata.

Pytelia capistrata, Hartl. J. f. O. 1861, p. 259, Bissao.

Hah. W. Afr., Bissao.

Note. This species is only known to me by Dr. Hartlaub^s
following original description : — " Supra olivaceo-viridis;
capite, collo corporeque subtus cinereis ; gula circurascripte
nigra; rostro nigro. Long, circa ^K"

56. Estrelda dufresnii.

Fringilla dufresnii, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 181, Hab. ?

Fringilla erythronotus, Teram. MS., Vieill. t. c. p. 243,
CafFraria.

Fringilla melatwtis, Temm. PI. Col. 1823, pi. 221. fig. 1.

Estrelda neisna, Licht. Nomencl. 1854, p. 48 (no descr.),
Caffraria.

Estrelda melanoiis, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 368.

Estrelda dufresnii, Gray & Mitchell, t. c. p. 369.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 381

Estrelda (Neisna) dufresnii, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 460,

Estrelda melanogemjs, Sundev. CEfv. K. Vet.-Ak. Forh.
Stockh. 1850, p. 97, Natal.

t Estrelda quartinia, Bocagc, Orn. Angola, 1881, p. 360,
Huilla, Biballa.

Ortygospiza dufresnii, Butler, Feilden, & Reid, Zoologist,
188.2, p. 300.

Hab. S. Afr. ; south of the Zambesi and Quanza rivers.

a, ^. October, Durban, b, (^ . January, Knysna (>SAe//et/
Mus.).

57. Estrelda quartinia.

Estrelda [Neisna) quartinia, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 461,
Abyssinia.

Fringilla [Estrelda) flaviventris, Heugl. Syst. Uebers.
1856, p. 40. no 399.

Estrelda quai'tinia, Hartl. Orn, W.-Afr. 1857, p. 142, note.

Coccopygia quartinia, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 23.

Estrelda ernesti, Heugl. J. f . O. 1862, p, 29, Keren.

Hahropyga ernesti, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 607,
pi. 18. fig. b.

Habropyga quartinia, Heugl. t. c. p. 608.

Coccopygia quartini, Heugl. t. c. App. 1873, p. cxxxvii.

Coccupygia ernesti, Heugl. 1. c.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. ; from Abyssinia to Senegambia.

58. Estrelda salvatieri.

Estrelda salvatieri, Rochebrune, Faun. Senegamb. ISSi,
p. 252, pi. 21. fig. 1.

Hab. W. Afr., Senegambia.

E. salvatieri is only known to me from M. Rochebrune's
description and figure.

59. Estrelda paludicola.

Estrelda paludicola, Heugl. J. f . 0. 1863, p. 166, Gazal river.

Habropyga paludicola, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, pi. 1. fig, 2;
Cab. J. f. O. 1885, p, 464, Angola (spec. exam.).

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. Upper White Nile from the Gazal
river to Lado, between 5° and 10° N. lat., and Angola.

a. January, Lado [Emin Bey, Shelley Mus.).

2a 2

382 Captain G. E. Slielley on the

60. ESTRELDA MELPODA.

Bengali a joues orangees, Vieill. Ois. Cliaiit. 1805, p. 2G,
pi. 7.

FringiUa melpoda, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 177.

Estrelda melpoda, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 369.

FringiUa lippa, Licht. MS. Mus. Berol., fide Bp. Cousp.
i. 1850, p. 460.

Melpoda lippa, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 26, pi. 7. figs.
62-64.

Habropyga melpoda, Cah. J. f. O. 1885, p. 464, Angola.

Hab. W. Afr., from Angola to Senegambia.

a. January, Cape-Coast Castle [Shelley).

61. Estrelda astrild.

Loxia astrild, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 303.

Astrild, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 35, pi, 12.

FringiUa astrild, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 232.

FringiUa undulata. Pall. "^^ Adumbrat. p. 143,^^ lide Giebel.

Estrelda astrild. Swains. Zool. Journ. iii. 1827, p. 349.

Estrelda ccerulescens, Riipp. (nee V.) Neue Wirb. 1835-40,
p. 101.

Estrelda rubriventris , Des Murs, in Lefebvre^s Voy. Abyss.
1845-50, p. 172.

Habropyga astrild, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 169.

Estrelda occidentalis. Eraser, in Jard. Contr. Orn. 1851,
p. 156.

Astrilda undulata, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 9, pi. 2. figs.
7-9.

Astrilda rubriventris, Reichb. t. c. p. 10, pi. 2. fig. 12.

Estrelda undulata, Reichen. J.f. O. 1877, p. 29.

Astrilda astrild, Holub & Pelz. Beitr. Orn. SUdafr. 1882,
p. 126.

Habropyga minor, Cab. J. f. 0. 1878, p. 229, Voi river in
E. Afr.

Hab. The whole of Africa south of about 16° N. lat. and
the surrounding islands, as the Comoro, Madagascar,
Reunion, Mauritius, St. Helena, Fernando Po.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 333

a, ^ . May, Lado. b. June. c. July, Natal, d. January,
Ceres, in Cape Colony, e. April, St. Helena {Shelley Mus.).

Subsp. 62. ESTRELDA RHODOPYGA.

? Astrild a ventre-roiuje, Vieill. Ois. Cha'nt. 1805, p. 36,
pi. 13 (cage-bird).

1 Fringilla rubriventris, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 184,
Senegal.

? Estrelda rubriventris, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 369.

Estrelda rhodopyga, Sundev. ffifv. K. Vet.-Ak. Forh.
Stockh. 1850, p. 126, Senaar.

Estrelda rhodoptera, '' Sundev. MS. Mus. Holm.,'' fide Bp.
Consp. i. 1850, p. 459.

Habropyga rhodoptera, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 169,
note.

Habropyga "frenata, Ehr. MS./' Cab. 1. c.

Estrelda effrenata, Licht. Nomencl. 1854, p. 48.

Estrelda leucotis, Heugl. J. f . O. 1862, p. 29, Keren.

Estrelda frenata, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 8.

Hahropyya rhodopyga, Finsch, Trans. L. S. vii. 1869,
p. 266.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. In N.E. Africa, Abyssinia and
Senaar; and in W. Africa, Landana and ? Senegal.

a. Lado. b. February, Landana [Shelley Mus.).

63. Estrelda cinerea.

Bengali cendre, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 25, pi. 6.

Fringilla cinerea, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817,^. 176.

? Fringilla troglodytes, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 2().

Estrelda cinerea, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40, p. 101.

? Estrelda troglodytes, Bp. Consp. 1850, p. 459.

Habropyga cinerea. Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 169.

Astrilda cinerea, Reichb. Singvog. 1862, p. 9, pi. 2. figs.
10, 11.

Astrilda nigricauda, Reichb. t. c. p. 10, pi. 6. figs. 55, 56.

Estrelda nielanopygia, Heugl. J.f. O. 1864, p. 251.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. In N.E. Africa from 15° to 5°
N. lat., and in W. Africa from Gaboon to Senegambia.

334 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

61-. ESTRELDA KUriBARBA.

FringUia rvfiharba, Ehr. MS, in Mus. Berol., Arabia.
Fringilla buccalis, Ehr. MS. in Mus. Berol.j Arabia.
Habropijya " rufibarba, Ehr./' Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851,
p. 169.

Estrelda rufibarba, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 7.

Hab. S. Arabia and Abyssinia.

a. January, Lahej, in Arabia {Brit. Mus.).

65. ESTRKLDA SUBFLAVA.

Fringilla subflava, Vieill. N. D. xxx. 1819, p. 575.

Fringilla sanguinolenta, Temra. PL Col. 1823, pi. 221. fig. 2.

Estrelda sanguinolenta, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 190.

Ainadina sanguinolenta, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 370, pi. 30. figs. 2, 3.

Estrelda {Neisna) subflava, Bp. Cousp. i. 1850, p. 460.

Sporceginthus subflava, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 170.

Estrelda subflava, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 144.

Sporcsginthus miniatus, Heugl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 167,
Abyssinia.

Estrelda subflava orientalis, Heugl. J. f. O. 1868, p. 11.

Pytelia subflava, Russ, J. f. O. 1869, p. 78.

Habropyga std^fluva, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 609.

Ortygospiza subflava, Butler, Feilden, & Reid, Zoologist,
1882, p. 300.

Pytelia sanguinolenta, Bohm, J. f. O. 1885, p. 69, Central
Afr.

Hab. N.E., E., Central, S., and W. Afr. South from 15° N.
lat. it ranges from the White Nile to the Gazal river, and has
been met with in Central Africa towards Tanganyika. In
South Africa it occurs in the Transvaal and Natal, and in
West Africa from the Niger to Senegarabia.

a. September, b. December, Natal {Shelley Mus.).

66. Estrelda viridis.

Bengali vert, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 22, pi. 4.
Fringilla viridis, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 180.
Estrelda viridis, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 460 ; Rochebrunc,
Faun. Seuegamb. 1884, p. 251.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 335

Hab. W. Afr., Senegambia.

I have never seen a specimen^ and Lave therefore merely
entered the name in my " key to the genus/' According to
Vieillot's figure, /. c, it has the bill and feet red ; a red
band through the eyes as in E. astrild ; back, wings, and tail
olive; cheeks, throat, and entire underparts grey, washed
with very pale red, rather brighter toward the vent.

M. Rochebrune records it from six localities in Sene-
gambia, but considers it rare. I can find no other instance
of its having been met with since Vieillot's time,

Q7. EsTRELDA GRANATINA.

Fringilla yranatina, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 819.

Loxia yranatina, Daud. Traite Orn. ii. 1800, p. 446.

Granadin, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 40, pis. 17 c?, 18 ? .

Estrelda yranatina, Chapm. Trav. S. Afr. ii. App. 1848,
p. 402.

Estrelda {Granatina) yranatina, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 458.

Urayinthus yranatinus, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 171.

Mariposa granatina, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 7, pi. 1.
figs. 4, 5.

Hab. S. Afr., from Matabele and the Transvaal to Damara
and Lake Ngami.

This species has been recorded by Hartlaub (Orn. W.-Afr.
p. 144) from Angola {Henderson), and I have a note of a
specimen from Angola (Linnier) ; but according to Bocage
(Orn. Angola, p. 353) it is not known to him from either
Angola or Benguela. In E. Africa it appears to be en-
tii'cly replaced by Estrelda ianthinoyastra, and I suspect that
to that species belongs the Urceyinthus yranatinus, Roche-
brune (Faun. Senegamb. p. 255). As there is a large
trade with Senegal in cage-birds, this species may have
been naturalized there, but cannot, I think, ever have been
indigenous.

68. Estrelda ianthinogastra.

Urceyinthus yranatinus, Cab. (nee Linn.) J. f. O. 1878,
p. 229 ((^ or $ juv.), E. Afr.; ? Rochebrune, Faun. Sene-
gamb. 1881, p. 255, Gambia, Casamanse.

336 Captciiu G. E. Shelley on the

Urcegintkus ianthinogaster , Reichen, J. i". O. 1879, p. 326^
pi. 2. figs. 1, 2 (not good), Massa.

Hab. E. and ? W. Afr. : from Somali to Little Aruscha ;
possibly Gambia and Casamanse in W. Africa.

69. ESTRELDA ANGOLENSIS.

Blue-beUied Finch, Edw. Nat. Hist. B. 1743, pi. 131 (good),
Angola.

Fringilla angolensis, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 323, ex Edw.

Fringilla bengahis, Linn. loc. cit.

Loxia bengalus, Daud. Traite, ii. 1800, p. 435.

Loxia cyanogastra, Daud. loc. cit.

Maripose, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 23, pi. 5.

Estrelda bengala^ Less. Traite Orn. 1831, p. 444.

Estrelda mariposa, Less 1. c.

Estrelda phoenicoHs, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 192,
pi. 14.

Estrelda {Granatina) angolensis, Bp. Consp. i. 1850,
p. 458.

Uraginthus phoenicotis, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 171.

Mariposa phcenicotis, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 6, pi. 1.
figs. \,\a,\b,2.

Pytelia phcenicotis, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 447.

Mariposa cyanogastra, Gurney in Anders. B. Damara,
1872, p. 179.

Estrelda cyanogastra, Sliarpe, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 717.

Astrilda phcenicotis, Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. Brem. vii.
1881, p. 103.

Urcpginthus cyanogastra. Sharpens ed. Layard, B. S. Afi-.
1884, pp. 473, 850.

Hab. The whole of Africa south from about 15° N. lat.

The South-African birds form a race in which the ear-
coverts are never red, but I can find no character for dis-
tinguishing the females. If these two races were separated,
the southern bird should be referred to Fringilla angolensis ,
Linn., and the northern one to Fringilla bengalensis, Linn.,
which latter name would have to be superseded by Estrelda
mariposa, Less., ex Vieill.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 337

a, 2 . July^ Bejook. b, ? . June, Sobat. c. July, Swazi.
d. September^ Matabele {Shelley Mus.).

13. Ortygospiza.

Type.
1850. Ortijgospiza, Sundev. CEfv. at" Vet.-Ak.

Forh. Stockli. 1850, p. 98 O. pohjzona.

I have not been able to examine a sufficient number of
good specimens from N.E. Africa, and suspect that the two
N.E. -African forms will be found to differ from the S.-
African bird ; if so, the species with the white round the eye
will stand as Ortygospiza fuscocrissa, Heugl., for Fringilla
multizona is nothing- but an error in Des Murs's quotation
from Temminck. The white circle round the eye is, how-
ever, no reliable character.

Key to the Species.

a. Chin white and a white band round the eye 70. O. polyzona.

h. With no white on the liead 71. O. atricullis.

70. Ortygospiza polyzona.

Fringilla polyzona, Temm. PI. Col. 1823, pi. 221. fig. 3.

l! " Fringilla multizona, Temm." (error), Des Murs, in Le-
febvre's Voy. Abyss. 1840-45, p. 117.

'j! Estrelda polyzona, Des Murs, tom. cit. p. 173.

1 Amadina polyzona, RUpp. Syst. Uebers. 1845, p. 77.

Ortygospiza polyzona, Sundev. QEfv. af Vet.-Ak. Forh.
Stockh. 1850, p. 98.

? Ortygospiza fuscocrissa, Hartl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 18,
Dembea, Tigrd.

? Ortygospiza atricollis, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 598 (part.).

Hab. (N.E. ?) S. and W. Afr. In Abyssinia and Shoa
this, or probably a closely allied species, is found. It has
not been recorded from E. Africa, and in S. and W. Africa
it has only been mentioned from Matabele, Transvaal, Natal,
and Angola.

a, ? . June. b, ? . October, Newcastle, c, ? . July,
Pinetown, Natal {Shelley Mus.). In specimen e there is no

338 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

white on one side of the head, and only a few white feathers
near the eye on the other side, otherwise the specimen is
apparently adult.

71. OrTYGOSPIZA ATRICOLLIS.

Frinyilla atricollis, Vieill. Eric. Meth. 1823, p. 990, Senegal.

Amadina lunulata, Temm. MS., Senegal, fide Hartl. Orn.
W.-Afr. 1857, p. 148.

Amadina polyzona, Hartl. torn. cit. p. 118, part, (uec
descr.).

Ortygospiza atricollis, Hartl. torn. cit. p. 274.

Hab. N.E. and W. Afr. : Bongo, Upper White Nile,
Gaboon, Cape Lopez, Casamanse, and Senegal.

14. HyPOCHERA. „

Type.

1850. Hypochera, Bp. Consp. i. p. 450 . . H. chalybeata.

I consider the present genus to contain only one species,
varying slightly in size and considerably in the gloss, which
shades from green, blue, and purple to almost dull black ; but
these slight differences do not appear to have any relation to
their geographical distribution.

72. Hypochera chalybeata.

Black Linnet, Edwards, Gleanings, iii. 1764, p. 323,
pi. 362. fig. 1 (good, blue gloss).

Fringilla chalybeata. P. L. S. Milll. S. N. Suppl. 1776,
p. 166 (blue gloss).

Fringilla nitens, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, ]). 909 (blue gloss).

Fringilla uliramarina, Gm. tom. cit. p. 927 (i)lue gloss).

Comba-sou, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 41, pi. 21 (blue
gloss).

Lo.vigilla nitens, Less. Traite Orn. 1831, p. 441.

Amadina nitens, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 199.

Fringilla funereu, De Tarragon, Rev. Zool. 1817, p. 180
(purple gloss).

P/dheterus nitens, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1850, p. 218.

Hypochera tiitens, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 450.

Hypochera idtrmnarina, Bp. loc. cit.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 339

Loxigilla melas, Verr. MS., fide Bp. loc. cit.

Vidua ultramarina, Licht. Nomencl. 1854, p. 49.

Hypochera eenea, Hartl. J. f. O. 1854, p. 115, Senegal
(green gloss).

Hypochera chalybeata, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. 1871, p. 64.

Hypochera nigerrima, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 133, An-
gola (purple gloss).

Hypochera purpurascens, Reichen. J. f. O. 1883, p. 221,
Usagua, Lindi (purple gloss).

Hab. The whole of Africa south from about 16° N. lat.

a. February, b. April, Natal {Shelley Mus.).

15. Vidua. ™

Type.

1800. Fic?M«, Cuv. Anat. Comp. Table Ois. . V. principalis.
1850. Videstrelda, Lafresn. Rev. et Mag.

Zool. 1850, p. 325 V. regia.

1850. Steganura, Reichb. Syst. Nat. pi. 76 . V. paradisea.

1850. Tetrcp.nura, Reichb. torn. cit. pi. 78 . . V. regia.
1882. Linura, Reichb. Orn. Centralbl. 1882,

p. 91 . . V. fischeri.

The genus Vidua appears to me to differ from Hypochera
only in having the two or four central tail-feathers much
elongated. If I divided the genus Vidua, I should require
five genera for the reception of the six species.

Vidua hypocherina and V. nitens, of which I have examined
the types, are identical.

V. principalis was divided by Dr. Hartlaub into two
species, one with the chin white, and the other with it black ;
but every intermediate form, from one black feather to twenty
or more on the chin, I have met with.

V. superciliosa is, only known to me by the description
and fine illustration given by Vieillot from a specimen in
Temminck's collection. This species has, I believe, never
since been met with. It is the only Vidua ever described
with only two elongated tail-feathers, and these are white
and apparently perfectly similar to those of a Flycatcher
of the genus Tchitrea. The type is not in the Paris Museum,

340 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

and may, I think, have been found to be a made-up bird
and destroyed. So much doubt do I feel with regard to this
bird, that I think until it is rediscovered, or the type care-
fully examined, it might with advantage be omitted from the
African list.

V. paradisea has generally been divided into two species —
the typical race fi'om W. Africa, and Vidua verreauxi, Cass.,
from E. and S. Africa ; but their differences I consider of too
trivial a nature to be recognized with any advantage. The
only character I can find for V. verreauxi is the absence of
any chestnut shade on the hind neck. There is no constant
difference in their measurements. In six specimens in the
British Museum from the Gambia, five have the chestnut
shade on the back of the neck, and one is without that
shade.

Key to the Species,
a. Bill red.

a\ Elongated tail-feathers of moderate breadth
throughout their length. Breast black or
white in adults.
a'^. With four elongated tail-feathers, black.

fl^. Entire plumage glossy greenish black . . 73. V. hypocherina.

¥. Underparts white 74. V. principnlis.

b". With t^\•o elongated tail-feathers, white . . 75. V. superciJiosa.
¥. Elongated tail-feathers very narrow. Under-
parts buff.
C-. Four centre tail-feathers white and equally
•narrow throughout their length. Crown
buff. Neck and sides of the head black . . 7<). 7 '. /ischeri.
(I-. Centre tail-feathers black and extremely
narrow, widening out near their ends.
Ci'own black. Neck, ear-coverts, and throat

buft' 77. V. redid.

h. Bill black. Four elongated tail-feathers very
broad, narrowing towards then- ends. Entire
liead and throat black 78. V. parndisea.

73. Vidua hypocherina.

Vidua hypocherina, Verr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1856, p. 260,
pi. 16 (bad), W. Afr. (type exam.).

Vidua ftplendem, Reichen. Orn. Cciitralbl. 1871), ]i. 1<S0,

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 341

Kiparaja (type exam.) ; Forbes, P. Z. S. 1880, p. 475, pi. 47.
fig. 1 (good).

Hah. E. and W. Africa: E. Africa between 1° and 7° S.
lat. from Kiparaja to Ugogo; and in W. Africa, Casamause
and Gambia.

74. Vidua principalis.

Long-tailed Sparrow, Edwards, Nat. Hist. B. 17G0, fig. 3
(good, in moult with long tail, brown plumage).

Emberiza serena, Linn, S. N. i. 1766, p. 312 (not in full
plumage).

Emberiza vidua, Linn. loc. cit. (in full plumage).

Emberiza principalis, Linn. loc. cit., ex Edw.

Veuve Dominicaine, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 61, pi. 30
(good, white chin).

Vidua principalis, Cuv. Regne An. i. 1817, p. 388.

Vidua serena, Cuv. loc. cit.

Fringilla serena, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 216.

Fringilla principalis, YieiW. tom. cit. p. 219.

Vidua erythrorhyncha. Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 176,
pi. 12 (good, black chin).

Estrelda serena, Des Murs, in Lefebvre^s Voy. Abyss. 1845-
50, p. 113

Videstrelda serena, Lafr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1850, p. 325.

? Vidua fuliginosa , Licht. Nomencl. 1854, p. 49.

Vidua decora, Hartl. Ibis, 1862, p. 240, Angola (type
exam., black chin).

Hah. Africa, generally south from about 16° N. lat.

«, cJ. July, Bejook. 6, ^^ , full plumage. December. c,6 .
October, nearly full plumage, d, $ . September, half moult.
e, $ . June, full moult. Natal. /. March, full moult, Cape-
Coast Castle [Shelley Mus.).

75. Vidua superciliosa.

"Fringilla superciliosa, Temm.,-*^ Vieill. N. D. xii. p. 216
(ex Temm.), 1817; Vieill. & Oud. Gal. Ois. i. 1825, p. 73,
pi. 61.

Vidua superciliosa, Griff, ed. Cuv. Regne An. ii. 1829,
p. 150.

342 Captain G. E. Slielley on the

Videstrelda superciliosa, Lafr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1850,
p. 325.

Hab. Africa.

7Q. Vidua fischeri.

Linura fischeri, Reichen. Oru. Centralbl. 1882, p. 91,
Usegua (type exam.).

Vidua {Linura) fischeri, Reichen. J. f. O. 1882, p. 350,
pi. ii. fig. 1, c? ? .

Hab. E. Afr., Usegua.

77. Vidua regia.

Emberiza regia, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 313.

Veuve a quatre brins, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, j). 59,
pis. 34 (ad. good), 35 (juv.).

Vidua regia, Cuv. Regne An. i. 1817, p. 388.

Fringilla regia, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 220.

Videstrelda regia, Lafr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1850, p. 325.

Tetranura regia, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 61, pi. 26.
figs. 217, 218.

Estrelda carlelita, Hartl. Ibis, 1868, p. 46 (Natal).

Hab. S. and W. Africa. In S. Africa it ranges from
Matabele and the Transvaal to Damara and Benguela.
In W. Africa it has probably been introduced ; for M,
Rochebrune is the only person who has recorded it from
Casamanse and Seiiegambia, where, he states, it is rare.

78. Vidua paradisea.

Emberiza paradiscea, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 312,
Angola.

Veuve a collier d'or, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 63,
pis. 37 (ad. good), 38 (juv. good).

Fringilla paradisea, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 213.

Vidua paradisea, Cuv. Regne An. i. 1817, p. 388.

Vidua verreauxi, Cass. Pr. Ac. Philad. 1850, June, p. 56,
Abyssinia.

Steganura paradisea, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 449.

Vidua sphcenura, Verr. MS., fide Bp. loc. cit. July.

Steganura sphcenura, Bp. loc. cit.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 343

Videstrelda puradisea, Lafr. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1850,
p. 325.

Steganura paradista, var. australis, Heugl. Faun. Roth.
Meeres, 1855, no. 161, fide Heugl. 1871.

Steganura verreauxi, Sclat. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 110.

Vidua paradisea orientalis, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 583.

Hab. The whole of Africa south from about 17° N. lat.,
except in the extreme south, as Natal, Cape Colony, and
Namaqualand.

16. COLIUSPASSER. Type,

1831. Oryx, Less, (nee Oken, 1816, Mam.)

Traite, Orn. p. 437 C. capensis.

1837. Eupledes, Swains, (nee Euplectus,

Leach, 1817) B. W. Afr. i. p. 180 C. capensis.
1835-40. Coliuspasser, Riipp. Neue Wirb.

p. 98, pi. 36. fig. 2 C. laticaudus.

1847. Penthetria, Cab. Arch. Naturges.

1847, p. 331 C. laticaudus.

1849. Coliustruthus, Sundev. CEfv. K. Vet.-

Ak. Forh. Stockh. 1849, p. 158 . C laticaudus.

1849. Chera, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 355 . . C. procne.

1850. Orynx, Reichb. Syst. Nat. p. 76 . . C. capensis.
1850. Xanthomelana, Bp. Consp. i. p. 447 . C. capensis.

1850. Urobrachya, Bp. loc. cit C. axillaris.

1850. Pentheria, Bp. loc. cit C. laticaudus.

1861. Niobe, Reichb. Singvog. p. 61, pi. 26.

figs. 219, 220 C. ardens.

Coliuspasser, although not a correctly classical name, can-
not, I maintain, be superseded by Penthetria, proposed as an
amendment more than seven years later.

The present genus, as I have employed it, contains a very
well-marked group of species with many striking characters
in common, and not differing in any more essential points
than in the length of the tail in adult males. This genus
more nearly approaches Pyrornelana than Vidua, the winter

3U Captain G. E. Sliellcy on the

plumages in this and the next genus being almost identical
in colouring.

The members of the present genus appear peculiarly liable
to melanism, and I consider it proved that the Vidua concolor,
Cass., is nothing but a black variety of C. ardens, for in the
Berlin Museum I have examined three specimens from Ma-
lengue, in Angola — one entire black, labelled Penthetria
concolor ; another is the typical red-collared C. ardens ; and
the third is exactly intermediate, the collar being traced in
dull red. Other varieties of this species I have seen with
the collar orange.

There is at present in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition
a specimen of C. axillaris, in which the chestnut on the
wings is reduced to only a few markings. The amount of
rufous is not an absolutely constant character, for there is a
specimen in the British Museum from Mombas in which the
wing is unrecognizable from that of the Natal bird. I
therefore consider C. phmniceus, Heugl., which I once
described as Urobrachya zanziharica, as only a variety with
no positively constant characters, but the commonest form
of this species north of the Zambesi.

I have based my divisions of C capensis with a large and
small race, and C. xanthomelas as a subspecies, ujaon the
colouring of the under surface of the quills, in the legs being
paler and the thighs brown in C capensis, while in C. xan-
thomelas the thighs are black ; but this latter character is
subject to modifications. The Camaroons bird, type of Eu-
plectes phoenicomerus, Gray, belongs to the small S. -African
form. As the Camaroons is out of a natural range for this
bird and no other specimens have been recorded from
W. Africa, I should look upon it as possibly an escaped
cage-bird.

Key to the Species.

a. Under wiug-coverts entirely black. Tail very
long.
a}. Least series of wing-coverts scarlet, median

series wliite 79. C. procne.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 345

6'. Entire wings black.
b'^. With or without a red or orange collar

across the base of the throat SO. C. aniens.

c^. Crown, nape, and a broad collar red .... 81. C. laticaudm.

b. Under wing-coverts black, with the outer por-

tion yellowish fawn-colour. Least wing-
coverts orange, median series cinnamon .... 82. C. hartlauhl.

c. Under wing-coverts not black, with some

bright colours on the wing-coverts.
c?'. Scapulars yellow. Lower back black.

d^. Back between the scapulars black 83. C. inacrocercus.

e^. Entire mantle yellow ■ 84. C. macrurua.

«'. Entire back black.
/^. With a conspicuous whitt> basal portion
to the primaries.
/^ Least wing-coverts bright yellow .... 85. C. alhonotatm.

g^. Least wing-coverts chestnut 86. C. eques.

y^. With no white on the quills. Tail of
moderate length and rounded, with
some chestnut on the wings.

h^. Lesser wing-coverts scarlet 87. C axillaris.

tX Lesser wing-coverts chrome-yellow ... . 8S. Cbocagti.
/'. Upper back and upper tail-coverts black,

remainder of the back yellovv. '

A^. Legs pale brown; under surface of the
quills paler, with distinct buff inner
margins; upper surface of the wing-
feathers more broadly edged with pale

bro^vn; thighs browner 80. C. capens'.s.

i^. Legs dark brown ; under surface of the
quills darker, with or without indica-
tions of narrow brown inner margins to
the quills; upper surface of the wing-
feathers less broadly edged with pale
brown ; thighs blacker 00. C. xanthomdas,

79. COLIUSPASSER PROCNE.

Emberiza procne, Bocld. Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783, p. 39. no.
635.

Loxia caffra, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 858.

Emberiza loagicauda, Gm. torn. cit. p. 884.

Veuve a epaulettes, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 66, pis.
39 J, 40 ? (good).

Fringilla longicauda, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 218.

SER. V. — VOL. IV. 2 B

346 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Vidua longicauda, Cuv. Regne Au. i. 1817, p. 388,

Fringilla caffra, Licht. Yerz. Doubl. 1823, p. 22.

Vidua phoenicopterns, Swains. Qlass. B. ii. 1837, p. 112,
pi. 161.

Chera procne, GraVj Gen. B. ii. 18i9, p. 355.

Penthetria lomjicauda, Licht. Nomeucl. 1854, p. 49.

Chera caffra, Reichb. Siugvog. 1861, p. 65, pi. 29. figs,
230-232.

Hab. S. Africa: Transvaal, Natal, eastern portion of Cape
Colony, and Benguela.

80. COLIUSPASSER ABDENS.

Emberiza ardens, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Eul. 1783, p. 39,
no. Q)li7.

Embei'iza signata, Scop. Faun, et Flor. Insiib. 1786, p. 95,
ex Sonn.

Emberiza panayensis , Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 885.

Vidua lenocinia, Less, Traite Orn. 1831, p. 437, Cape (in
partial moult).

yidua torquata, Less. Compl. Buff. viii. 1837^ p. 278, Cape
(with a yellow collar) .

Vidua ritbritorques, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 174,
Senegambia.

Vidua concolor, Cass. Pr. Ac. Philad. 1848, p. QQ, Africa
(black var.); id. Journ. Ac. Philad. 1849, p. 241, pi. 30.
fig. 1.

Vidua ardens, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849, p. 355.

ColiustnUhus concolor, Sundev. CEfv. K. Vet.-xlk. Forh.
Stockh. 1849, p. 158.

Penthetria rubritorques, Bp. Consp. i, 1850, p. 448.

Penthetria concolor, Bp. loc. cit.

Penthetria ardens, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 177.

Niobe ardens, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 61, pi. 26. figs,
219, 220.

Penthetria hartlaubi. Cab. (nee Bocage, 1881) J. f. O.
1883, p. 318, Wakkola (Emin Bey, type exam.).

Coliustruthus ardens, Finsch, J. f. O. 1885, p. 135.

Hah. S.E. and W. Africa. On the eastern side it ranges

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 347

from about 5° N. lat. to Natal and the eastern portion of
Cape Colony, and has been recorded on the West Coast from
Angola, Sierra Leone, and Senegaiubia.

81. COLIUSPASSER LATICAUDUS.

Fringilla laticauda, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 24,
Nubia.

CoUnspasser torquatus, lliipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40,
pp. 98, 101, pi. 36. fig. 2, Siraien.

Vidua laticauda, Gra)' & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 355.

Penthetria laticauda, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 448.

Coliuspasser laticauda, Blanf. Geol. & Zool. Abyss. 1870,
p. 405.

Hab. N.E. and E. Africa, from about 15° N. to 4° S.
lat. ; Abyssinia, Shoa, Kilimanjaro.

82. Coliuspasser hartlaubi.

Penthetria hartlaubi, Bocage, Orn. Angola, 1881, p. 341,
C aeon da.

Hab. S. Africa; Caconda in Benguela.

83. Coliuspasser macrocercus.

Yellow-shouldered Oriole, Brown, 111. Zool. 177(3, p. 22,
pi. 11 (good).

Fringilla macrocerca, Lieht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 24,
note d. Nubia.

Coliuspasser flaviscapulatus, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-40,
pp. 98, 101, Abyssinia (type exam.).

? Coliuspasser macrurus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. 1845, p. 77,
Abyssinia.

Vidua macrocerca, Des Murs in LefebviVs Voy. Abyss.
1845-50, p. 172.

Penthetria flaviscapulatus, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 449.

Penthetria niacroura. Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 176.

Hah. N.E. Africa, between 15° and 10° N. lat. Con-
fined to Abyssinia.

a, ^. July, N.E. Africa {Brit. Mus.).

2 B 2

348 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

84. COLIUSPASSER MACRUKUS.

Loxia macroura, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 845.

Loxia longicauda, Lath, (nee Gra.) Incl. Oru. i. 1790,
p. 373.

Fringilla flavoptera, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 69, pi. 41
(good).

Fringilla chrysoptera, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 214.

Penthetria macroura, Cab. Orn. Notiz. 1817, p. 331.

Vidua macroura, Gray & Mitchell, Gen. B. ii. 1849,
p. 355.

Coliustruthus macrourus, Cass. Pr. Ae. Philad. 1859,
p. 136.

Coliuspasser m,acroura, Bouvier, Cat. Marche, 1875,
p. 24.

Hab. N.E., E., and W. Africa South from about 15° N.
lat. ; it ranges to Melindi on the east coast, and to the
Quanza on the west.

85. Coliuspasser albonotatus.

Vidua albonotata, Cass. Pr. Ac. Philad. 1848, p. 65,
Natal; id. Journ. Ac. Philad. 1819, p. 2U, pi. 30. fig. 2.

Urobrachya albonotata, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 448.

Penthetria albonotata, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 420.

Hab. S. and W. Africa : Shire, Zambesi, Matabele,
Transvaal, Natal, Benguela, Angola, Loanga Coast, and
Gaboon.

a. Gaboon [Brit. Mus.).

86. Coliuspasser eques.

Vidua eques, Hartl. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 106, pi. 15, Kazeli
(Speke).

Penthetria eques, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 420.

Urobrachya eques, Fisch. Zeitsch. ges. Orn. 1884, p. 326.

Hah. E. Africa, between 5° N. lat. and 5° S. lat.; from
Lado to Kitui.

87. Coliuspasser axillaris.

Vidua, sp. ?, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. 1831, p. 12.

Ploceidfe of the Ethiopian Region. 349

Vidua axillaris, Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. 1838, pi. 17
(good), Caffraria.

Urobrachya axillaris, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 447, S. Africa.

Coliuspasser phoeniceus, Ileugl. Syst. Uebers. 185G, p. 39,
no. 394, Sobat R. (no descr.).

Urobrachya axillaris, Antin. Cat. 1864, p. 68, N.E.
Africa,

Penthetria axillaris, F. & H. Yog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 421.

Urobrachya zunzibarica, Shelley, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 586,
Lamu, Maliudi, Pangaui.

Urobrachya phoenicea, Cab. J. f. O. 1882, p. 122.

Hub. N.E., E., and S. Africa. Southward from about 9"
N. lat. to Mosambique, also Natal and the eastern portion
of Cape Colony.

The N.E. and E. African may generally, but not always, be
distinguished from the S. African birds.

a, J ad. Bombalike, near Mombas [Brit. Mas.). In
this specimen the wing is unrecognizable from that of the
S. African bird ; but the bill is slightly stouter and rougher.

88. Coliuspasser bocagii.

Urobrachya axillaris, Sharpe (nee Smith), P. Z. S. 1869,
p. 566, Colombo, in Angola (spec. exam.).

Urobrachya bocagei, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. 1871, p. 63,
Angola, Mossamedes (types exam.).

Penthetria bocagei, Bocage, Orn. Angola, 1881, p. 343,
Benguela, Quanza.

Urobrachya affinis, Cab. Orn. Centralbl. 1881, p. 183,
Hab. ? (type exam.).

Urobrachya mechowi. Cab. loc. cit., Angola (type exam.).

Hab. S. and W. Africa. Confined to Benguela and
Angola.

89. Coliuspasser capensis.

Loxia capensis, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 306, Cape.
Loxia ncevia, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 845 (in moult).
Coccothraustes capensis, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 527.
Fringilla phalerata, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 22, Cape.
Oryx capensis. Less. Traite Orn. 1831, p. 438,

350 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

Eupledes capensis, Hartl. Verz. Brem. 1844, p. 69.

Corythus capensis, Halm & Kiist. Vog. As. &c. Lief. xiv.
1850, pi. 4.

Orynx approximans, Cab. Mus. Heiii. i. 1851, p. 177, S.
Afr. (small var.).

Oryx minor, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 59, pi. 24. figs. 210,
211, S. Afr. (small var.).

Eupledes phoenicomerus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist,
ser. 3, vol. x. p. 444 (1862), Camaroons (type exam.).

Ploceus capensis, Pelz. Reise Novara, Vog. 1805, p. 90.

Eupledes xanthomelas, Guruey (uec Riipp.), Ibis, 1868,
p. 51, Natal.

Pyrumelana capensis, Sharpens ed. Layard, B. S. Afr. 1884,
pp. 463, 849.

Hab. The whole of South Africa and the Camaroons in W,
Africa, the larger race being apparently confined to Cape
Colony.

90. COLIUSPASSER XANTHOMELAS.

Eupledes xanthomelas, Riipp. Neue Wirb. 1835-1840,
p. 94, Abyssinia; id. Syst. Uebers. 1845, p. 76, pi. 28
(good) .

Eupledes stidus, Heugl. Syst Uebers. 1865, p. 39.

Pyromelana capensis, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 416
(part.), E. Afr.

Eupledes capensis, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871, p. 573.

Orynx xanthomelas. Cab. J. f. O. 1878, p. 231.

Oryx xanthomelas, Fisch. & Reichen. J. f. O. 1879, p. 351.

Oryx capensis, Fisch. J. f. O. 1885, p. 134.j

Hab. N.E., E., S., and W. Afr. In E. Africa from about
15° N. lat. to about 20" S. lat. ; Abyssinia to Matabele Land.

There is a very typical specimen in the British Museum
labelled Hope Fontein, near Gubelewaya [Gates) .

17. Pyromelana.
1831. Pyromelana, Bp. Saggio Distr. Met. An. Vert. Type.

1831, p. 141 P. oris.

1861, Taha, Reichb. Singvog. p. 73 P. tuha.

Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region. 351

This is a very well-defined compact genus, composed of
thirteen species, of which ten are very strongly marked ; the
other three, P. scioana, Salvad., P. taha, Smith, and P.
sticta, Heugl.( = P. ladoensis, Reichen.), have been frequently
confounded, but are, I consider, undoubtedly good species.

To the surrounding genera, CoVmspasser and Quelea, they
show a marked affinity in the colouring of their winter dress.

Key to the Species.

«. Under surface of the wiugs entirely "black.

a^. Crown, neck, and lower back orange-red ;
mantle reddish fawn-colour ; upper half of

throat black 91. P. Jlammiceps,

6'. Front half of the crown black ; mantle yellow ;
rump and upper tail-coverts brown ; black

of throat confined to chin 92. P. gieroioi.

b. Under surface of the wings not black.
c\ Entire neck red.

(P. Upper and under tail-coverts and pale por-
tion of the abdomen not red 93. P. frieckr?'chsoni.

d^. Upper and under tail-coverts and pale por-
tion of the abdomen red.

(P. Chin and upper throat black 94. P. orix,

e^. Chin and entire throat red.

e*. Entire upper half of the head black . . 95. P. franciscana.
/*. Black on upper half of the head con-
fined to the forehead 96. P. nigrifrons.

d\ Crown and back half of the neck red ; entire

throat black 97. P. nigriventris.

«\ Forehead and front of crown red ; remainder

of the head and neck black 98. P. diademata.

f^. Entire head black ; back orauge-^-ellow .... 99. P. aiirea.
g^. Crown, lower back, and upper and under tail-
coverts bright yellow.
g^. With no yellow collar across the lower
throat.
g^. Larger : wing 2'8 inches ; with no yellow

on the chest 100. P. seioana.

}?. Smaller : wing 2'5 to 2-2 inches ; witli a
yellow patch on each side of the crop.
/('. Larger : wing 2-4 to 2'5 inches ; sides
(if the body between the crop-patch
and thigh not mottled with yellow. . 101. P. tuha.

352 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

t*. Smaller : wing 2'2 inches ; sides of the
hody between the crop-patch and
thigh yellow, or mottled with yel-
low 102. P. stkta.

K^. With a yellow collar across the crop .... 103. P. nfra.

91. Pyromelana flammiceps.

Euplectes flammiceps, Swains, B. W. Afr. i. 1837^ p. 18G,
pi. 13^ Senegal.

Oryx petiti, Dcs Murs, in Lefebvre's Voy. Abyss. 1845-
50, p. 112.

Euplectes craspedopterus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 1856;, p. 30,
no. 383.

Euplectes flaviceps (laps, cal.), Hartl. P. Z. S. 1863,
p. 106.

Euplectes pyrrhozana, Heugl. J. f. O. 1864, p. 247.

Pyromelana flammiceps, F. & II. Vog. Ostafr. 1870,
p. 414.

Hah. N.E., E., S.?, and W. Afr., between about 15° N.
lat. and lO'' S. lat. From Abyssinia to Lindi on the east
coast, and from the Quanza to Senegal on the west. ? Ben-
guela {Brit. Mus.).

92. Pyromelana gierowi.

Euplectes gierowii. Cab. Oru. Centralbl. 1880, p. 6, Quanza ;
id. J. f. O. 1880, p. 106, pi. 3. fig. 2.
Hab. W. Afr., Quanza in Angola.

93. Pyromelana friederichsoni.

Euplectes friederichsoni, Fisch. & Keichen. J. f. O. 1884,
p. 54, Ngaruman.

Hab. E. Afr., Ngaruman.

94. Pyromelana orix.

Grenadier, Edw. Nat. Hist. B. 1743, pi. 178 (fair).
Emberiza orix, Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 309, ex Edw.
Loxia orix, Daud. Traite Orn. ii. 1800, p. 377, Cape.
Loxie orix, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 100, pi. 66 (good),
Coccothranstes orix, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817, p. 536.
Oryx oryx. Less. Traite Orn. 1831, p. 438.
Euplectes oryx. Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 187.

Ploceidfe of the Ethiopian Region. 353

Euplectes sundevallii, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 446, Caf-
fraria.

Euplectes pseudoryx, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 56, pi. 23.
figs. 200-202.

Euplectes edwardsi, Reichb. torn. cit. p. 57, ex Edw.

Euplectes petiti, Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 322, Zambesi and
Shire.

Pyromelana oryx, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 410.

Ploceus oryx, Woodward, Zoologist, 1875, p. 4397.

Pyromelana sundevalli, Holub & Pelz. Beitr. Orn. Slidafr.
1882, p. 117.

Hab. S. Afr. : the whole of S. Afr.

95. Pyromelana franciscana.

Loxia franciscana, Isert, Schrift. Gresell. Nat. Freunde
Berlin, ix. 1789, p. 332, pi. 9 (fide Finsch & Hartl.).

Loxia ignicolor, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 92, pi. 59
(good), Senegal.

Fringilla ignicolor, VieilL N. D. xii. 1817, p. 198.

Euplectes ignicolor. Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 184.

Fringilla oryx, Dubois, Orn. Galerie, 1839, p. 44, pi. 29.

? Euplectes oryx, Des Murs, in Lefebvre's Voy. Abyss.
1845-50, p. 111.

Euplectes franciscanus, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 128,

Pyromelana franciscana, Finsch, J. f. 0. 1869, p. 336.

Hab. N.E., E., and W. Afr., between about 15° N. lat. to
5° S. lat., south to Myamusi in East Africa, and to the Gold
Coast and Niger on the west coast.

96. Pyromelana ntgrifrons.

Pyromelana nigrifrons, Bohm, J. f. O. 1884, p. 177,
Karema.

Hab. Central Africa, Karema on Lake Tanganyika.

97. Pyromelana nigriventris.

Euplectes nigriventi'is, Cass. Pr. Ac. Philad. 1848, p. 66,
Zambesi; id. Journ. Ac. Philad. 1849, p. 242, pi. 31. fig. 1.

Euplectes, sp. ?, Licht. Nomencl. 1854, p. 49, Mosam-
bique.

354. Captain G. E. Shelley on the

PyromeUma mgriventris, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870,
p. 415.

Hab. E. Af'r., between about 2° and 15° S. lat. ; from
Lamu to Mosambique-

98. Pyromelana diademata.

Euplectes diademata, Fisch. & Reiclien. J. f. O. 1878,
pp. 264, 354, Malindi (type exam.) ; 1879, pi. 2. fig. 1.
Hab. E. Afr., Malindi.

99. Pyromelana aurea. (Plate IX. fig. 2.)
Golden-backed Finch, Brown, 111. Zool. p. 60, pi. 25. fig. 2,

Benguela.

Loxia aurea, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 846, ex Brown.

Euplectes aurinotus, Swains,. An. in Menag. 1838, p. 310,
ex BroAvn.

Hab. S.W. Afr., Benguela and Quanza, *

100. Pyromelana scioana.

Euplectes scioanus, Salvad. Arm. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1884,
p. 185, Shoa.

Hab. N.E. Afr., Shoa.

a, (J; . August, Shoa {Antinori, typical specimen, Shelley
Mus.).

101. Pyromelana taha.

Euplectes taha, Smith, Rep. Exp. Expl. Centr. Afr. 1836,
p. 50, Kiirrichaine ; id. 111. Zool. S. Afr. pi. 7.

Ploceus dubius. Smith, Rep. Exp. Expl. Centr. Afr. 1836,
p. 50 (in moult).

Euplectes abyssinicus, Strickl. & Sclat. (nee Gm.), Contr.
Orn. 1850, p. 150, Damara.

Taha dubia, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. 73.

Hab. S. Afr. : confined to S. Africa, where it is very gene-
rally distributed.

102. Pyromelana sticta.

? Fringilla abyssimca. Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 927.
Euplectes abyssinicus, Rijpp. Syst. Uebers. 1845, p. 7Q,
Abyssinia.

Ploceidie of the Ethiopian Reyiou. 355

Eupledes stictus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 1856, p. 39. no. 385,
Simen.

? Taha abijssinica, Reiclib. Singvog. 1861, p. 73, ex Gm.

Eupledes taha, Autiu. Cat. 1864, p. 68.

Euplectes hahessinicus , Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 575 (part.), N.E. At'r.

Oryiix afer, Heugl. torn. cit. App. 1873, p. cxxxiii (part.),
N.E. Afr.

Eupledes ladoensis, Reichen. J. f. O. 1885, p. 218, Lado
(type exam.).

Hab. N.E. Afr., Abyssinia and the Nile-region between
15° and 5° N. lat.

a, ^. June; h, ,^ . August, Lado {Shelley Mus.).

103. Pyromelana afra.

Black-bellied Grosbeak, Brown, 111. 1776, p. 58, pi. 24.
fig. 2.

Loxia afra, Gm. S. N. i. 1788, p. 857, ex Brown.

Loxia melanogastra, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 1790, p. 394, ex
Brown.

Worabee, Yieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 52^^ pi. 28^^
(fair).

Frinyilla abyssinica, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 232.

? Coccothraustes melanogastra, Vieill. N. D. xiii. 1817,
p. 543.

Frinyilla ranunculacea, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, p. 23, ex
Worabee (Vieill.).

Eupledes melanoyastra, Svvains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837, p. 182,
Senegal.

Eupledes afer, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. 1871, p. 62.

Pyromelana afra, Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 552.

Hab. W. Afr., from the Niger to Senegambia and Fernando
Po. The locahty Quanza {IVhitely), fide Bocage, Orn.
Angola, p. 338, is probably incorrect.

18. QUELEA. rp

1850. Qiielea, Reichb. Syst. Nat. pi. 7Q> . . . Q. quelea.

1851. Hyphantica, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 180 . . Q. quelea.

356 Captain G. E. Shelley on the

This genus I have divided into four species belonging to
two well-marked groups — one characterized by the bill not
being red, and in the fully adult male by a red head, the other
group by a red bill in both sexes. In the former the winter
plumage is almost precisely the same as in Pyromelana.

The members of the red-billed group are certainly subject
to considerable variation in brightness, according to age
and season, and occasionally somewhat in size ; but I can
detect no constant characters for the separation of these
varieties.

I have not kept Q. russi as a distinct species, as it appears
to me to be only a pale-headed variety of the male of Q. cethio-
pica, or a very fully plumaged female of that species ; and
Q. quelea has a similar variety.

Key to the Species.

a. Bill never red ; head red in adult males.

«\ Bill longer, culmen less curved ; wing 2'5 inches.

In adult males base of the red feathers of the

throat black 104. Q. eri/throps.

b\ Bill shorter, culmen more curved; wing

2"3 inches. In adult males base of the red

feathers of the throat wliite 105. Q. cardinalis.

b. Bill red ; no scarlet on the head.

c\ In adult males, sides of the head and upper
half of the throat black.

c^. Forehead black 106. Q. quelea.

d^. Forehead not black 107. Q, eethiupica.

104. Quelea erythrops.

Ploceus erythrops, Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 110, St.
Thomas Is.

Euplectes erythrops, Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. Brem. ii.
1848, pi. 8.

Fringilla erythrocephala, Des Murs (nee Linn.), Lefebvre^s
Voy. Abyss. 1850, p. 119, Adowa.

Foudia erythrops, Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 446.

Quelea capitata, Du Bus, Bull. Acad. Brux. xxii. part 1,
1855, p. 151, Senegal.

Quelea erythrops, Heine, J. f. O. 18G0, p. 144.

Ploceidse of the Ethiopian Region. 357

Foudia hainatocephala, Heugl. J. f. O. 186 1, p. 250, Bougo.

Calyphantria hamatocephala, Heugl. J. f. O. 1867, p. 390.

Ploceus hmmatocephala, F. & H. Vog. Ostafr. 1870, p. 407,
note.

Hyphantica hcematocephala, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. 1871,
p. 545, pi. 19 «.

Hyphantica erythrops, Fiscli. & Reichen. J. f. O. 1879,
p. 352.

Hab. E. and W. AtV. In E. Africa between 8° N. lat.
and 5° S. lat., from Bongo to Pangani, and tlie whole of W.
Africa from the Quanza to Scnegambia, and the Islands of St.
Thomas and Prince.

105. QUELEA CARDINALIS.

Hyphantica cardinalis, Hartl. J. f. O. 1880, p. 325, Lado ;
1881, pi. 1. figs. 1, 2.

Hab. E. Afr., between about 5° N. lat. and 5° S. lat., from
Lado to Ngarumau.

a, ^ . June ; 6, $ . August, Lado {Shelley Mas.) .

106. QuELEA QUELEA.

Brazilian Sparrow, Edw. Nat. Hist. B. 1743, p. 128, pi. 271.
fig. 2.

? Loxia sanguinirostris , Linn. S. N. i. 1766, p. 303, Asia.

Emberiza quelea, Linn. torn. cit. p. 310, Africa (orig. descr.
good) .

Loxia quelea, Daud. Traite Orn. ii. 1800, p. 443.

Dioch, Vieill. Ois. Chant. 1805, p. 46, pis. 22 c?, 23 ? .

Dioch rose, Vieill. tom. cit. p. 48, pi. 24.

Fringilla quelea, Vieill. N. D. xii. 1817, p. 233.

Loxia lathami, Smith, Rep. Exp. Expl. Centr. Afr. 1836,
p. 51, Kurrichaiue.

Euplecte.9 sanguinirostris, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. 1837,
p. 188.

Ploceus sanguinirosti'is, Chapman, Trav. S. Afr. ii. 1848,
p. 401.

Quelea sanguinirostris. Bp. Consp. i. 1850, p. 415.

Hyphantica sanguinirostris , Cab. Mus. Hein. i. 1851, p. 180
(part.).

358 On the Ploceidae of the Ethiopian Region.

Quelea occidentalis, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 1857, p. 129,
Senegal, Casamanse, Guinea.

Queleu lathami, Reichb. Singvog. 1861, p. (\7 , pi. 30.
figs. 236-238.

Quelea quelea, Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 356.

Hab. S. and W. Afr. The ohole of S. Africa and W.
Africa, from Guinea to Senegambia.

a, ^ , Transvaal, no. 77.7.11.343, has the typical black
of the head surrounded by pink ; b, " $ '' Transvaal, no.
77.7.11.167, has the portions of the head which are black in
typical adult males buff, and these parts are suriouuded
with pink [Brit. Miis.). b is a good S. -African parallel of
Ploceus russi, Finsch. There is another striking variety of
both this and the next species, which is not very uncommon,
in which the plumage is rufous or cinnamon, strongly mottled
with black.

107. Quelea .ethiopica.

Emberiza quelea, Des Murs (nee Linn.), in Lefebvre's Voy.
Abyss. 1850, p. 119.

Ploceus sanguinirostris, var. a>thiopicus, Sundev. ffifv. K.
Vet.-Ak. Forh. Stockh. 1850, p. 126.

Ploceus sanguinirostris var. major, Sundev. 1. c.

Ploceus sariguinirostris , Strickl. P. Z. S. 1850, p. 218, Kor-
dofan.

Coccothraustes sanguinirostris , Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 1856,
p. 39. no. 357.

Quelea orientalis, Heugl. J. f. O. 1862, p. 27, Bogos, Abys-
sinia.

Quelea sanguinirostris, Antin. Cat. 1864, p. 67.

Quelea cethiopica, Blanf. Geol. & Zool. Abyss. 1870, p. 405.

Ploceus russi, Finsch, Gefied. Welt, 1877, p. 317, Africa.

Hyphantornis quelea, Cab. J. f. O. 1878, p. 232.

Hyphantica sanguinirostris, Finsch, J. f. O. 1885, p. 134.

Euplectes gregaria, P. v. Wiirt. MS. )

Loxia africana, P. v. Wiirt. MS. > fide Heugl.

Quelea socia, P. v. Wiirt. MS. ]

Hah. N.F. and W. Afr., southward from about 18° N.

Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Genus Acanthis. 359

lat. to Ugogo, and possibly Mosambique, on the east side^ and
to Senegambia on the west coast.

a and b {Brit. Mus.) . Bright varieties : cheeks and ear-
coverts hnii, breast shaded with rufous ; very typical forms
of Ploceus russi, Fiusch. I have examined very similar spe-
cimens in the Berlin and Paris Museums. They have occa-
sionally the sides of the head and throaty which would be
black iu typical males, slightly marked out in brown ; but I
find no sex attached to any of the labels. In the Zoological
Society's Gardens there is now a very fine living specimen
of this form, which I regard as a variety of Q. cethiopica,
although I am imable to prove such to be the case.

XXXVI. — Additional Notes on the Genus Acanthis.
By W. Edwin Brooks.

Thanks to the kindness of Dr. L. Stejneger, of the United
States National Museum, I have been able to examine a
number of Redpolls of different species, and I find that it is
necessary to supplement my notes on these birds in ' The Ibis'
for October 1885, pp. 381-384, by some additional parti-
culars.

The superiority of the broad white edgings to the tertials
and tail-feathers, but especially the latter, in Acanthis exilipes
will not hold good; ior A. hornemanni, in good fresh feather,
has very marked white edges to the tail-feathers. There is also
much white on the tertials. The reliable distinction between
the two is certainly the very great difference in size. The
wings of three male A. hornemanni now before me measure
3"42, 330, and 3'28 inches; and of three male A. exilipes
3-00, 2-90, and 2-90. In his paper in ' The Auk ' for April
1884, Dr. Stejneger gives the average for the wings of six
male A. hornemanni as 3*40, and of seventeen male A. exilipes
as 2'91, of six female A. hornemanni 3'31, and of twelve
female A. exilipes 2"80. I think it may also be remarked
here that the wing of A. exilipes averages longer than that of
A. linaria.

360 Mr. W, E. Brooks on the Genus Acanthis.

Some people might be inclined to say that difference of
locality would alter the size ; but those of which I have given
the measurements are all from the same place, Uugava,
where four species of Acanthis are found.

In his paper on the genus Acanthis C^The Auk/ 1884),
Dr. Stejneger speaks of another species of Acanthis — A.
rostrata, Coues. This is also found in Ungava, and down along
the coast to the more northern United States. Of this species
I have seen two males and two females collected near Fort
Chimo, Ungava. It is a tine robust bird, almost equalling
A. hornemanni in size. The two males had wings 3"40 and
3-10, and the two females 3-10 and 3-00. The bill is of a
peculiar form, convex on the outlines, and shaped more like
a Sparrow's than a RedpolFs. The coloration is like that of
A. linaria, except that the streaks below are darker and
bolder, and on the whole it is not such a mealy-looking bird
as A. linaria.

If it should be said that the white tone of ^. hornemanni is
due to residence in very northern latitudes, here we have the
dark A. rostrata inhabiting the very same country. Let it
be remembered that it is a Greenland bird, found also in
North-east America, i. e. Labrador. One of the males Avas
a red May bird collected at Fort Chimo, Ungava. The red
on the breast did not reach so far down as in A. linaria and
ended abruptly. The upper and lower tail-coverts are
strongly streaked in this species ; but it is the excessively
heavy flank-streaking that strikes one so forcibly at first
sight. Briefly it may be described as a large, dark, heavily
streaked Redpoll with a Sparrow-like bill, in contradistinc-
tion to the large white Redpoll, A. hornemanni, with a true
Redpoll bill. Those who prefer to consider it a subspecies
may do so ; but to my eye it is so thoroughly distinct that I
should never dream of confounding it with anything else.
Speaking of Acanthis rostrata, Dr. Stejneger says {' The
Auk,' 1881, pp. 149-150) :— ''Mr. William Brewster has, in a
very instructive and interesting memoir ' On HolbolFs Red-
Poll' (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, 1883, pp. 95-99), expressed
the suspicion that A. linaria and what he calls A. holboelli 'arc

Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Genus Acautliis. 361

forms closely allied, but nevertlieless sufficiently segregated
to rank as distinct species.'' Compared with my statements
above, we seem to be of very opposite views in this case ;
but I think I can offer a satisfactory explanation. By com-
paring summer specimens of the so-called A. holboeUi from
Greenland and more southern winter birds with the ordinary
form occurring in Europe and America under that name, I
was at once struck by the great differences. The Green-
land bird is evidently considerably larger, its bill much
stouter and somewhat differently shaped — not so pointed —
besides being on the average a trifle shorter. As to colour, I
thought they were rather darker and heavier-streaked below.
I was very soon convinced that these birds were different
from the common A. holboelli, being in fact the form originally
described by Coues as A. rostratus, but afterwards given up by
him. It was also clear that the specimens examined and
described by Brewster were the winter plumage of the same
form. The Redpolls are rather difficult to determine from
descriptions, but if the latter were all so clear and thorough
as those of Mr. Brewster, there would have been less confusion
in this group of birds. His statement that the specimens
from New England ' will be found to difler from the ordinary
type {A. linaria) in being very much larger, with stouter, less
acute bills, generally darker coloring, and especially darker,
coarser streaking beneath,' will apply to A. rostrata, as
distinguished not only from A. linaria but also from true A.
holboelli. Nevertheless, I do agree with him in regarding
Acanthis rostrata as a Slistinct species.' The conclusion of
Mr. Brewster is easily explained, he probably having only the
short-billed A. linaria for comparison ; but as the measure-
ments given below show there is a regular intergradation, and
tfce Greenland bird cannot be justly designated except as con-
specific with the other forms. It will therefore, after the
common usage of American writers, stand as A. linaria
rostrata." [Stejneger, I. s. c.)

With this last conclusion of Dr. Stejneger's I cannot
agree, and I go entirely with Mr. Brewster as to complete
specific distinctness. Apart from its gigantic size for a

SER. V. — VOL. IV. 2 c

362 Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Genus Acanthis.

Redpoll, it possesses a notable character of its own in its
most uu-redpoU-like bill. On the whole, I do not know of
any species more satisfactory.

I have an observation or two to make on the *' species '"*
Acanthis holboelli, Brehm. I have examined five examples,
two o£ them being European. Wings 3*10 to 2*80. The
coloration is that of A. linaria, with streaking perhaps not
quite as bold, but the bill is long and almost Goldfinch-like.
But for the extra long bill it could not be separated from A.
linaria. I have had many more than one hundred A. linaria
through my hands, obtained here and elsewhere, and in no
instance have I been able to match the long bill of typical
A. holboelli. In one European example, from point of bill to
back of skull is 1"15, another I'lO, of a third 1'12, and of
a fourth I'lO. This measurement is in average A. linaria
(male) about 100. To me it is not a tlioro uglily satisfactory
species, like the others, but at present its long bill is not
easily accounted for. I am not partial to the trinomial
system, but for convenience' sake this bird might stand
as Acanthis linaria holboelli. It is a variation not yet
thoroughly worked out.

Another form Dr. Stejneger treats of in his excellent mono-
graph in ' The Auk ' above referred to is Acanthis linaria
pallescens, Homeyer. This is, I think, only a variation of the
ordinary A. linaria. I examined Dr. Stejneger's Norwegian
example. Like others I have obtained here, it is extra mealy-
looking. Some examples of ^. linaria appear quickly to lose
all fulvous tone after the autumnal moult, if they had it then,
and the two prevailing colours left are dark brownish grey
and white. This loss of colour may be due to weakness or
some other cause, but it is certainly not specific, and I should
say one or more might be found in every spring flock of
A. linaria.

I would abandon this form altogethei', not allowing it even
the use of a trinomial.

AVe have, then, five very well-marked species of Acatithis,
viz. A. hornemanni, A. exilipes, A. rostrata, A. linaria, and
A, rvfescens: also one doubtful bird, A. linaria holboelli.

Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Genus Acanthis. 363

Dr. Stejiieger adds a P.S. to the following effect, which I
forgot to quote in its proper place : —

"P.S. — Since the above was written, Mr. W. Brewster has
had the great kindness to send to me for inspection the
specimens upon which his remarks on A. holboelli in his above-
quoted paper were based. They confirm what I have already
said, and there can, in my opinion, be no doubt that these
Redpolls are birds bred in Greenland, or perhaps on the
opposite shore of North America, wandering along the coast-
line in winter as far south as NeW England and New York.
They are, in all respects, true and typical A. I. rostrata.''

It may be noticed that A. hornemanni has its diminutive
counterpart in A. exilipes, and A. rostrata its diminutive in
A. linaria. It would be folly to speculate whether the lesser
were evolved from the greater, or the greater from the less ;
for we know nothing at all about such derivations, and ideal
or imaginary natural history, mere speculation far removed
from facts, like the greater part of Mr. Seebohm^s paper on
the genus Scolopax, is useless, wearisome, and positively
painful. Of what value is fancy in ornithology? and
unfortunately the tendency to indulge in flights of fancy is
largely on the increase.

It is strange how uncertain the Redpolls are in their
autumnal migration. I have not seen one this last winter,
1885-86. In 1884-85 they were plentiful, and during 1883-
84 none at all. In 1882-83 they were again numerous, and
during 1881-82 I never saw one. Of course I refer to the
winters of each term, November to March. This last winter
was severe, so also was that of 1883-84.

In December, January, and February, 1882-83, examples
of A. hornemanni were obtained at Fort Chimo, Northern
Labrador; so these birds can endure a great amount of cold.
In January 1883 we had it 10 and 11 degrees below zero here
(Milton, Ontario), very much further south. North La-
brador must have been very much colder.

I have a few examples (four), to all appearances A. eoeilipes,
except that the rump is a little streaked, and the lower tail-
coverts slightly so. These must be either hybrids between

2c 2

364 Recently published Ornithological JVorks.

A. exilipes and A. linaria, as in the case of the Crows, Co7'Vus
comix and C. corone, or else the distinctive points of the un-
streaked white rump and the unstreaked lower tail-coverts do
not always hold good in A. exilipes; or, again, they are of a
distinct species intermediate between the tM^o. I should
hardly say " intermediate," for even at a hasty glance the
very superior whiteness would proclaim them to be^. exilipes.
A hybrid ought to be of really intermediate tone, but this bird
is A. exilipes even to its small bill, and is quite as generally
white.

Eggs of the different Redpolls in collections must be very
doubtful indeed when collected in Greenland or North-east
America, for the collectors may have taken those of A.
rostrata for A. hornemanni ; and again eggs from Northern
Europe referred to A. linaria may be those of A. exilipes.
Except when the parent bird is sent with the eggs, they should
be put out of collections, and fresh ones with the old bird ob-
tained, I expect the egg of A. rostrata will prove to be the
largest of the lot : the bird is so sturdy-looking.

XXXVII. — Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications.

[Continued from p. 203.]

54. Annals of the Natural-History Museum of Vienna.
[Annalen des k. k. naturhistorisclien Hofmuseums. Band i. Nr. 1,
Jahresbericht fiir 1885 von Dr. Franz Eitter von Hauer. Wien :

1886.]

The first part of this new periodical contains a report by
Dr. V. Hauer on the newly erected IMuseum of Natural
History in Vienna and its various departments. Besides
Zoology, Botany, and IViineralogy in Austria, they have
wisely located Anthropology in the same building. The
Birds in the new museum remain under the charge of our
excellent friend and correspondent Herr August v. Pelzeln.
The general mounted collection of this class is stated to contain
20,000 examples, besides which there is a separate series to
illustrate the Ornis of the Austro-Hungarian empire, con-
sisting of 621 specimens referable to 340 species.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 365

55. Bennett on Birds breeding in New South Wales.

[Notes on the Habits, &c. of Birds breeding in the interior of New
South Wales. By K. H. Bennett. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. x.
p. 162.]

Mr, Beiinett^s present article relates to the habits of
Falco subniger and Glareola grallaria. It appears that the
former preys occasionally on Elanus scriptus, so that the old
proverb '^ hawks not picking out hawks' een " does not hold
good in Australia. The Falcon is apt to appropriate other
birds' nests for breeding-purposes. The Pratincole deposits
its eggs on the bare surface of the ground.

56. W. Blasius on measuring Birds' Skeletons.

[Osteologische Studien (Messungs-Methoden an Vogel-Skeletten).
Von Prof. Dr. Willi. Blasius. J. f. O. 1885, p. 409.J

Prof. Blasius^ who has great experience in such matters
gives in detail what he considers to be the best and most
useful measurements to be taken of the various bones of the
skeletons of birds.

57. W. Blasius on the Birds of Prey of Cochabamba.

[Die Raubvogel von Cochabamba. Von Prof. Dr. Wilh. Blasius.
Mitth. d. ornithol. Vereines in Wien, 1884, Nr. 9.]

The receipt of a collection of bird-skins from Prof. E.
V. Boeck has enabled Prof. Blasius to make some additions
and rectifications to the former's accounts of the Birds of
Prey of Cochabamba^ in Bolivia. A revised list of these
birds, according to the nomenclature adopted by M. Tacza-
nowski, is added. It contains 21 species.

58. W. Blasius on Birds from Cochabamba.

[Ueber einige Vogel von Cochabamba in Bolivia. (Nacli brieflichen
Mittheilungen der Herrn Prof. Eug. von Boeck.) Von Prof. Dr. Wilh.
Blasius. J. f. 0. 188o, p. 416.]

Prof. Blasius gives extracts from letters of Prof. E. v.
Boeck of Cochabamba, which contain further information
respecting Psophia cantatrix and other species of Prof. v.
Boeck's list, and mention the occurrence of Eurypyga helias
on the Mamore.

366 Recently published Ornithological Works.

59. Boeck on the Birds of Cochabainba.

[Ornis des Thales von Cochabamba in Bolivia und der niichsten Um-
gebung. Von Prof. Eugen von Boeck. Mit Anmerkungen von Prof.
Dr. Willi. Blasius. Mitth. d. ornithol. Vereines in Wien, 1884, Nr.
7, 11.]

The valley of Cochabamba lies among the Andes of Bolivia,
at a height of 7000-8000 feet above the sea-level. After
a prefatory account of its physical features and vegetation.
Prof. V. Boeck gives a list of its native birds, with remarks
upon them. The system adopted is that of the somewhat
antiquated ' Fauna Peruana ' of Tschudi, being the only one
available to the author in his remote and isolated home.
About 110 species are included in the list. Phytotoma
angustirostris is a " very common and destructive bird " to
the growing plants, which it nips ofB as they spring up. Its
native name is " Coque/^ because its mouth is green, like
that of a coca-eating Indian. The splendid Humming-bird,
Cometes phaon, is found in the valley, and also up to the
height of 9000 feet in the surrounding Andes. Rhea ameri-
cana, we are told, occurs in the Cordillera of Tacora, near
Tacna. Can this be correct ?

60. Dresser's Monograph of the Bee-eaters.

[A Monograph of the Meropidse, or Family of the Bee-eaters. By II.
E. Dresser, FX.S. Part V. Small folio. London : 1886.]

IVTr. Dresser's fifth number brings his monograph of the
Bee-eaters to a successful conclusion. The whole family, as
here arranged, contains 31 species divided into five genera.
Every species is well figured by Keulemans, and the letter-
press contains a summary of all that can be gathered to-
gether concerning a set of birds which are not generally very
well known.

The fifth number contains figures of the following
species : —

Nyctiornis amictus, jr. Melittophagus bullocki.

Merops vu-idis. boleslavskii.

muscatensis. revoili.

Melittophagus gularis-, jr,

Recently published Ornithuloyical (Vorks. 367

61. Fmsch and Meyer on Birds from New Guinea.

[Vogel vou Neu-Guiiiea, zumeiat aus der Alpenregiou am Hiidostab-
hange des Owen Stanley-Gebirges (Hufeisengebirge, 7000-8000' hocli),
gesammelt von Karl Hunstein, bearbeitet von O. Finscb und A. B. Meyer.
Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Ornitbol. 1886, Heft i.]

This is the second and concluding portion of the article of
the first part of which we have given above (pp. 237-258)
a translation by the kind permission of the authors. The
present portion treats of 69 species^ mostly from the Horse-
shoe Mountain, in the south-east confines of the Owen-
Stanley range in New Guinea. Of these the following
twelve are characterized as new to science : — Psittacella
pallida, P. madaraszi, Eos incondita, Charmosyna stellce,
Arses henkei, Rhipidura cinnamomea, Myzomela ramsayi,
Melipotes fumigatus, Melidectes emilii, Ptilotis fulvocinerea,
Ptilopus patruelis, and Eutrygon leucoparia. All these birds
are figured with the exception of Psittacella pallida, Myzo-
mela ramsayi, and Eutrygon leucoparia. A figure is also
given of the curious diminutive Cuckoo Microdynamis parva
of Salvadori,with which E. P. Ramsay's Rhamphomantis rollesi
(Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. viii. p. 25) is said to be probably
identical. The exact locality of the specimen is not stated.

62. Hancock on the Cuckoo.

[Note on tbe habit of the young Cuckoo in ejecting the Eggs and Young
of its Foster-parent from the Nest, observed by John Hancock, at Oatlands,
Surrey, in June 1884. Nat. Hist. Trans, of Northumb., Durham, and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, vol. viii.]

Mr. Hancock selected, as most convenient for observation,
the nest of a Hedge- Accentor containing one Cuckoo's egg
and four of those of the former. The process of ejectment of
the produce of the foster-parents was carefully watched, and
was found to agree with the descriptions previously given
by Jenner, Montagu, and Mrs. Blackburn. Mr. Hancock
expresses his surprise at the remark of a recent writer who
says that " one feels inclined to class these narratives with
the equally well-authenticated stories of ghosts and other
apparitions which abound." Mr. Hancock says that no erni-

368 Recently published Oniitholoylcal Works.

tliologist has yet been able to answer satisfactorily the ques-
tions as to the sex which utters the well-known note, as to
the time of moulting of the young Cuckoo, and as to the way
in which the Cuckoo arrives at a knowledge of the time when
she must place her egg in the nest selected for her purpose.

63. K'mysleifs ' Standard Natural History.'

[_' Tlie Standard Natural History,' edited by John Sterling Kingsley.
Vol. iv. Birds. Boston : S.E. Cassino and Co., 1885.]

Those who wish to make themselves acquainted with the
most "^ advanced " views on the classification of birds should
devote their attention to the fourth volume of Kingsley's
' Standard Natural History.' The ' Natural History of
Birds' is stated to have been prepared by "Walter B.
Barrows, Daniel G. Elliot, Leonard Stejneger, Ph.D., and
J. S. Kingsley, D.Sc." But it will not be difficult for any
one acquainted with the writings of modern ornithologists to
see at a glance which of these four gentlemen has had the
greater share in its preparation, and under whose guidance
the whole has been shaped into its present form. It
would have been much better to have added to the " con-
tents " the name of the author of each division, which can
only be ascertained by a hunt for the signature that is
attached to each succeeding portion. There, however, can
be no question that the volume, as a whole, may be attributed
to Dr. Stejneger, and great credit is due to him for its pre-
paration. No work issued in Europe contains such a good
general account of the Class of Birds according to the most
recent researches of naturalists, and brings one into ac-
quaintance with the newest discoveries in this group of
vertebrates. In making a few critical remarks, as we turn
over its pages, we are influenced by the hope that these
points will receive attention in the preparation of the second
edition of the ' Standard Natural History of Birds/ which
which will assuredly be called for.

The authors commence at the lower end of the series of
birds, and treat first of the " Saururse," " Odontormse," and
" Odontohok'jc," as these three extinct subclasses arc dc-

Recently published Ornithological Works. 369

nominated, leaving- nioderu birds to the fourth subclass
" Eurhipidurte " of Gill, so-called in contradistinction to
^' Saururse/' from their fan-like tail. The Eurhipidurse are
subdivided into three "■ superorders/' Dromseoguathie, Im-
pennes, and Euornithes. The Tinamoos are annexed to the
Struthiones in the first of these. It is, however, we think,
hardly justifiable to use Prof. Huxley^s term " Droraseo-
gnathse,^' intended for the Tinamoos only, in this extended
sense : it would be even better, in our opinion, to retain
the term '' Struthiones" for the group thus constituted.
The name " Ratitse " is of course no longer applicable to a
division in which the Tinamoos are included. That the
authors are right in the important rank thus conferred on
the Penguins, we are firmly convinced. The Penguins
cannot be descendants of ancestors that ever had normal
bird^s wings, and must be kept quite apart from the typical
birds. But whether it is justifiable to include the Tinamoos
in the same primary division as the Struthiones, and to raise
the Penguins to exactly the same level as this division, we
are not so certain.

Dr. Stejneger's classical terms are mostly so far more
correct than those of the general run of his brother orni-
thologists that he will excuse us for pointing out that the
plural of 6So{)9, a tooth, is not " odontoi," nor that of " scu-
tellum " '' scutellce " ! As regards our friend Prof. Newton^s
well-known claim in favour of the Crow as the most '^ un-
challenged chief" of the class of birds. Dr. Stejneger well
shows (pp. 482, 483) that the Corvine tarsus is " very low
indeed"; and he might have added that the structure of the
Crow's wing is likewise incompatible with so high a rank.
We agree with Dr. Stejneger that the most highly developed
bird is a nine-primaried Oscine, but are not sure that the
much-detested Sparrow has not as good claims for this
exalted position as Dr. Stejneger's candidates the Hawfinch
and the Evening-grosbeak.

Subjoined is a passage from Dr. Stejneger's disquisition
on the subject of counting the primaries in the bird's wing,
Avhich deserves the serious attention of ornithologists : —

370 Recently published Ornitlioloyical Works.

" The fact is, really, that the tenth (first) primary is not
absolutely wanting in the ' nine-primaried ' Passeres, but
its size is so extremely reduced as to become quite or nearly
invisible in the old birds, the more so since its position is
also slightly changed, as it is forced up on the upper surface
of the wing. Not so in the young, however. In a very
young specimen of the Snow-flake {Plectrophenax nivalis), a
' nine-primaried ' species, now before me, the outermost
(tenth) primary is plainly visible in its natural position, and
with the corresponding great covert in its proper place ;
that is, in the interval between the ultimate and penultimate
primaries. From this it will be easily perceived how perverse
is the method of counting the primaries from the edge of the
wing, since, in nine-primaried birds, the feather which is
usually called the first, in reality corresponds to the second of
the ten-primaried species. By counting from the secondaries,
no difficulty is experienced."

64. Lawrence on two new Birds from Yucatan.

[Characters of two supposed new Species of Birds from Yucatan. By
George N. Lawrence. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. vol. iii. no. 9, p. 273.]

On specimens transmitted from Yucatan by Mr. Gaumer,
Mr. Lawrence has based two new species, Polioptila albiventris
and Chcetura gaumeri.

65. Lwojf on the Histology of Feathers.

[Beitrage zur Histologie des Haares, der Borste, des Stachels und der
Feder. Von W. Lwoff. BuU. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou, 1884, p. 1,
taf. v.-viii.]

This is a German translation of a memoir originally pub-
lished in 1883 in Russian. It treats of the minute structure
of hair and feathers, and is illustrated by four plates.

66. Macpherson and Duckworth on the Birds of Cumber-
land.

[The Birds of CumberUiud critically studied, including some notes on
the Birds of Westmoreland. By the Rev. H. A. ]\Iacpherson, M.A., and
William Duckworth. Carlisle : 188H. 8vo.]

This work forms a natural complement to Mr. Mitchell's

Recently published Ornithological Works. 371

'Birds of Lancashire/ already favourably noticed in these
pages, and it would be hard to say which is the better of
the two. Both of the authors of the present Avork are
excellent field-natui-alists, and have received ample assistance
from numerous collaborators of the same stamp. The total
number of the species recorded is 250, of which 84 are resi-
dentSj 81 periodical visitants, and 85 are of irregular and
accidental occurrence. A. strong feature is the care with
which their distribution is treated ; and many British orni-
thologists will learn with surprise that the only satisfactory
case of the occurrence of the Nuthatch in Cumberland dates
back to May 1782, when Heysham received one of a pair
from Armathwaite. The Siskin has been found to be a
regular breeder in some parts of the county during the last
few years; but the Twite has, for some unknown reason,
decreased. The Raven is stated to be nearly as abundant
as it was half a century ago ; but game-preservers will feel
satisfaction at hearing that the Hooded Crow is only a
scarce and winter visitant to Cumberland. For descriptions
of birds in their breeding-haunts, attention may be especially
directed to the account of the Pied Flycatcher (p. 31) and
of the Dotterel (p. 133) by Mr. Frank Nicholson ; while lovers
of remarkable facts will be interested in the record of the
Lesser RedpolFs nest built entirely of cotton-waste close to
the Caledonian railway engine-shed. We had long been
aware that the telegraph-wires exercised an appreciably fatal
influence upon many species, especially game-birds ; but it is
sad to learn that the Tawny Owl, from its- habit of mousing
on railway lines, is often felled by locomotives. A few
clerical errors can be corrected in a later edition, and
it would be more consistent with the present custom if
capitals were omitted in the specific names. A map adds
to the usefulness of this excellent volume, which is fur-
ther embellished by a coloured plate of the Dotterel by
Keulemans.

67. Meyer's Illustrations of Birds' Skeletons.

[Abbildungen von Vogel-Skeletten. Herausgegebeii von Dr. A. B.

372 Recently published Ornitholoyical IVorks.

Meyer. Lief. i. (1879), ii., iii. (1881-82), iv., v. (1883), vi., vii. (1884),
viii., ix. (1885), 4to. Dresden : 1879-85.J

Much too little attention, there can be no doubt, has as
yet been paid to the study of the osseous framework of the
class of birds, and Dr. Meyer^s ' Illustrations,^ which have
now reached their ninth number, and contain already not
less than 90 plates, will be much valued by naturalists. It
may, however, be remarked that, as a general rule, figures of
individual bones are of greater assistance to the working
ornithologist than those of the whole skeleton, in which,
especially when they are prepared from photographs as in
the present case, there is sometimes an indistinctness about
some particular point that one is wishing to investigate.

Dr. ]\Ieyer's plates are not arranged in systematic order,
but we trust that at the close of the work a systematic list
will be given, which will greatly increase their usefulness.
We must also say that the letterpress which accompanies the
plates is rather meagre. It consists mainly of the results of
measurements, which are of little value in classification. A
general disquisition on the osteology of birds with references
to the individual figures should certainly form a portion of a
work of this character.

68. ' Mittheilungen ' of the Ornithological Union of Vienna.

[Mittheiliingen des ornithologisclieii Vereines in Wien, Section fiir
Vogelkuude, Jahr. 9, no. 29-30 ; Jahr. 10, no. 1-5, 1885-86.]

Amongst many articles of interest in the recent numbers
of this periodical is Hodek^s account of his collecting-
expedition on the' Lower Danube, during which a speci-
men was obtained of a Pelican '' new to Europe." Of this
curious bird a lengthened description is given (Jahrg. 10,
no. 2, pp. 13, 14). It is stated that Herr v. Pelzeln is in-
clined to refer the specimen to Pelecanus rufescens. But if we
understand Herr v. Hodek's account of the termination of
the feathered space at the base of bill correctly, the " anony-
mus " must belong to the group allied to P. onocro talus,
and perhaps be an abnormal variety of that species. Sclater
has long suspected that P. sharpii of Bocage {cf. P. Z. S.
1871j p. 632) may be merely a " hepatic " form of P. onocro-

Recently published Orrniholoyical Works. 373

talus. Is not Herr Hodek^s Pelican a somewhat similar
bird?

69. Oustalet on new Birds from New Guinea.

[Note sur un Perroquet et sur un Goura de la cote septentrionale de la
Nouvelle Giiin^e, par M. E. Oustalet. Ann. Sc. Nat. s^r. 6, Zool. xix.
art. 3 (1885).]

The specimens described are from the collection made by
M. Laglaize on the north coast of New Guinea. The Parrot
is named Cyclop sit tacus edwardsi; the Pigeon Goura victoria;
var. comata.

70. Random Notes on Natural History.

[Random Notes on Natural History. Providence, R. I. Vol. iii. no. 2.]
This appears to be a popular Magazine of Natural History
published at Providence, Rhode Island, U. S. A., which oc-
casionally contains ornithological articles.

71. Report on the Dresden Museum of Art and Science.
[Bericht iiber die Verwaltung der konigliclien Sammlung-en fiir Kunst

iind Wissenschaft zu Dresden in den Jahren 1882 uud 188.3. Dresden:
1885.]

The excellent arrangements of the Royal Museum of Art
and Science at Dresden are known to all the world. Our
valued correspondent Dr. A. B. Meyer has the direction of
the Zoological^ Anthropological, and Ethnographical Museum,
to the Ornithological Section of which 398 specimens were
added in 1882, and 241 in 1883. Amongst these is specially
noticed the skin and skeleton of Notornis mantelli, presented
by Herr O. Lobel, of which Dr. Meyer has already published
particulars {cf. Ibis, 1882, p. 607).

72. Report on the Observing-stations of German Birds.

[Jahresbericht (1883) des Ausschusses fiir Beobachtungsstationen der
Vogel Deutschlands. J. f. O. 1885, p. 225.]

The eighth report of the Committee appointed to collect
statistics on the Birds of Germany occupies over 100 pages
of the ' Journal fiir Ornithologie.' It has been prepared

374 Recently published Ornithological Works.

by Dr. R. Blasius, J. Rohweder, R. Tancr^, and A, Walter,
all names well known in connection with German orni-
thology. Thirty-four observers in nine different parts of the
Empire have contributed their observations, which have been
worked up together by the reporters, and arranged in syste-
matic order. They relate to 216 different species. The most
noticeable general results are summarized in some intro-
ductory remarks.

73. Schaloiv's Essay on the Touracoos.

[Die MusopliagidiB. Monograpliische Studien vou Herman Schalow.
J. f. O. 1886, p. 1.]

The Berlin Museum contains examples of all the twenty-
five known members of the family Musophagidae, and most
of the recently discovered species have been made known to
us by the enterprise of German explorers. It was therefore
quite proper that the task of a revision of this interesting
Ethiopian group should be undertaken by a German orni-
thologist. Schlegel and Westerman's huge Monograph of
1860 is the last published general work on the subject.

After some preliminary observations Mr. Schalow gives a
resume of former views as to the position of the family in
the system, and a list of the principal publications on the
subject. In his key to the genera, after separating Musophaga,
which is at once distinguished by the peculiar form of the
bill, the remaining Touracoos are separated into five genera,
Corythaix, Gallirex, Corythceola, Schizorhis, and Gymno-
schizorhis, the last mentioned being a new genus distinguished
from Schizorhis by its face being bared of feathers. The
species are then taken in systematic order one after the
other, and all particulars as to their form, colour, synonymy,
range, and habits are succinctly stated. A list is given
under each species of the specimens in the Berlin Museum,
with exact localities. The heads of five species are repre-
sented in a coloured plate. Altogether we consider this
an excellent and very useful piece of work.

Recently published Ornithological Works. 375

74. Sclater on the Coerebidcs, Tanagridce, and Icteridce.

[Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection
of the British Museum. Fringilliformes : Part II., containing the Families
Coerebidse, Tanagridas, and Icteridfe. B3' Philip Lutley Sclater. London :
1886. 431 pp., 18 coloured plates.]

The eleveutli volume of the British Museum Catalogue of
Birds is devoted to the Coerebidse, Tanagridse, and Icteridae.

The species of Coerebidse recognized are 70. Of these 63
are represented in the Collection by 672 specimens, 15 of
which are types. Thus only 7 species of Coerebidse have no
rejjrescntatives in the National Collection.

The Tanagridse are a much more numerous family, no less
than 377 species being acknowledged as valid in the present
volume. Only 20 of this number have no representatives in
the Collection. The remaining 357 are very fully represented
by 3413 specimens, of which 74 are actual types or typical
specimens.

Of the remaining family, Icteridse, the number of valid
species accepted in the present work is 128. Of these 3
only are unrepresented in the National series, while the
remaining 125 species are well represented by a fine series
of 1409 specimens, amongst which are 12 types of species.

Putting the three families together, it will be found that
the total number of species treated of in the present volume
is 575, represented in the British Museum Collection by
5494 specimens, referable to 545 species, leaving only 30
species deficient to the Collection, whilst the series of speci-
mens are in most cases very extensive, and serve admirably
to show the geographical distribution of each species.

The subjoined list may be useful, as showing the progress

made with this important work : —

Species

Species

in

Speci-

known.

B.M.

mens.

I.

1874.

Accipitres.

R. B. Sharpe.

377

326

2466

II.

1875.

Striges.

R. B. Sharpe.

190

153

1090

III.

1877.

Coliomorpha}.

Pi. B. Sharpe.

367

315

2014

IV.

1879.

Cichlomorphaj,

, pt. i. E. B. Sharpe.

539

443

2520

V.

1881.

Cichlomorphae,

pt. ii. H. Seebohm.

344

303

2500

.VI.

1881.

Cichlomorphfe

, pt. iii. It. B. Sharpe.

407

315

1508

VII.

188.3.

Cichlomorphfe,

, pt. iv. R. B. Sharpe.

687

548

3942

Carried forward

2011

2403

l(i,100

376 Recently published Ornithological Works.

Species

Species in Speci-

known. B. M. mens.

Brought forward 2911 2403 10,100

VIII. 1883. iCidiWrpha3,pt V.J fj^^j^gQ^^^^^ 4q2 337 2944

( and Certhiomorpute. |

IX. 1884. Cinuvriomorpbte. Hans Gadow. 355 291 2450

X. 1885. Fringilliformes. R. B. Sharpe. 448 396 4590

XI. 1886. Fringilliformes. P. L. Sclater. 575 545 5494

4691 3972 31,578
Assuming the number of known species of Birds to be
about lljOOO, and the same ratio of species to a volume to be
maintained J it will require at least 15 more volumes to com-
plete the work. Of these Mr. Sharpe is, we believe, hard at
work at two (vols. xii. and xiii.) to contain the Fringillidse,
Ploceidse, Sturnidse, and Alaudidae. Sclater has undertaken
another volume (Tyrannidse and Cotingidae) .

75. Shufeldt on the Skeleton of Geococcyx.

[The Skeleton in Geococcyx. By R. \V. Shufeldt. Journ. Anat. &
Phys. 1886, p. 244, pis. vii.-ix.]

Dr. Shufeldt describes the skeleton of Geococcyx cali-
fornianus in his usual thorough and accurate style, and illus-
trates its various bones in three excellently drawn plates.
We hear with concern that this fine species is now becoming
rare in localities where it was formerly abundant, owing to
the great demand on the part of collectors for the " Road-
runner.^^

7Q. Vorderman on the Birds of Mount Salak.

[Bijdrage tot de Kennis der Avifauna van den Berg Salak (West-
Java) door A. G. Vorderman. Natuurk. Tijdschr. v. Nederl. lud. Deel xlv.
Afl. 3.]

Mount Salak is one of the extinct volcanoes of Western
Java, which attains a height of some 6700 feet, Mr. Vor-
derman^s researches have made him acquainted Math 151
species of birds inhabiting this mountain at various elevations.
Of these he gives us a list with many remarks. One species,
Brachypteryx salaccensis, is described as new. The sj)ecies
met with in the highest zone were the rare Scolopax saturata,
Psaltria exilis, ^thopyga eximia, Garrulax rufifrons, and
Ptilopus porphyreus.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. S77

XXXVIII. — Letters, Announcements, &^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to the
Editors of ' The Ibis :'--

Sirs, — I have been always puzzled by the name of Strix
flammea, given by Linnaeus to the Barn- Owl, as I could
never understand why a bird which has not the slightest sign
of the flame-colour should have been caWed flammea. Quite
lately, looking into Gesner^s celebrated work ' De Avibus/ I
have found what I think may be the explanation of how it
was that Linnseus used that name, which really is very inap-
propriate when we take it to mean the colour of flame, as
Mr, Wharton has done in the ' Ibis ' List of British Birds
(p. 85).

Gesner, in the above-mentioned work, treating of the Barn-
Owl, "De altero genere Ululae, quod quidam flammeatum
cognominant," after having given a figure of it, wrote as
follows: — "Figura haec est generis cujusdam ululae, quod
Germani circa Argentoratum vocant Schleyereul, id est
JJlulam flammeatam, quod nescio quomodo plumis circa
faciem mulieris peplo sen flammeo obvolutse caput et faciem
referat.^^

From this it appears to me very probable that Linneeus
wrote flammea instead of flammeata, thinking that flammea
could be used like flammeata, to mean enveloped in a veil ;
and if I am right, flammea, in Linnseus^s mind, was not con-
nected with flamma = flame, but with flammeum or flameum,
the nuptial veil, which was of a crocus or yellow colour.

Yours, &c.,

T. Salvadori.

Turin, Zoological Museum, May 5th, 1886.

Sirs, — I have the pleasure of informing you that Dr.
Julius von Madarasz, of Budapest, and I have the intention
of publishing a monograph of the Pipridse, with coloured
plates from the pencil of Ilerr von Madarasz, representing
all the known species.

SBR. V, VOL. IV. 2 D

378 Letters, Announcements, ^'c.

Tlie work will be issued in about ten parts, in 4to, each
containing six plates, with corresponding letterpress. The
first part will appear next September. The price of each
part will be twelve florins.

Yours, &c.,

Pelzeln.

Sirs, — In my paper on Trackyphonus {antea, p. 109) there
is a misprint, which I beg of you to allow me to correct.
Under Tr. boehmi is given, as a locality, '^ Abdul Gindi, (Mus.
Paris)."" Now Abdul Gindi is the name of an Egyptian
person, not of a locality. M. Oustalet informed me that the
specimen in question was obtained from Abdul Gindi.

Yours, &c.,

G. Hartlaub.

Bremen, 20th April, 1886.

74 Jermyn Street, St. James's,
May 17th, 1886.

Sirs, — I have lately returned from a pleasant two months'
sojourn in Egypt and at Athens, during which a few orni-
thological facts came under my notice which I think worth
recording in ' The Ibis.* I left Naples on 25th of January
last by an Italian steamer bound for Malta. On the morn-
ing of the 27th I found myself in the harbour of Catania,
with a few houi's to spend on shore. 1 went at once to the
bird-market, and there saw no less than ten Purple Gallinules
{Poj'phyrio cceruleus) exposed for sale, which the vendors told
me came from the pantani, or marshes, a few miles to the
south of Catania. About two hours later I went back to the
market, before returning to the steamer, and found that two
more Porphyries had been brought in. I bought two of the
best specimens for a franc each, took them with me to Malta,
and there skinned them.

After staying a week at Malta I went by P. & O. steamer
to Port Said, and through the Canal to Suez. In the Canal

Letters, Announcements, &^c. 379

I was struck by the vast number of Gulls which closely fol-
lowed our ship, and scrambled for pieces of bread which I
amused myself by throwing to them. I was also struck by
the fact that the majority of these Gulls were Larus canus,
a species I had never previously met with in Egypt. Mixed
with these were a smaller number of Larus leucophaus and
Larus ridibundus. I also saw a few pairs of Larus ichthy-
aetus, but these majestic birds did not condescend to follow
our ship or take any notice of the bread thrown to their
smaller relatives.

At Suez, where I stayed two days, I noticed the same
absence of Passerine birds as on former visits ; the ubiqui-
tous Sparrow and the obtrusive Grey Crow {Corvus comix),
which swarm in all other parts of Egypt, were nowhere
to be seen ; the only Passerine birds were Motacilla alba
and Corvus umbrinus, which last species is, I think, more
abundant at Suez than anywhere else in Egypt. Thence
I went to Cairo, and stayed there from February 12th
to March 1st, when I went up the Nile to Thebes. At Cairo
1 used frequently to spend the half hour before and the half
hour after sunset in the beautiful Esbekyeh garden. In the
centre of this is a lake, over which, up to sunset, a quantity
of Swallows, Hirundo savignii, were always flying about,
catching insects. Evening after evening I used to see a large
Sparrow-hawk, Accipiter nisus, which, from its size, I judged
to be a female, make its appearance just before sunset, while
the Swallows were still flying about. Of these it never took
any notice, having perhaps found out by experience that they
were more trouble to catch than they were worth ; but it
would perch on the top of some tree commanding the lake
and wait till the sun had set and the Swallows taken them-
selves off, and in their place a swarm of small Bats came on
the scene, flitting about over the lake. Now was the time
for the Hawk's supper, and it used to dash in among the
Bats, catch one in an instant, take it off to a tree, and there
eat it ; and it generally found time to catch a second one
before it got too dark for further operations. I once went
under the tree where the Hawk was eating its Bat, and picked

380 Letters, Annotmcements, 6fc.

up one of the Bat's wings which it had dropped. So far as
I know, this Bat-catching propensity of the Sparrow-hawk
has never before been recorded.

The trees round this same lake in the Esbekyeh garden
were frequented by numerous large Fruit-bats, which began
to move about half an hour after sunset, and which I never
saw elsewhere in Cairo, or in any other part of Egypt.
This fact, although not exactly ornithological, is not alto-
gether devoid of interest, for I fancy that the presence of a
Fruit-bat in Egypt has escaped the notice of most recent
travellers in that country.

The Red-breasted Goose, Bernicla ruficollis,is not now found
in Upper Egypt, and, with the exception of one specimen ob-
tained by Mr. Stafford Allen at Alexandria, I do not know of
any instance of its having been seen anywhere in Egypt in
recent times. I was therefore much interested in finding
this species accurately and repeatedly represented in the
tombs of the kings at Thebes, the figures of it being carved
in the limestone walls of the tomb, and accurately coloured,
so that there can be no doubt whatever as to the species
intended to be represented"^.

I left Egypt on March 24th5 and went direct to Athens,
where I stayed ten days. The ornithological fact that
struck me most at Athens was the great number of
Bavens, Corvus corax, in and around the city. They
roost in the precipitous sides of the Acropolis, and may
be seen flying over the town all day, but more especially
towards evening. Beturning home one afternoon from a
drive to Eleusis, I saw, just before sunset, at least thirty or
forty Bavens all together, flying round a rocky hill about two
miles from Athens, on which they no doubt roosted. Never
in any country have I seen the Baven so abundant as at and
around Athens.

Yours, &c.,
E. Cavendish Taylor.

* [C/. Yarrell's Brit. Birds, ed. 4, vol. iv. p. 284.— Edd.]

Letter's, Announcements, (SfC. 381

Smithsonian Institution, Wasliington, D. C,
May 14, 1880.

SiRs^ — I wish to thank you for your very kind review of
my ' Ornithological Explorations in Kamtschatka and the
Commander Islands/ At the same time I take the liberty
to protest against a remark in the footnote [antea, p. 202),
referring to me as "« stickler for correct names" in con-
nection with " corrections " of a philological nature. It is
true that I am endeavouring to use names which are correct
ornithologically , and in that respect I may be '^a stickler;"
but my stand in regard to philological corrections of names
already given, is clearly expressed in the following quotation
from a paper written by me five years ago : —

" As to the rules of the nomenclature^ it seems to me that
the best are those which present the smallest number of
exceptions, and which, once adopted, give the least occasion
for disputes. I therefore propose to use the oldest available
name in every case, where it can be proved, and to spell it
exactly as it was spelled when published for the first time,
notwithstanding incorrect derivation, barbarous offspring,
error facti, &c.

" The significance of a name, by means of the sound and
the appearance, is to give a conception of the named object
as being difl'erent from all other objects. If it, at the same
time, can be formed so that it indicates one or another chief
property of the object, then it is the better. The main point
is, however, that we, by hearing or seeing the name, will get
an idea of the object as being difl'erent from any other.

" That names which do not signify anything cause no
inconvenience worth mentioning is evident from the num-
berless specific names, indicating a quality common to all
the species within the same genus, e. g. cinereus, fuscus, &c.
It may be rather tedious that the names are incorrect ; but
the simply endless number of incorrect names with which we
daily work without feeling especially troubled, and which
probably no one intends to change or correct, shows better
than anything else how unimportant the corrections and

382 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

improvements are for facilitating the work. I tliink that we
may very soon agree that many corrections have caused more
trouble than relief — as, for instance, such improvements as
Heniconetta for Eniconetta, and the like — and that they only
have succeeded in swelling our lists of synonyms.

" The only rule which can be carried out with safety is the
use of the oldest name, without regard to its appearance,
derivation, or signification. If this be adopted, most dif-
ferences would disappear from the nomenclature, and it is in
fact the only rule which is able to establish a passable uni-
formity in place of the present variety. Once universally
accepted and put to practice, it would save much time,
labour, and dispute ; disputes concerning year and date may
easily be settled, while all philological and linguistic dis-
agreements may be thereby avoided. The question as to
which species one or another name is to be referred has
nothing to do with the rules of nomenclature, and is there-
fore liable to come up at any time.'^ — Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.
V. 1882, p. 28.

My proposition was adopted by the Committee of the
American Ornithological Union on Classification and Nomen-
clature, and is embodied in Canon XL. of the Code [' Code
and Check- List, A. O. U.,' 1886, p. 51).

I am, yours truly,

Leonhard Stejneger.

[We regret that we have unintentionally misrepresented
Dr. Stejneger's views in the criticism above noticed. — Edd.]

Reeves's Pheasant at Home. — The 'Field' of May 15th con-
tains a letter from Mr. E. Fitzgerald Creagh, with an in-
teresting account of his chase after Phasianus reevesi.

" It was from Tchang, a post at the head waters of the
Yangtzu, the great river of China, or rather where that river
leaves its gorges, that I started with the stream to a large
valley where I knew Reeves's Pheasants had been seen. It is

Letters, Announcements, 6fe. 383

useless to ask any questions of the country folk, who will
always say yes. I therefore landed and walked along a wide
valley, with high perpendicular mountains of conglomerate
on either side, and beetling over small woods of cypress.
The birds live on the berry of this tree, and fly from one
wood to another. They will never show themselves if
they can avoid it, and, through their great fleetness when
running, steal away before the dogs. Sometimes, how-
ever, when taken by surprise, they rise, and then only by
great caution can a single sportsman hope to get them. Sur-
rounding the small woods with several guns is the best way
to bag them. I think tlicy drive away the common Pheasant,
for I have never seen them together. This may, perhaps, be
due to the fact of their living on different food. I had with
me at the time a spaniel and a red Irish setter, and, as the
day Avas fine and clear, walked on quietly until I came to
what appeared a good country. The hills here were lower,
and the wood fairly dense, but free of undergrowth. A
woodcutter told me he had seen several Pheasants a few days
ago, but could give me no further information, so, tying up
my spaniel, I determined to work quietly along with the
setter. Although it was January the day was hot, and I was
obliged to divest myself of my coat as I struggled up the hill.
I worked along the lower part without coming on any scent.
Suddenly the setter got very busy, and moved along, showing
me that he had some large game. I followed on as well as
I could over the broken ground. False scent, back again ;
then the dog took a turn up the almost perpendicular rock.
Good gracious ! thought I, how can birds get up there and
leave any scent ? They had evidently helped themselves with
their wings. I was determined to follow, and brought the
setter back to a place where we succeeded in getting on to
the upper ledge after a little scrambling. Having arrived at
the top, as I had anticipated, we soon came on the scent
again, and away went the dog, very cautiously setting every
now and again. Just ahead of us now was a stone wall. I
was very much afraid that my game would rise just as I was
getting over, so I made all preparation for a surprise, and at

384 Letters, Announcements, ^x.

the moment the setter, who had passed the wall, was at a
' dead set/ I knew there were several birds or some larger
game by the general activity and caution shown by the dog.
I was soon over the wall, ready for anything. I surveyed
my position in a moment. Below me was long grass, on the
ledge I had left some thick and high trees, on my right a hill,
also with long, rank grass, but no wood. I moved forwards
a few paces, but the dog was there like a marble statue. I
was very badly placed, for I could not see where the game
could be. Up got six Reeves^s Pheasants, splendid birds. I
felt certain of two. I am sorry to say, however, I only suc-
ceeded in bagging one, which went rolling down the hill in
his last struggles. I bounded after him, afraid the dog
would mouth the beautiful plumage. The bird I had bagged
was a cock, measuring 5 feet 4 inches from the bill to end of
tail-feathers. From the time I first came on their scent the
distance over which I worked must have been a mile ; I was
therefore glad of a rest. The birds had flown in all direc-
tions, so there was no use marking them. My left barrel
had been ineffectually discharged at a fine cock, which flew
straight across the valley."

Radde's Scientific Expedition in Transcaspia. — The • Times '
informs us that M. Radde, the traveller and naturalist now
engaged in a scientific tour in Central Asia, has written the
following letter to the Russian paper ' Novosti,'' dated Ask-
abad, April 6 (N.S.) : — ''At first the weather was not favour-
able. The spring was late this year by at least three or four
weeks. Up to the present all my investigations have only
resulted in discovering 35 specimens of phanerogamic plants.
Our collection of birds consists already of 150 different kinds,
among which a Picus scindiacus forms a new addition to
Russian fauna.-'"' The 'Novosti^ goes on to state that
M. Radde made several excursions from Askabad both
into the desert and to the mountains. At Hennab, on the
Persian frontier, the expedition encountered a violent snow-

Letters, A^mowicements , &;c. <38r)

storm. M. Radde will reach Merv in the course o£ the pre-
sent month (May), and will then examine the mountains
between the Murghab and Tejend. In July he will return
to Askabad via Sarakhs, and then proceed through Khorasan
to Meshed. Before his final return to Europe M. Radde will
visit Teheran.

Ml'. H. 0. Forbes in New Guinea. — The last account of
Mr. H. O. Forbes in South-eastern New Guinea states that he
was in camp at Sogeri^ fifty miles from Port Moresby, and
intending to ascend Mount Owen Stanley when the season
permitted.

News of Mr. H. H. Johnston. — Mr. H. H. Johnston has
settled himself in Mondole or Mondoli Island, in Ambas Bay,
as H.B.M. Vice-Consul for the Cameroons, and sends us a
good account of his health and prospects. Writing K\)v'\\
13th, he tells us that he has already found a collector, and is
purposing to send him up the Cameroons with a staff of
several natives as assistants as soon as possible. The only
birds yet obtained on this mountain, so far as we know, are
those collected by Sir R. Burton during his ascent in 1861,
and described by George R. Gray in the Annals of Nat Hist,
for that year (ser. 3, vol. x. p. 443). Where such curious
birds as Strobilophagu burtoni occur we may reasonably
expect further novelties.

Rediscovery o/Platycercus unicolor. — Captain F. W. Hutton
writes to us that a specimen of Platycercus unicolor, A igors
(P. Z. S. 1831, p. 24), has been received at the Christchurch
Museum, from Antipodes Island, off the coast of New
Zealand. This species was based by Vigors on a single
specimen living in the Zoological Society's Gardens in 1831,
and subsequently transferred to the British INIuseum. For

SER. V. VOL. IV, 2 E

'686 Letters, Announcements, S^c.

55 years^ therefore, its exact habitat has remained unknown^
and no second specimen has been obtained.

Anniversary Meeting of the British Ornithologists' Union,
1886. — The Annual Meeting of the British Ornithologists'
Union was iield at 6 Tenterden Street, on Wednesday, the
19th May, at 6 p.m., Mr. Sclater in the Chair.

The Minutes of the last Meeting having been read and
confirmed, the Committee presented the following Report : —

" The Committee are glad to be able to point out that, in
spite of the existing widespread depression, the British Orni-
thologists^ Union maintains its prosperity. During the past
year, owing to the exercise of rigid economy, the expenses
connected with the publication of the Journal have been kept
v»ell within bounds, the remainder of the debt incurred
through the publication of the ' List of British Birds ' has
now been entirely liquidated, and there is now a balance in
hand. Moreover, the stock in hand of the above-mentioned
list is an asset that must not be lost sight of. The sale of the
List having recently been small, your Committee suggest that,
in order to assist in clearing oft* the stock, any Members of
the B.O.U. should be permitted to purchase one copy of
the List for 5s., or three copies for 10*\ 6d.

" At the last Anniversary Meeting the number of Members
of the B.O.U. amounted to 174: viz. 146 Ordinarj^, 1 Extra-
ordinary, 8 Honorary, and 19 Foreign Members. At the
present Anniversary it has been increased to 183 : viz.
155 Ordinary, 1 Extraordinary, 8 Honorary, and 19 Foreign
Members.

" The Candidates for admission at this Anniversary are
17, of which 15 are proposed as Ordinary, 1 as an Honorary,
and 1 as a Foreign Member.'^

The Report having been agreed to and adopted, the fol-
lowing new Ordinary Members were balloted for and declared
to be duly elected : — Lieut. Harold Stuart Ferguson, of
16 Albemarle Street, W. ; The Earl of Gainsborough ; William
Graham, Esq., Manor House, Crayford, Kent ; Harold Little-

Letters, Announcements , ^c. c587

dale^ Esq., B.A. &c., Vice-Principal of the College, Baroda ;
The Rev. Hugh Alexander Macpherson, of 3 Kensington
Gardens Square, W. ; John Guille Millais, Esq., F.Z.S., of
2 Palace Gate, Kensington, W. ; Howard Hill John Nicholls,
Esq., M.R.C.S., of The Moa , Eastbourne; E. Cambridge
Phillips, Es(] , of The Elms, Brecon ; E. Lort Phillips, Esq.,
of 22 Bolton Street, Piccadilly, W. ; William Carstairs Shaw,
Esq., of the Bank of Madras, Ootacamund, India; Lieut.
Horace A. Terry, of the 43rd Light Infantry, India ; Edward
Hamilton, Esq., M.D. &c., of 40 Portugal Street, W. ; Harry
Berkeley James, Esq., F.Z.S. &c., of Aldridge, Walsall;
George Muirhead, Esq., of Paxton, Berwick-on-Tweed ; and
Major H. Wade Dalton, of the Middlesex Begiment, Alder-
shot. Mr. Thomas Ayres, of Potchefstroom, Transvaal, was
also elected an Honorary, and Dr. Julius von Madarasz, of
the National Museum, Buda-Pesth, a Foreign Member of
the B.O.U.

The President and Secretary having been re-elected, Mr.
Edward Cavendish Taylor was elected on the Committee in
the place of Mr. O. Salvin, who retired by rotation. Thus
the Officers for the year 1836-87 are as follows : —

President.
The Right Hon. Lord Lilford.

Secretary.
H. E. Dresser, Esq.

Editors.
P. L. Sclater, Esq.
Howard Saunders, Esq.

Committee.
W. T. Blanford, Esq.
F. DuCane Godmau, Esq.
Edward Cavendish Taylor, Esq.

It was then suggested by Mr. R. B. Sharpe that a notice
should be sent round early in the year announcing the date
for the Annual Meeting, so that Members living abroad should

388 LetterS) Announcements, ^c.

have avaple time to propose Candidates ; and the Committee
promised to take this suggestion into consideration.

A discussion ensued as to whether the B. O. U. could in
anyway cooperate with the Selborne Society in trying to put
a stop to the wholesale destruction of birds for the purpose of
feminine decoration. A proposal by Mr. R. B. Sharpe for
the appointment of a Committee of the B. O. U. to "consider
whether any and what steps should be taken to stop the undue
destruction of wild birds " was put to the Meeting and lost.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman^ as also to Captain
Shelley for the use of his room, was carried unanimously.

The Meeting then adjourned, and the Annual Dinner,
held at the Cafe Boyal, was attended by twenty-eight
Members and guests.

Obituary. Prof. E. von Boeck, of Cochabamba. — We much
regret to hear from Dr. W. Blasius of the sudden death of his
correspondent, Prof. Eugen von Boeck, Director of the Central
School of Bolivia, and Member of the Permanent Interna-
tional Ornithological Committee. Prof. v. Boeck died at
Cochabamba on the 30th of January last, of an attack of
cholera. One of his first ornithological articles was a paper
on the Birds of Valdivia (Naumannia, 1855, pp. 494-513), the
last those on the Birds of Cochabamba {vide supra, pp. 365,
366) . At the time of his decease Prof. v. Boeck was engaged
on a translation of Taczanowski^s ' Ornithologie du Perou.'
Under very disadvantageous circumstances the Professor
exerted himself in every way to advance our knowledge of
South-American ornithology.

Heer Franqois P. L. Pollen. — We are informed that Heer
Pollen, the explorer of Madagascar in company with D. C.
Xan Dam, and fellow -author with the late Prof. Schlegel of
the volume of Mammals and Birds of the ' Recherches sur la
Faune de Madagascar' (1868), has recently died at Schevc-
ningcn, where he was German Consular Agent.

THE IBIS.

FIFTH SERIES.

No. XVI. OCTOBER 1886.

XXXIX.— Ow the Wings of Birds. By C. J. Sundevall.
{Plates X., XI.)

[Translated from the original Swedish of the * Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad.
Handlingar,' 1843, by W. S. DaUas, F.L.S.]

Introduction.
As the differences in the feather-covering of the wings of
birds appear to be of the very greatest significance in the
systematic arrangement of that class, which otherwise seems
to present so few, or rather no certain, characters for the
larger divisions, a somewhat detailed description of them may
possess no little interest. People seem not to have supposed,
or to have been unwilling to believe, that such apparently
accessory parts as feathers could furnish reliable indications
of the internal organization of the different groups of birds,
which they sought in vain from other organs ; at least we
can scarcely explain in any other way why the very re-
markable differences in the structure of the wings were so
long neglected, although they are among the very first which
must strike the eye in the external examination of birds.
It is, however, a truth that every external part of an
animal can furnish equally certain indications of affinity or
distinction between species as an internal part of the body,
and that in this respect no order of precedence can be es-
tablished a priori. A character certainly does not possess

SER. V. VOL. IV. 2 F

390 C. J. Sundcvall on the Wings of Birds.

greater value merely because it is derived from tlie relations
of internal parts, of whicli the many exceedingly unnatural
systematic classifications, founded upon so-called anatomical
characters^ are a clear proof "^.

Thus what is characteristic may just as easily be over-
looked in the internal as in the external parts ; but, should
it be correctly grasped, every part of an animal's surface or
covering ought to furnish characters just as reliable for the
animal's affinities as the inner or so-called nobler parts ; for
the cause, predetermined in the egg, Avliich makes an animal
belong to one or the other class, order, family, species, &c.,
has continued to act uninterruptedly throughout the whole
development upon every part of the animal's body, both exter-
nal and internal, and has necessarily left behind some impress
which may be distinguished from all others. But as different
causes must produce different effects, it becomes impossible
that any particular part in an animal can be exactly similar
to a part in another animal of a different order, genus, &c.
From a physiological point of view, indeed, the internal parts
may be regarded as more important than the external ; but
zoographically we must regard the external parts as possess-
ing an equal if not greater value, because the characters
derived from them can be easily recognized and examined in
the specimens of natural products which usually occur,
which is not the case with those founded upon the internal
parts ; and I venture to maintain that only external form-
characters ought to be employed in zoographical diagnoses,
and also that the external parts always present such charac-
ters as express quite clearly the affinities of the species,
although these characters may not always lie open to super-
ficial observation. The wing-feathers may therefore furnish
just as important characters as any other part of a bird's
body, and an accurate knowledge of them may be of the
greatest value in ornithology.

* E. g. the classifications of tlie Arachnida from tlie organs of respira-
tion, the divisions in the class Vermes in accordance with differences in
the nervous system, the arrangement of the Gasteropoda according to
the branchiae, &:c.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 391

The history of this knowledge is not very extended. It
includes in the first place the terminology adopted by Linnaeus,
which is to be found systematically set forth in 1758 in the
' Systema Naturae/ ed. x. p. 79, and still more in detail in
1766 in ed. xii. pp. 110-111 '^.

This terminology is extended and improved by Illiger in
his well-known ' Terminologie/ published in 1798 (translated
into Swedish by Marklin), and reproduced in the same words
in his ' Prodromus Systematis Mammalium et Avium '
(1811) . There was here no question of anything but a termi-
nology, and therefore scarcely anything was added serving
essentially to advance the knowledge of the structure of the
wing ; merely a heap of new names adopted : — Pteromata,
Ptila, Campterium, &c. Illiger was not sparing of new terms,
and adopted without hesitation, besides the necessary ones
which ought always to be retained, a great number which
are not necessary, and which I must therefore regard as
superfluous. Of those which relate to the wings I shall
speak hereafter f.

Some subsequent attempts do not properly deal with the
structure of the wing in its entirety. This applies to Isidore
Geoffrey St. -Hilaire^s recently published memoir in his ^Essais
deZoologiegenerale^ (Paris, 1841), in which the terms obtuse
and aigile (obtuse and acute), with the superadded more
exact qualifications sur and sub, are adopted to indicate that

* " Alge .... tectae peunis, demura Tectricibus primis secundisque, pos-
ti^e ciliatae remiffibus, &c. Remigcs primores x. : 1-4 Digiti, 5-10 Meta-
carpi ; Secimdan'ilO-20 s. 28 Cubiti ; nulli vero Bracliii ; at Alula spuria
pennis 3 s. 5 PoUici insidet." It is impossible that sucli a clear and com-
plete description could be given in a briefer form.

t Of course it is not my intention to censure the terminology of this
distinguished man, drawn up as it is in a truly classical spirit; but we
should, as far as possible, avoid making terminology into a special study,
which burdens the memory, and therefore we should follow the prevalent
example of the general usages of language, and adopt termini technici
only for parts or ideas w^hich are never or rarely employed in diagnosis,
and not for those in the naming of which we can avail ourselves of the
ordinary mathematical terms (which must of course be used in their
pi'oper signification) or of other generally kno^\'n and accepted terms (e.g.
margu (il<s, instead of campferiiun, Illig.).

2f2

392 C. J. Sundcvall on the IVhiys of Birds.

the first, second, &c. feather is the longest. This adoption
of terms in i)lace of definitions may, indeed, be often valuable
and useful ; but it seems to me unnecessary, for when exacti-
tude is required we must still always say, for example, the
first feather is the longest, or the second feather is the longest,
&c., which is certainly more definite than to say the wing is
very acute [suraigue, acutissima) or merely acute [aigiie,
acuta) .

Nitzseh's remarkable work ' System der Pterylographie,'
as is well known, threw a new light on the feather-covering
of birds in general; but as regards the structure of the wings,
we find in it scarcely any statements except as to the number
and structure of the remiges. The coverts are noticed
only in a few places, and the nnmber or constitution of their
series, their presence or absence, distance aj)art, &c. are,
remarkably enongh, not mentioned at all.

Those who have seen in the bird's wing merely a flying-
machine and studied it in this aspect have had the least in-
fluence of all upon our knowledge. It must be remarked
that the wing always occurs in birds, but that it is not
always an organ of flight.

By a comparison, made about Christmas 1830, of the
wings in a freshly killed Sirix bubo witli those of Emberiza
citrinella, I first obtained a notion of the considerable dif-
ferences which exist between those organs in dift'erent genera.
The changed position of many series of feathers and the
great difference in the number and length of the coverts
especially attracted my attention^. A continued investi-
gation soon showed that these differences were of the
greatest importance as external characters for the primary
divisions of the class, and as such they were set forth in ray
" Ornithologiska System,'^ prepared in the year 1834, and
printed in the ' Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar' for

• It must be stated that Herr W. v. Wright had about the same time
noticed these peculiarities in the wings of birds, of which his remark-
ably correct figures in the ilhistrated work ' Skandinaviens Foglsy' bear
witness. Rut we did not know of each other's di.scoveries until some
years afterwards.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wint/s of Birds. 3D3

the year 1835. Nevertheless I had not then grasped the
whole iniportanee of these characters as external distinctions
between the birds which do or do not possess singing-muscles
on the inferior larynx, for I still believed that 1 found excep-
tions in the genera Picus, Upvpa, and Menura. Later inves-
tigations have shown that these genera do not deviate from the
general rule, and that the presence or absence of the so-called
singing-apparatus is indicated by two dissimilar structures of
the wings. After the year 1834 other studies occupied my
time, so that this subject did not again come under examination
until the report of the statement of Keyserling and Blasius
of the (in their opinion) first positive external characters for
Song-birds, caused the subject to be again taken up in the
zoological ''Arsberattelse^' of the Academy of Sciences, printed
in 184?1 (p. 126). As I soon afterwards, in the same year,
undertook a journey into foreign countries, I communicated
the matter to several individual zoologists, and also to the
Meeting of Naturalists at Brunswick. The Transactions of
that meeting, however, contain no more than had already
been made known in print in 1835, A somewhat more
detailed exposition of the subject was first made before
the Meeting of Scandinavian Naturalists in Stockholm in
1842, and this is printed in the Transactions of that
Meeting (p. 685) . In the present paper 1 venture to give
a description of the bird's wing somewhat more in detail.

First. Chapter.

General Revieiv.
The bird's wing consists of the following parts : —
1. The anterior extremity, namely : — Humerus (upper arm,
PI. X, figs. 1, 2, &c., a), cubitus (forearm, b), and hand
(manus, c), which again is composed of the carpus (wrist, v),
metacarpus (middle hand, c), first phalange {y) and the
second {z) , with the pollex (thumb, d) .

Although it is not my intention here to describe anything
but the exterior and its coverings, it may nevertheless be
stated in passing that the two l)ones of the forearm, the
ulna (fig. 1,^) and the radius {h), are always separate i)i birds.

394 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

and the former the strongest. The carpus has only two very
small, free hones {v and w) ; the others appear to have
either entirely disappeared or become coalesced with the
following part (at x). The large os metacarpi {c) belonging
to the only finger developed has at its base a large tubercle
{sc), which seems to indicate coalescence with a part of the
carpus and the metacarpus of the thumb. In some birds
this tubercle is produced into a spine (spur) covered with
horn ; and it always bears on the anterior (radial) side the
small thumb {d), composed only of a single joint. Along the
posterior (ulnar) side of the bone lies an os metacarpi (be-
tween y and v) of a third finger; but this is amalgamated
with the former at the two ends^ and only bears at its apex
a small phalange (/) concealed under the skin. The middle
finger consists of two joints [y and z).

At the base [h) the humerus is more or less enclosed be-
tween the muscles, so that, although it does not project
entirely, as in man, beyond the curvature of the surface
of the trunk, it always does so partially (f-^). The cubitus
and the hand, which bear the true wing-feathers, are strongly
compressed and flattened in consequence of the form of the
bones, as well as of the position of the muscles and structure
of the skin.

In the angle behind the humerus the muscles and skin, as
in man, form two more or less distinct folds, which bound
the axilla (fig. 2, i) ; the anterior fold is formed by the pec-
toral muscles, the posterior one by the back and the margin
of the scapular muscles.

In the anterior angle, between the humerus and cubitus
the skin does not lie, as usual, closely upon the muscles and
bones, but it forms there a large fold (e), the antebrachial
fold (plica antebrachialis) . When the wing is folded up,
this cutaneous fold would hang loosely down like a bag, if it
were not drawn together by a very remarkably constructed
elastic sinew, which issues from a muscle in the shoulder
(in front of h, fig. 6) beside the m. deltoideus, and runs
within the whole anterior margin of the fold as far as the
carpus, where it spreads out and terminates in the skin.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 395

Along the hinder margin of the cubitus and hand the skin
likewise forms a large, but firm and hard fold {f,g), in which
the large wing-feathers are seated. Indeed it is by the con-
siderable development of the feathers that the skin is drawn
out into a fold which surrounds the roots of the feathers.

The differences in the length of the different joints of the
wing will be referred to further on, under the head of the
Remiges cubitales.

2. The wing consists of the feathers which clothe the an-
terior extremity, in the skin of which they are seated arranged
in rows (series) which are parallel to the bones and to the
posterior margin of each individual joint.

The feathers are generally directed backwards, so that
each series covers that lying immediately behind it (or at
least its root) . In general there are about the same number
of feathers in each series, for they are arranged in quin-
cunx, so that each feather is situated in the middle of an
interval in the two nearest series. Their points of insertion
may therefore form rows in three different ways (see figs. 2, 6) ;
but the feathers themselves form series only in one way,
because all those which are placed in the same series are
nearly of the same size and nature, while those in different
series most frequently differ considerably from each other
(see figs. 3, 4, 7, 8). The smallest and softest are placed in
front ; towards the posterior margin of the wing the feathers
increase in size and firmness, so that the quill-feathers which
occupy the posterior margin itself are the largest of all. In
the enumeration of the series we must therefore necessarily
begin with the quill-feathers and call them the first series ; the
second, third, &c. follow in order forwards. The foremost
series are so small and indistinct that one can hardly distin-
guish them unless we proceed in order from the posterior ones.

In each series we must call those feathers outer (externse)
which are placed nearest to the apex of the wing ; and inner
(internse) those which are situated nearer to the base of the
wing and the body. As the outermost feathers arc always
the easiest to find, we must commence the ordinal numbers
(1, 2, 3, &c.) from them.

696 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Bird^.

In Aptenodytes (which, at least as regards the plumage
is decidedly the lowest of all forms of birds) all the wing-
feathers are very small and hard, and have an external
resemblance to scales, which are cleft at the margin into a
fringe. Like the body-feathers in the same genus, they
cover the surface uniformly, without interspaces, like the
scales of fishes and reptiles, and form on both sides from
25 to 30 rows, without any difference except that those to-
wards the quill-margin of the wing are somewhat larger,
so that they more distinctly cover the roots of the next row.

In all other birds the number of series is much less (at the
utmost 12 on each side) ; they leave considerable inter-
spaces, and are of quite different nature.

As regards the different series, we may accept the follow-
ing kinds of wing-feathers : —

(1) Wing-quills (Pennse alares, Remiges, Linn. & 111.) are
only a single row, which are seated in the posterior margin
of the wing and are tlie largest of all. All the others are
visually named coverts (tectrices).

(2) Large coverts (Tectrices majores; Pteromata, 111.),
a series of feathers which lie immediately over the roots
of the quill-feathers, inserted in the skin behind the muscular
layer.

(3) Second series of coverts, which are also seated in
the fold of skin behind the true arm or hand. They often
show the peculiarity that they lie in a reverse position to the
preceding, as to which more hereafter.

(4) Small coverts (Plumse or Tectrices minores, bra-
chiales, cubitales, digitales, so-named according to the part
upon which they are seated) . They form from three to five
series, and are placed upon those parts of the skin which
enclose the bones and muscles of the limb. They are wanting
upon the cubitus in all birds which possess singing-muscles
at the lower larynx, but occur in all other birds.

(5) Arm-fold feathers, or the anterior small feathers of the
wing (Plumse antecubitales, or Tectrices minimse), are seated
in several rows upon the fold of skin in front of the arm
itself.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 397

These different kinds of feathers are : —

Upper (superiores) , when seated upon the upper side of
the wing, and

Lower (inferiores) upon its lower surface ; and further from
the different parts of the arm : —

Upper-arm feathers (humerales) on the humerus,

Forearm feathers or merely arm-feathers (cubitales) on
the cubitus, and

Hand-feathers, "Lash-feathers" (Primores, L.), on the
hand.

Upon this terminology we shall have something more to
say further on. It is only upon the cubitus that all the
different kinds of wing-feathers occur together.

The structure of the feathers need not here be described ;
it does not belong to our subject, and is treated in detail in
Nitzsch^s ' System der Pterylographie.^ Nevertheless a
terminology of their external structure may not be super-
fluous in this place, which will give the opportunity of pro-
posing some small changes in the terms employed by Nitzsch
in the above-mentioned work, which he did not himself
complete.

The external parts of the feather are as follows : —

1. Calamus (the quill-tube, fig. 12, a), the transparent,
horny part, which is fixed in the skin.

2. Rhachis (the shaft, b), the part filled with white pith,
which bears the vane. On the whole outer side (obverse side)
this is clothed with a direct continuation of the calamus in
the form of a sharply defined horny lamella. The whole of
this side is somewhat convex or flat, without any depression,
and scarcely elevated above the vane. The inner or opposite
side is considerably elevated above the vane, covered with a
peculiar, thinner, and sharply-defined horny lamella, and has
a longitudinal impressed line which terminates in the

Umbilicus [d], or the opening into the interior of the tube.
This opening is very small, and is closed by a projecting
point of the dried membranous parts remaining in the tube.
Fig. 12 shows a small feather, seen from tlic reverse side.

398 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

Scapus (feather-spool ; " stjelk/' Markl.) is the name given
by Illiger and Nitzsch to the calamus and rhachis together.

3. Radii or R. primarii (vane-rays), which issue from the
rhachis on both sides, close up to and from the horny lamella
of the upper surface. Together they form the vane (pogo-
nium). They are in general fine, filiform, and nearly cylin-
drical ; but in the large quill-feathers they are flattened, in
the form of narrow lamellae, which, however, are somewhat
prismatic, nearly like a knife-blade, so that the thinner,
smooth-edged margin is turned towards the reverse side of
the feather. The outer margin, which is somewhat thicker,
is furnished on both sides, both above and below, with secon-
dary vanes (see No. 4). Nitzsch calls the vane-rays Rami
(branches), which name is far less suitable than the denomi-
nation radii, long previously adopted by Illiger.

4. Radii secundarii (secondary vane-rays, vane of the
second order) issue on both sides from the outer margins of
the Radii primarii : they issue from the outer side of the
vane-rays, just as the latter issue from the outer side of the
shaft. These are called Radii by Nitzsch ; Illiger called them
Radioli (Terminol. 1269 h) ; the name adopted by me occurs
previously in R. Wagner's Lelirb. der vergl. Anat. p. 576.

5. Cili(e (Nitzsch) issue in the same way from the Radii se-
cundarii, and are extremely fine, hair-like, simple, and short.
In the middle of one side of the radii secundarii in most
feathers they are bent or hooked (hamatae ; they are then
called hami by Nitzsch), in order that they may firmly seize
the radii secundarii of the next radius. This is the cause
of the force with which, in most feathers, the vane hangs
together. In those feathers which have not coherent vanes,
the cilise are not hooked.

6. Plumula accessoria (accessory plume, c) "^ is a small
shaft with its vane, constructed like the larger shaft and vane,
which in most small feathers issues from the margin of the

* Nitzscli calls it the Hyporrhachis (under-sliaft), which name, how-
ever, can only be applied to the shaft of the accessory plumule. It might
rather bo named Ili/popfiliuni. The name 2}lii»tii'la accessoria presupposes
that its parts must be called r/iacJiis, po//oiu'um, Sec, accessoria.

C. J. Sundevall on the. Wings of Birds. 399

quill-tube below the umbilicus like a little duplication. It
has been regarded as an appendage^ or as a small feather
growing upon the larger one ; but it should rather be re-
garded from another point of view as being of exactly the
same rank as the larger rhachis, although checked in its 1
gi'owth during development. According to this view there
issue from each quill-tube two similar vane-bearing rhachides,
and in point of fact we find the case to be so in the Casso-
warieSj in which the accessory plume is as large and of the
same structure as the outer shaft and vane. On the body of
Lagopus the accessory plume is |, and in Falco palumbarius
half as long as the outer rhachis, but in both the vane is
downy and not coherent. In all these cases we see distinctly
that the umbilicus lies between the two rhachides, and that
the latter are raised and furrowed on the opposite sides, so
that the grooves of both terminate in the umbilicus, and are
as it were a remaining trace of it. The obverse side of the
accessory plume is thus turned towards the body ; it is fur-
nished with a sharply defined continuation of the quill-tube
itself, just like the outer rhachis. The vane in both rhachides
forms a single uninterrupted series, and in case the accessory
plume is wanting, as in the quill-feathers, the vane follows
the whole margin round the umbilicus, like a wreath. In
the most highly developed feathers, the quill-feathers and
the large covert-feathers, the accessory plume is always
wanting, and in some birds it is deficient throughout the
whole of their plumage. These are, according to Nitzsch —
Strix, Linn., Pandion, Columba, and a great many of the
Coccyges, Pterocles, Anas, Linn., and the Steganopodes. In
the Song-birds, and in Aptenodytes, the accessory plume is
quite small, downy, or rudimentary. The feathers of the last
have the true shaft very thick.

Second Chapter.
Special Description of the different sorts of Wing -feathers.

A. Quill -feathers (Pennse alares sive Remiges).
These, as has already been stated, are distinguished from

400 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

all the other feathers by their size and stiffness. They are
seated in the skin along the whole posterior margin of the
cubitus and hand, but no trne quill-feathers occur upon the
humerus. They belong definitely to the upper (outer) sur-
face of the wing, for they always lie with their basal ends
outside of the bones and muscles. They are always destitute
of accessory plumes.

1. Remiges primores^ (" lash-feathers/' figs. 3, 4/7, 8,/),
which arc seated upon the hand, constitute the most important
part of the organ of flight, and exceed all others in size, firm-
ness, the size of the quill-tube, and the shortness and elasticity
of the vane. They lie, with the quill-tubes in an oblique
direction, strongly attached upon nearly the whole breadth of
the wing-bones, and have, in consequence, a very inconsider-
able amount of mobility. In number they are usually 10, so
that the first is seated upon the outermost (second) finger-
joint, attached along its posterior (ulnar) side, less distinctly
outwards than the following ones. The second, third, and
fourth are placed upon the first finger-joint, and the six fol-
lowing upon the metacarpus (compare fig. 1). The last of
them is somewhat longer than the first feather of the arm
{Parus caudatus constitutes the only exception known to me).

The number of these feathers varies but little ; only between
9 and 11. There are 9 of them only in some Song-birds,
and this because the first feather disappears (of which more
hereaftei') ; and 11 in the genera Podiceps (all the Swedish
species, also P. dominicensis and philippensis), Phoenicopterus,
Anastomus, Tantalus, Ciconia (according to Nitzsch also C.
mycteria, but not Car gala), Musophaga, and Corgthaix, but
not in Schizorhis, Wagl.f

They vary still more in size, proportions, and form, for

* I employ this name, adopted by Liime, iu default of a better one, as
expressing their position ; for the terms B. mcinus, or dif/iil, or diyitales are
not very applicable, and vianuales is unsuitable. See also the note on tlie
li. cuhitaJes further on.

t In the Diving Ducks {A. glarialis, Sec.) there is a very small third
linger-joint, which has a rudimentary first quill-fealher, with its small
covert-featlipv. So also in T^ria troUe iu\(\ nJk\h\\{ wA m f\ (/rtjllc or
AIca tonhi.

C. J. Simdevall on the Wings of Birds. 401

ill most of these respects they differ in almost every genus,
and often in species of the same genus, especially among the
Land-birds. These differences furnish good characters, and
belong to the systematic exposition of ornithology ; but we
may here notice the following more general conditions. The
typical form seems to be that all the ten feathers are of equal
length ; but in consequence of the way in which they are
attached to the hand, the first feather projects beyond the
following ones, and thus seems to be the longest, while the
fulloAving ones appear to get gradually shorter. The wing is
then quite acute. This form of wing occurs generally among
the lower birds, namely in a great many of the Water-birds
(all the Pygopodcs and Longipennes ; the Tubiuares, except
Thalassidroma, Meryus, Faligula, and some of the Stegano-
podes), in more than half the Grallae [Charadrii, Strepsilas,
&c., nearly all Tringarise [Scolopacinae] , though in these often
1 = 2), but only in a very few others, namely in Pterocles alone
among the Gallinae, and in Trochilus. In Cypselus the second
feather is a little longer. In no single true Song-bird is the
first feather the longest.

With a higher development of the wing it is instead one of
the following feathers (nos. 2-4) that is the longest, while
the first is somewhat abbreviated. In those which fly with
remarkable rapidity, the second feather is usually the longest
(e. g. Hirundo, Ocypterus, Falco, Merops) ; in others the wing
is rounded and broad, owing to the third, fourth, or even
the fifth or sixth feather being longest; but this last only in
short wings. The birds of which the wings are thus rounded
and at the same time of considerable length have also very
large cubital feathers, and fly remarkably well and steadily
(e. g. Vultur, Aijuila, Ciconia). Only a few Water-birds have
the second feather the longest [Thalassidroma, Anas, Ber-
nicla), and there are not many that possess rounded wings
[Anser, Cygnus, Carbo, Pelecanus). Among the Waders the
two conditions are already more common ; rounded wings
occur in Vanellus, in all llallidae (with Fulica), in all Cico-
niinse, Grus, Otis, and Ardea. In the Land-birds it is the
most common condition.

403 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

In the Song-birds^ without exception, the first feather is
abbreviated. In a somewhat higher degree this takes place
in two different ways. In a part of them some of the
feathers (the anterior) are gradually shortened, by which
means the wing becomes short and rounded, and the first
feather somewhat shorter than the second (e. g. Gurrulus,
Regulus, TimaIi(B, Mijiothera) ; these birds usually fly badly,
are seen much upon the ground, and do not fly far. In
others the feathers of the first finger-joints (uos. 2-V) are
moderately long and exceed the others ; but when this
occurs among the Song-birds it is usual for the first feather to
be so reduced in size that it either remains as a small rudi-
ment or entirely disappears; and in this latter case there are
only nine primaries (as in fig. 8). This reduction of the
first feather is peculiar to the Song-birds, but among them
it is quite usual. We may, indeed, estimate that one fourth
of the known species are destitute of the first quill-feather,
one fourth have it rudimentary, one fourth have short
rounded wings with ten primaries, and the remaining fourth
have tolerably long wings, but with the first feather shorter
than those that follow (e. g. Corvus, exotic MuscicapcB,
&c.) . It would appear therefore as if in the Song-birds there
was a compensation between the development of the feathers
of the first and second joints of the finger, so that the increase
of the latter brought with it a diminution of the first feather.

The first feather is deficient especially in many American
species ; namely, the American Sylvia and their allies, in the
Tanagra, Evphone, Hirundo, and all American Sturninae and
Passeres. In the Old Continent it is deficient in Anthus,
Motacilla, Hirundo, and in about one half of the Passeres.

A rudimentary first wing-feather occurs in America almost
solely in the Turdi ; but in the Old World in the Turdi and
Sylvia and many of their allies, in the Lanii (pars), Gracu-
linae, Cinnyriufe, Alaudse, and the Ploceini among the
Passeres.

The decrease in size of the outer quill -featliers, or their
disappearance, is generally shown more in the fully de-
veloped dress and in the males than in the w^inter garb or

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 403

in the females and young. Here belong the so-called
subulate, or ensiform, or deeply notched, also, in general,
sharp-pointed feathers which only occur among the first of
them (nos. 1-3 or 4) . In these the vane seems to be obstructed
in its growth; but in the females and young such feathers
are always broader and less pointed than in the males.

The longest remiges primores occur in some strong-flying
genera, which have already been cited, namely, Sterna, Larus,
Glareola, Pterocles, Falco, Cypselus, Trochitus, Caprimulgus ,
and Hirundo, in which, in general, the folded wing is twice as
long as the trunk from the breast to the insertion of the tail.

It may be mentioned in this connexion that those birds have
raodei'ately long hand-feathers in which the folded wing
extends ^-^ behind the root of the tail, e. g. Tardus.

Rudimentary quill-feathers in the whole wing occur only
in two known forms : — Aptenodytes (and Alca impennis)
among the Swimming-birds, and the Struthious birds (with
Apteryx and ? Didus) among the Wading forms ; but in none
of the higher orders of birds.

2. Remiges cubitales, or Pennse cubitales (arm-feathers)"^,
are inserted in the fold of skin along the posterior side of the
ulna, so that the root-ends always rest against the outer side
of that bone. In form they always differ a little from the
quill-feathers of the hand, being blunted and more curved,
and especially not so thick and stiff, so that they approach
more to the form of the ordinary body-feathers ; their shorter
quill-tubes also are much less firmly fixed, for which reason
they possess a somewhat higher degree of mobility. Most
of them are nearly of the same size and structure, so that
when the wing is folded the inner ones usually extend gra-
dually beyond the outer; but a few of the innermost 2-5
(fig. 3, nos. 14-17, and fig. 8, nos. 8, 9) are always gradually

* They are also called r. secundarice, or minores, or secundi ordinis
(wing-featliers of the second order ; " segelpennor," Markl.) ; but these
names seem to me far less correct than the one above employed, which
indicates their position on the cubitus. The denominations ^^^-jwja^-ii® and
seciindm ice, or primi and secundi ordinis, would be much more suitable to
designate the different series of wing-feathers.

-1-04' C. J. Suiidevall on the IVhigs of Birds.

much diminished in size, and have frequently a different
colour and structure from the rest. They are, in this case,
softer, more pointed, &c., and both in form and colour
resemble the feathers of the back. These have been called
tertiary wing-feathers, which, however, can hardly be con-
sidered right, for they are usually seated upon the cubitus,
like the other cubital quill-feathers, from which in a great
many birds tbey can only be distinguished by their dimi-
nished size, and they always show a clear ti'ansition to them
in form and position. Nevertheless the series is continued
beyond the joint, so that some of the last are seated upon the
humerus in most Raptorial birds, Gallinee, and Water-birds.
They miist simply be called innermost (internse) or divergent
(diffbrmes), because they differ in form and colour from the
rest. The latter is, indeed, always the case to some extent
with a couple of the innermost quill-feathers ; but a con-
siderable difference is observed only in some few genera of
diverse orders {e.g. in some Anates), strikingly in all the
Tringacese and Charadriacese and in Grus, less signally in
some of the Railing, FringiUa, and Emheriza, Linn. ; in a
still less degree in the Sylvia and many of their allies (but
scarcely perceptibly in the Turdi), and especially in Motacilln,
Anthus, and Alauda, which in this respect, and by many
other resemblances, show great analogy with the Tringace?e.
In number the cubital quill-feathers vary very consider-
ably, namely between 6 (in Trochilus) and 36-40 (in Dio-
medea exulans) . I append a table [Appendix II.] for the more
accurate elucidation of these conditions, showing that the
number is in general greatest in Water-birds, some of the
Waders {Ardea, Ciconice) and Raptorial birds (Vulturinaj) ;
that the average number in the other Raptorial birds, Gal-
ling, and Waders is 15-16, which also occurs in many
Water-birds ; that most of the Coccyges have 10-13, but
that in these, as in all the fore-named orders, the number
varies, even in species of the same genus. Only the Song-birds
have a nearly constant number — nine, which is the smallest
number of general occurrence. Only Trochilus and Cypselus
(among the Coccyges) have still fewer.

C. J. Sunclcvall on the Wings of Birds. 405

The number of cubital feathers depends upon the length of
the cubitus upon which they are inserted; and the length of
the cubituSj again, is in proportion to the length of the
humerus ; we must therefore take these parts into considera-
tion. From what has been said, it is clear that all birds
which have many cubital feathers also have long wing-bones
and, consequently, long wings. We have just spoken of the
wings which are long in consequence of the length of the
hand-feathers ; these have generally shorter wing-bones.

The length of the wing-bones can only be determined by
comparison with the trunk; and this must be calculated
from the shoulder to the last caudal vertebra (the base or
insertion of the tail), to which the rectrices are attached.
The shoulder is distinguished by the usually projecting end
(or process) of the os coracoideum which receives the clavicle
{furcula), and which may be distinctly recognized under the
skin, immediately in front of the humerus. The articulation
of the humerus is situated immediately behind this tubercle,
in the anterior part of the trunk itself. The first principle
of determination is, therefore, to measure how far the pos-
terior wing-fold (the elbow, or the posterior ends of the
humerus and cubitus) extends upon the trunk when the
wnng is folded up. Of all birds, Diomedea exulans, which has
the greatest number of cabital feathers, has also the longest
wing-bones ; these reach considerably (by ^g or 32 millim.)
beyond the posterior extremity of the trunk. They are
shortest in Trochilus and Cypselus, in which they do not
reach quite one fourth of the trunk. In general they are
longest in Water-birds, Waders, and Raptorial birds. Thus
they reach in Diomedea (all species) more or less beyond
the base of the tail ; in Pelecanus and Fregata nearly to the
extremity of the body (| ?) ; in Carbo rather more than \ (in
Dysporus much further) .

Among the Gavise they reach in Larus to about | ; in
Sterna to +f ; in the Procellarise they vary from { (in Tka-
lassidroma) to §.

In Cygnus and Anser they reach § ; but in the Ducks
{Anas, Fidigula, Mergus) only a little more than i.

SER. V. VOL. IV. 2 G

406 C. J. Sundcvall on the Wings of Birds.

So also in the PygopocTes, namely, to 3 in Colymhus and
Podiceps, but little more than \ in Alca, Uria, &c.

Among the Waders the wing-bones are longest in the
larger Ardea, in which they are but little shorter than the
trunk (I or more) ; in the Ciconiacese they reach about |.
(They appear to be longer in Phoenicopterus) .

In G7-ns and Otis they reach to | ; in the Tringacese and
CharadrinaB to rather more than ^ ; and in the Rallinae, with
Fulica, not quite to h.

In the Gallinse the wing-bones usually do not quite reach
half the length of the body (in Lagopus §) .

The Raptorial birds, again, have them longer, and it is
remarkable that those which live upon carrion and fish and
about water stand foremost in this respect.

In the Vultvirinse the wing-bones appear generally to reach
nearly to the extremity of the trunk ; in Pandion to {} ; in
Aquila albicilla to ^ ; in Aquila chnjsaetos nearly tof; in
Buteo to I ; somewhat shorter in Astur &c. In the true
Falcons they are scarcely over \.

The Owls are distinguished by their long extremities and
larger head contrasted with the small body. The wing-bones
most commonly reach to about | [Bubo, Aluco liturata, &c.) ;
but to f in St7'ix otus, and only to | in Striae nisoria, and i
in S. passerina (Day-Owls).

The Coccyges appear to include no form with long wing-
bones. Most commonly they reach to about half the length
of the body, somewhat more or less (Colwuba, Cuculi, Psit-
taci, Alcedo, &c.) ; they are rather longer in Coracias and
Caprimulgus ; Picas and Upupa, which agree so much with
the Song-birds, have them rather shorter; Trochilus and
Cypselus have already been mentioned on account of their
extremely short wing-bones.

In all the forms hitherto enumerated, the length varies
somewhat on either side of the mean numbers here given,
even in species of the same natural genus, just like the
number of quill-feathers ; but this variation almost ceases
among the Song-birds, in which the wing-bones generally ex-
tend half the length of the body, or are a little shorter {e. g. in

C. J. tSundevall on the Wings of Birds. 407

Parus and Passeres). They seem to be longest in Corvus, in
which they reach a little over the half of the body^ and
shortest in Hirundo and Cei'thia (and probably in many of
the short-winged tropical forms) ^ in which they only reach
one third. It must be remarked that precisely those which
have the shortest wing-bones are the best and the worst fliers
of the whole order.

Two special osteological conditions cause some alterations
in the above-cited measurements^ although these are rarely
of much importance. It must be remarked, however, in the
first place, that these^ as well as all forms in the skeletal
structure of birds^ are subject to many exceptions^ and by no
means indicate the affinities of the species with the same
certainty as the external feathery covering. This is there-
fore noticed rather to give a distinct idea of the constitution
and measui-ements of these parts than to furnish definite
characters.

The first relates to the constitution of the shoulder itself.
In the Song-birds the os coracoideum is, in general, slender,
and projects as a short, somewhat inwardly-directed process
in front of the articular surface of the humerus. The
humerus is attached at the very front of the trunk, and pro-
jects nearly as far forward as the true scapular tubercle (of
the OS coracoideum). This bone (humerus) is therefore here
but little shorter than the measurement just given, or nearly
half the length of the body. In the Water-birds, Waders,
Raptorial birds, Gallinse, and in the greater number of the
Coccyges, on the contrary, the os coracoideum is generally
thicker, and projects as a very large shoulder-tubercle, like
a somewhat longer piece of the same bone, right in front of
the articular surface of the humerus. The humerus, there-
fore, is attached somewhat further behind the shoulder-
tubercle, and consequently loses something more of the stated
length. Besides this, the great upper edge of the humerus
for the attachment of the muscles of the shoulder (repre-
senting the tuberc. majus humeri) projects, in the Song-birds,
directly outwards horizontally from the articular surface, by
which means the humerus stands out strongly transversely

2g2

408 C. J. Sundcvall on the Wings of Birds.

at its base^ in the form of a tubercle^ which, in living or
recently shot birds, often seems to conceal the scapular
tubercle. Hence if we take the measurement from it we get
only the actual length of the os humeri, but not the length
from the scapular tubercle. The Coccyges show many con-
siderable differences in this respect, and partly approach the
Song-birds, and partly the Gallinre and E-aptores. In the other
orders named the same edge is often directed upwards or
pressed backwards, as in Coluinba. This, therefore, causes
the base of the humerus not to stand out so broadly and not
to conceal the true scapular tubercle in fresh birds; but
the latter is always perceptible from without, immediately
in front of the shoulder-joint.

The length of the cubitus must also be particularly men-
tioned. The birds which feed their young and possess
available posterior toes [Aves altrices : " Nesthocker,^^ Oken ;
Oscines, Coccyges, Accipitres) have the cubitus longer than
the humerus, so that its anterior extremity (with the carpus)
stands even with, or somewhat in front of, tlie shoulder -and
the breast. In the other birds, however, which have a raised
^oWqx k,c. {Aves prcECOces : ^'Nestfliicliter,^' Oken; Gallinae,
Grallfce, Anseres), it is in general shorter, even shorter than
the humerus itself. This condition, however, is modified in
this way : that in all birds which fly strongly, and especially
in all which have long hand-feathers, the cubitus is longer,
in order to furnish space for the thicker or more numerous
pennce cubitales, and through this the carpus projects further
in front of the breast. The contrary occurs in the bad fliers.

We see, therefore, in the lowest Water-birds, the Pygo-
podes, as also in Mergus, that the cubitus is much shorter
than the humerus, and nearly equally so in the FuligulcB; it
is somewhat shorter than the humerus in Anas and in Cygnus
gibbus, equal to it in Cygnus musicus and Anser cinereus ; and
somewhat projecting in the smaller species of the genus
Anser, although the carpus still stands behind the shoulder-
tubercle. The same in Carbo, Procellaria, Diomedea. But
in Sterna and Larus the carpus always stands somewhat in
front of the shoulder-tubercle.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 409

The Waders are in general good jfliers, and in most of them
the carpus stands on a level with the shoulder; but in
Ardea, Ciconia, Grus, and many which have the longest
wings, it stands further forward. In the Rallidae, on the
contrary, the cubitus is shorter than the humerus.

In the Gallinse the latter condition usually occurs.

In all Eaptorial birds the cubitus extends in front of the
shoulder, in some nearly one fifth of its own length (e. g.
Pandion) .

The Coccyges vary in this as in many points ; but most
commonly the carpus projects a little before the shoulder
{Columba, Psittacus, and many others; further forward in
Coracias; not forward in Picus).

In the Oscines this latter condition is by far the most
general. I know only a single genus — Cinclus — which has so
short a cubitus that the carpus does not project before the
shoulder. This projection becomes somewhat more con-
siderable in those which fly strongly. Hirundo, like Cypselus,
seems to have received compensation in the cubitus for the
shortness of the humerus ; for the former is about twice as
long as the latter, so that the carpus projects forward about
one sixth of the whole length of the body in front of the
shoulder.

After this digression from the treatment of the arm-
feathers of the wing, we must return to them in order to speak
of their size, a point of much importance from a systematic
point of view, but hitherto quite neglected. The length of
these feathers, as in the case of the wing-bones, can oulv be
measured by comparison with the body itself, namely, by
their backward extension when the wing is closed. But as
those which are seated upon the posterior part of the cubitus
must necessarily project beyond the latter unless they are
much shorter than those in front of them, they give no
certain measurement, but this must always be taken only
from the very foremost feathers, placed nearest to the hand.
In most birds the quill-feathers diminish a little, more
or less, posteriorly in absolute length, and it is a rare

410 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

exception for some of the hinder ones to have a greater
absolute length than the anterior {e.g. in the Alaudiuse,
Tringarise) . It belongs to systematic ornithology to ascertain
this. If we wish to have an exact determination of their
length, the unequal forward extension of the cubitus just
mentioned must be taken into consideration. The best mode
of comparison is to state the length of the body, and the
distance from the carpus to the tip of the first arm-feather.

The cubital feathers are shortest in the Water-birds and
Waders, especially in those which have the first wing-
feather the longest. Leaving out of consideration Aptenodytes
and Alca impennis, in which all the quill-feathers are rudi-
mentary, the foremost arm-feathers extend only half the
length of the trunk in the Pygopodes generally, although
the cubitus terminates anteriorly behind the shoulder. In
Diomedea they do not reach to ^ ; in the Anates (with Anser
and Cygnus) to about | ; in Carbo to | ; in Procellaria
glacialis about to | . In Sterna, on the other hand, they reach
nearly to the end of the body, and in Lants a little beyond it.

In the Waders it is a usual character for the anterior
arm-feathers to reach to about |-f of the body, as in the
Tringarise, CharadriuBe, and Rallinse, But in the large-
winged forms, Vanellus, Ciconia, Grus, they reach about to
the root of the tail, and in Ardea somewhat beyond it.

The Gallinse show the peculiarity that the fii'st feather is
very short, only |-| of the following one. The latter
reaches to |-f of the trunk, and this apj)lies also to the
male of Pave, which has the last arm-feathers so remarkably
elongated. (Of Argus I have no sufficiently perfect speci-
men to examine.)

In all Raptorial birds the first arm-feather extends con-
siderably beyond the root of the tail, except in Falco, in
which it about reaches to that point. The arm-feathers
are longest in the Owls, in which the anterior ones reach
nearly twice the length of the body (e. g. Strix lapponica
1|, S. liturata 1|, 8. otus li^. Bubo If). In Eagles 'and
Vultures they are usually about 1^.

In the Coccyges the first arm-feather is often about even

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 411

with the insertion of the tail [Columba, Coracias, Cajni-
midgus, most Psittaci, Picus viridis, lynx), rarely a little
shorter [Alcedo, Platycercus, and some other Australian
Psittaci), but often \ longer {Cucuhis, Pici varii et nigri) ;
they are much shorter (|) only in Trocliilus and Cypselus,
which, in all respects, have these feathers so peculiarly
formed.

In the Oscines, as usual, we meet with less variation.
In a single form, Cinclus, only have I found the anterior
arm-feathers not reaching to the root of the tail ; the}'^
attain only | of the trunk. In Hirundo and Sturnus they
extend just to the end of the body, in Turdus and Fringilla
usually a little (about | or less) beyond it, in most about \,
and in some (e.g. Corvi, Gmruli, Pari) still further (about ^)
beyond the end of the body. It would seem as if, in Para-
disea apoda, they reach nearly ^ beyond the body {i. e. to
nearly twice the length of the body), but I have only seen
stuffed specimens of this genus.

It appears from what has b^en stated above that the
length of these feathers, and consequently the breadth of
the wing, varies in a great degree according to the generic
form to which they belong, but they also vary a little between
nearly allied species. A very slight difference in their length,
such as can only be expressed by a small number which
might be believed to be of no consequence {e.g. j'q of the
length, 3-5 millim. in a bird the size of a Sparrow), never-
theless produces a considerable increase or diminution in the
whole surface of the parachute formed by all the cubital
feathers together, which is not only easily recognized by the
eye, but may also have an influence upon the power of
flight. But leaving out of consideration the variation in the
species, it would seem that these feathers are in general
longest in the Song-birds, that they gradually diminish
throughout the other Orders, and are smallest in the Water-
birds. It ought also to be remarked that the length of the
cubital feathers is much less subject to variation in young
birds than the hand-feathers, which grow forth later.

We have seen that many weak-flying birds have long arm-

412 C. J. Siiudevall cm the Wings of Birds.

feathersj and consequently broad wings (e. g. Parus, Sylvia,
&,c.), that others have them short, and that the same dif-
ference occurs in the strong fliers. Thus they show them-
selves to he the least important part of the organ of flight,
but tliey certainly serve more than the primores to modify
the flight. It seems clear, for example, that the birds that
fly best, sweeping along with motionless wings, or, as it
were, sailing forward through the air, usually in large circles
and at an immense height, only possess this power through
the great surface which is formed by long and numerous arm-
feathers, e. g. Vultm^, Aquila, Milvus, Ciconia, Grus. This
kind of flight is the most beautiful of all, and ought to be
regarded as the most highly developed ; for, in the first place,
these birds can continue longest in flight, and, in the second,
they can always, when necessary, fly just as quickly as the best
of other birds, plunge down with the rapidity of an arrow
from the most considerable heights, &c. Shorter feathers,
and consequently somewhat narrower wings, appear, on the
other hand, generally to belong to birds which fly rapidly
straight forwards. If these wings are in addition strongly
constructed, and long in consequence of the length of the
hand-feathers, they give the bird the power of flying strongly,
with the faculty of flinging itself about, and turning rapidly
within a small space, e. g. Falco, Hirundo, Cypselus, Columba,
Cuculus. This mode of flight is equally of advantage to the
Birds of Prey, and to those which have to evade their enemies.
The birds which possess short wings always fly with rapid
movements of the wings, uninterruptedly when the wing is
narrow {e.g. Pygopodes, ^wc5f, Gallinse), and jerkingly when
it is broad (e. g. a great part of the Oscines, Picus, &c.) .

We have still a few words to say upon the attachment of
the arm-feathers. In all Song-birds they rest with the quill
upon the whole breadth of the ulna (see fig. 1, ^) to which
they are firmly and closely attached. In the somewhat more
strongly constructed forms the quills are in addition so
thick that they leave but little space between them, and pass
with their basal ends beyond the ulna a little forward towards
the radius ; but in all [e. g. even in Parus) they arc still

C. J. Sundevall on the Wincjs of Birds. 413

large enough nearly to displace the largest covert-feathers,
which lie as if firmly grown to the tubes of the quill-feathers.
The same thing is met with, more or less, in all birds which
have broad wings, and consequently large arm-feathers j but
if we compare the Song-birds with other birds which have
these feathers equally large *, we shall always find that
the former have the feathers resting with a larger part, in
proportion to their size, upon the ulna, and consequently
also more firmly attached to it, and the covert-feathers
more strongly attached to the quills. In the Water-birds,
and in general in those which have short quill-feathers, the
latter are placed almost behind the wing-bone, and so loosely
attached as to possess considerable mobility, and the covert-
feathers are inserted separately from the quill-feathers as a
distinct series, because the quills are thin and leave consider-
able interspaces. In this, as in so many other points, Picus
approaches the Song-birds.

B. The smaller Feathers of the Upper Surface of the Wing.

These feathers are always most developed on the cubitus,
where they are also most easily seen and examined ; there-
fore we will start from that part. They have usually all been
designated by the common name of coverts. They are of
the following kinds : —

1. Tectrices majores (great wing-coverts, Pteromata, IlLf,
figs. 3, 7, k, I) form a single series which is always situated
immediately within upon the roots of the quill-feathers.
They always retain much resemblance in form, texture, and
colour to their corresponding quill-feathers, and are always,
like the latter, destitute of accessory plumules. They

* E. g. Corvus, Turdus, Hinmdo, and Cinches, compared with Strix or
Aquila, LaruSj Fcdco, and Anas.

t The cause of my not setting this name in the first place is that it has
never been generally accepted, and that we must not increase the number
of terms except when it is clearly unavoidable or decidedly advantageous.
The Swedish name " flygpenntacken," adopted by Marklin in the trans-
lation of Illiger's ' Termiuologie,' may be admissible as containing its own
explanation.

414 C. J. Sundevall on the Wimjs of Birds.

should be named after tlieir quill-feathers^ so that those
on the hand are called Tectrices primoi'es or manus (great
hand-coverts)^ and those on the forearm cubitales (great
arm-coverts). The former are always inserted in the skin
in the same tube with their corresponding quill-feathers,
and so close upon the latter that the two seem to have
grown together. The same condition occurs with those
of the cubitus in all birds which have large cubital feathers,
as already stated.

The greater hand-coverts [T. majores primores) are equal
in number to the quill-feathcrs. The outer ones always
diminish in length more than the quill-feathers, so that the
first and second are shorter than the following ones, when,
for example, only the first quill-feather is somewhat shortened.
They are most frequently whole-coloured and dark, very
seldom spotted.

Of the tectrices cubitales there are always one or two more
than of the corresponding remiges ; thus, externally, there is
always one small supernumerary one (/, no. 1). Properly,
they ought to be of equal number, as the feathers here, as
everywhere, are arranged in quincunx (rows of three different
sets), which constitutes a continuation of their arrangement
on the hand. The supernumerary coverts seem to me
therefore to show that a quill-feather, which ought to have
been placed in the middle of the wing-fold, is not deve-
loped. These coverts appear in general to increase in length
inwards, as the inner ones cover a greater portion of their
corresponding remiges than the outer ones ; but this is
usually due to the fact that the remiges decrease inwardly
somewhat in length, while the coverts do not diminish.
In the Song-birds they are so short that they do not attain
half the length of the remiges, except inwardly in some
genera; but in all other orders they are larger, so that they
always reach beyond the half of their corresponding remiges,
even the outermost (see figs. 7 and 10, /, of Song-birds, and
figs. 3 and 11, I, of another order). Only some Pici (varii)
and Upupa constitute an exception to this, for in this respect
tlicy present the same conditions as the Song-birds.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 415

This is due not only to tlie greater length of the remiges
in the Song-birds, but really also to the greater length of
the coverts in proportion to the body in the other orders,
which distinctly shows that in the Raptorial birds, Ardece,
Ciconiae, and all other birds of which the cubital remiges are
comparatively of the same length as those of the Song-
birds, the coverts reach beyond their middle. Cinclus,
which has shorter cubital remiges than other Song-birds,
nevertheless retains the proportions of that order, and a direct
comparison between nearly equally large, and in other respects
similar, species shows it distinctly, e. g. Hirundo, Turdus,
Corvus, compared with Cypselus,Cuculus, Coracias (see fig. 10,
Turdus, fig. 11, Cuculus). In some Water-birds and small
Waders the great cubital coverts are but little shorter than
the remiges ; in other respects they present many peculiarities,
e.g. in Gallus !

If this diff'erence in the size of the coverts be taken to-
gether with the diff'erence which will be mentioned below
(under § 3), it is the most easily recognizable and most
general of all the external characters at present known by
which the Song-birds are differentiated from the other orders.
2. Tectrices secimda seriei (the coverts of the second
row, m, n), which lie immediately upon the greater coverts,
generally resemble the ordinary feathers of the body. Those
which belong to the cubitus have usually the peculiarity
of lying reversed with relation to the greater coverts and
the remiges, so that the inner margin of each feather
(that turned towards the humerus) is free and covers the
outer margin of the next one. But I have always found
them unreversed in Trochilus, Coracias, Cuculus, Columba,
Gallus, Lestris, Larus, Sterna, and Uria, as well as in young
Song-birds in their first dress*. They are inserted in
the skin either immediately behind the muscular layer,

* Mr. W. V. Wright has kindly communicated to me the observation
made by him, that some of those which lie far back on the cubitus,
together with the corresponding feathers of the next series (§ 3), resume
tlie right position (like the remiges) in all Gallinse and Water-birds (see
fig. 3, n, n).

416 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

between the roots of the remiges and greater covert-feathers,
or within the muscular layer, close upon its hinder limit.
(The latter in the Oscines, e. g. Parus.) They are most
visible in the Oscines, in consequence of the absence of
the next series, and are quite short, soft, and. usually distin-
guished by a peculiar colour-marking, e. g. white at the apex
in many, so that they form a transverse band upon the wing.
(A transverse band upon the wing is almost still more fre-
quently produced by the apices of the greater covert-feathers,
which, in the Song-birds, are often white, yellow, or of paler
colour) .

These feathers seem to have been but little observed. Ac-
cording to the definition in Illiger^s ' Terminologie,^ they
constitute his ''ptila," which are said to lie immediately within
the pteromata ; but the want of any special name for all the
following smaller feathers seems to show that Illiger included
them also under the name of ptila. In the Song-birds, in
which they alone are reversed, they may receive this name
(perversce) ; but it seems to me to be safest to employ the
denomination above given, which at any rate is correct. If
we had not accustomed ourselves to an entirely different signi-
fication of the names primarice and secundaria, these terms
would undoubtedly have been best of all adapted for these
two series, the first and second coverts.

3. The Tectrices minores cubiti vel manus (smaller wing-
coverts, figs. 2, 3 b) form several (2-5) series inserted in
the skin upon the bones and muscles of the arm or hand
itself. In form they do not differ at all, or but slightly, from
the feathers of the body, and in position they agree with the
next preceding series, inasmuch as their margins cover each
other in a contrary Avay to those of the remiges. But they
lie similarly reversed also in those birds in which those of
the second series are not reversed {Coracias, Cucidus, &c.).

In the Song-birds these feathers should properly form
three series on the cubitus, but they show the remarkable
peculiarity that they are never fully developed. Only in the
young in their first plumage, and in the winter plumage, a
few of them, but never all, occur in the form of down, or of

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. \\7

very small undeveloped feather-rudiments, covered up by the
next following perfect feathers. In older birds in the summer
plumage scarcely a trace of them is usually visible.

This remarkable structure is so peculiar to those birds
which have the inferior larynx furnished with five pairs of
muscles, that I have been unable to find any other form
except Cypselus which resembles them in this respect ; but
it occurs in the whole of thera without a known exception,
and consequently forms a certain external character for
them*. In every Song-bird, even when sitting with folded
wings, and in stuffed specimens, we recognize this deficiency
at the first glance ; it causes the wing to exhibit only a small
number of coverts, and these to occupy an inconsiderable
space in comparison with those in the wings of species
belonging to other orders (see figs. 10, 11).

All other birds have these feathers developed. In Picus
and XJpupa, which of all those which have no song-muscles
most resemble the type of the Song-birds and seem to con-
stitute the real transition to thera, the second and third series
are fully develcfped, but the first is incomplete, so that it
merely consists of a few feathers towards the carpus, and all
are so short that they project but little over the next follow-
ing ones, and therefore may easily be overlooked in dried
specimens. Except these I know no form in which they are
less distinct or perfect. Three series occur in the Psittaci,
all Raptorial birds, most of the smaller Waders, and in Anas ;
four in Coracias, Cuculus, Gallinula, Limosa, Lestris, and
Fuligula ; five in Columba, Tetrao, Numenius, Podiceps, Co-
lymhus, and Larus, as also in Carbo, which has them dark-
bordered. A more special study of them will no doubt repay

* I have recently had the opportunity of examining a softened skin of
Menura lyra, and convinced myself that this bird also agrees perfectly
with the Song-birds in this respect ; it ceases therefore to be a probable
exception, just like the other two, Picm and Vpupa, which I previously
regarded as such. On the other hand, I afterwards found that Cypselus
has these feathers exactly as in the Song-birds, which was previously
accidentally overlooked, probably on account of the size of the covert-
feathers which occur.

418 C. J. Suiulevall on the Wings of Birds.

the trouble it causes, but I have omitted it; it cau be un-
dertaken only with freshly killed birds.

On the hand "these feathers are continued in two or three
series, which in no respect differ in structure from the second
series of coverts, and exactly cover the small portion of the
hand which is not clothed by the large coverts. They are
usually concealed by the quill-feathers of the thumb, and
always lie right, i. e. not reversed as on the cubitus.

4. The Tectrices minima s. antecubitales (smallest or fore-
most covert-feathers, figs. 3 and 7, e) are seated in several
series upon the fold of skin in front of the cubitus. They
are right-lying, not reversed like those on the cubitus itself.
But we often find one of these series reversed, in agreement
with the preceding ones, e. g. in the Gallinse, in the diurnal
and nocturnal Birds of Prey, and many others. The series
of feathers which are counted parallel with the preceding
run obliquely towards the anterior margin of the fold of skin
(see figs. 2, 3, 6, and 7) ; but in some Waders, in Lams, and
especially in the lower Water-birds (Pygopodes, Procella-
rinae), the fold of skin is very narrow in front of the cubitus,
and covered only by 2 (-3) complete rows of small feathers.
In certain Psittaci and some few other birds, the feathers
which are placed nearest to the margin have peculiar lumi-
nous colours. This margin was called the campterimn by
Illiger. I am inclined to think that we should do better by
calling it simply the margo aloi cubitalis, carpi, %lq,., accord-
ing to circumstances.

C. Lower Wing-feathers.
] . Tectrices averse s. inferior es prima (reversed feathers,
figs. 4 and 8, o, jo) . These are situated closest to the roots
of the remigcs, behind the muscular layer of the wing. They
have undoubtedly the most singular position of all the feathers
on the bird's body, for although they belong to the underside
oE the wing, their position is the same as that of the remiges,
so that when the wing is considered from the underside
they show their reversed side (with a raised, grooved shaft,
&c. Vide anteu, p. 397, 2). The right side is turned in-

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 419

wards, towards the remiges. The inner branch, which in all
other feathers is an accessory plume, seems therefore in
these to have been fully developed, while the outer branch
quite disappears, for it is entirely deficient, and has not even
persisted in the form of an accessory plume. These feathers
constitute two series (one of which, however, often disap-
pears), which may be regarded as corresponding to the first
and second series of covert-feathers (or possibly the quill-
feathers and greater covert-feathers of the upper surface !).
They often retain a rigidity and straightness and an external
form which give them some resemblance to quill-feathers.

On the cubitus the feathers of the first of these two series
are firmly attached, and just like the remiges, with the inner
(posterior) margin free, covering the outer (anterior) margin
of the next feather ; but in the second series they are movable
and, more than any other wing-feathers, can be suppressed ;
further, they lie with the margins in the opposite direction
to the former, so that the outer edge of each feather is free
and covers the inner edge of the next one. This is so con-
stant that I have never found an exception to it ; and when
either of the two series is entirely deficient, we can recognize
by the position of the margins which it is that remains. The
two series are continued upon the hand, but here they are
often interrupted or divergent. In those birds in which the
cubital remiges are continued beyond the joint upon the
humerus (Gallinse, Raptorial birds. Waders, Water-birds),
the second series of reversed feathers is continued in the
same way, but not the first (see fig. 4, o, nos. 1 Sc 2).

In all Song-birds the whole of the first series is so com-
pletely deficient that not a trace of it remains. The second
series consists usually of small feathers with downy edges,
which are concealed by the following ones ; but in Corvus,
Garrulus, Troglodytes, and Ciuclus they are larger and firmer ;
in Ampelis garrulus and in some Passeres (e. g. Pyrrhula)
they are concealed everywhere except upon the middle part of
the hand, where they project beyond the following feathers.

In all the other orders, on the contrary, the first row ap-
pears always to occur ; and if either of them is wanting or

420 C.J. Sun tic vail on the IVinys of Birds.

rudimentary, it is the second. Picus alone agrees with the
Song-birds. Ct/pselus and Trochilus have the first series per-
fectly developed, but seem to want the second entirely. In
Psittacus ochrocephalus, Wagl., which likewise has the first
series large, the second also occurs, but quite rudimentary
and concealed by the following feathers. The same condition
appears to me to occur in Coracias and Cuculus. Columba,
on the other hand, has the first series small, concealed by
the second, but, upon the hand, first interrupted, then again
continued and larger ; the feathers of the second series are
very large upon the cubitus, but soon cease upon the hand,
upon which they seem to form a single row with the first.

In the Accipitres diurni and the Gallinfe (fig. 4, o, nos. 1, 2)
the first series is pretty large and the second quite small,
and concealed by the following feathers, or quite rudimentary.
In Falco suhbuteo they seemed to me to be entirely wanting ;
and the first series was concealed by the third. The Owls,
on the contrary, have both series large; but in Strix nisoria
the first is concealed by the second and downy at the edges ;
in Strix aluco the first series is the largest.

Among the Grallse, these series in the Rallidce seem to re-
semble those of the Gallinse and Raptores. In the Tringarise
{Scolopax, Numenius) the first is the largest and continued
upon the hand ; the second soon ceases upon the hand, and
becomes so high posteriorly upon the cubitus as to conceal
the last feathers of the first series. Grus and Cicotiia have
the first series unusually large, especially inwards ; and the
second of moderate size.

In the Water-birds {Anas, the Pygopodes, and Sterna)
those of the first series are very large ; they reach to about |
of the remiges, and are continued to the end of the wing ; the
second are smaller, and cease a little before the tip of the
finger. In Carbo the second series is small and concealed.
In Larus both are very large and nearly similar, so that the
first series is evenly concealed by the second, except poste-
riorly, where it projects far out. In Uria grylle the first
series is large, the second small and concealed, but quite
right-lying, with the obverse side turned away from the surface

C. J. Sunclevall on the Wings of Birds. 421

of the wing. In all non-Song-birds which have the feathers
of this series small, there seems to be a distinct tendency,
under certain circumstances, to turn them right.

2. The tectrices infrabrachiales s. plumcB infracubitales &c.
(inferior arm-feathers, figs. 4 and 8, q) are seated upon the
lower surface of the arm itself, the hand, &c., and turn their
reverse side towards the part upon which they are inserted,
as feathers usually do. But the edges of those on the cubitus
have a reversed position, so that, although belonging to the
underside of the wing, they lie like the margins of the
remiges. This is particularly remarkable, as such a reversed
position as compared with the other feathers also occurs in
those which clothe the outer surface of the cubitus.

These feathers appear to me to show several differences
from the others in number, size, position, &c., of which the
following few remarks are only to be regarded as examples.
In order to define their position more accurately, we may, if
necessary, distinguish between radiates, ulnares, and j^ost-
ulnares, according as they are placed upon one or other of
the wing-bones or quite posteriorly, with the preceding, behind
the great sinew of the cubitus [fascia tendinea ; see further
on), which last is the most usual of all, for the first series
there situated occurs in all birds and is often alone. It is
to be remarked that we are speaking here only of series
which consist of true feathers, of which there are but few,
usually only 1-3 ; but in most birds, except the Song-birds,
there is an abundance of down.

The birds provided with a singing-apparatus have in general
only a single series of inferior cubital feathers, which are
inserted behind the fascia ulnaris, are long and soft, and
cover the preceding feathers (fig. 8, q). In Corvus, however,
there is also a small series close behind the first.

In Picus and Cypselus also the first series alone is deve-
loped, but not so long; the second series is rudimentary.
Columba has a moderate-sized and a small series upon the
ulnar surface ; then down ; and then two small, nearly rudi^
mentary, radial series. In Psittacus amazonicus there are
two tolerably large postulnar series ; then three small series

SER. V. VOL. IV. - 2 H

422 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

in front of the fascia tendinea of the arm. (In Psittacus
magnus, Linn.^ the first of these is seated upon the fascia
itself.)

The Raptorial birds have most frequently three series
seated upon the underside : the first consists of large, and
the last of very small or quite rudimentary feathers. In
Strix liturata and Falco subbuteo, however^ 1 found only one
large, and one nearly rudimentary series.

Among the Gallinse the species of Tetrao have three defi-
nitely developed ulnar series (fig. 4>, q, \, 2, 3), and two
or three nearly downy, small radial series,

Fvlica has only the three rows on the ulnar surface formed
as in Tetrao; Ciconia nigra scarcely more than two. Nu-
menius and Scolopax have on the ulnar surface one moderate
and one very small series ; and on the radial surface one
small and one rudimentary series.

In the Fuligulce {spectabilis, glacialis) there are three series
behind the fascia, namely one of middle size close upon the
reversed feathers, and after this two series of very small
feathers, which are placed alternately, but so close together
that they seem almost like a single one ; and, finally, three
distinct radial series in front of the fascia. Sterna hirundo
has only the three first-mentioned. Podiceps possesses only
one series behind and one before the fascia ; Uria grylle, on
the contrary, has a pretty large one behind and three small
ones in front of the fascia.

On the lower surface of the hand itself there are from
three to four irregular series of short, rounded, and adpressed
feathers, which closely cover this part, as on the outer sur-
face (figs. 4 and 8, r).

3. The tectrices antecubitales inferiores or inframarginales,
the lower marginal feathers of the wing (s), clothe the
underside of the great fold of skin between the humerus and
cubitus. In general they only form two or three series,
situated beneath the margin itself, so that the greater part
of the fold of skin is destitute of feathers, or has nothing but
down. In all birds they are in all respects right-lying or
opposite to the remiges. Thus they show the right side, and

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 4-23

cover the next feather with the outer margin. In front of
the humerus they sometimes take on another form.

In the Song-birds there are only two series immediately
beneath the margin of the skin, and these are continued
without any alteration as far as the base of the humerus.
They are unusually soft, with separate hair-like rays, so that
they do not present a definite outline (contour). Those in
the outer series are small; but those of the inner one are
very long and curved, and cover the whole under surface of
the arm. In Corvus and Cinclus, however, they are flat and
have a more definite form.

Among the Coccyges, Picus major and P. martins have
these feathers nearly as in the Song-birds, but not so long,
and of a more definite form ; Picus viridis, like the Psittaci,
has three series, none of which has very long feathers.
Columba proves to be distinctly divergent ; the fold of
skin is clothed with three more widely separated series, of
which only one occupies the margin, the second the middle,
and the third the inner part of the fold, without any downy
series. These feathers are rather short, rounded, and not
curved.

Strix has two series, of which the inner one consists of
feathers of moderate length, soft, and but little curved ; near
the body they are larger. In Aquila, Buteo, Pernis, Astur,
and Falco there are from four to six series below the margin,
which occupy a considerable portion of the breadth of the
fold, but nevertheless leave room for downy series close to
the cubitus. The innermost are of moderate length, the
others short ; all are firm, of definite form, and but little
curved.

In Tetrao these feathers perfectly resemble those of the
diurnal Birds of Prey.

Fulica has three series, of which the inner are long and
exceedingly soft. In Numenius, Scolopax, and Ciconia there
are also three series, but tolerably firm and of definite form
— the inner of moderate size, the two outer very small.

In Anas, Linn., there are only two series of short,
ovate, scarcely curved feathers, immediately under the

2h2

424 C.J. Simdevall on the Wings of Birda.

margin ; towards the body they become longer ; so also in
Podiceps, Colymbus, Alca, and Uria. In Lestris a third very
small series is added on the margin. Larus has "a moderate
uniform series and a small one.

D. The Rest of the Wing -feathers,
on the pollex and humerus (and the wing-spur).

1. Plumce poinds, alula s. ala spuria (thumb-feathers, d),
seated upon the pollex. These are usually from two to four
rather large feathers, which have the aspect and firmness of
true quill-feathers, and reach somewhat beyond the end of
the small covert-feathers of the hand. Properly, there would
seem to be always four of them, but the two lower ones, or
only one, are often soft and exactly resemble the small covert-
feathers of the hand.

In the Song-birds we can generally count only two thumb-
feathers, or three when one of the coverts acquires a some-
what more definite form. So also in Picus. They are more
definitely three in the other Coccyges, Tringace?e, and Anser ;
and four in the diurnal Raptores, the Galliuse, the other
Waders, and the Water-birds, in which all the feathers of the
thumb acquire the quill form.

In the Song-birds the thumb is free for half its length
or nearly to its base ; but in the Water-birds [Anas, the
Pygopodes, Larus, and Carbo) it is loosely attached to the
hand by skin up to the tip, and in Aptenodytes no trace of
it is visible externally. Among the Waders it is completely
united in Ciconia, but has the tip free in the Tringariaj.
The Gallinse, Raptores, and Psittaci have it nearly half- free.
In Cypselus it seemed to be completely united.

Upon the names of alula and ala spuria it is to be re-
marked that I can see no particular advantage in employing
them in preference to the much more natural one, plumes
poUicis ; and, further, that they have been very much mis-
applied both in older and newer descriptions of birds — e.g.
in Wagler^s writings, in which they most frequently indicate
the great covert-feathers of the hand.

At the tip of the thumb there is a small claw or nail in

C. J. Suiidevall on the Wings of Birds. 425

many forms of birds, possibly in all except the Song-birds,
Pici, and Owls. It is very long, strong, and hooked in
Struthio ; long, straight, and pointed in Ciconia and Sterna
cylindrical, blunt, and but little curved in Cypselus ; similar,
but small, in Falco palumbarius ; very small, flat, nearly of
the form of the human nails, in Columba, the Gallinaj, Anates,
&c. In Struthio {S. camelus and casuarius) there is also a
claw at the apex of the large finger of the wing.

2. Pennce humerales (quill-feathers of the humerus, figs.
2, 3, 6, & 7, /).— We may so name, although not quite
properly, from three to six small, nearly always concealed
feathers which spring from the upper surface of the humerus
close to its apex. They are distinguished, when they are
developed, by some resemblance in form to the remiges
cubit ales, and have most frequently a different colour from
the dorsal and covert-feathers ; but if we trace out the series
which they form, they are found to constitute a continuation
of the tectrices minores cubitales. The middle one or more
are always the largest.

In the Song-birds they are very small, soft, and downy at
the margins, and therefore difl&cult to distinguish. How-
ever, they may be distinctly recognized in Fringil/a and
Pyrrhula,

Picus has 3, very small but distinct; Psittacus has 4,
and Coracias 5, well developed ; but in Columba and Cyp-
selus they can hardly be distinguished. In the Accipitres
there are always three or four distinct ones, but very small,
and differing considerably in form. So also in the Gallinse.

In Scolopax, Numenius, Totanus, and many of the smaller
Waders, I have counted 5 very distinctly : so also in Fuli-
gula ; 6 in Cygnus, Lestris, and Colymbus, and 8 in Podiceps
rubricollis. Larus has two pretty long ones and some very
small.

This series of feathers is followed, in front, by one or
more series which can only be called tecti'ices humerales.
They have quite the aspect of covert- or dorsal feathers.

Nitzsch names these feathers the parapterum, which name
is, however, employed by llliger in common for these and

426 C. J. Suiulcvall on the Wings of Birds.

the infrahumerales and scapulares. It seems to me that this
term may and must justly be dropped.

3. Plumce infrahumerales (the inferior feathers of the
humerus) on the underside, opposite to the preceding. — Some
of them, situated on the anterior surface of the humerus
(fig. 5, u, fig. 4, n), are very strongly developed in the Water-
birds and Waders, most frequently very long, slender,
straight, and somewhat obtuse. The middlemost are always
longest. There are from 7 to 9 of them. It is quite the
same in the Gallime and diurnal Birds of Prey, but the
number is only 7 or 6. In the Owls they are small and less
distinct. Columba has 5 flat and tolerably large ones. In
Coracias they are very large ; in Cuculus distinct, but not
large. Most of the Psittaci have them very small and indi-
stinct, but Psittacus amazonicus has 2 very long ones.

In Picus and in all the Oscines this series of feathers,
which in all those previously mentioned are large, is wanting,
and in them there is merely a row of small feathers upon the
posterior side of the arm (fig. 9, ii), and these also occur in
the preceding below the humerus.

These series of feathers seem to form continuations of the
tectrices infracubitales. Of all birds the Tringarise {Nume-
niiis &c.) have them most developed ; in these the series is
continued by 3-6 feathers, which seem to be seated upon the
hypochondrium itself.

The name Mjpopterum adopted by Nitzsch is, in my
opinion, for reasons already given, to be mentioned here only
as a superfluous synonym.

4. In immediate sequence to the two kinds of feathers
last discussed, another sort must be mentioned in a few
words, as, although they do not belong to the wing, they
stand in close connexion with it, namely : —

The pluma scapulares (shoulder-feathers, figs. 2, 3, 6, 7, A),
which form a usually multiple series upon the body across
the upper extremity of the humerus, therefore immediately
above the scapula and parallel to it. They constitute
Nitzsch^s pteryla scapularis (figs. 2, 6, h). No doubt the
name parapteron was originally formed for these feathers ;

C. J. Suudevall on the Wings of Birds. 427

subsequently they have been called pallium Sec. They are
very different in number and size, for which reason they
often furnish good generic and family characters. As an
example we need only cite the division of the genera of
Alcedines, which I have already made in the Vet. -Acad.
Handl. 1835. Those which live on the Old Continent
[Halcyon, Alcedo, &c.) have such large scapular feathers
that they quite cover the usually shining blue hinder part of
the back. The genus Ceryle, Boie, which includes the
American species, and Alcedo rudis on the Old Continent,
is chiefly distinguished by its short scapular feathers, which,
as in the Song-birds in general, do not seem to be differ-
entiated from the dorsal feathers, although they form, ap-
parently always, a series widely separated from the latter.

Third Chapter.

On the Muscles and Dermal Surface of the Arm.
If the feathers be removed from the cubitus of a Sons'-
bird, we find on its under surface a very deep and narrow
pit of half the length of the cubitus (which we may call the
sinus cutaneus postulnaris, fig, 9, bq), produced by the skin
being folded in between the ulna {b) and the sinew of the
muse, flexor carpi radialis [q q), which latter lies transversely
upon the underside of all the remiges of the arm, and also
externally in front of the true arm. Near this we see
another, shallower, but generally somewhat broader pit (bs),
between the ulna and the radius, and in both are situated
some down or rudimentary feathers. These pits are deficient
in all Water-birds and Waders, in which the arm at this
point is flat and even. In many forms of these two orders
(e. g. Carbo, Sterna, Ciconia) there is an inconsiderable im-
pression in place of the pit between the radius and ulna, but
of the true sinus no trace occurs. The Gallinge, diurnal
Uaptores, Psittacus, and Columba show the same characters.
The nocturnal Raptores (e. g. Strix liturata and S. lapponica)
have the pit between the radius and ulna very large and deep,
but no sign of the sinus behind the ulna. In Cypselus there

428 C. J. Suuclevall on the Winys of Birds.

is only an inconsiderable shallow depression in tbe place of
this latter, and that between the two wing-bones is broad
but not deep. In Picus the two pits are formed as in the
Song-birds, but somewhat shorter. Hirundo has them both
longest and deepest of all birds known to me.

As this difference in the exterior is manifestly founded
upon a different arrangement of the parts situated under the
skin, it seemed natural to make a new investigation of the
muscles ; and although this has not been successful in fur-
nishing the grounds of an explanation of the differences in
the wing-feathers of the Song-birds and the other orders, what
has been ascertained may nevertheless be briefly recorded.

The muscles of the wing have already been described by
several authors, but best, and with a comparison of all orders,
by Schopss in Meckel's ' Archiv,' 1829. This remarkable
memoir ascribes to the whole wing forty-eight muscles, of
which I propose to mention only a small part, namely, the
muscles of the cubitus, and, supplementarily, those of the
humerus. I pass over the muscles of the liand, as also those
of the shoulder; and with regard to the latter I will merely
remind the reader of the corrections recently made by Retzius
(Skand. Naturf. Sallsk. Forhandl. 1842) upon the older
descriptions of them.

Under the skin the whole of the forearm is, as usual,
clothed with a thin aponeurosis [fascia cubiti), which gives
off sheaths between the muscles, sinew-sheaths, &c. In
birds it also forms a peculiar independent band [fascia
ulnaris), which commences right upon the convexity of the
humeri condylus iyiternus, and finishes with one end upon the os
pisiforme, and with the other in the ligamentum carpi. This
band therefore lies along the ulna, but separated from it by
a considerable sj)ace, wliich is occupied by the flexor
muscles. Only in the lowest Water-birds [Pygopodes) it
lies close upon the ulna, united to the bone like a direct
continuation of the periosteum. It always passes straight
forward, strongly strained between its points of attachment.
This baud plays a principal part in our exposition, and I

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 429

must therefore commence with its description^ for where it is
strongly developed, flat, and broad, it fills the whole space
between the sinews, which, in the Song-birds, is occupied by
the above-mentioned sinus cutaneus ulnaris, in consequence
of which this entirely disappears.
The muscles are as follows : —

A. On the outer (extensor) side of the cubitus, springing
from the humei'i condylus externus and the radius. They
are in general extensors, and form together in Birds a
large mass of flesh.

a. Long muscles (for the hand).

1. Extensor carpi radialis longus *, usually the largest on
the forearm ; lies usually foremost on the radius ; springs
from the humerus above the condylus externus; the sinew
terminates at the tuber baseos metacarpi quite in the margin
of the wing, below the thumb. It is the principal extensor
muscle of the hand and the largest remiges.

2. Extensor carpi radialis brevis, concealed between the
radius and No. 4 ; springs from the posterior (ulnar) side of
the radius ; is often very small, always much narrowed to a
point, with a slender sinew, which comes from near the end
of the radius, and is attached beneath the preceding muscle.

3. Extensor digitorum communis, from the condylus ex-
ternus close upon the radius, visible externally beside No. 1.
— Sinew long, runs to and along the front margin of the
OS metacarpi to the base of the first phalange, forming there
a sort of trochlea ; thus it goes from the outer side across
the fore margin of the bone to the inner side, where it is
attached to the turberculuni marginis antici. The sinew
gives off a strong branch, like a filiform ligament, to the
base of the thumb, as it passes by the latter. It extends

* The names liere given are those employed in human anatomy, in
order to show the analogy more distinctly. As, however, the same part
often performs ditlerent functions in different animals, the names derived
from the functions are often unsuitable, e. g. No. 5, which in birds is not
an extensor. So also with supinator, lironator, &c.

430 C. J, Sundevall on the W'niys of Birds.

the finger aud turns it a little so that the tips of the largest
feathers are turned downwards; it likewise flexes the thumb.
(Tlie course of the sinew is analogous to that of the Fl. dig.
prof. No. 11.)

4. Extensor indicts proprius (essentially an extensor pro-
fundus, answering to the flexor profundus), beneath the

preceding^ nearly between the radius and ulna, attached to
the radius. — The sinew runs to the anterior margin of the
metacarpus through the same sheath as the preceding, passes
over the bend of the latter^ and is attached at the base of
the second phalange on the outer side^ near the flexor
profundus.

5. Extensor carpi ulnaris, visible externally near No. 3, is
always firmly united with the ulna by cellular tissue, behind
No. 6, and usually commences in common with the latter
from the condylus externus, or on the surface of its basal
sinew. — The sinew passes backAvard over the apex of the
ulna, and attaches itself at the base of the os metacarpi on
the outer side. (Called by Schopss, " abductor metacarpi.")

b. Short muscles (attached to the radius or ulna).

6. Humero-ulnaris externus, commences in a point, with
a short, strong sinew, upon the condylus externus ; it is
large, but quite covered by the preceding ; it is broadly
attached and generally spread out upon the anterior surface
of the ulna (near the lig amentum inter osseum). It seems
to serve both as a flexor and to give firmness to the
joint. {CaWcd flexor profundus antibrachii by Schopss ; see
further on under No. 15.) Leaving out of consideration
some diff'erence in position, it might be regarded as the
same as the anconeus parvus in man. Except this^ there is
nothing with which it can be compared. I have, however,
adopted a new name for it; for the reason of this see
further on.

7. Supinator radialis is only one in birds, concealed under
No. 1, in front of the radius ; it springs from the condylus
externus, united with No. 3, but beneath it ; and is attached
to the middle of the anterior surface of the radius without a

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Bii'cls. 431

sinew. It seems reduced merely to act upon tlie capsule oi
the joint; supination is impossible. Its development seems to
-proceed pari passu with that of the pronatoi' superior (No. 13) ;
they generally terminate close together upon the radius.

B. On the inner (flexor) side of the cubitus, springing from
the humeri condylus internus and the ulna. These are
flexors in their nature.

The muscles of the forearm seen from this side form
three great masses or gi'oups, the sinews of which are
separated by the above-mentioned pits when the latter are
present. The anterior mass consists of the preceding Nos. 1
and 7, the posterior of Nos. 8-10, and 15, the middle one at
the upper part of the pronaiores, and then of Nos. 11 and 1.2.

a. Long muscles for the hand.

8. Flexor carpi ulnaris, from the condylus internus to the
OS pisiforme, below the fascia ulnaris or behind (beyond) it;
first beside the ulna, then behind it, as if outside the arm.
It is usually one of the largest cubital muscles, very fleshy
with a strong sinew, the principal flexor muscle of the hand.

9. Rector remigum cubiti, constitutes as it were a part of
the preceding, forming its hinder edge from the condylus
internus ; it gives oft' small sinews to all the remiges, and
finally one to the ligamentum carpi. It therefore corresponds
to the palmaris longus in man.

10. Flexor digiti sublimis, a long, slender, generally
very small muscle, attached beneath the fascia ulnaris and
quite concealed by it. It lies either on the sui-face of No. 8,
or close to it on the radial side. The sinew is usually fine,
passes round the radial side of the os pisiforme, obliquely
over the metacarpus to the radial side of its apex, and
attaches itself at the base of the first phalange, quite at the
radial margin of its articulating surface ; it seems therefore
to act only as an extensor. (The sinew may be traced to
the base of the second phalange in Strix nisoria, Anas
glacialis, and, according to Schopss, in Psittacus, Fulica,
and Aptenodytes, but not in Falco paluinbarius, &c.)

43.2 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

11. Flexor digiti profundus, attached to the ulna under
No. 8 {fl. carpi uln.). — Sinew thick, passing under the
ligamentum carpi proprium to the radial edge of the meta-
carpus, through the same sheath as the sinew of the pre-
ceding, but outside of it, continued along the inner side of
the radial edge to the articulation of the second phalange,
where it passes transversely across the margin of the hone
inwards to the middle of the front margin of the articular
surface. In Cypselus, Falco, &c. it is attached here; but
in Anas it passes at this point into a longitudinal groove in
the radial margin of the second phalange (which forms at the
base a complete aperture), and is attached in the middle of
the radial margin of the second phalange. The sinew passes by
that of the flexor sublimis, but does not pierce it as in the
Mammalia. It appears to flex the finger, and especially the
second joint, in opposition to No. 3.

13. Flexor carpi radialis lies under the preceding, attached
to the ulna, and not so high up as in man ; passes obliquely
forward to the os carpi anticum, under the sinews of the two
flexores digitorum (10, 11), curves forward around the above-
mentioned bone in its groove, and attaches itself at the outer
side of the basis metacarpi. — Flexes the hand and turns it
outwards.

h. Short muscles (as on the outer side) .

13. Pronator superior, from the upper anterior side of the
condylus internus to the middle part of the radius ; inserted
upon the anterior part of the inside of the latter ; usually
very strong. Appears to act, in birds, like Nos. 6, 7, and the
following one, partly as a flexor, partly to hold together and
strengthen the joint, for pronation is impossible. — This and
the next together represent the pronator teres in man.
Schopss calls this (No. 13) brevis, and the next (14) longus,
which, when applied to most birds, is reversed or incorrect ;
the names must therefore be changed.

14. Pronator inferior (s. profundus), lies generally under
the preceding, between the condylus internus and the radius.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 433

on the lig amentum interosseum ; but in Picus and Pernis it
is also inserted upon the ulna.

15. Humero-ulnaris internus, from the condylus internus
together with the p7'onator inferior, of which at first it seems
merely to constitute a part ; lies under the flexor carpi
ulnaris (No. 8) nearly as No. 6 under No. 5, but not united
with it. Inserted upon the ulna beside the lig amentum
interosseum. It is large only in the Gallinae^ but occurs
also in the Anates, JJria, the Psittaci^ and probably in some
others; but is certainly wanting in /S/ri-Z", Pernis, Charadrius,
Sterna, Ciconia, Grus, and the Oscines. Some membranous
threads, very high up, usually, however, indicate its place.
It must be regarded as a continuation of the pronator
inferior on the other side of the bone. It is called by
Schopss " flexor profundus Gallinacearum,'" which long
name, in order to be quite correct, must be further increased
by the word " cubiti."" Moreover it is erroneous, as the
muscle occurs in several forms.

16. Brachialis internus (or Flexor antibrachialis brevis) is
far less than in man, lies in birds almost entirely on the
cubitus, and passes up, on the humerus, only between the
two condyles ; on the ulna it goes somewhat further down
near the ligamentum interosseum, concealed by all the flexors
and under the pronator inferior. It terminates on the ulna
near the preceding (15) when this occurs, but is in its whole
development without any relation to it, and seems scarcely
to vary in size.

Note. — All the short muscles [b) on the outer and inner
sides of the cubitus seem to form together one or two
inferior muscular layers, which surround the joint, and are
covered by the long muscles which pass to the carpus and
fingers. They might all be called " humero-ulnures," and
seem all to have, as their original function, the holding
together and flexion of the joint. They may therefore be
merely developments of the capsular ligament. The near
relation between the base of one pair of them and a pair of
the long muscles (namely Nos. 6 & 5, Nos. 7 & 3, and
Nos. 15 & 14) is to be noted.

434 C. J. Sundev^all on the JVinys of Birds.

The cubitus has no more than these 16 muscles. Of those
which occur in man there are wanting therefore : — Among the
extensors, three belonging to the thumb and one to the little
finger ; among the flexors, one to the thumb and the pronator
quadratus ; or all the proper long muscles of the thumb, and
one which could not act. Other peculiarities of the class
are : — The double pronator and the single supinator, the
course of the sinews from the flexores digitorum, fl. carpi
radialis, and extensor digitorum, the size of the extensor carpi
radialis longus and anconceus parvus (?No. 6), and lastly the
addition in some forms of No. 15 {humero-tdnains internus).
One could scarcely suppose that there would be so little
difference between the muscles of the bird's wing and the
human arm !

C. Muscles of the humerus, which still more resemble
those of man. They are : —

17. Extensor antibrachii (or triceps), almost exactly as in
man, but wanting the caput internum.

18. Flexor antibrachii (or biceps) as in man.

The Anconceus parvus has already been mentioned, No. 6;
as also the Brachialis internus, No. 16.

Of the muscles of the shoulder we shall in what follows
mention only the deltoideus, in order to avoid going into too
many specialities here ; but we will nevertheless remark that
equally distinct differences, as in the forearm, present them-
selves, between different groups of birds, in the other muscles
of the shoulder and those of the trunk.

In order to make a comparison between the muscles of
the arm in the orders of birds, I have myself investigated them
in 27 species selected from all orders, and can, moreover,
avail myself of Schopss's excellent descriptions of 11 (four of
which, however, are the same) ; namely : —

OsciNEs : Corvus corone, Schopss ; Garrulus glandarias,
Sell, etipse; Pyrrhula vulgaris, Emberiza citrinella, Parus
cristatu^, and Hirundo rustica.

Coccyges (sensu latiori) : Cypselus apus, Picus major,

C. J. Sundevall on the Wiiujs of Birds. 435

P. martins, and Jynx; Psittacusmagnus, Gm., P. amazonicus,
and Columba livia, Scliopss et ipse.

AcciPiTRES : Strix nisoria. S. liturata, Astur palumbarius
[Pernis apivorus) ; Aquila albicilla and BiUeo vulgaris,
Scliopss,

Gallin/E : Gallus domesticus, Scli. et ipse ; Tetrao tetrix
and Lagopus saliceti.

GralLjE : Struthio, Otis, and Fulica, Schopss ; Scolopax
rusticola, Grus, Charadrius phwialis, and Ciconia nigra.

Natatores : Anas glacialis, Sterna hirundo, Uria grylle,
and Mormon arcticus ; Aptenodytes, Scliopss,

All the species enumerated furnished with a song-apparatus
{Oscines) agree so completely in the structure of the
muscles^ that I can scarcely separate any except Hirundo.
They are distinguished from the other Orders especially as
follows : —

a. The bellies of the muscles are plump and rounded^ and
shorty so that the sinews of the larger ones occupy about
half, or more, of the length of the cubitus,

b. The fascia ulnaris is very thin, not very visible from
without, and wraps round the hinder group of flexors of the
forearm like an imperfect sheath. The flexor digiti sublimis
lies upon the flexor carpi ulnaris in the middle beneath the
fascia, and commences near the humerus with a short, very
slender, fleshy part.

c. The hinder bundle of flexor muscles here referred to lies
much further out towards the remiges in front of the ulna
than in other birds, which is due to the fact that the ulna is
nearly straight, with only the superior |— i bent upwards, and
the other end still less curved in the opposite direction
(therefore very slightly S-shaped), From these causes, cited
vmder a, b, and c, a considerable space is left for the before-
mentioned pits or depressions of the skin on the inner side
of the cubitus,

d. The humerus is almost entirely clothed with muscles,
which is due in part to their large size, in part and espe-
cially to the fact that the deltoideus goes down to the con-
dylus externus, and attaches itself there near the extensor

436 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

radialis longus, and thus clothes the whole outer side of the
bone.

In other respects the muscles are disposed in the follow-
ing manner (the conditions noticed in parentheses are
certainly general in the Song-birds, but not characteristic of
them) : —

The extensor carpi radialis longus is the largest of all, only
I fleshy, undivided, with a strong flattened sinew; the ex-
tensor brevis is extremely small or rudimentary ; the extensor
carpi ulnaris has a long sinew, which commences at about f
the length of the ulna, and terminates upon a small tubercle
on the ulnar edge at the base of the third (anchylosed)
OS metacarpi. (The extensor digitorum communis is of ordinary
form. The extensor indicis, from the basis radii, without
accessory muscles in the region of the carpus.) The posterior
flexors have already been described. (The flexor digitorum
profundus starts from the basis ulnce, the sinew is strong and
long; the flexor carpi radialis from \ of the ulna.) The
pronatores coalesce nearly to a single muscle, which, however,
consists of two very distinct bundles, reaching to half the
length of the radius. Supinator small, to ^ of the radius.
[Humero-ulnaris externus to \ of the ulna.)

In Hirundo rustica the following deviations occurred : —
The flexor digitorum sublimis was but little smaller than the
underlying flexor carpi ulnaris, and commenced near it on
the condylus humeri ; but the fascia tendinea, as usual, quite
membranous, thin, &c. The two pronatores of the same size.
All the bellies of the muscles are still shorter than usual,
namely that of the extensor carpi radialis longus merely to ?
of the cubitus, by which means the outer pits of the cubitus
become longer in proportion. In all other respects as
in other Song-birds.

The birds of other Orders which were examined showed
the following points of agreement by which they are distin-
guished from the Song-birds : —

a. The fleshy part of the muscles is of more even thickness
and is elongated beloAV towards the ligamentum carpi, often

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 437

extending to the latter in the extensor and flexor carpi ulnares.
Thus the sinews are shorty and the arm itself acquires a uni-
formly thick and less elegant shape. (In those which have
a very long cubitus, Grus, Strix, Sic, the muscles are, how-
ever, only fleshy for | or f of their length.) Bony sinews
occur in sj^ecies of several Orders.

b. The fascia ulnaris is thick, strongly sinewy, flat and of
uniform breadth, with definite edges which are not folded
down, lying upon the surface of the muscular layer, and occu-
pying the place of the sinus ulnaris. It starts from the ulna,
along the whole of the bone, by a strong lamella, which sepa-
rates ihe flexor carpi ulnaris from the flexor digitorum sublimis.
The latter consequently lies on the inner (radial) side, and
not in the middle upon the former ; it is always attached under
the fascia tendinea, and does not extend to the base of
the cubitus ; it is usually fleshy nearly to the ligamentum
carpi.

c. The ulna, towards the upper extremity, is gradually
curved for a considerable distance (at least from ^ to §), but
straight in the anterior part (consequently somewhat bowed,
but not S-shaped) ; the condyle projects downwards a little
only in consequence of its thickness. By this means the
flexor carpi ulnaris comes to project only slightly behind the
ulna.

d. The humerus is to a great extent uncovered, in conse-
quence of the shortness of the mu^c. deltoideus, which in most
forms reaches half the length of the humerus or is rather less,
and is very narrow. Only in Columba does it reach | ; in
the Water-birds [Anas, Sterna, Alca) it is quite small.

With regard to the arrangement of the muscles the follow-
ing may be remarked in general : —

The extensor carpi radialis longus is not larger, sometimes
narrower than any of the others — e.g. the flexor carpi ulnaris,
or the extensor carpi ulnaris, or the pronator, &c.

The extensor carpi radialis brevis, on the contrary, is large
and strong (except in the Natatores).

The extensor carpi ulnaris is usually fleshy to the carpus,
and terminates with its sinew on the underside of the middle

SER. V. VOL. IV, 2 I

438 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

OS metacarpi [i. e. on the radial side of the carpal fissure).
The tubercle upon which it terminates in the Oscines is
wanting.

The pronatores are distinctly separated^ and stronger than
in the Song-birds. So also with the supinator and humero-
ulnaris externus -, but these latter sometimes extend no further
down on the cubitus than in the Song-birds (to \, \, kc),
because the cubitus is usually much longer.

The following contains a somewhat more detailed descrip-
tion of the muscles of the cubitus in the forms known to me
other than Song-birds, exclusive of some which deviate con-
siderably {Cypselus, Picus, Ostrich, Penguin), and which will
be referred to separately.

a. On the Outer Surface.

1. The extensor carpi radialis longus has a nearly cylin-
drical but short sinew in the Raptorial birds and in Sterna,
a flat and broad one in most others, especially the Gallinie.
The belly of the muscle often commences with two parts
{capita), which remain separate far down in Grus, Ciconia,
Charadrim, some of the larger Raptores, Mergus, &c. ; but this
varies in the different Orders. In Colwnba it is unusually
broad at the base and commences high up on the humerus,
above the condylus externus.

2. The extensor carpi radialis brevis is very large in
Psittacus, Columba, the Raptorial birds, the Gallinse, and the
large Waders (also in Otis and Struthio). It commences
from the basis radii and near the basis ulna, so that its
aponeurosis forms a regular ligamentum interosseum, and the
concealed part is as thick as one of the other largest muscles.
On the other hand it is quite small, as thin as a thread, in
Charadrius, Anas, Sterna, Uria, and Alca, commencing only
from the radius ; in Grus and Mergus also only from the
radius, but not so thin.

3. The extensor digitorum communis ; rather flat and broad,
but thin in the Accipitres, slender in the rest. In the
Ostrich its sinew gives off" no branch to the thumb (see further
on).

C. J. Sundcvall on the Wings of Birds. 439

4. The extensor indicis proprius is generally thick ; it
commences near the basis radii in Sterna ; at | in Psittacus,
the Accipitres, and the Grallse ; a little further down in
Columba, at \ in Aptenodytes ; and lowest down in the Galling,
namely at f in Gallus domesticus, ^ in Tetrao, and a little
more than^ in Lagopus ; at ^ also in Ciconia nigra, in which
it has an unusually fine sinew.

5. The e J tensor carpi uhiaris is rather thin in the Grallee
and Stei'na, commencing by a slender sinew from the aponeu-
rosis on the surface of the next wdthin on the cubitus j similar,
but larger and higher up towards the humerus in the An-
seres, Gallinse, and Stria:. Fleshy nearly from the humerus
in Columba.

6. The humero-ulnaris externus is thick like No. 1, and
strong in all. Columba has it extended to half the length
of the ulna, Psittacus to f . Among the Accipitres : in Aquila
albicUla to \, in Buteo, Falco, and Strix a little further, in
Falco palumbarius to |. In Anas, Uria, and Alca to §, in
Sterna scarcely to ^. Among the Grallse, to f in Scolopax
and Fulica, but only ^ in Grus, and ^ in Charadrius ; in
Ciconia, in which it is thin, and lies between the tw^o arm-
bones, scarcely to \. It is largest of all in the Galliuse,
reaching to the end of the ulna.

7. The supinator is always more strongly fleshy. It extends
beyond the half of the radius in Psittacus, to | in Columba,
to ^ in the Accipitres and Waders, beyond the half in the
Gallinse {LagopMs |, Gallus |), to | in Anas, to § in Mergus,
visible on both sides of the bone as in all the preceding ; but
in Uria, Alca, and Aptenodytes it goes on the outside only
to about \. For half its length it is united with the extensor
digitormn communis in Charadi^ius.

b. On the Inner Surface.

8. Thii flexor carpi ulnaris has already been noticed ; always
thick.

9. The 7'ector remigum is wanting in Aptenodytes. It has
a long stout sinew when the cubitus is long, as in Grus,
Strix, &c.

9 1 o

440 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

10. The flexor digitorum suhlimis. — Its fleshy part com-
mences in Columha and Psittacus at the base of the fascia,
and is attached to its margin nearly to the carpus ; it is some-
what shorter, but thick in the Accipitres, commencing from
\ of the fascia in Strix, Falco palumbarius, apivorus, &c.,
somewhat lower down in the others, and at ^ in the Eagles.
It is least of all in the Gallinse, just under the end of the
fascia (from \ in Lagopus and f in Tetrao tetrix) ; the sinew
gives off a branch to the basis pollicis, although No. 4 also
furnishes one as usual. Of the Grallse, Scolopax and Grus
have it formed as in the Accipitres ; Ciconia and Rallus have
it smaller; Anas has it fleshy from ^ to the apex of the
fascia. In Alca it is strong, fleshy from the base to f of the
fascia ; in Sterna from the base to ^.

11. The flexor digitorum profundus commences in most
forms from ^ of the ulna : Columba, Accipitres, and G-allinae,
Scolopax and Fulica, Anas, Alca ; nearer the base in Psittacus
and Columba.

12. The flexor carpi radialis commences a little above the
middle of the ulna in Psittacus, Columba, the Accipitres and
Gallinae, somewhat higher in the Water-birds, but lower
down in the Waders; at f in Otis, Scolopax, Struthio; at f in
Fulica, which therefore, has this muscle unusually small
(Schopss) ; but from | in Grits, and just below ^ in
Ciconia.

13. 14. The pronatores appear under two difierent forms.
Sometimes they are of the same length, or the lower one is a
little shorter, as in the Song-birds, but always widely sepa-
rated ; sometimes the lower one is considerably longer and
thicker. The lower one is always at least as thick as No. 1, fre-
quently (e. g. Grus) twice as thick ; it is largest of all in
Columba, reaching to f and to the apex of the radius. In
Psittacus they reach to \ and |, and are at their upper attach-
ment on the humerus more widely separated than usual, so that
the upper one is attached considerably higher up on the bone,
near the flexor carpi ulnaris. In the Accipitres they usually
extend to ^ and | (Strix nisoria, Astnr, Buteo), or ^ and i
[Falco, Strix liturata), or only to ^ and ^ [Aquila albicilla).

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 441

In the Gallinse the upper one is somewhat longer and reaches
to f in Tetrao, § in Layopus, beyond | in Gallus. The Grallse
show both forms ; in Scolopax both extend to ^, in Ciconia
and Grus to J and f, in Otis to | and ^, and in Fulica to \
and f . Among the Water-birds : in Sterna to | and f ; in
^wcs to g and | ; in AIca and f/z-ia, in which they extend ^
and I, the larger one lies externally towards the apex of the
cubitus^ and not under the shorter one^ as it does in all other
birds^ or at least in a great majority of them.

15. The huniero-ulnaris inferior has also been already
mentioned. It extends in the Gallinse to half the cubitus,
where it meets with the commencement of No. 13 on the
inside of the ulna and terminates at the outer margin of the
latter. In Cygtius it was found by Tiedemann. In Anas
glacialis and mollissima it starts from the condyle as a
peculiar, cylindrical, and fleshy bundle, attached at ^ of
the ulna beside the brachialis internus and the flexor digito-
rum profundus. In Mergus merganser just the same, but
less distinctly defined. In Uria it is not separated, but is
represented by a part of the pronator inferior, the fibres of
which are attached to the ulna from its base to I of its length.
In Psittacus it forms a very small bundle, issuing from the
condyle under the pronator inferior, and is only loosely at-
tached by cellular tissue to the upper \ of the ulna.

Possibly a rudiment of it has been overlooked in some of
the other birds described, which I have now no opportunity
of examining afresh ; but it is certainly deficient in Strix,
Pernis, Grus, Ciconia, Charadrius, and Sterna.

Bony sinews occur most irregularly, — e.g. among the Gal-
linae : in Gallus domesticus only in the flexor digitorum pro-
fundus externally on the hand, but not in any in the fore-
arm ; in Lagopus in the forearm in the extensor digitorum
communis and extensor indicis, but no more. Among the
Grallse : in Otis in the flexor digitorum profundus (Schopss),
but in Grus in all the musculi carpi et digitorum [extcnsores
and flexor es) on the cubitus, except in the extensor indicis
(the extensor carpi radialis longus is bifid, with one soft and one
bony sinew) . Of the Accipitres, Strix lifnrota has bony sinews

442 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

on the cubitus in all the musculi digitorum et carpi except the
flexor carpi ulnaris.

As the result of this exposition it appears that all these
birds, notwithstanding their very considerable differences,
agree in the general structure of the muscles of the cubitus,
and only seem to present occasional differences, owing to
which the orders are difficult to characterize.

The Gallinse, however, appear to show definite peculiarities,
namely : — (a) the iyfohumero -ulnar es are unusually developed :
the inner one, which is almost peculiar to tliera, extends to
I, and the outer one to the apex of the ulna ; [b) the flexor
digitorum sublimis is unusually small and shifted outwards ;
(c) the extensor indicis projirius commences far down (which,
however, is also the case in Ciconia).

The other orders seem to vary more ; but they nevertheless
distinctly group themselves around the Gallinse, and very
closely resemble each other. From the few well-known ex-
amples they are difficult to characterize; but it must be re-
marked that the Eaptorial birds known to me have cylindrical
sinews to the most anterior muscles, a shorter pronator supe-
rior, a broader extensor digitorum communis, &c.

The Waders have a weak extensor carpi ulnaris, wdiich com-
mences upon the humero-ulnaris externus, but they vary much.
The Water-birds have a very small extensor carpi radialis
brevis and deltoideus, but present three quite different forms :
Sterna and the Ducks with a more ordinary external form,
the latter with a small separate humero-uhiaris interior ; and
the Pygopodes with the wings much flattened, and, in con-
sequence, an unusual appearance of the muscles and an
unusual position of the pronatores ; the supinator lies only
on the outer side, the fascia ulnaris is closely attached to the
ulna without any interspace, &c.

I can least of all pronounce an opinion upon the Coccyges,
as only a few of the more aberrant forms of that order are
known to me, and at present I have no opportunity of
making up this deficiency. They seem, however, nearly to
approach the Accipitres.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 443

We pass on now to a short description of the muscles in
some isolated forms which are the most aberrant that I know
of.

Cypselus has appeared to me to show a single agreement
with the Song-birds, namely, in the extremely small extensor
carpi radialis hrevis. It further resembles Hirtmdo only in
having 2ifexor digitorum sublimis, which is nearly as large as
the flexor carpi ulnaris and commences from the condylus
internus ; but these muscles are not placed as in the Swallow
and the Oscines generally, but as in the non-Song-birds, the
former being situated quite on the radial side of the latter,
separated therefrom by the continuation of the fascia tendinea,
which is distinctly of equal breadth. Moreover the bellies
of the muscles are not rounded, but rectilinear, and continue
fleshy nearly to the carpus. The non-Song-bird type is there-
fore completely retained, but in other respects the course of
the muscles is very different.

The extensor carpi radialis longus is unusually broad, and
commences above at ^ the humerus ; the extensor digitorum
communis is also unusually broad at the root ; the extensor
indicis small, otherwise as usual; the anconeus parvus as usual,
to \ ; the flexor digitorum profundus inserted on the condylus
internus humeri ! and nearly as large as the extensor carpi
radialis longus ; course of the sinews as usual. The flexor
carpi radialis commences near the base of the ulna. The
pronatores are very strong, the upper one something more
than I, the lower one rather over |, contracted at the apex,
not dilated ! The supinator to ^.

Picus agrees in most respects with the Song-birds, so that
we need only indicate the differences, all of which show an
approximation to the non-Song-birds. They are as fol-
lows : —

a. The pronator inferior has an unusual structure, which I
have seen elsewhere only in Pernis apivorus; for it is attached
to the membrana interossea and to the ulna just as much as
to the radius (in one specimen of Picus major it was only
attached to the ulna ; but in two others, and in P. martins,
was as just mentioned) ; it extends somewhat beyond ^ of the

444 C. J. Sundevall o» the Wings of Birds.

cubitus. The pronator superior is distinctly separated and
somewhat longer; the supinator also rather beyond ^,

b. The bellies of the muscles are less convex and rather
longer than in the Oscines, in consequence of which the pits
on the forearm are shorter. To this it is due that i\ie flexor
carpi radialis commences far down, at f .

c. The curvature of the ulna is somewhat longer (to ^) at
the upper extremity, inconsiderable at the anterior extremity;
whence follows a position of the posterior flexors which begins
to differ somewhat from that in the Song-birds.

d. The fascia ulnaris is filiform, although a distinct streak.
The flexor digitorum sublimis, which is attached to it, is like
that of the Song-birds in Picus major ; but in P. martius it
has a much more elongated belly ; it goes to | of the cubitus
and commences a little way from the humerus.

e. The deltoideus is much smaller than in the Oscines, only
to I of the humerus.

Jynx torquilla resembles Picus : but both pronatores are
inserted on the radius, the superior at |, the inferior at ^.
They are much stronger than in the Oscines and more dis-
tinctly separated. The flexor digitorum sublimis is much
thicker than in the Song-birds, fleshy for | of its length, and
placed beside the flexor carjn ulnaris. The extensor carpi
radialis brevis as in the Song-birds.

Columba, which has been referred to in the general descrip-
tion, presents nearly equal peculiarities in its broad extensor
carpi radialis, its enormously large pjronatores, &c. It has,
further, an unusually constructed muscular apparatus within
the fold of skin in front of the humerus.

The Ostrich, according to the description given by Schopss,
has many peculiarities, and therefore the following extract
may be given : —

The extensor carpi radialis longus commences high up on
the humerus, at |.

The ext. carpi rad. brevis is as in the Grallae &c.

The ext. digitorum communis has no sinew to the thumb.

The ext. indicis, from ^ of the radius, has many accessory
muscles.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 445

The ext. carpi ulnaris is half united with the humero-ulnaris
externus, which extends to f .

The supinator strong, to |.

The ^e.z'or* nearly as in the Waders &c.^ but the sinew of
t\\e flexor digit, profundus gives of£ a branch to the thumb,
instead of the ext. digit, comm.

The pronator is single, to f .

The hiceys has only the caput longum.

The deltoideus also arises from the clavicle, and therefore
more resembles that o£ the Mammalia ; it terminates at f of
the humerus.

The tensor plica cutaneee and rector remigum occur, not-
withstanding the undeveloped state of the wing.

Aptenodytes, next to the Ostriches, is the most aberrant of
all known forms of birds, and therefore the following abstract,
also from Schopss's description, may be of interest in this
place. The wing is perfectly formed, as in birds, and only
in its external form and strong compression has it some re-
semblance to the pectoral fin of a whale, shark, &c.

The extensores carpi radiates longus et brevis are nearly as
usual, the latter not small.

The extensor digitorum communis gives off at the carpus a
branch to the extensor indicts proprius.

Of the extensor carpi ulnaris there remains only a rudiment
of sinew-fibres.

The humero-ulnaris externus is small.

The supinator to | ; as in Alca, only on the outer side of
the radius.

Of the two pronatores only sinewy rudiments.

The flexor carpi ulnaris seems to consist only of a sinew
(perhaps the fascia ulnaris ?) , and the rector remigum is
wanting. On the other hand the flexor digitorum sublimis
commences from the condyle,and its sinew terminates on the
second phalange.

The flexor digitorum profundus is not small ; also from the
radius.

The flexor carpi radialis consists only of a few sinewy fibres,
as also the flexor and extensor ulnares.

446 C. J. Suiidevall on the Wings of Birds.

The biceps is wanting^ but the brachialis internus passes
higher up.

The deltoideus is very small.

The tensor plica cutanea occurs, although the wing can
bend but little.

Concluding Remarks.

From what precedes, it appears distinctly that, as regards
the external and internal structure of the wing, the Song-birds
show a remarkable uniformity. They do the same in all
other respects, and it is only necessary to add to the differences
from other birds here enumerated, the muscular apparatus of
the lower larynx, which is peculiar to them, in order to prove
clearly that they constitute a definite and peculiar group in
the class of Birds, scarcely containing any transitional forms.
That, however, the so-called ^"^ song-muscles^' must be regarded
as the expression of a peculiarity in the whole organization,
and not merely as a singing-apparatus, is shown distinctly
by the fact that they occur in all the species constructed in a
certain way, of which a great part do not possess anything
that can be called ''song;"" e. g. the Corvi, Garridi, and a
number of exotic forms, as also the females which do not sing.
Moreover there is a true song in many species which are
destitute of the above-mentioned muscles ; for example, in the
Diving-ducks, a few Accipitres, the domestic fowl, Coturnix.
The " play " of the Tetraones, the cry of Meleagris, the
peculiar sounds produced during the breeding-season by
Perdix, Scolopax, and many Tringarise, are essentially exactly
the same as the song of the small birds.

It is equally easy to see distinctly that the Water-birds in
all respects constitute the most divergent contrast to the
Song-birds, and that the Waders and Gallinse are joined with
them, these three orders closely agreeing in most parti-
culars.

The Accipitres, indeed, at the first glance, seem to present
much difference by reason of their large wings ; but if we
accurately compare them, it is found that these wings
scarcely differ in any respect from those in a considerable

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 4-17

number of the Waders and Water-birds, which also have long
wing-bones and remiges (e. g. Cicotiia, Ardea, Larus), and
that their whole structure and feathery covering is exactly
the same as in the three orders above mentioned. It is un-
necessary to cite examples of this, as they occur upon every
one of the preceding pages. If other parts of the body are
taken into consideration, we always find in the fundamental
form the same definite divergence from the Song-bird type,
and agreements with the Gallinse, Waders, and Water-birds,
The Accipitres and the Gallinse appear as two modifications
of the same form, developed in difierent directions; the
latter, both externally and internally constructed to feed on
vegetable diet, with a strongly muscular stomach adapted in
other respects thereto, with a large Ccecum,with beak and claws
not very acute, with no need of strong flight, &c. ; the former
converted into an animal of prey, with a thin stomach
and in general a smaller intestine, with stronger organs of
capture, and especially a great power of flight. But the
near affinity between them appears distinctly in the downy
covering, the arrangement of the feathers, the structure of
the arm, the whole construction of the feet, and even in the
form of the beak and claws in the Vulturini and a great
number of the American species of Buteo and Aquila, when
compared with those of the Gallinse. Like tlie next forms,
however, the Raptorial birds approach the Song-birds by a
greater development of the posterior toe, and also by the
incomplete structure of the young and the necessity of
feeding them. The hinder toe, however, never acquires the
form which alone belongs to the Song-birds, but always re-
tains the same type as in the preceding, and is somewhat
elevated at the root.

The remaining forms of birds (the Doves, Parrots, Cuckoo-
like birds, and Pici) range themselves with the exception of
the last named, just as distinctly, with the same great division
of the class; but also show, besides the peculiarities just
mentioned, some further resemblances to the Song-birds, in
the generally smaller number of the arm-remiges, and the
smaller number of rows of the inferior coverts. Their

448 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

colours also_, the external aspect of the bill and feet (but
certainly not their structure), their smaller size and resi-
dence in trees, cause one to fancy that they are like the
Song-birds, with which they have constantly been confounded.
The case is different with Picus, for this genus appears to be
a true transitional form, which, from its wing-structure,
seems most to resemble the Song-birds ; but its want of the
song-muscles, the structure of its feet, and the arrangement
of the muscles of the wing, in combination with the above-
mentioned character of the small outer coverts, determine
most distinctly its place to be among the Cuckoo-like
birds.

We have here endeavoured to show that although there are
manifold and considerable differences between the birds
which are destitute of the song-apparatus, nevertheless they
all possess a decided similarity of organization, owing to
which they can and must be grouped together as a single
great division of the class, in opposition to the Song-birds,
which have another very distinct fundamental structure, but
which present a very remarkable uniformity. This binary
division is therefore the first natural division of the class of
Birds ; the Song-birds must stand at one end of the series, and
next to them come the Pici, Coccyges, &c. The other end is
necessarily occupied by the Natatores. The Accipitres and
Gallinse must retain their place in the middle of the series,
which, however, certainly does not prevent our regarding
them as the most highly developed, if we choose to
do so.

I have already developed these same views of the affini-
ties and scientific arrangement of the forms of birds in my
" Ornithologiska System,^^ published in 1835 in the Kongl.
Vet.-Ak. Handl. and they have only been strengthened by a
continued investigation, although many alterations in the more
special groupings have been rendered possible by an enlarged
knowledge.

In order to give a summary of the more important of these
alterations the following Appendix is provided.

C. J. Sundcvall on the Wings of Birds. 449

APPENDIX I.

Systematic Arrangement*.

In order to avoid too maay degrees of division we shall
only remark here that the so-called Song-birds alone
are included in the undermentioned Legio prima ; and that
all the others, which constitute Legiones secunda, tertia, and
quarta, have not five pairs of muscles to the lower larynx.
The differences in structure of these two chief divisions have
been copiously referred to in what precedes, as also in the
often cited " Ornithologiska System " in Vet.-Acad. Handl.
for 1835.

If, with the view of obtaining greater symmetry in the
arrangement, it be desired to retain the binary division in
accordance with the nature of the hinder toe and the young,
adopted in the place just cited and by many authors, we get
the first two " Legiones " together in one, and the last two
in the other division ; but we are then compelled to remark
(as I have done, loc. cit. p. 67) that the species belonging to
the Legio secunda resemble those of Legiones tertia and
quarta in the principal parts of their structure, but not those
of the Legio prima with which they are arranged. It must
also be remarked that the hinder toe in a Raptorial bird, a
Cuckoo, or even a Picus is never so large or formed in the
same way as in a Song-bird ; it is always narrower at the
base, a little raised, &c., and approaches the form of that in
the Gallinse, Waders, and Water-birds; and, further, that
many genera with long supporting hinder toes occur in both
the great divisions, which usually have it small and uplifted,
namely, Penelope, the whole cohort of the Herodii (Ardea),
and the whole Order Totipalmes,

Legio prima (" Volucres,'" Vet.-Acad. Handl. 1835).
Constitutes only the Ordo prima f-

* [It will be of course recollected by our readers that this an-angement
was in considerable degree modified by the author in his * Tentamen '
(187— ?).— Ed.]

t The divisions which are here cited immediately under the Orders
correspond exactly to those which are called " Zunft " by Oken, which

450 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

1. Passeres (Nares plumis tectse, carent membrana).

a. (Integrirostres) : Ploceinse ; Serininse ; Loxise.

b. (Incisirostres) : Fringillinse ; Pitylinse ; Emberizinse.

2. OSCINES.

a. (Membr. narium fornicata, nuda).

■^(Alse mediocres) : Sturninse ; Alaudinse ; Turdinse

(cum Sylviis et Cinclo) .
■^(Brevipennes) : Myotberiuse ; Timaliinse ; Maluri ;

Anabatinse.
^(Longipennes) : Hirundininse.

b. (Membr. narium obsoleta, plumosa).
^(Depressirostres) : Muscicapinae ; Tyranninse (cum Pla-

tyrhyncho, EuscartJimo, &c.).
^(Compressirostres) : Laniinai (cum Thamnophilis) ; Gar-

rulinse ; Corvinse ; Paradisese ; Tanagrinse ; Parinse.
^(Syndactylse) : Piprinse; Eurylaimi.

3. LoNGiLiNGUEs (Omu. membr. narium fornicata).

Gymnopinse ; MeHphaginse ; Cinnyrinse ; Dacnidinae.

4. ScANSORES (Ungue medio non obliquo &c.).

a. (Membr. narium fornicata) : Certbiacese.

b. (Membr. narium obsoleta, plumosa) : Dendrocopinse ;

Sittinse.

Legio secunda {^' Gressores/' loc. cit.) .
Ordo 2. Coccyges.

1. PiciD^ : Picus, Jynx.

2. CucuLiD^ : Bucconinae (cum Bhamjphasto et Galbuld); Cu-

culinse; Trogoninae.

3. Syndactyly : Alcedinidse (et Merops) ; Coraciinse ; Muso-

pbaginae (cum Colio).

4. Macrochires, Nitzscb : Caprimulginae ; Cypselinse; Tro-

cbilinae.

5. ColumbjE.

term may be translated " cohors." They are larger than the "Familine "
of recent writers, but do not represent such considerable peculiarities of
form as the Linnean Ordines.

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 451

6. PsiTTACi : LoriinEe ; Androglossinse ; Plyctolophinae ; Sit-
tacinae ; Pezoporinse.

^ Ordo 3. AcciPiTREs.

1. NocTURNi : Striginee.

2. DiURNi : Falconinsej &c ; Aquilinae ; Vulturinge.

Legio tertia ^^Cursores ").

Ordo 4. GALLiNiE.

1. Penelopin^ : Penelope, Crax.

2. Gall, propr. : Phasianinse ; Tetraoninse ; Pteroclinse ;

Crypturinse.

Ordo 5. Struthiones.

1. Struthio, Linn.

2. Apteryx.

Ordo 6. Grall^.

1. Alectorides : Otidinse; Palamedeinse ; Gruinse; Rallinae.

2. LiMicoL^ : Thinocorinse ; Charadriinse ; Tringarise.

3. Pelargi, Nitzsch: Ciconinse {? Phcenicopterns).

4. Herodii : Ardea, Cancroma.

Legio quarta ("Natatores ").

Ordo 7. Anseres.
1. Anas, Linn, .

Ordo 8. Gavi^.

1 . Longipennes : Sterna, Larus.

2. TuBiNARES : Diomedea, Procellaria, Haladroma.

Ordo 9. Steganopodes.
TotipalmeSj Auct.

Ordo 10. Pygopodes.

1. EuDYT^ : Podiceps, Colymbus.

2. Uri^ et ALCiE.

3. APTENODYTINiE.

452 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds.

APPENDIX II.

Synopsis of the number of Arm-remiges.

Of the figures which are given below, the first always
indicates the number of the arm-remiges which appear nearly
alike in structure and size, and in this number the first is
always included. The last number always indicates the last,
decidedly shorter feathers. Where three figures occur, the
middle one denotes those which, without being abbreviated,
possess a decidedly difEcrent form ; and such occur nearly
always when the posterior remiges differ considerably (dif-
formes). The figures placed within parentheses show the
whole number, and when this stands alone it is generally
copied from Nitzsch^s ' Pterylographie,' for the purpose of
obtaining a more complete view.

In the greater part of the Song-birds the number is defi-
nitely 9. All that are known to possess a greater number
(about 12 genera) are cited in the following table ; in these
and all which have more than 9, the number appears to be
subject to a little variation — for example, in Corvus comix
I have twice found 11. In the Waders and Water-birds it
appears that the variation may amount to 2 or 3, without
relation to the moulting. This subject deserves to be par-
ticularly investigated ; possibly the number is not variable.

Passeres in general 6+3 (9)

Fringillacoelebs,Pyrgita,Emberiza 6+1+2 „

OSCINES.

Sturnus vulgaris 7+2

Psarocolius, Wa(/l „

Gracula, sec. Nitzsch ....

Alauda, Motacilla, Antlius 6+1+2

Turdi 7+2

Saxicola rubetra 7+2

cenanthe 6+1+2

Sylvia phoenicurus, iS:c 6+1+2

rubecula 6+4

Cinclus 6 + 3

Troglodytes 6+3

Menura 7+4 (11)

C. J. Suudevall on the Wings of Birds.

OsciNES (continued).

Hiruiido 7+2 (9)

Muscicapa atric. et giisola 6+1+2 „

Chasmorhynchus .... (10)

Coracina 7+3 „

Lanius collurio 6+1+2 (9)

excubitor 7+2 „

Ampelis garrulus 7+2 „

Ocypterus 8+2 (10)

Thaiunophilus striatus .... „

Pica melanoleuca 6+3 (9)

fuiigiiiosa (sec. Nitzsch) . . . . ' .... (10)

aziirea (<io-) • • • • • • • • >,

Barita .... ,,

I'tilonorhynclius holos. 9+5 (14)

Corvus corax, frugilegus 8+3 (11)

cornix, monedula 7+3 (10)

Caryocatactes 7+3 „

Paradisea apoda (a prima gradatse) .... „

Epiuiachus .... „

Parus major, ater . , 5+4 (9)

cristatus, caudatua 3+6 „

Regulus 4+5 „

LoNGiLiJSTGtTES, Ciiinyris 7+2 (9)

SCANSOEES.

Certhia familiaris 6+4 (9)

Sitta europsea 6+3 „

Coccyges.

Picus major, tridactylus 7+3 (10)

martius, viridis 7+4 (11)

Jynx 6+1+3 (10)

— Bucco cyanocollis 7+4 (11)

Lypornis tenebrosa 8+3 „

Ikhamphastos, Linn 8+5 (13)

Galbula (10-12)

Cuculus canorus 7+2 (9)

Centropus ; Eudynamis „ „

Coccyzus ; Crotophaga .... (10)

Trogon narina 8+2 „

— Alcedo ispida 8+3 (12)

Halcyon .... (14)

Merops viridis 10+1+2 (13)

Coracias 9+1+3 (13)

Prionites 6+5 (11)

SER. V. VOL. IV. 2 K

453

454 C. J. Suiidevall on the Wim/s of Birds.

Coccyges (amtinued).

Buceros (9+3orG+6) (11-

Upupa epops ^+''^

Musophagfe ....

Cdlius ....

— Columba turtur, cenas, palumbus . 8-|-l+.3

livia 8+3+3

coronata ....

Caprimulgus europseus 10+3

Podargiis gigas (.sec. Nitzsch) .... ....

Cypselus 0+2

Ilemiprocne ....

Trochilus 4+2

— Psittacus domicella , . . .

(Triclioglossus) ....

amazon. et leucoceph 10+3

magnus „

erithacus (14 Nitzsch) .... „

menstruus ....

pullarius ....

Calyptorhynclius 10+2

Plyctoloplius ....

Sittace macao (13) 11+3

sp. miiiorea ....

Palfeoruis torquatus 9+3

Platycercu8 8+3

ACCIPITRES.

Strix flammea ....

otus, brachyotus 11+2

lapponica, liturata 11+3

aluco „

tengraalmi, scops 10+3

bubo (19 Nitzsch) 14+4

lactea, nyctea (do.)

noctua, nisoria 12+3

asio ....

passerina, Linn 10+3

Falco subbuteo 11 +3

tinuimculus 11+2

Astur palumbarius 11+3

nisus 11+2

Pernis apivonis „

Circus ....

Buteo vulgaris 13+2

17 Nitzsch)

(10)

(12-13)

(9)

(12)

(14)

(15)

(13)

(11)

(8)

(6)

)?

(11)

)>
(13)

(12)
(10)
(12)
(13)
(14)

(11)
(12)

(11)

(14)
(13)

(14)

j>
(13)
(18)

(15)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(13)
(14)
(13)

(14)
(15)

C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 455

AcciPiTRES (continued).

Aquila clirysaetos 13+4 (17)

albicilla 15+8 (18)

Paudiou haliaetos 16+3 (19)

Polyborus atenimus .... (12)

Gypaetos barbatus 18+3 (21)

Vultiir fulvus 22+4 (27)

cinereus .... (25)

Catbartes grypbus 23+3 (26)

papa .\ (22)

Neophi'on raonachus .... (18)

Galling (obs. prima brevis).

Meleagris, Pavo .... (18)

Pbasiamis, Lopbopborus .... (16)

GaUus bankiva .... (14)

domesticus 1 + 9+5 (15)

Numida .... (14)

Cryptonyx (12)

Tetrao urogallus 1 + 14+5 (20)

tetrix 1 + 12+4 (17)

Lagopus saliceti. 1 + 12+3 (16)

alpina 1 + 12+4 (17)

Perdix petrosa, cinerea 1 + 10+3 (14)

cotui-nix .... (12)

Pteroclea (18)

Crypturus .... (16)

Penelope (13-15)

Grall^.

Otis tetrax 12+2+6 (20)

afra 11+5+3 (19)

Palamedea .' 14+3 (17)

Psopbia .... (14)

Grus cinerea (23 Nitzscb) 16+4+4 (24)

— Fulica atra 9+3+5 (17)

Ralluscrex 9+1+4 (14)

aquaticus 7+3+2 (12)

— Scolopax rusticula 12+4 (16)

gallinula 10+2+2 (14)

Tringa maritiina 10+2+2 (14)

ferruginea ,, „

Pbalaropus rufus 10+2+1 (13)

Totanus calidris, ocbropiis 11+2+2 (15)

glottis, fuscus 11+3+3 (17)

2k2

456 C. J. Suiidcvall on the WiJigs of Birds.

Grallje {continued),

Limosa meyeri, rec 12+3+2 (7)

Numenius arquata 15+2+3 (20)

plunoopus 14+2+.3 (10)

Rhynchfea .... (10)

Recurvirostra avoc 14 ? (20 Nitzscli)

HEematopus 16+3 (19)

Oharadrius cantianus 10+3+3 (10)

moriiiellus, minor „ ,,

Thinocorus ; Glareola ,, „

Strepsilas interpres 10+2+4 (16)

Vanellus cristatus 14_|.2+3 (19)

Qildicnemus .... „

Phcenicopterus antiq 24+3 (27)

Ciconia nigra 18+3 (21)

argala (26)

Anastomus .... (17)

Scopus (16)

Ibis (10-20 Nitzsch)

Ardea cinerea 16+3 (19)

sp. niinores .... (16)

Cancroma .... (12)

Anseees.

Cygnus musicus 21+2 (23)

olor 18+3 (21)

Anser leucopsis 15+1+3 (19)

albifrons 14+1+3 (ig)

Anas tadorna .... (20)

penelope, acuta c? ? 10+3+2 (15)

glacialis, fusca 10+2+3 ,,

clangula, nigra .... „

marila .... ,,

molliss., spectab., c? perf. . . 9+4+4 (I7)

„ „ ? perf. .. 11+3+3

Mergus albellus 10+3+3 (16)

serrator 11 +3+3 (17)

merganser 12+3+3 (18)

Gavi^.

Sterna arctica 13+5 (18)

hirundo 16+2+2 (20)

caspia 20 (20)

minuta .... (16)

Larus glaucus, fuscus 20+2 (22)

marinus 20+3 (23)

ibis.ibbb.Pl.l.

KV<-t. Ac.lUud! liw:

T'l. II.

Fig. 1

Fig. 5. %t*i,«-iijr

F.Danierfie^a,T.it,h,]

WINGS OF BIRDS

Ms. 1886. PI. XI

K. Vt-t. Ac. liaiuVi 1845
I..X Fie. 6.

PI. Hi

WINGS OF BIRDS

P.DaTi|erfieia,lith,Lc

Mr. J. H. Gurney on Gypoictinia melanosternon. 457

Gavi^ {continued).

Larus canus

eburneus

Lestris parasitica (19+3?). . . .

Procellaria giacialia

pelagica

gigantea

Diomedea exulans (40 Nitzsch)

Steganopodes.

Pelecanus ,

Tacliypetes ,

Dysporus sula ,

Plotus

Graculus carbo ,

cristatus

18+2
17 + 3
18+2

11 + 2

36+2

Pygopodes.

Podiceps crist. et rubric. (16+1 ?)

Colymbus arcticus

septentrioualis

Alca alle ; A. pica, Linn

Mormon arcticus

Uria grylle (11+8; 12 + 6)

troile

Alca torda

18+3
13+2

17+3
20+3
19+3
13+3
13+2
14+3

14
17+3

(20)

(13)
(30)
(38)

(29)
(24)
(28)
(16)
(21)
(15)

(20)
(23)
(22)
(16)
(15)
(17,19)

(20)

XL. — Note on the Nestling Plumage of Gypoictinia melano-
sternon {Gould). By John Henry Gurney.

In 'The Ibis/ 1884, at p. 465^ will be found some particulars
respecting that very rare Raptorial bird Gypoictinia melatio-
sternon, which were communicated to me by Mr. K. H.
Bennett.

The Norwich Museum has recently received from this
gentleman a fledged nestling of this species, taken from the
nest near Mossgiel, in New South Wales, on the 6th of
December, and supposed by Mr. Bennett to be " between two
and three months old."

The following is a description of this specimen, which I
am desirous of recording, as, so far as I am aware, no account
has previously been given of the first plumage of this species.

458 Mr. J. H. Gurney on Gypoictinia melanosternon.

and as, in this stage, it diifers conspicuously from its adult
dress.

In the nestling now before me the feathers on the crown
of the head are blackish brown, edged with rich rufous -
brown ; this rufous tint, unmixed with the darker brown, ex-
tends over the sides of the head behind the eye and above
the ear-coverts, over the back of the neck, and, with the ex-
ception of some narrow dark shaft-marks, over the sides of
the neck also ; the lores are blackish brown, and the ear-
coverts are of a similar hue, but slightly intermingled with
rufous ; the interscapular feathers and those of the back and
upper tail-coverts are blackish brown, conspicuously edged
with rufous ; the scapulars are similar, but with the rufous
edgings broader ; the wing-coverts are blackish brown, nar-
rowly edged with rufous, except the upper secondary coverts,
which are almost entirely rufous, but with dark shaft-marks,
most of which are, however^ quite narrow ; the secondary
and tertial wing-feathers resemble the greater wing-coverts,
but with narrow whitish tips ; those of the bastard wing are
black, tinged with grey towards the base, and slightly tipped
with fulvous white ; the primaries are similarly coloured, but
without the grey tinge ; the rectrices are greyish brown, with
narrow fulvous edgings towards the tips of the feathers, but
the extreme tips of the tail-feathers are white ; the entire
under surface (other than that of the remiges and rectrices)
is a rich rufous-brown, darkest about the upper breast, with
strongly marked dark shaft-marks everywhere except upon
the under wing-coverts and the tibia (where these marks are
very sparse), the under tail-coverts (where they are very
faint), and the abdomen (where they are absent).

Mr. Bennett states that the irides are light brown in the
young bird, and reddish or hazel-brown in the adult, also that
the legs and feet are white in both, but in the adult bird are
tinged with pinkish.

The Norwich Museum possesses three eggs of this species,
which are white, mottled with reddish brown ; and four speci-
mens of the bird, viz. one adult male, two adult females, and
tlie nestling above described.

Mr. E. Ridgway on the Genus Empidonax. 459

XLI, — Description of a new Species of the Genus Empidonax
from Guatemala. By Robert Ridgway, Curator Depart-
ment of Birds, United States National Museum.

Empidonax salvini, sp. nov.

Sp. Char. — Similar to E. bairdi, Sclater, but much brighter-
coloured, the upper parts olive-green instead of olive-brown,
the lower parts brighter and clearer yellow, shaded across
breast and along sides with olive-green instead of brownish ;
wing-bands light greenish olive instead of ochreous brown,
and under wing-coverts pale greenish yellow (almost sulphur-
yellow) instead of deep brownish ochre.

Young male (type No. 84053, U. S. Nat. Mus., Calderas,
Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala, Oct. 10, 1873, O. Salvin).
Above uniform bright olive-green ; wings and tail dusky, the
former with two distinct bands (across tips of middle and
greater coverts) of pale ochraceous or buff; remiges and
rectrices edged with light greenish olive, the secondaries,
however, with the basal portion uniform dusky. Lower
parts yellowish olive, paler and greyer on throat, and
becoming clear pale dull sulphur-yellow on abdomen, flanks,
and under tail -coverts; axillaries and under wing-coverts yel-
lowish white, tinged with sulphur-yellow, the edge of the
wing much deeper yellowish, with a buffy tinge. A very dis-
tinct orbital ring of paler yellowish. Upper mandible black,
lower entirely whitisb (yellowish in life?). Feet brownish.
Wing 2-75, tail 2-50, culmen -60, width of bill at base -29,
tarsus '70, middle toe "37.

Adult male (Mus. P. L. Sclater ; same locality, &c.)»
Similar to the young, as described above, but, wing-bands
greenish olive instead of buffy, and yellow of lower parts
rather brighter. Wing 2-90, tail 2-65, culmen "62, width of
bill at base •25-28, tarsus -68, middle toe '38.

This form is almost exactly intermediate between E. bairdi^
Scl., of Southern Mexico, and E. flavescens, Lawr., of Costa
Rica — so much so, in fact, that it is not easy to decide as to
which it is most nearly related. In the colour of the upper
parts it is more like the latter than the former, and the

460 Mr. R. Ridgway on Empidochanes fuscatus ^c.

colour of the wing-bands is almost exactly the same. The
yellow of the lower parts^ however, is not quite so deep, the
breast is a decidedly more greenish olive, and the under-
wiug-coverts much paler yellow.

XLII. — On Empidochanes fuscatus [Max) and Empidonax
brunneus, Ridgw. By Robert Ridgway.

Empidonax brunneus was first described in the ' History of
North-American Birds,' vol. ii. (1874), p. 363, and was based
on a specimen collected by Captain T. J. Page, U.S.N., during
his exploration of the Parana in 1850. In addition to the
type (No. 20970, U. S. Nat. Mus., orig. no. 54, Parana,
March 1850), the collection of the United States National
Museum contains another specimen (No. 23981), but the
exact locality of the latter is unknown.

It has usually been considered (although I cannot find
that such an opinion has been published) that Empidonax
brunneus was merely Empidochanes fuscatus (Max.), rede-
scribed ; but that this is not the case I am now able to de-
monstrate, having had the opportunity, through the courtesy
of the Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History
in New York city, of examining the types of Muscipeta fus-
cc^fl,Max. (still existing in the Maximilian collection, for some
years the property of that Institution), and of comparing
them with the two specimens of Empidonax brunneus.

The differences between the two birds are very marked,
involving, as they do, not merely the specific but also the
generic characters. In coloration they present a rather close
superficial resemblance to one another ; but E. brunneus has
the under mandible wholly light-coloured, the upper parts
decidedly more olivaceous, and the wing-bands paler and less
ochraceous.

The genus Empidochanes differs from Empidonax mainly in
the much less depressed and relatively longer and narrower
bill, longer and decidedly rounded tail, and stouter feet. All
these characters are shared about equally by the three very

Mr. R. Eidgway 07i the Genus Empidonax. 461

distinct species which I have been able to examine, viz. E.fus-
catus (Max.), E. fringillaris, Pelz., and a very strongly-
marked species from Tobago, which Mr. Lawrence has doubt-
fully determined as E. oliva (Bodd.). These three species
differ as follows : —

a^. Upper parts umber-brown, the wing-bands ochraceous

or rusty.

&'. Lower mandible with basal half light-coloured

(whitish in dried skins). Wing 2-70-2-00, tail

2-75-2 85, exposed culmen •48--52, tarsus '70. —

Hob. Southern Brazil E. fuscatus.

h-. Lower mandible entirely dusky ; plumage darker
throughout. Wing 2-85, tail 2"85, exposed cul-
men-50, tarsus -70. — Hab. Eastern Brazil (Bahia) E./rmgiUuns.
a-. Upper parts greyish hrown, the wing-bands greyish
buff, or isabelle colour.
b^. Lower mandible entirely dusky. Wing 2-75, tail
2-80, exposed culmen "55, tarsus -72. — Hab.
Tobago E. oliva ?

Should the Tobago bird prove distinct, I propose for it the
name Empid.ochanes vireoninus, the general appearance of
the bird suggesting a rather large " Vireosylvia " with
distinct wing-bands. Regarding the identification of the
Muscicapa oliva of Boddaert with either of the three
species characterized above, I have only to remark that
the figure (PI. Enl. 574. fig. 2) upon which it is based presents
not the least resemblance to either of them, so far as I
am able to see.

XLIII. — On the Species of the Genus Empidonax.
By Robert Ridgway.

From the genus Empidonax I would remove the following
species: — (1) E, atriceps, Salv., which seems to me much
closer to Mitrephanes, if not strictly congeneric with M.
phaeocercus and M. aurantiiventris ; and (2) ^. w«wws, Lawr.,
which I have made the type of a new genus [Lawrenceia),
characterized in the July ' Auk,' p. 382.

On the other hand, I would add to the genus Mitrephanes
fulvifrons (Scl.), which, so far as I can see, difi'ers from the

462 Mr. R. Ridgway on the Genns Empidonax.

typical species only in coloration, and not essentially in this
respect.

Both Mitrephanes and Empiclochanes are nearly related to
Empidonax, but seem to be sufficiently distinct to pass for
genera, as genera go among Passerine birds. Compared
with Empidonux, their more obvious characters are as fol-
lows : —

Mitrephanes. Rictal bristles much more lengthened,
pileus much more conspicuously crested, bill narrower at
tip and more depressed; wings and tail proportionately
longer, and feet weaker; tail more deeply emargiuate than
in any species of Empidonax. Includes M. phceocercus, M.
aurantiiventris, Lawr., and ^'Empidonax'' utriceps, Salv.

Empidochanes . Bill much less depressed, as well as rela-
tively longer, its depth at base being decidedly greater than
one half the width; tail decidedly rounded instead of even
or emarginated. Includes Muscicapa fuscata, Max., Musci-
capa oliva, Bodd. (?), M. fringillaris , Licht., and perhaps E.
pcecilurus, Scl., and E. pcecilocercus (neither of which have I
seen), but not Empidonax bruniieus, Ridgw., which I have
been able to compare with the tj^es of Muscicapa fuscata,
Max., in the American Museum, New York.

Key to the Species of Empidonax.

u\ Width of bill at nostrils decidedly greater than half
the length of the exposed culmen.
i\ Lower parts deep buft", deepening into ochraceous
on breast and sides,
c'. Upper parts deep hair-brown.

d^. Lower parts soft pinkish buft", inclining to
isabelle colonr on breast, paler on throat and
belly, nearly white on under tail-coverts.
Wing 2-70 inches, tail 2'45 ; culmen, mea-
sured in each case from extreme base, 0-52 ;
tarsus 0-60 ; width of bill at base, measured
at anterior extremity of feathering of forehead,
0'21. — Mab. Eastern Mexico (north into

Southern Texas?) E. fuhifrons.

d'. Lower parts bright ochraceous buif, inclining
to deep ochraceous on breast and pale buffy

Mr. R. Ridgway on the Genus Empidonax. 463

yellow on belly, the throat biifty whitish, and
lower tail-coverts yellowish wliite. Wing
2-3o-2-55 (average :^-43j inches, tail 1-90-2-15
(2-0o), culmen 0-48-0-50 (0-49), width of
bill at base 0-20, tarsus 0-o2-0-58 (0-5G).—

Hob. Southern Mexico E. fxihifrons ruhicundus.

(•-. Upper parts dull greyish brown, lower parts pale
but!', deepening into oehraceou.-> buff' on breast.
Wing 2- 20-2-45 (2-34) inches, tail 1-95-2-14
(2-OG), culmen O-50-O-oo (0-52), width of bill at
base 0-20- 0-22 (0-21).— ^a6. North-western
Mexico and contiguous portions of Arizona

and New Mexico , E.fulvifrons pygmaus.

'. Lower parts whitish or yellowish, shaded across

breast with greyish or olivaceous,
c^ Upper parts umber-brown.

d}. Lower tail-coverts buff; whitish in very much
worn specimens only. Above brownish,
darker on top of head, the wing-bands vary-
ing from dull light brownish buff to tawny ;
chin and throat white ; rest of lower parts
pale smoky buff, shaded across breast with
smoky brown ; under wing-coverts deep buff"
or ochreous. Wing 2-35-2-40 (2-37) inches,
tail 2-15-2-32 (2-24), culmen O-GO-0-67 (0-64),
width of bill at base 0-30, tarsus 0-67-0-68.—
Hab. Southern Mexico (Vera Cruz) to Gua-
temala E. alhi(jidaris.

cp. Lower tail-coverts white or veiy pale sulphur-
yellow. Upper parts uniform brown, the
wing-bands buffy ; lower parts dull whitish,
tinged with pale sulphur-yellow, the throat
and lower tail-coverts more distinctly
whitish ; under wing-coverts and thighs deep
dull buff. Wing 2-35-2-50 (2-42)' inches,
tail 2-30, culmen 0-59-0-60, width of bill at
base 0"25, tarsus 0'55. — Hah. Paraguay and

South-eastern Brazil E. brunneus.

&■. Upper parts olive, olive-greenish, or greyish.
d"^. Lower parts not distinctly j'ellowish.

e^. First quill shorter than ninth. Above deep
olive, the hind neck more greyish, and top
of head dull slaty ; wing-bands very shai^ply
detiued, dull white or verj^ pale olive-
greyish, in conspicuous contrast with the

464i Mr. R. Ridgway on the Genus Empidonax,

blackish general colour of the wings ; lower
parts greyish white, shaded with dull
greyish across breast, and tinged with pale
sulphui-.yellow. Wing 2-30-2-40 (2-37)
inches, tail 2-30-2-40 (2-33), culmen 0'55-
0-GO (0-58), width of bill at base 0-25-0-27
(0-26), tarsus 0-58-0'59.— 7/«5. Western

Ecuador jE. griscipecttis.

e^. First quill longer than seventh.
y. First quill usually shorter than fifth ;
coloui- above olive or greyish brown,
never distinctly greenish.
g^. Tail even, or very shghtly rounded ;
wing averaging more than 2'60.
A\ Above olive, usually decidedly greyer
on head ; wing-bands in adult vary-
ing from dull brownish grey or
greyish brown to nearly white; in
young deep buff or ochraceous : lower
parts white, tinged posteriorly with
sidphur-yellow, and shaded on sides
of breast with olive-greyish. Male :
Wiug 2-70-2-85 (2-75) inches, tail
2-35-2-60 (2-51), culmen 0-64-0-73
(0'69), width of bill at base 0-27-
0-31 (0-29), tarsus 0-65-0-72 (0-68).
Female : Wing 2-55-2-65 (2-60), tail
2-20-2-50 (2-38).— ^a6. Western
North America, north to Sitka and
Fort Simpson, south (in winter) to

Mexico E. piisilhis.

Jr. Similar to E. ptisillus, but averaging
more decidedly olivaceous above
and more distinctly tinged with yel-
low beneath ; the bill shorter and
broader, and the tarsus shorter. 3fale :
Wing 2-G0-3-00 (2-81), inches, tail
2-40-2-GO (2-48), culmen 0-60-0-G4
(0-62), width of bill at base 0-29-
0-30 (0-30), tarsus 0-G4-0-67 (0-66).
Female : Wiug 2-o0-2-6o (2-58), tail
2-25-2-30 (2-30).— JIab. Eastern
North America, south, in winter,
through Middle America to northern
South America , . E. piiailli/s iraUlii

Mr. R. Ridgway on the Germs Empidonax. 465

g-. Tail slightly but decidedly emarginate ;
■wing averaging less than 2"60.
Hardlydistinguishable in colour from E.
pusillus and E. traillii, but wing-
bands usually whiter. Male : Wing
2-.'30-2-60 (2-49) inches, tail 2-10-
2-40 (2-30), culmen 0-o3-0-59 (0-5G),
width of biU at base 0-23-0-27 C0-2o),
tarsus 3-59-0-68 (0-65). Female :
Wing 2-20-2-40 (2-33), taU 2-10-
2-25 {2-18).— Sab. Eastern North
America, west to Rocky Mountains,
breeding from northern United
States northward, south, in winter,
through Middle America to Panama U. minhnus.
f'^. First quiU usually equal to, or longer than,
fifth ; colour above uniform ohve-gi-een
or greenish grey.
Wing-bands (all stages) buif or buffy
whitish ; lower parts white, more or
less tinged with sulphm'-yellow pos-
teriorly, and (usually very faintly)
shaded across breast with olive or
greyish. Nestling with feathers of
upper parts narrowly ti])ped with
paler, producing a slightly mottled
appearance. 3Iale : Wing 2-75- 3-10
(2-83) inches, tail 2-30-2-70 (2-49),
culmen 0-62-0-69 (O-CG), width of bill
at base 0-28-0-30 (0-30), tarsus 0-59-
0-67 (0-62). Female : Wing 2-55-2-70
(2-65), tail 2-25-2-35 (2-32).— Hab.
Eastern U.S., south, in winter, through
Western Cuba, Eastern Mexico, and

Central America to Ecuador F. acadicus.

d*. Lower parts distinctly yellowish.
f^. Under wing-coverts pale buff, deepening
into dull ochraceous on edge of wing.
Above dull greyish olive (more brownish
in winter), the wing-bands dull hght
buffy greyish (more bufFy in winter) ;
lower parts dull pale yellowish, in-
clining to pale sulphur- yellow on belly
and lower tail-coverts, and shaded
with dull greyish brown across breast.

466 Mr. R. Ridgway on the Oenus Empidouax.

Male : Wiug 2-50-2-90 (2-G5) inches,
tail 2-35-2-00 (2-43), ciilmen Oo7-0-63
(0-61), width of bill at base 0-25-0-28
(0-27), tarsus 0-04-69 (0-G8). Female -.
Wing 2-30-2-60 (2-44), tail 2-20-2-45
(2-32). — i/rtZ>. Western North America,
north to Sitka, south, in winter, to

Western Mexico -C. difficilis.

/*. Under wing-coverts yellowish white or
pale sulphur-yellow.
g^. Wing-bands not darker (usually paler)
than lower parts.
Above dull olive-green, the wing-bands
pale olive-yellowish in adult, buffy
in young; lower pai-ts pale dull
sulphur-yellow, shaded with ohve
across breast. Male : Wing 2 -55-2 -75
(2-64) inches, tail 2-10-2-30 (2-18),
culmen 0-48-0-59 (0-54), width of
bill at base 0-25-0-28 (0-26), tarsus
0-64-0-68 (0-66). Female : Wing
2-40-2 -50 (2-45), tail 2-00-2-25 '
{2-11).— ITab. Eastern North Ame-
rica, south, in winter, through
Eastern Mexico and Central Ame-
rica to Panama E.Jlaviventris.

y^. Wing-bands darker than lower parts.
7i'. Above dull olive, the wing-bands
dull hght olive, sometimes inclining
to russet: lower parts pale olive-
yellowish, more decidedly olivaceous
on breast ; edge of wing dull ochra-
ceous or fulvous. Wing 2-60-2-80
(2-72) inches, tail 2-40-2-55 (2-49),
culmen 0-58-0-60 (0-59), width of
biU at base 0-25, tarsus 0-65-0-70
(0-68). — Hab. Southern and Eastern
Mexico (Oaxaca, Cordova, Mirador,

&c.) E, bairdii,

h\ Above bright olive or olive-green.
i^. Above bright olive-green, the
wing-bands similar but paler,
sometimes inclining to ochra-
ceous; lower parts greenish sul-
phur-yellow, distinctly shaded

Mr. R. Ridgway on the Genus Empidonax. 467

across breast and aloug sides with
olive-g-reeii ; edge of wing clear
sulphur-yellow. Wing 2-50-2-90
(2-75) inches, tail 2-15-2-6o
(2-44), culmen 0-60-0-63 (0-61),
width of bill at base 0-28-0'30
(0-20), tarsus 0-68-0-72 (0-70).—
Hah. Highlands of Guatemala . . E. salvini.
i^. Above bright greenish olive (vary-
ing to tawny olive), the wing-
bands more ochraceous ; lower
parts bright sulphur-yellow,
faintly shaded across breast with
tawny olive ; edge of wing vary-
ing from light saftron-yellow to
deep ochraceous buff. "Wing 2-25-
2-70 (2-48) inches, tail 2-05-2-40
(2-22), culmen 0-53-0-61 (0-59),
width of bill at base 0-29-0-32
(0-30), tarsus 0-63-0-70 (0-65).—
Hob. Costa Rica, Veragua, and

Chiriqui E.Jlavescem.

'. Width of bill at nostrils less than half the length of

the exposed culmen.
6'. Outer web of outer tail-feather not abruptly paler
than inner web : culmen 0'55 inch or less ; tarsus
less than 0'70.
Above olive, usually more greyish anteriorly, espe-
cially on hind neck ; wing-bands dull light
olive-greyish; lower parts varying from dull
greyish white, faintly tinged posteriorly wdth
sulphur-yellow, to decided olive-yellowish, the
breast always strongly shaded with olive or olive-
greyish, the throat never distinctly whitish.
Male : Wing 2-60-2-80 (2-72) inches, tail 2-30-
2-50 (2-38), culmen Ov'JS-O-SO (0-56), width of
bill at base 0-22-0-24 (0'23), tarsus 0-60-0-68
(0-63). Female: Wing 2-45-2-75 (2-61), tail
2-15-2-40 (2-25).—Jlab. Western North Ame-
rica, north to Lesser Slave Lake, south, in

winter, to Southern Mexico E, hammondi.

b^. Outer web of outer tail-feather abruptly paler than
the inner weh (usually distinctly dull whitish) :
culmen 0 58 inch or more ; tarsus usually more
than 0-70.

468 Mr. H. Saunders on Ornithology in

c\ Colours otherwise much as in E. Immmondi, and
varying between the same or even greater ex-
tremes, but averaging somewhat greyer, with
paler (often distinctly whitish) throat. Male :
Wing 2-70-2-95 (2-83) inches, tail 2-5o-2-80
(2-67), culinen 0-62-0-69 (0-65), width of bill
at base 0-24-0-27 (0-26), tarsus 0-71-0-77 (0-74).
Female : Wing 2-55-2-75 (2-64), tail 2-50-2-G5
(2-52). — Hah. Western U. S., south, in winter,
to Southern Mexico E. obscurus.

c^. Deep brownish olive above, the wing-bands vary-
ing from olive to pale olive-greyish ; lower parts
dull yellow, shaded across breast with olive-
brown. Wing 2-92-3-00 inches, tail 2-65-2-75,
culmen 0-60, width of bill at base 0-22-0-25,
tarsus (one specimen only) 0'G8. — TIab. Southern
Mexico (City of Mexico, Orizaba, &c.) E. fiiMpedus.

XLIV. — Ornithology in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition.
By Howard Saunders.

It was hardly to be expected that Ornithology would he so
well represented in this fourth Exhibition as it was in the
first, when the collections made on the cruise of the ' Vega,'
and. those from the United. States and Australia, formed such
important features. India, indeed, might well be excused
from sending anything, in view of the unrivalled Hume Col-
lection lately presented to the British Museum ; and several
of our larger Colonies might consider that after what they
had already done, anything further would be a vain repe-
tition. Such, however, has not been the assumption, and
consequently a display has been made in this department
which has proved even more attractive to the public than were
the exhibits on the former occasion, although the present
series is necessarily somewhat inferior in scientific value.

The mounted birds in the Kuch-Behar tiger-hunting and
jungle scene, daily visited by crowds of visitors, call for no
special remark, the species being representative ones and
consequently well-known. Mr. E. C. Buck exhibits three large
cases of Indian Game Birds ; and, hard by, the magnificent

the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. 469

plates of Gould*s 'Birds of Asia' are displayed on the walls.
There are some cases of Assam birds, from Shillong ; the
Straits Settlements send some cases of mounted birds, and a
number of skins arranged on the wall of one of the galleries,
as well as some edible birds' nests — the latter being also a
feature in the North Borneo exhibit. The Official Catalogue
is particularly unsatisfactory as regards the exhibitions in
the galleries, and it can only be surmised that two cases con-
taining Argus Pheasants and other fine birds were contri-
buted by Mr. Pryer; they have been mounted by Mr. E.
Gerrard, jr. From Hong-Kong nothing could reasonably
be expected. In the same gallery are specimens of the Ring-
necked Pheasant, descendants of birds introduced into the
Island of St. Helena in 1513, by some Portuguese exiled from
Goa, which have varied very slightly from the plumage of
their ancestors after the lapse of nearly four centuries.
There is also a specimen, with its e^^, of that remarkable
little Plover, yEgialitis sancta-helence, the '' Wire-bird " of
that island, to which it appears to be confined, its represen-
tative on the African continent being ^. varia. A paper
by Mr. J. E. Harting, with figures of these two species,
will be found in ' The Ibis ' for 1873, pp. 260-269. The
Mauritius section, in the same gallery, contains some
natural-history specimens from the Seychelles, sent by Mr.
H. Whatley Estridge, respecting which a note in the Official
Catalogue says, '' We notice also a small hawk, of which even
the British Museum cannot boast a representative." The
bird in question appears to be Tinnunculus gracilis ; but, as a
matter of fact, the British Museum has possessed two examples
of it for some years past, one of them presented by Mr. E.
Newton, C.M.G. Some bones of the Dodo are also exhibited.
Passing to Africa, the Cape Colony section contains a
mounted group of Gannets, Penguins, and Cormorants, with
their nests and eggs, from lehaboe — virtually an advertise-
ment of the guano found on that island. On the wall oppo-
site is a collection of well-made skins, labelled Avith dates and
localities, exhibited by Mr. W. Ayres, probably a son of our
valued correspondent Mr. Thomas Ayres of Transvaal. In the

SER. V, VOL, IV. 2l

470 Ornithology in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition.

Natal section^ on either side of the court, are cases of named
and mounted birds; a group consisting of a pair of the
handsome white-bellied Circaetus cinereus, with a few smaller
birds ; and eight cases of well-prepared skins, exhibited, so
far as can be gathered from the Catalogue, by the Natal
Commission. From the Gold Coast there are two cases of
mounted birds, and a fine nest of a species of Euplectes ; while
Gambia contributes an excellent collection of some 150 skins
sent by Capt. Moloney, C.M.G., and determined by Capt. G.
E. Shelley, thereby having acquired distinct scientific value.

The Australian colonies make a fine shoAv : especially
Queensland, which exhibits two large and attractive groups of
birds and mammals, set up by Mr. Rowland Ward, also a case
of skins ; besides the large group at the end of the gallery,
the feature of which is a Wedge-tailed Eagle carrying a
young Wallaby to its brood. Victoria, in addition to a similar
group, has a case of the little Blue Penguins [Eudtjptula]
and a collection of eggs. Western Australia exhibits a fine
case of birds and mammals, mounted by Mr. E. Gerrard,
jun. ; while New South Wales is rich in New Guinea Paradise-
and other birds. Some time after the opening of the
Exhibition a collection of about 200 specimens was added by
Mr. H. H. Romilly, H.M.^s High Commissioner for New
Guinea. It is stated to have been obtained in the interior of
New Guinea^ above Port Moresby, and contains examples of
several of Karl Hunstein^s best discoveries, such as examples
of females of Paradisornis I'udolphi [antea, p. 252, pi. vii.)
and males of Amblyornis subalaris (p. 257), showing the deep
orange-red erectile crest. It is unfortunate that some of the
best of these specimens have been spoilt by bad mounting.

In the New Zealand Court there are no less than 12 cases
of birds mounted by Burton and Sons, and exhibited by
Mr. S. W. Silver ; but the scientific value of the collection
is impaired by the introduction of several species which
have no connection with New Zealand, such as a Brazilian
Tanager, a Lyre-bird, and an Australian Thicknee. The
Canterbury Museum, presided over by Professor Sir Julius
von Haast, exhibits mounted skeletons of Dinornis maximus,

On Birds from several West-Indian Islands. 471

D. elephantopus, and D. didiformis, also some boues of other
extinct species, such as Cnemiornis, Haptornis, Harpagornis,
and Megalapteryx. In the same case a fine collection of
representative birds is labelled as exhibited by Mr. William
Sparkes; there are also cases of Kakapo, Kaka, and Kea
Parrots; and Mr. G. Fydell Rowley sends his celebrated
Moa^s egg, said to be unique. Altogether New Zealand
makes a very fine show, not merely in ornithology but also
in other branches of natural history. Fiji contributes an
interesting group of mounted birds.

In the New World, Canada stands foremost with the fine
collections exhibited by the Geological and Natural-History
Surveying Department and by Mr. Hubbard, beneath his
Rocky Mountain trophy, which no visitor can fail to notice.
It contains, besides other objects of interest, three examples
of what appears to be the Dwarf Snow-Goose {Chen rossi).
Dr. Anderson of Quebec sends one small case of birds.
British Guiana exhibits some mounted birds, a small collection
of eggs, and a number of skins sent by Dr. C. G. Young.
Santa Lucia, Grenada, and Tobago also contribute specimens
of their avifauna, the last-named island exhibiting three
attractive cases of nests, eggs, and parent birds. And with
this I close the enumeration of the objects which I have
been able to note, hoping that nothing of greater interest
or rarity may still lurk unrecorded in some corner of the
Exhibition,
loth Jixly, 1886.

XLV. — On a Collection of Birds from several little-known
Islands of the fVest Indies. By Charles B. Cory.

During the past winter (1885-6) an enterprising young
collector, Mr. W. B. Richardson, has been visiting the West
Indies. The ornithological results of his trip have been
forwarded to me for identification and prove to be of much
interest, including examples of three supposed new species
(i.e. Loxigilla barbadensis, Thryothorus guadeloupensis. and

2l2

472 Mr. C. B. Cory on Birds from several

Loxigilla richardsoni, described in 'The Auk' for July^ 1886,
pp. 381-382), and of another species new to the Antilles.

Barhadoes.
Sixty-three skins were sent from Barbadoes, referable to
twelve species, which were as follows : —

Dendrceca capitalis, Lawr.
Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.).
Certhiola barbadensis, Baird.
ViREO cALiDRis (Linn.),
i Loxigilla barbadensis, Cory.
Euetheia bicolor (Linn.).
QuisCALUS fortirostris, Lawr.
Elainea martinica (Linn.).
EuLAMPis holosericeus (Linn.).
Bellona cristata (Linn.).
Columbigallina passerina (Linn.).
Ardea virescens (Linn.).

St. Vincent.

The lot from St. Vincent contained one hundred and
seventy-five specimens of twenty-three species.

Merula nigrirostris (Lawr.).

Merula caribb^a (Lawr.).

This bird is allied to M. gymnophthalma (Cab.), from which
I did not think it separable until I received the St. Vincent
specimens. West-India birds seem to be more grey or ash-
coloured, instead of brown ; the bare skin round the eye is
bright yellow in specimens from St. Vincent, and those from
Grenada are probably the same.

Myiadestes sibilans, Lawr.

Cinclocerthia ruficauda (Gould).

MiMus GiLvus (Vieill.).

Thryothorus musicus, Lawr.

little-known Islands of the West Indies. 473

Certhiola saccharina, Lawr.
Certhiola atrata, Lawr.
ViREO calidris (Linn.).

Calliste VERSICOLOR, Lawr.

This form is nearly allied to C. cucullata, but distinguished
from it by several slight diflFerences which appear to be
constant.

LoxiGiLLA NOCTis (Linn.).

EuETHEiA BicoLOR (Linn.).

Elainea martinica (Linn.).

Myiarchus oberi, Lawr,

Tyrannus rostratus, Sclater.

ChjEtura poliura (Temm.) .

Three specimens of this interesting species were in the
collection. I am not aware of any previous record of it from
the West Indies.

EuLAMPis jUGULARis (Linn.).

Bellona cristata (Linn.).

Ckotophaga ani (Linn).

CoccYGUs MINOR (Gmcl.).

Buteo latissimus (Wils.).

Urubitinga anthracina (Licht.).

GeoTRYGON MONTANA (LiuU.).

Marie Galante.

From this little-known island Mr. Richardson has forwarded
sixty-seven skins of thirteen species of birds.
Dendrceca rufigula, Baird.
Dendrceca plumbea, Lawr.
Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.).
Certhiola dominicana (Taylor),
ViREo CALIDRIS (Linn.)
LoxiGiLLA noctis (Linn.).

EUETHEIA BICOLOR (LiuU.).

474 On Birds from several West-Indian Islands.

Elainea martinica (Linn.).
QuiscALUs GUADELOuPENSis, Lawr.
Eulampis holosericeus (Lawr.).
Bellona cristata (Linn.).
Falco sparverius cARiBBiEARUM (Gmel.).
Gallinula galeata (Licht.).

La Desirade.

This island, according to Mr. Richardson, is sparsely wooded,
and birds are scarce; fifty-seven specimens of eleven species
were procured here.

Margarops densirostris (VieilL).

Marqarops montanus (Vieill.).

Certhiola dominicana (Taylor).

Loxigilla noctis (Linn.).

Euetheia bicolor (Linn.).

Eulampis holosericeus (Linn.) ,

Bellona cristata (Linn.).

Falco sparverius caribb^earum (Gmel.).

COLUMBIGALLINA PASSERINA (Linn.).

Ardea virescens (Linn.).
Phaethon ^thereus (Linn.).

Grand Terre.

This is but narrowly separated from Guadeloupe, and is
practically the same island; the country is low. Mr.
Richardson has sent seventy-six specimens representing
fifteen species obtained here.

CiNCLOCERTHIA RUFICAUDA (Gould).

Thryothorus guadeloupensis, Cory.
Dendr(eca RUEiGULA, Baird.
Dendr(eca plumbea, Lawr.
Setophaga rutictlla (Linn.).
Certhiola dominicana (Taylor).

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 475

ViREo CALiDRis (Linn.).
Saltator guadeloupensis, Lawr.
Elainea martinica (Linn.).
Tyrannus rostratus^ Sclater.
EuLAMPis HOLOSERicEUS (Linn.).
EuLAMPis jUGULARis (Linn.).
Bellona cristata (Linn.).
Geotrygon mystacea (Temm.).
Ardea virescens (Linn.).

Mr. Richardson stopped several days in St. Lucia, but
collected nothing there, not being able to procure a permit
to shoot birds from the authorities; but he purchased a
number of skins from a native living in the interior of the
island, and among them examples of a black Loxigilla already
described ('Auk/ 1886, p. 382) as a supposed new species.
The lot contained examples of ten species.

Myiadestes sanct^-luci^, Stejn.

CiNCLOCERTHIA MACRORHYNCHA (Sclatcr).

Ramphocinclus brachyurus (Vieill.).
Dendrceca delicata (Ridgw.).
Leucopeza semperi, Sclater.
Certhiola martinicana, Reich.

LOXIGILLA RICHARDSONI, Cory.

Euphonia flavifrons (Sparrm.),
Icterus laudabilis, Sclater.
CoNTOPUs LATiRosTRis, Vcrr.

XLVI. — On a Collection of Birds from Fao, in the Persian
Gulf. By R. Bowdler Sharpe, F.L.S. &c. With Notes
by the Collector, W. D. Gumming.

The British Museum has received during the past year a
valuable series of birds from Mr, W. D. Gumming, who is
stationed at Fao, and is a most energetic collector. The

476 Mr. K. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

notes sent by him (which are enclosed in brackets) contain
very instructive information on the migration of some of
the species observed, while his account of the nesting of
HypocoUus is an interesting record of a hitherto unknown
fact.

1. Circus macrurus (Gm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B, Brit. Mus.
i. p. 67 (1874) ; Blanf. East. Persia, ii. p. 110 (1876).

No. 58. An adult and a youug male, the latter losing the
brown immature plumage. [Shot in November 1884.]

No. 44. A male and female in immature plumage. [Shot
in September 1884. Winter visitant.]

2. BuTEo DESERTORUM (Daud.) ; Sharpc, t. c. p. 179.
No. 103. One of the specimens sent is in the dark plumage

of so-called B. menetriesi.

[Winter visitant. Shot on 9th and 10th September, 1884.]

3. NisAETUS PENNATUs (Gm.) ; Sharpc, t.c. p. 253.
Aquila pe7inata, Blanf. t. c. p. 112.

No. 99. A male and female in light plumage and one in
the melanistic phase.

[Winter visitant. The black one was shot on the 9th of
September, 1884, and the other two on the 23rd of the same
month ; they were seated together on an old mud fort.]

4. MiLvus KORSCHUN (Gm.) ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 322.
Milvus migrans, Blanf. /. c. p. 114.

No. 48. Tavo specimens.

[These Kites visit Fao frequently during the year, but do
not remain longer than a couple of days at a time, roostiug
at night on the date-trees.

During the winter they are more frequently seen circling
overhead.

From March to April large flocks migrate from S. to N.]

5. Pernis apivorus (L.) ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 341.
No. 107. An example in uniform brown plumage.
[Winter visitant. Shot September 22, 1884.]

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 477

6. Falco subbuteo (L.) ; Sliarpe^ /. c. p. 395 ; Blauf. /. c.
p. 105.

No. 98. An adult male and female and a young male.
[Winter visitant.]

7. Scops giu (L.) ; Sharpe^ op. cit. ii. p. 47; Blanf. /. c.
p. 115.

[Only three specimens shot, October 10, 1883, April 22,
1884, and one in October of the same year. Did not observe
any others.]

8. Asio ACCiPiTRiNUs (Pall.); Sharpe, t. c. p. 234.
Otus brachyotus, Blanf. /. c. p. 116.

No. 39. An adult male and an immature male and female.

[Only three specimens secured, all in your possession.

The male in good plumage was shot on the morning of
the 12th March- he rose from some lucerne whilst I was after
Quail.

The two others were shot, one on the evening of the 17th,
and the other on the morning of the 19th of September, about
the same locality.]

9. Strix flammea, L. ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 291.
[The only specimen, shot in February 1885.]

10. CoRvus CAPELLANUs, Scl. ; Sharpe, op. cit. iii. p. 32.
Mr. Gumming sends the nest and eggs of this Crow.
[Resident. Breeding from the 15th of February to the

end of March.]

11. Oriolus galbula, L. ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 191 ; Blanf. t. c.
p. 219.

No. 91. Two specimens.

[Migratory. Passing north-westwards in May and June,
and returning in September accompanied by young birds
when they stay for some days.]

12. Hypocolius ampelinus, Bp.; Sharpe, t. c. p. 316.
Up to the present time very little is known of this rare and

curious bird. A few specimens have been recorded from N.E.
Africa, and it appears to extend at least as far as the Niam-

478 Mr. R, B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

Niam country, where it was met with by Signer Piaggia.
Von Heuglin seems not to have come across the species in
life ; and beyond the fact that a specimen was in the British
Museum from the White Nile, and three specimens collected
by Botta were in the Leiden Museum^ no other locality was
known until Mr. Blanford received a specimen from Sind
('Ibis/ 1875, p. 387). Unfortunately no date of capture is
given of the last-named example. A specimen obtained by
Dr. O. T. Duke, on the 20th of April, at Nal in Kelat, is in
the Hume Collection ; it is apparently an adult female.

The male is properly described by Von Heuglin in his
' Ornithologie Nordost-Afrika's/ with the exception of the
colour of the quills, which are said to be pure white at the
ends, whereas, as Mr. Blanford has already pointed out, the
outer primaries are shaded with brown at the ends.

My description of the adult male in the ' Catalogue '
(vol. iii. p. 316) appears to be correct; but coming from
Africa the specimen is doubtless in winter plumage, and the
colours are not quite so clear as in the breeding-plumage —
that is to say that the back is purer grey, the isabelline and
black of the crown are both more intense, and the colours of
the underparts also rather richer in the birds from Fao.
The bill is yellowish with a horny brown tip, in the White-
Nile bird; but whether this is an evidence of winter dress or
is due to exposure to the light in our gallery, I cannot say
for certain. In the breeding males the bill is jet-black.

The female in breeding-plumage differs from the male, as
described by Von Heuglin, in wanting the black on the
head and face, as well as on the wings, the primaries being
brown to the ends, edged and fringed at the tips with greyish
white; the tail-feathers ashy grey or drab, with narrow
whitish tips, the feathers being subterminally blackish, but
not to the same extent as in the male.

[Arriving from S.E. early in April. First individuals
observed in 1884 were a small flock of six birds flying over
telegraph buildings on the 10th of April. On the 11th my
collector brought me a female that he had shot.

It is not till the middle of June that they breed.

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 479

In 1883^ first eggs were brought by an Arab about the
13th of June, and on the 15th of the same month I found a
nest containing two fresh eggs. In 1884, on the 14th of
June, a nest was brought me containing four fresh eggs, and
on the 15th I found a nest containing also four fresh eggs.

2nd July, I came across four young birds able to fly. On
the 3rd, three nests were brought, one containing two fresh
eggs, another three young just fledged, and the other four
eggs slightly incubated. On the 9th another nest, containing
four young just fledged, was brought. On the 15th I saw a
flock of small birds well able to fly; on the 18tli I found a
nest containing four young about a couple of days old, and
on the 20th a nest containing three eggs well incubated
was brought from a place called " Goosba " on the opposite
bank (Persian side) of the river.

The nests are generally placed on the leaves of the date-
palm, at no very great height. The highest I have seen was
built about ten feet from the ground, but from three to five
feet is the average height.

They are substantial and cup-shaped, having a diameter of
about 3:1 inches by 2| inches in depth, lined inside with fine
grass, the soft fluff from the willow when in seed, wool, and
sometimes hair.

The eggs are of a glossy leaden white, with leaden-coloured
blotches and spots towards the larger end, sometimes forming
a ring round the larger end, and at times spreading over the
entire egg.

On rare occasions I have noticed a greenish tinge in very
fresh eggs. This, I think, is due to the colour of the inner
membrane, which is generally a very light green, in some
very faint and in others more decided ; this tinge seems to
disappear after the egg is blown.

Very rough measurements are as follows : — 0"'9 x 0"*63 ;
0"-83x0"-63; 0"-83xO"-6; 0"-83x0"-66; 0"-86xO"-66.

In 1883 I managed to rear a young bird, feeding it on
bread steeped in water and lots of flies.

It used to fly about my room and the verandah, but
always came to me when I showed it a fly. Unfortunately,

480 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

one day I was rubbing up some brass hinges, and left them
to steep in salad-oil into which a fly tell ; the bird immediately
seized and swallowed it, and in a few hours after got a fit,
which recurred several times during the next two days, and
on the third day it died.

1 have known the old birds forsake a nest after it has been
once examined, and even to stop building when it has been
observed, and leave the locality altogether.]

13. MusciCAPA GRisoLA, L. ; Sharpc, op. cit. iv. p. 151 ;
Blanf. t.c. p. 143.

[No. 85, shot 10th May, 1884.

No. 90, shot 14th May, 1884. Apparently the only birds
seen by me.]

14. MusciCAPA PARVA, Bcchst. ; Sharpe, op. cit. iv. p. 161.
Erythrosterna parva, Blanf. t. c. p. 144.

No, 116, a young bird.

[Shot 10th October, 1884. Only bird observed.]

15. Pratincola RUBETEA (L.) ; Sharpe, /. c. p. 179 ; Blanf.
t. c. p. 146.

[No. 81. Migratory ; arriving in winter and staying till
spring.

The one in your possession was shot in May 1884 ; one
other I shot in November 1883.]

16. Pratincola hemprichii (Ehr.) ; Sharpe, /. c. p. 193;
Blanf. t. c. p. 145.

No. 50. Two males and a female.

Although not showing quite so much white on the tail as
Abyssinian specimens, all the examples sent by Mr. Gumming
have the base of the tail conspicuously white.

[Winter visitant, shot in November and March.]

17. Sylvia nisoria (Bechst.) ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Brit.
Mus. V. p. 6 (1881) ; Blauf. t. c. p. 174.

[No. 86. Shot in May; most probably found in spring aud
autumn.]

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 481

18. Sylvia cinerea, Bechst. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 8.
No. 67. One specimen.

[Migratory, arriving and leaving along with S. atricapilla.]

19. Sylvia atricapilla (L.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 23 ; Blanf.
t. c. p. 174.

No. QQ. Males and females sent.

[Abundant in the spring, frequenting mostly the mul-
berry-trees, which are in fruit at this time of the year (April
and May) . It again visits us in September and October, but
is with difficulty discovered, owing to its skulking habits, and
is quite mute. Shot in April and November.]

20. Phylloscopus trochilus (L.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 56.
No. 112. Three specimens.

[Autumn and spring visitor; shot on March ]7th, and on
September 26th, 1884.]

21. Phylloscopus tristis (L.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 63;
Blanf. t. c. p. 180.

[No. 89. Migratory ; shot in March and May.]

22. Phylloscopus rufus (Bechst.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 60.
[No. 42. Migratory; seen during March, April, and May.]

23. Hypolais obsoleta, Severtz. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 86.
This rare Warbler was not represented in the British

Museum, and is a welcome addition to our collection.
[Only specimen secured, in November 1884.]

24. Acrocephalus phragmitis, Seebohm, t. c. p. 132.
[No. 77, I believe this bird to be a resident, for I have

frequently seen it among the long grass that clothes both
sides of the river near its inouth, whilst after other game.
The one sent to the Museum was shot on the 1st of May,
1884, among some grass growing in a marsh just outside the
telegraph compound.]

25. Acrocephalus turdoides (Meyer) ; Seebohm, t. c.
p. 95.

Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Blanf. t. c. p. 195.
[No. 79. Seen during spring and autumn.]

482 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

26. AcRocEPHALUs STREPERUS (V.); ScelDohm, ^ c. p. 102;
Blanf. /. c. p. 196.

A carbolized specimen.

27. AcRocEPHALUs PALUSTRis (Bcclist.) ; Seebolim, t. c.
p. 101 ; Blanf. t. c. p. 197.

[No. 43. Migratory ; seen in March and April. The one
in your possession was shot on the 18th of March, 1884.]

28. TuRDus Musicus, L. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 191 j Blanf.
/. c. p. 156.

No. 46. An adult specimen.

[Migratory. Only one specimen, shot in March 1884.]

29. Erithacus PHILOMELA (Bechst.) ; Seebohm, t. c.
p. 295.

No. 82. Three specimens.
[Arriving in autumn and staying till spring.
I have shot them in October and January, and one was
found dead in a small date-tree on the 8th o£ May, 1884.]

30. Erithacus gutturalis (Guerin) ; Seebohm, f. c.
p. 304.

No. 71. Male and female.

[Migratory ; seen from March to June, generally in pairs.]

31. Erithacus cyaneculus (Wolf) ; Seebohm, ^ c. p. 311.
No. 59. An adult male.

[Migratory, arriving in March; seen throughout April up
to the middle of May. Generally in pairs.]

32. Monticola saxatilis (L.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 313 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 156.

No. 61. Adult male ; No. 73. Adult female.
[Migratory, arriving in April and staying till May.
No. 61 was shot on the 2nd of April, 1884, at Dora, about
twenty miles above Fao.

No. 73 was shot on the 25th of the same month at Fao.]

33. Ruticilla mesoleuca (H. & E.) ; Seebohm, i. c.
p. 338.

No. 16. An adult male in breeding-plumage. This is a

Mr. R. B. Sliarpe on Birds from Fao. 483

slightly more eastern locality for the species than any hitherto
recorded.

[Migratory; seen during April, May, and June.]

34. Saxicola morio, H. & E. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 372 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 152.

No. 121. A male in nearly full plumage, and a second
male in winter dress.

[Occurs from autumn to spring. The specimen sent was
shot in October.]

35. Saxicola moesta, Licht. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 382.

No. 36. An adult male. This is a more easterly locality
than has hitherto been recorded for the species.

[Migratory. I have only observed these in August and
September, and again in March and April.]

36. Saxicola deserti, Temm. ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 383 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 148.

[No. 35. Winter visitant from August to May.]

37. Saxicola melanoleuca (Giild.) j Seebohm, t. c. p. 385 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 150.

No. 127. A male in full breeding-plumage.
[From autumn to spring.]

38. Saxicola (enanthe (L.) ; Seebohm, t. c. p. 391 ; Blanf.
t. c. p. 146.

[No. 70. Migratory. To be found singly or in pairs
occasionally, during the months of September, October, up
to the middle of November, and again in April and May.]

39. Saxicola isabellina, Cretzschm. ; Seebohm, t. c.
p. 399 ; Blanf. f. c. p. 147.

No. 33. Two specimens.

[To be seen during autumn and winter and well into the
spring. In summer an occasional bird is to be seen ; but
it is always rare, and only after a strong N.W. wind has been
blowing for a few days.]

40. Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould) ; Sharpe, op. cit. vi.
p. 136; Blanf. t.c. p. 218.

An adult bird. Eggs sent.

484 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fno.

[Resident. Breeding in May and June^ and laying from
three to four eggs.]

41. BuRNESiA LEPTDA (Blyth) ; Sliarpe^ op. cit. vii. p. 211.
A very pale grey specimen with the narrow stripings of

B. lepida, but much more ashy than any specimen in the
British Museum.

[Resident. Plentiful among the small bushes.

Breeds from April to June^ laying from five to six eggs.]

42. Argya huttoni (Blyth) ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 394.
Crateropus huttoni, Blanf. t. c. p. 203^ pi. xiii.

Three specimens. They are much paler than typical
A. huttoni, and much less plainly streaked, besides being
smaller in size.

[Resident. A^ery plentiful ; breeding throughout Api'il and
May to the middle of June. The usual number of eggs is
three. On the 19th of June, 1884, I took a nest containing
three fresh eggs. This is of rare occurrence, for by this time
most nests contain young, and many young are seen flying
about the bushes attended by the parent birds.]

43. Lanius minor, Gm.; Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
vol. viii. p. 235 ; Blanf. t. c. p. 137.

No. 75. An adult and a young bird.

[Seen from March to May, and again in August and
September.

Both those sent to the Museum were shot on the 1st of
September, 1884.]

44. Lanius fallax, Finsch ; Gadow, t. c. p. 247, pi. viii.

Seems to me to come nearest to a specimen from Meso-
potamia, obtained by Commander Jones, and determined by
Dr. Gadow to be L. fallax. Of the validity of some of the
species of Lanius admitted by the last-named author I have
the highest doubts.

[The only specimen, secured by me in September 1884,
unless one supplied to the Karachi Museum in the early part
of the year, but not identified by Mr. Murray, is of the
same species.]

Mr. R. B. Sliarpe on Birds from Fao. 485

45. Lanius PHCENicuRoiDES, Severtz. ; Gadow, t. c.p. 278.
No. 122. Adult male ; No. 72. Adult female.

Occurs from September to May.

No. 72 was shot on tlie 17th of Aprils and No. 122 on the
12th of October, 1884.

46. Lanius nubicus, Licht. ; Gadow, t. c. p. 282.
No. 69. Two adult birds.

[Migratory; only seen in March and April, generally in
pairs.]

47. Lanius auriculatus, Miill. ; Gadow, t. c. p. 283 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 138.

No. 56. An adult specimen.

[Seasonal visitant in spring and autumn. Probably breeds
beyond Busreh.]

48. Lanius collurio, L. ; Gadow, t. c. p. 286 ; Blanf. t. c.
p. 137.

No. 83. Two males, one female, and a young bird.

[Excepting during the months of December, January, and
February, and from June to August, i. e. midwinter (rainy
season) and midsummer, I have seen them throughout the
year.

I have shot them on the 5th of May, 1884, in adolescent
stage of plumage, on the 1st and again on the 30th of
September, two young, one adult ; one adult on the 15th of
November.]

49. CoTiLE riparia (L.) ; Sharpe, op. cit. x. p. 96; Blanf.
/. c. p. 216.

[No. 92. Excepting during December and January this
bird is noted by me as being seen throughout the remainder
of the year.]

50. HiRUNDo RUSTicA, L. ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 128 ; Blanf. /. c.
p. 215.

Two specimens in full plumage.

[I believe these birds only leave Fao during midwinter,
i.e. in December and January.

SER. V. — VOL. IV. 2 M

486 Mr. R. B. Sharpe 07i Birds from Fao.

Breeds in the liuts and telegraph buildings in March and
Aprils and lays as many as six eggs.]

51. MoTACiLLA ALBA^ L. ; Sharpc, t. c. p. 464; Blanf.
t. c. p. 232.

No. 10. A young bird in winter plumage.

[Begins to arrive in October and remains till end of April.
Occasionally, but very rarely, I observed a stray bird in the
early part of May 1884.]

52. MoTACiLLA FLAVA, L. j Sharpe, t. c. p. 516, pi. vi.
figs. 3-5.

Budytes flavus, Blanf. t. c. p. 233.

No. 34. Two adult males. Three autumn-plumaged birds
marked 113, 34 a, 34 b.

[To be seen from September to May. In September,
October, April, and May in large flocks. The rest of the
time small flocks occur here and there, but it is more often
in pairs. Not so common as M. alba,']

53. MoTACiLLA FELDEGGi, Michahelles; Sharpe^ /.c. p. 527,
^1. viii. figs. 1-4.

No. 55. A male in full "plumage.

[Migratory, appearing and leaving same time as M.flava.']

54. Anthus TRiviALis (L.) ; Sharpe, t. c. p. 543 ; Blanf.
t. c. p. 235.

[No. 65. Migratory. To be found probably in spring and
autumn.

The one sent to the Museum was shot on the 12th of
April.]

55. Passer flavicollis.

Gymnorhis flavicollis (Frankl.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 256.

[Arriving in April; breeding after the 15tli of May. By
July all nests contain young. Begins to leave again towards
end of August ; by end of September only a stray bird is to
be seen. Nests in holes in the date-trees, laying from five to
six eggs.]

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 487

56. Emberiza hortulana, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 259.
[No. 87. Migratory in spring and autumn.]

57. Emberiza luteola (Sparrm.) ; Hume, Str. F. 1879,
p. 107.

No. 88. An immature bird. This species is not mentioned
by Blanf brd. Unfortunately, Mr. Gumming has no note of
the specimen.

58. Galerita crista ta (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 240.

[No. 22. Resident. Though great numbers migrate away
in April, still here and there they are to be found in pairs,
and from their habits apparently'' breeding ; yet I have not
been fortunate enough to discover their nests, though I have
searched very closely ; neither could I gain any information
from the Arabs whether a nest had been seen or eggs found.
By August they are all back again, accompanied by young
birds.]

59. Caprimulgus europ^us, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 127.
[No. 84. From autumn to spring. An odd one here and

there seen in June 1884.]

60. Cypselus pallidus, Shelley; Dresser, B. Eur. iv.
p. 597, pi. 268.

No. 81. Two specimens, agreeing with Egyptian ones.

[Migratory. I have only seen three specimens, out of
which I shot the two sent to the Museum in March 1884.
All were seen singly,]

61. Merops apiaster.

Merops apiaster, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 122.
[No. 63. Migratory, arriving and leaving at the same time
as M. (Bgyptius.~\

62. Merops ^gyptius, Forst. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 123.

[No. 49. Migratory. In April and May large flocks are
to be seen migrating north-westward of the right bank of the
river (Fao side), apparently from Arabia. They return in
July and August, roosting at Fao for a short time. Each
pair is accompanied by their young at this time.

Supposed to breed about Busreh.]

2m 2

488 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

63. CoRACiAS GARRULA, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 125.

[No. 29. Migratory, passing over in large flocks from
S.E. to N.W. in May. An occasional bird roosts here at
this time. In September and October they return, but in
very small numbers, and stay for a short while.

The Arabs say they breed about thirty miles up the river,
in holes in the date-trees ; but though I have offered high
rewards for their eggs, I have not been able to get any.]

64. CoRACiAs iNDiCA, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 126.
[No. 29 (sic). Migratory.

Only two specimens seen and shot — one on the Persian
side of the river, and the other (sent to the Museum) at
Fao, on an old fort a short distance from the telegraph
buildings,]

65. Alcedo bengalensis, Gm.; Blanf. t.c. p. 121.

[No. 1. A young bird, which I believe to belong to A. ben-
galensis rather than to A. ispida. I was not careful enough,
apparently, in noticing the difference between this bird and
the specimen I supplied to the Karachi Museum, which has
been identified by Mr. Murray as ''Alcedo ispida." Probably
both arrive and stay the same time, i. e. from August to
April.

In 1883 the first bird was seen on the 4th of August ;
after this, up to April 1884, I saw several of these small
Kingfishers perched on the willow and other trees over-
hanging the creeks. I have no note of having seen them
later than April. In 1884 the first observed was on the 11th
of August.]

66. Halcyon smyrnensis (L.) ; Blanf. /. c. p. 121.

No. 2. Arriving and leaving about same time as Alcedo
bengalensis.

[First bird observed in 1883 was on the 2nd of August, and
the last noted Avas on the 4th of April, 1884; from this time
up to the 30th of July I have no note of having observed
any. On the 30th of July I heard the bird, and saw one the
following day. It breeds, I believe, above Busreh. I have
shot young birds in August.]

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 489

67. CucuLus CANORUs, L. ; Blauf. t. c. p. 119.
No. 119. A young bird.

[This single bird was shot by me on the 10th of October,
1884. I frequently thought I had seen Cuckoos flying in
amongst the date-trees during early morning and about
sunset, but was unable to secure any other specimen, though
I tried hard. Never heard any note.]

68. TuRTUR AURiTUS, Gray; Blanf. t.c. p. 270.
Three specimens.

[Arrives in March, leaving in September. Breeds in May
and June, laying two eggs.]

69. COTURNIX COTURNTX (L.).

Coturnix communis, Blanf. t. c. p. 278.
A female.

[Arrives in April, leaving in November. Scarce in June
and July.]

70. Gallinula chloropus (L.) ; Blanf. t. c, p. 288.
[Winter visitant from October to March.]

71. FuLicA ATRA, L. j Blauf. t. c. p. 289.

[No. 6. Have observed the Coot from October up to
March. I shot a single specimen in May 1884. This was the
only bird I saw during the two months March and April. It
was in very poor condition, and, probably owing to its weak
state, the bird was unable to continue its flight, and rested,
with intent to move forward after a day or so ; but chance
brought it across my path, and I nipped its intentions in the
bud.]

72. PORZANA PORZANA (L.).

Porzana m,aruetta, Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 267, pi. 496.
[No. 118. Resident, from the autumn to spring.]

73. Porzana bailloni (V.) ; Dresser, t. c. p. 275, pi. 497.
[No. 120. Shot in October. Occurs from autumn to

spring.]

490 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

74. Crex crex (L.).

Crex pratensis, Blanf. /. c. p. 288.

[The Corn- Crake arrives in April. A stray bird is to be
met with in June and July. They begin to increase in
numbers from August, but lessen again towards mid
November. By the commencement of December they
appear to have all gone.]

75. Ardea cinerea, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 295.
[Resident^ breeding near Abdulla Bank.]

7Q>. Ardea purpurea, L. ; Blanf. i. c. p. 295.

No. 41. Two young specimens.

[Resident, breeding in March and April near Abdulla

Bank.]

77. Ardetta minuta (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296.

[No. 93. I cannot say I have seen this bird often, as it
is very shy, but have heard its call throughout spring and
summer immediately after sunset. The one sent to the
Museum was caught alive in an old watercourse, where it
was hiding in a hole on one side of the embankment.]

78. Demiegretta gularis, Bosc ; Hume, Str. F. 1879,
p. 114.

No. 11. An adult in worn grey plumage, and a second
specimen in white plumage with remains of ashy feathers.

79. Demiegretta asha.
[No. 11. Permanent resident.

In young birds the plumage is white, beginning to change
about the fifth month, and by the eighth month they have
completed their ashy plumage.

In April 1884, out of a consignment of eggs of D. asha
brought from the Korseit side, there were several hatched in
the boxes in which they were packed ; from these I took half
a dozen to try and bring up by hand. With great trouble I
succeeded with three, feeding them with finely chopped
mudfish (Gobius viridipu7ictatus and G. polynema). They
became quite domesticated, and would fly all about the

Mr. R, B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao. 491

place_, returning three times a day regularly for their meals.
It was quite amusing to watch their return from their
rambles^ seldom arriving together; those first home always
appeared glad when the later ones arrived^ advancing to meet
them at a half flying run with open wings, cawing a sort of
welcome, and when they met there would be a deal of bow-
ing and scraping and a little dance, partaken in by the new
arrivals ; then they would run ofi" to their roos ting-place,
where a second performance would be gone through by the
whole company, a sort of " all hands round '' !

They all came to an unfortunate end. The Arabs con-
sider these birds a great delicacy as an article of food, and
unfortunately all my birds one after the other fell victims to
the Arab sportsman. As each was shot, the rest appeared to
mourn their loss greatly ; for all through the night at intervals
they would give a single caw, repeated on each occasion four
or five times. The next day they refused their food till late
in the day and kept in the vicinity of the telegraph buildings
for two or three days, after which they gained confidence and
went out on their former excursions. All met the same fate.]

80. Herodias garzetta (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296,

[No. 110. Resident. Supposed to breed near Abdulla
Bank.]

81. ArDEA com ATA, Pall.

Ardea ralloides, Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 251.
[No. 32. Resident. Supposed to breed in same localities
as Demiegretta gularis.^

82. BUBULCUS IBIS, Bp.

Ardea ibis, Blanf. t. c. p. 296.

[No. 60. Resident. Supposed to breed in the same
localities as Demiegretta gularis.~\

83. Nycticorax gkiseus (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296.

[Nos. 18, 20. Arriving in October and leaving in May.
One or two large flocks frequent the same clump of date-
trees yearly.]

493 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Fao.

84. Glareola PRATiNCOLA (L.) ; Blanf. /, c. p. 282.
No. 78. Three specimens^ an adult and two young.
[Migratory. The adult was shot on the 24th of April,

and the two young birds on September 3rd^ 1884, The only
specimens seen.]

85. ^GIALITIS DUBIA (ScOp.) .

/Egialitis curonica, Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 491, pi. 524.

[No. 47. One specimen. Only two birds observed, one
of which was shot by my brother on the 19tli of March,
when he was staying with me at Fao for a couple of months.
I think they must be more common ; but I have not noticed
any others.]

86. Chabadrius geoffroyi, Wagl.
jEgialitis geoffroyi, Dresser, t. c. p. 475, pi. 521.

[No. 62. One specimen. Winter visitant. The one sent
to you was shot on the 9th of March, 1884.]

87. ToTANus cANESCENs (Gm.) ; Dresser, B. Eur. viii.
p. 173, pi. 570.

[No. 104. Winter visitant.]

88. ToTANUs CALiDRis (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 285.
Nos. 114, 116.

[Winter visitant. Shot in November and December.]

89. Terekia ciNEREA (Giild.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 283.

[No. 115. Winter visitant. One specimen; shot on the
nth of September, 1884.]

90. NuMENius PH^opus (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 286.
Winter visitant.

[No. 80. Arriving in July and leaving in March.]

91. NUMENIUS ARQUATA (L.).

[No. 96. The same as the preceding.]

92. Gallinago major (Gm.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 282.
No. 74. Two specimens.

[Migratory. Seen only in April 1884.]

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Bushire. 493

93. Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pall.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 294.
No. 105. In winter plumage.

[Resident throughout the year.]

94. Sterna saUxNtdersi, Hume^ Str. F. 1877^ p. 326.

No. 52. An adult and an immature skin, both bearing out
the characters given by Mr. Hume for the species.

[Resident, breeding near Abdulla Bank, Turkish Arabia.]

95. Sterna anglica, Mont. ; Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. 295,
pi. 585.

[No. 13. Resident. Breeding in the vicinity, on both the
Persian and Turkish sides.]

96. Spatula clypeata (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 301.

[No. 97. Winter visitant, arriving in September and
leaving in March. The one sent to the Museum was ob-
tained during the current year by my collector, at Fao.]

97. QuERQUEDULA ciRciA (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 301.
[Nos. 40, 101. Winter visitant, from September to March.
No. 40, shot on the 13th of March, 1884.

No. 101, on the 15th of September, 1884.]

98. PoDicEPs MINOR (Gm.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 304.
[Arrives in September, leaving in February.]

99. PoDiCEPS cristatus (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 304.

[No. 117. Winter visitant. The only bird shot by me was
procured on the 21st of October, 1884.

I believe I saw a Grebe just off the mouth of the river in
January, 1884, when paying a visit to the Pelicans^ nests.]

XLYII. — On a Collection of Birds from Bushire, in the
Persian Gulf. By R. Bowdler Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S.,
&c., Zoological Department, British Museum.

FoLLOAviNG closely on the interesting collections sent by
Mr. Gumming, as recorded in the foregoing paper, the
Museum has received a valuable consignment from Mr. A.
J, V. Palmer, from Bushire. Most of the species are

494 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Bushire.

recorded by Mr. Blanford, but Hypocolius ampelinus and
Emberiza cinerea are not mentioned by him. The list of the
specimens should be compared with that of Mr. Cumming's
collection.

1. Circus macrurus (Gm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
i. p. 67; Blanf. East. Persia_, ii. p. 110.

Two specimens. Bushire, April 1885. One is a male in
full plumage.

2. Cerchneis tinnunculus (L.) ; Sharpe, t. c. i, p. 425.
Tinnunculus alaudarius, Blanf, t. c. p. 105.

Bushire, March 1885. An interesting specimen, in full
change to the adult plumage of the male.

3. Scops giu. Scop.; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 47; Blanf. t. c.
p. 115.

Three specimens. Bushire, March 1885. One female
was shot among some broken cliffs on the seashore.

4. Oriolus galbula, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 219.

Male and female. Bushire, April 1885. Shot in row of
date-trees.

5. Hypocolius ampelinus, Bj). ; Sharpe, Cat. B. iii.
p. 316.

Male. Bushire, April 20, 1885.

This species was not met with by Mr. Blanford during
his travels in Persia.

6. MuscicAPA grisola, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 143.

An adult male, Bushire, April 12, 1885. Shot in open
field.

7. MusciCAPA atricapilla, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p, 143.

An adult male. Bushire, April 1885. Shot in a garden.

8. Pratincola hemprichi (Ehr.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 145.

a, b. ^ ^ ad. Bushire, March 7, 1885. Shot near old
wall on castor-oil tree.

c. ^ ad. Bushire, March 28, 1885. Shot on grape-vine.

Mr. R. B. Sliarpe on Birds from Bushire. 495

9. Sylvia athicapilla, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 174.

(^ . Busliire^ April 1885. Shot in hedge round grape-
vine,

10. Sylvia curruca (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 175.
Adult. Bushire, April 1885.

11. Sylvia affinis, Blyth; Blanf. t. c. p. '[IQ.

An adult specimen, of which the label has been lost.
Mr. Blanford mentions a specimen which he obtained in
Persia as being probably of this species, and there is now no
doubt of its occurrence in Southern Persia.

12. Sylvia familiaris, Men^tr. ; Seebohm, Cat. B. v.
p. 36.

Aedon familiaris, Blanf. t. c. p. 210.

Bushire, April 1885.

A male and female were obtained, with nests and eggs.

13. Phylloscopus rufus, Bechst. j Seebohm, op. cit. v.
p. 60.

Phylloscopus collyhita, V. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 181.
Adult. Bushire (no date) .

Mr. Seebohm has examined this specimen and considers it
to be true P. rufus.

14. TuRDUs Musicus, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 156.

a. $ ad. Bushire, Jan. 23, 1885.

b. ? ad. Bushire, Feb. 16, 1885.

15. TuRDUs ATRiGULARis, Tcmm. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 158.
Two females. Bushire, Feb. ]6, 1885.

Adult female. Bushire, March 2, 1885.

One of the February specimens shows a good deal of the
black on the throat, while in the March specimens the full
plumage is nearly assumed.

16. Erithacus gutturalis (Guer.) ; Seebohm, op. cit. v.
p. 304.

Cossypha {Irania) gutturalis, Blanf. t. c. p. 161.

An adult male. Bushire, April 1, 1885. Shot in garden.

496 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Bushire.

17. Erithacus cyanecula (Wolf) ; Seebohm^ op. cit. v.
p. 311.

? Cyanecula ivolfi, Blanf. t. c. p. 169.
An adult male. Bushire^ March 28, 1885.
Mr. Blanford did not obtain this species, and Mr. Dresser
was inclined to doubt its occurrence in Persia.

18. EuTiciLLA PHCENicuRA (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 163.

a. ^ ad. Bushire, Feb. 25, 1885.

b, c. $ ad. Bushire, March 5, 1885.
d. S ad. Bushire, April 18, 1885.

This species is now satisfactorily recognized as fi'om
Southern Persia. Mr. Blanford doubtfully identified a
female specimen from Shiraz as belonging to the Common
Redstart (/. c), but Mr. Palmer has now sent me two pairs.

19. RuTiciLLA ERYTHRONOTA (Evcrsm.) ; Blauf. t. c. p. 167.
A male. Bushire, Jan. 27, 1885.

20. MoNTicoLA CYANUS (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 155.

a. S ad. Bushire, March 9, 1885. Shot on wall of old
ruin near a village.

b. $ ad. Bushire, March 16, 1885. Shot in ravines.

c. ? ad. Shot in garden, April 1, 1885.

21. MoNTicoLA sAXATiLis (L.) ; Blauf, t. c. p. 156.

An adult male. Bushire, March 25, 1865. Shot near an
old grape-vine.

22. Saxicola isabellina, Riipp. ; Blanf. t, c. p. 147.
One specimen. Bushire (no date).

23. Saxicola deserti, Riipp.; Blanf. t. c. p. 148.
A male. Bushire, March 16, 1885.

24. Saxicola morio, H. & E.; Blanf. /. c. p. 152.
Males. Bushire, March 13 and 26, 1885.

25. Burnesia lepida (Blyth) ; Sharpe, op. cit. x. p. 211.
Drymceca gracilis, Blanf. t. c. p. 206.

Male. Bushire, Feb. 6, 1885.

Agrees with the Persian specimens collected by Mr. Blan-
ford, and not with the true B. gracilis of Palestine.

Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds from Bushire. 497

26. Lanius collurio, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 137.

a. (^ specimen. Bushire^ April 20, 1885.

27. Lanius auriculatus, Miill.; Blanf. t. c. p. 138.
An adult bird. Bushire April, 1885.

28. HiRUNDo RUSTicA, L. ; Sharpe, o/?. cit. x. p. 128 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 215.

Bushire (no date) . " Two specimens with eggs.^'

29. HiRUNDO RUFULA, Temm. ; Sharpe, op. cit. x. p. 128 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 215.

Two specimens. Bushire (no date). '' With eggs. ■'^

30. MoTACiLLA ALBA, L. ; Sharpc, op. cit. x. p. 457 ;
Blanf. t. c. p. 232.

Male and female. Bushire, Feb. 1885.

31. MoTACiLLA FLAVA, L. j Sharpc, op. cit. X. p. 516;
Blanf. /. c. p. 233.

Two males. Bushire, April 4, 1885. Shot in corn-field.
Adult birds of the ordinary form {cf. Sharpe, t. c. p. 680).

32. Anthus campestris (L.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 237.
Male. Bushire, March 1885.

33. Alauda arvensis, L.; Blanf. t. c. p. 239.
Female. Bushire, Jan. 27, 1885.

The eastern pale form, which is found in Palestine.

34. Melanocorypha bimaculata (Menetr.) ; Blanf. t. c.
p. 244.

Female. Bushire, Jan. 27, 1885.

35. Gymnorhis flavicollis (Frankl.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 256.

Male and female. Bushire, April 1885.

36. Emberiza miliaria, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 257.

Two males. Bushire, Feb. 25, 1885. — Male. Bushire,
March 2, 1885.

All three specimens belong to the paler eastern form
which is found in Persia.

37. Emberiza cinerea, StrickL
Female. Bushire, March 27, 1885.

Apparently a young female of the previous year, as the

498 Mr. R, B. Sharpe on Birds from Bushire.

whole under surface is pale yellow^ with blackish spots on
the throat. New to Persia.

38. Emberiza hortulana, L. ; Blanf, /. c. p. 259.
Male. Bushire, April 10, 1885.

39. Emberiza melanocephala (Scop.) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 260.
Two males. Bushire, April 14, 1885. Shot on hedge in

corn-field.

40. Cypselus apus (L.) ; Blanf. /. c. p. 129.
One specimen. Bushire (no date given).

41. Merops vEGYptius, Forsk. ; Blanf. t.c. p. 123.
Two males. Bushire, April 13 and 18, 1885.

42. Merops apiaster, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 122.
One specimen. Bushire, April 13, 1885.

43. CoRACiAS garrula, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 125.

One specimen. Bushire, April 2, 1885. Shot off a cotton-
bush in the open field.

44. Upupa epops, L. ; Blanf. /. c. p. 130. *

Male. Bushire, Feb. 19, 1885. — Female. Bushire, March
6, 1885.

45. CucuLus cANORUs, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 119.
Several specimens. Bushire, April 1885.

a. Male. April 16. Shot in cotton-bushes.

b. Male. April 16. Shot among the date-trees.

46. Ammoperdix bonhami (Gray); Blanf. /. c. p. 275.
Male. Bushire, Jan. 27, 1885. — Female. Bushire, Feb.

13, 1885.

47. Caccabis chukar, Gray ; Blanf. t. c. p. 275.
Male. Bushire, Feb. 10, 1885.

48. Gallinula chloropus, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 288.
One specimen. Bushire, April 1885.

49. Ardea purpurea, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 295.
Adult. Bushire, 1885.

Mr. O. Salvin on Birds from British Guiana. 499

50. Ardea minuta, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 296.

Adult. Bushire, Marcli IG, 1885.— Adult female. Bu-
shire, April 1885.

51. Ardea comata. Pall.; Blanf. t. c. p. 296, note to A.
gularis.

Two specimens. Bushire, April 1885.

52. Nycticorax griseus (L.) ; Blanf. /. c. p. 296.
Female. Bushire, April 24, 1885.

53. PoDicEPs cRisTATUs, L. ; Blanf. t. c. p. 304,
Female. Busliire, January 1885.

XLVIIT. — A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely
in British Guiana, By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.R.S., &c.

(Plate XII.)

[Continued from p. 181, aucl concluded.]

Since the last portion of this paper was published {antea,
p. 181), Mr. Whitely has again returned to England, after a
stay of about twelve months on the Carimang River, during
which time he made another extensive collection of bird-skins,
and having brought them home with him, he has submitted
them to us for examination.

Mr. Whitely^s collecting-ground was in the vicinity of a
loop of the river indicated in his Map published by the
Royal Geographical Society in 1884 (Proc. R. G. S. 1884,
p. 488), as lying a little to the westward of 61° W. long,,
and elevated about 1500 feet above the sea. From this point
he ascended a mountain on the southern side of the river,
having precipitous sides like those of Roraima, but of con-
siderably less elevation than the far-famed mountains. Its
features Mr. Whitely describes as follows : — '^'^ Twek-quay, as
the mountain is called, is similar to Roraima, and is situated
about 50 miles distant from it, in a N.N.W. direction,
on the southern bank of the Carimang River, below the
junction of the Aruima. The mountain is not so high as

500 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Roraima^ but is of similar form, flat-topped, with vertical
walls, and with a long sloping talus from the foot of the walls
to the savanna country below. It diff'ers from Roraima
in being wooded at the summit and in the foot-slope at one
part giving a comparatively easy access to the top. A further
difference is in the drainage of the summit. On Roraima
the water falls over the edge of the plateau, forming mag-
nificent cascades in the rainy season. On Twek-quay there
are no waterfalls, and the water drains off by a cavity of great
depth in the middle of the plateau.'' (Proc. R. G. S. 1886,
p. 453.)

Though of much lower elevation than the forests of
the slopes of Roraima, the woods of the summit of Twek-
quay have yielded many, if not most, of the upland species of
birds hitherto only known from Roraima. We thus find in
the present collection Tardus roraimce, Microcerculus ustu-
latus, Basileuterus roraim(R, Setophaga castaneocapilla, Hylo-
pJiilus sclateri, CalHste ivMtlerji, Myiobius roraim<E, Chloro-
pipo uniformis, Lathria streptophora, Pipreola whitelyi, Synal-
laxis adusta, and Aidacorhamphus lohitelyanus.

It is evident from this list that the bird-fauna of this
mountain is but an extension of that of Roraima, as, indeed,
a glance at the map would lead us to expect, it being a por-
tion of the same mountain system. The rest of the collec-
tion obtained on the lower grounds consists mainly of speci-
mens of species already recorded in the preceding list. The
additions are as follows : —

1. EUCOMETIS OLEAGINEA, Sp. H.

? . Oleaginea ; fronte, capitis lateribus et gula cinereis ; cor-
pore subtus medialiter aurantiaco-oleagineo; alis nigri-
canti-fuscis ; remigibus cinereo, secundariis oleagineo
extus limbatis ; cauda nigricanti-fusca; rostro corneo,
mandibula ad apicem paullo pallid] ore; pedibus plumbeis. "
Long, tota 7" 75, alse 3*5, caudce rectr. med. 3'5, rectr.
lat. 3'0, tarsi 1*1, rostri a rictu 08.

Hab. Twek-quay Mountain, Carimang River, British
Guiana {Whitebj).

Obs. E. cassini affinis^ sed rostro robusto, dorso toto olea-

from British Guiand. 501

gineo iiec fusco-uigricaute, alis extus oleagineis &c. facile
distinguenda.

Of this species Mr. Whitely unfortunately obtained only a
female specimen, so that I am unable to say whether the male
exhibits brighter colours. It is quite distinct from any
species known to me^ but apparently allied to E. cassini — itself
an aberrant species oi Eucometis [cf. Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves,
i. p. 307). If I am right in my conjecture as to the affinities
of E. oleaginea, the sexes would not differ materially in
coloration.

2. Rhynchocyclus MEGACEPHALIjS (Sw.).
Tyrannula meyacephala, Sw. Orn. Draw. pi. 47.
Rhynchocyclus megacephalus, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 231.
Carimang River.

These specimens agree with others from Pebas in the
Amazons valley^ which stand in our collection under this name
{cf. Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 18G7, p. 978; 1873, p. 280).

3. PioNus vioLACEus (Bodd.).

Pionus violaceus, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 355.
Carimang River. Many specimens.

4. MiCKASTUR MIRANDOLLII (Sclll.).

Micrastur mirandollii, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 365
Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 7Q.

Carimang River.

A species originally described from a Guiana specimen, and
since traced to the Amazons valley and the State of Panama.

5. AcciPiTER TiNUs (Lath.).

Accipiter tinus, Gray, Gen. B. i. pi. 10; Sharpe, Cat. B.
Brit. Mus. i. p. 139.
Carimang River.

6. Ardetta exilis (Gm.).

Ardetta exilis, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water B. N. Am.
i. p. 72.

Carimang River.

A well-known North-American species, also found in
Brazil.

SER. v. VOL. IV. 2 N

502 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Besides the species just mentioned Mr, Whitely obtained
several pairs of Lathria streptophora (Ibis, 1884'; p, 448
pi. 14), the female of wliieh may be described as follows : —

Lathria streptophora.
$ mari similis, sed torque cervicali rosaceo uuUo, crisso
pallide castaneo nee rosaceo differt.

Several pairs of Pipreola whitelyi (Ibis, 1884, p. 449)
are also in the collection, the male being previously unknown.
I take this opportunity of describing the male and figuring
specimens of both sexes of this beautiful bird.

Pipreola whitelyi. (Plate XII.)
(J supra olivaceus,fronte, superciliis et torque cervicali postico
aurantiacis ; subtus cinereus, plaga magna pectorali laete
coccinea utrinque in ochraceum transeunte ; crisso rufes-
cente; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis, extus saturato
ochraceo-brunneo limbatis ; rostro corallino-rubro ;
pedibus pallide rubris. Long, tota 7"0j alee 3"6, caudse
2 7, rostri a rictu 0"75, tarsi 0*85 .

Hab. Roraima (alt. 6000 ft.), Twek-quay Mt. (alt,
3000 ft.).

The male of this fine form turns out to be quite different
from any species hitherto described, and can be compared
with advantage with none of them. The ashy under plumage,
with its distinct scarlet breast-spot, serves to distinguish it
at once from all its congeners.

I have also to notice that Mr. Whitely obtained a male of
the Discura left undetermined in the previous list. It proves
to be inseparable from the Brazilian D. longicaudata. The
specimen was shot on the Carimang Eiver.

It is further necessary to make two corrections in the

foregoing list.

Phonipara fumosa, no. 119, turns out to be identical with
Amaurospiza unicolor of Cabanis, and our specimens are
inseparable from others from Periiambuco {Forbes). This
species must therefore stand as follows : —

11)18.1886 PL XIJ.

JG-Ksulemaxis lith

Ha-Tihart imp.

PIPREOLA WHIPELYI. ^ et ?

from British Guiana. 503

Amaurospiza unicoloRj Cab.

Phonipara famosa, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. p. 390 ; Salv.
Ibis, 1885, p. 215.

Phonijjara phceoptila, Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1881, p. 445.

Paroaria gularis. Cab.

Paroaria nigrigenys, Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 215.

I seem to have wrongly identified Mr. Wlntely^s specimens
with P. nigrigenys. They should be referred to P. gularis.
The true P. nigrigenys is a Venezuelan bird, and has a black
patch behind the eye and a wholly red throat.

SUMMARY.

Before comparing the birds of Guiana with those of the
chief portions of America bearing some relationshij) to
them, it seems necessary to eliminate the migratory species
and also the sea-birds from our consideration. Thus we
have : —

Total number of species in the Guiana list . 625

Less migratory species , 29

sea-birds 7

— 36

Remainder for comparison . . 589

These 589 species are distributed as follows : —

1. Amazons valley, including that of the Rio Negro.
Total number of Guiana species found in

the Amazons valley 377

Less migratory species 17

sea-birds 4

— 21

356
or 6O4 per cent, of the 589 Guiana species.

To enumerate the birds of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador,

2n2

504 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

Peru, and Bolivia which belong more properly to the valleys
of the tributaries of the Amazons rather than to the countries
to which they are assigned would be a very complicated
undertaking and in many cases not at present possible ; but
I estimate roughly that from 35 to 30 per cent, of the species
common to Guiana and the Amazons region do not extend
beyond their limits. Amongst these are several peculiar
forms which show the close connection subsisting between
the two countries. The following genera are thus re-
stricted : — Xenopipo, Neopipo, Phcanicocercus, XipJiolena,
Hamatoderus, Gymnocephalus, Gymnoderus, Rhopoterpe,
Topaza, Urogalba, Deroptyus, Notliocrax, Mitua, Opisthoco-
tnus and Psophia.

2. Venezuela^ including Trinidad.

Total number of Guiana species found in

Venezuela 176

Less migratory species 10

sea-birds ......... 0

— 10

166

or about 27^ per cent, of the 589 Guiana species.

The ornithology of Venezuela has been less systematically
worked than many other parts of South America^ and for
this reason^ doubtless, the number of birds of the Guian
list found in Venezuela does not exceed 176.

The number of species peculiar to Guiana and Venezuela
seems to be quite small, I can only recognize 6 or 7; of
these Chasmorhynchus variegatus and Thyrorhina schomburgki
are the most important.

But there is another Venezuelan element that must not be
overlooked — that is, the evident relationship of a few of the
endemic Guiana species to allied forms of Venezuela to the
exclusion of other parts of America. Of these I may mention
Turdus roraimce, Chloroplionia roraim(B, Calliste whiteiyi,
Brackygalba lugubris, and Aulacorhaniphus whitelyanus.

from British Guiana. 605

3. Colombia.

Total number of Guiana species found iu

Colombia 210

Less migratory species ..... 15
sea-bird . 1

— 16

194

or about 33 per cent, of the 589 Guiana species.

Amongst the 210 species there is hardly one that indicates
any special connection between Guiana and Colombia, as
regards their birds, to the exclusion of other neighbouring
Andean countries.

4. Ecuador.

Total number of Guiana species found in

Ecuador 227

Less migrants 10

sea-birds 2

— 12

215

or about 36^ per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

As in the case of Colombia, hardly any species can be said
to be peculiar to Guiana and Ecuador, but there are a number
of the birds included in the latter country which belong more
probably to the Amazons valley. This fact has served to
unduly raise the percentage of Guiana species found in
Ecuador.

5. Peru.

Total number of Guiana species found in

Peru 307

Less migrants 21

sea-birds 7

— 28

279

or about 47^ per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

506 Mr. O. Salvin o/i Birds

The ornithology of Peru has been recently examined
with great care, and the results given in M. Taczanowski's
' Ornithologie du Perou/ We thus find 307 of our Guiana
birds also meutioned as inhabitants of Peru_, and of these 44
are also found in North America. This leaves 263 of more or
less restricted range, or about 46i per cent, of the Guiana
total less the widely ranging species. and migrants. This
number is largely due to the fact that the Peruvian list
contains a great number of birds belonging strictly to the
Amazons valley.

There seems to be no species peculiar to Peru and Guiana
to the exclusion of the Amazons valley or the Andes of
Ecuador or Colombia. But some of the endemic Guiana
species find their near relations in these Andean countries.

Taking Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru together, with a view
to ascertaining what relation there exists between Guiana
and their more mountainous parts, we find that the following-
species are found in both countries, to the exclusion of the
lower parts of the Amazons valley: — Setophaga verticalis,
Calliste nigricincta, Pyranga ardens, Zunotrichia pileata, Och-
thoeca setopliagoides, Contopus ardesiacus, Colomba albilineata.

And the following genera are represented in both districts
by allied species : — Tardus, Basileuterus , Diglossa, Chloro-
phonia, Buarremon, Catamenia, Piprites, Pipreola, Heliodoxa,
Petasophora, the species of neither country being found in
the intermediate lowlands.

6. Bolivia,

Total number of Guiana birds found in

Bolivia 102

Less migrants 2

sea-birds 0

— 2

100
or about 17 per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

Of the endemic Guiana species it is worthy of note that
Basileuterus roraimce, B. mesoleucus, Setopliaga castaneo-

from British Guiana. 507

capilla, and Buarremon personatus all have their nearest
allies in Bolivia^ and that Buteo unicolor has been recorded
from the two countries alone.

7. S.E. AND Central Brazil.

Total number of Guiana birds found in

S.E. and Central Brazil 214

Less migrants 17

sea-birds 6

— 23

191

or about 33 per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

The following species have only been recorded from
Guiana and Brazil : — Atticora melanoleuca, Sy calls citrina,
Platyrhijyichus mystaceus, Lochmias nematura, Discura longi-
cauda, and Dromococcya; pavoninus.

Cotile fucata, too, is a Brazilian species, but is also found
in the Argentine Republic.

8. Argentine Republic.

Total number of Guiana birds found in the

Argentine Republic 25

Less migrants 2

sea-birds 0

— 2

23

or about 4 per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

A few widely-ranging species of the following families
make up the above 23 species, viz. : — Mniotiltidse, Vireonidse,
Hirundinida3, Tyrannidae, Dendrocolaptidse, Cypselidfe, Alce-
dinidse, Cuculidse, Strigidae, Accipitridse, CiconiidsBj Plataliidse,
Anatidse. Cotile fucata (also found in Brazil) is the only
species of somewhat restricted range occurring in Guiana and
also in the Argentine Republic.

508 Mr. O. Salvin on Birds

9. Central America and Mexico.
Total number of Guiana birds found in

Central America and Mexico ... 196

Less migrants 27

sea-birds 6

— 33

163

or about 27^ per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

These 163 Central-American birds are almost all found
in the intermediate countries, Venezuela, or Colombia, so
that Guiana can hardly be said to liaA^e any special relation-
ship to Central America. The only point that occurs to me
in this connection is the affinity of the newly described Euco-
metis oleaginea to E. cassini, a bird of Southern Central
America and the northern part of Colombia, no allied species
being found in the intermediate country.

10. West Indies.
Total number of Guiana birds found in the

West Indies . 52

Less migrants 23

sea-birds 6

— 29

23

or about 4 per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

As there are no species common to the West Indies and
Guiana exclusively, this small percentage of common resident
species of wide range shows that the connection between
Guiana and the West Indies is very slight indeed.

11. North America.
Total number of Guiana birds found in

North America 61

Less migrants 29

sea-birds 5

or about 4^ per cent, of the 589 Guiana birds.

34
27

from British Guiana. 509

These 27 species include wide-ranging species such as
Milviilus tyrannus, Ceryle americana, Chamtppelia passerina,
andStrigcs (2), Accipitres (6)^ Herodioues (8), Ciconiidse (2),
Plataliidse (2), Phcenicopteridaj (1)^ Rallidse (2)^ none of
them calling for special comment.

12. Species endemic in Guiana.

Total number 92

or about 16 per cent, of the 589 Guiana species.

These 92 species include birds not only of the mountain
ranges but also of the lowlands, and comprise chiefly Passeres
(61) ; but the following orders are also represented : — Macro-
CHiRES [Trochilidse (7), Cypsclidse (1), Caprimulgidse (2)] ;
Pici (6); Coccyges [Galbulidte (1), Bucconidse (l),Cucu-
lidffi {!), Rhamphastidse (3), Capitouidte (1)] ; Psittaci (5);
Geranomorph^ [Psophiidae (1)] ; Limicol^ [Scolopacidae
(1)] ; Crypturi (1).

The most strikingly peculiar of these endemic species are
Diglossa major, Cyanicterus venustus, Eucometis oleaginea,
Buarremon personatus,Agel(EUS imthurni, Chloropipo wiiforrnis,
Pipra suavissima, Lathria streptophora, Pipreola whitelyi,
Thamnophilus insignis, Campy lopterus hyperythrus, Avocet-
tula recurvirostris , Polymistria pavonina, Neomorphus puche-
rani, Conurus egregius, Brotogerys panychlora, Chrysotis
cceligena, &c.

One point remains to be noticed, and that is the relation-
ship of the birds of this portion of Guiana to those of
Cayenne, the eastern extremity of the whole district. In
the vast majority of cases the same species inhabit both
portions of Guiana, showing no change whatever; but the
facts of Pipra suavissima of British Guiana taking the place
of P. Serena of Cayenne, and of the form of Tachyphonus
cristatus in Cayenne being rather that of the Amazons valley
and Venezuela than that of British Guiana, suggest that when
the two districts are closely compared other similar differences
may be discovered. Unfortunately we have at present
nothing like a complete list of Cayenne birds to enable us to
make a full comparison.

510 Recently published Ornithological Works.

Then, again, the list of Guianan birds is capable of being
considerably extended, so that the subject will have to be
revised at some future day.

But it appears, so far, from an examination of these col-
lections, that though Guiana has a certain affinity, as regards
its birds, with the Andean countries of Venezuela, Colombia,
Ecuador, and Peru, and to a less extent with Central America,
Bolivia, and S.E. Brazil, its relationship to the immediately
adjoining coujitry, the vast basin of the Amazons river and
its tributaries, is much closer. This result is quite in accor-
dance with previous views on this subject.

Further, the connection of Guiana with the West Indies,
North America, and the Argentine Republic is very slight, and,
as regards the two first-named countries, consists chiefly in
the fact that both the West Indies and Guiana are the winter
abode of a number of North-American migratory species.

XLIX. — Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications.

[Continued from p. 376.]

77. The American Ornithologists' Union Code and Check-
List.

[The Code of Nomenclature and Check -List of North American Birds,
adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union : being the Report of the
Committee of the Union on Classification and Nomenclatui-e. New York.
1886. 8vo.]

The motto adopted on the titlepage of this volume —
'' Zoological Nomenclature is a means, not an end, of Zoological
science" — is termed by the Committee a ''trite truism/' which
they raise with regret to the dignity of a " Principle,'' in order
to protest "against every wanton, capricious, arbitrary, or
otherwise needless and undesirable change of names which
have acquired usage and definite signification in Zoology.''
The four more Principles enunciated by the Committee being
equally unexceptionable, we may pass on to the fifty-two
Canons and ten Recommendations. By Canon XIII. it is

Recently published Ornithological Works. 511

upheld that ^' Zoological Nomenclature begins at 1758,
the date of the Xth edition of the ' Systema Naturae ' of
Linneeus;'^ so_, without wasting time in arguments which
must necessarily be barren of results, we will merely express
our regret at the adoption of this starting-point instead
of the Xllth Edition (1766), considering, as we do, that
this proceeding disposes of the last chance of a scientific
language in common with our ornithological brethren across
the water. Inasmuch as nearly seven pages are devoted to
explanation and reasoning as to the. propriety of this step, it
may possibly occur to some cynical minds that herein our
American friends do " protest too much." In Canon XL. it
is laid down that " the original orthography of a name is to
be rigidly preserved, unless a typographical error is evident/'
emendations of a purely philological character being rejected.
So that because the original describer knew no better than to
write JEstrelata and ILnicurus, &c., the erroneous orthography
is to be perpetuated, although the new Code itself states that
scientific names are to be in Latin or the nearest approach to
it ! Even more objectionable is the adoption or retention of
names given to a section' of a genus or other group, as though
they had been the names of defined and characterized genera :
whereas many of them are merely nomina nuda. But enough
of this ; nor do we intend to say a word about the use of tri-
nomials. Before leaving the first portion of the work, we
would, however, remark that it is hardly consistent to select
for reprobation Tetrao mlokosiewiczii, " named after an
obscure forester somewhere in Russia,'^ and not to bracket
with it Synthliborhamphus wumizusume.

The Check-List itself begins with the Pygopodes, and
works upward to the Passeres, the first family being given as
Podicipidse, in opposition to Dr. Elliott Coues, who in his
' Key ' renders it, correctly as we think, Podicipef/idse. We
protest against the adoption of Gavia as the generic name for
the Ivory Gull, Fayophila ehurnea. Boie instituted the
genus Gavia for the Ivory Gull and the Kittiwake, simjDly
because they both had short tarsi and frequented rocks;
but there seems to be no good reason for giving the preference

512 Recently published Ornithological Works.

to the Ivory Gull as the tijpe of the genus, because of the
two it stands the first. Again, it seems a pity to discard the
thoroughly well-based and established name Sterna anglica
for the Gull-billed Tern^ in favour of Hasselquist's S. nilotica.
True, the species in question is found on the Nile, but
Hasselquist describes his S. nilotica as having " flesh-coloured
feet," which the Gull-billed Tern has not ; whereas the Little
Gull, Larus minuius, a bird of about the same size, also found
on the Nile, has red legs and feet ; and the same may be said
of the Common Tern, Such procedure seems inconsistent
with Canon XXXVI., ''A name resting solely on an in-
adequate diagnosis is to be rejected ;" and with Canon XLV.,
*' Absolute identification is requisite in order to displace a
modern current name by an older obscure one." Not much
more than a year ago, when vol. ii. of the * Water-Birds of
North America' was published, the old generic name Mergus
given by Linnaeus was good enough, but now it is discarded
in favour of Merganser, Brisson ! It is, however, gratifying
to find that to the American Bittern is now assigned the
well-known specific designation of lentiginosus, instead of that
o{ (Botaurus) mugitans (Bartram), a nomen nudum adopted by
Dr. Cones. But (Anas) boschas and [Scolopax) rusticola
must remain uncorrected, for they were so written, or at least
so printed, '' in the beginning," i. e. 1758.

It is not our wish to pick holes in the execution of the
very difficult task of giving, in a few lines, an accurate sketch
of the geographical distribution of each of the nearly 800
species enumerated, but a few details may be noticed. We
think that Mniotilta varia goes beyond " Central America
and the West Indies," as far as Colombia and Venezuela ;
Turdus fuscescens goes far south of '^ the Plains," even unto
Panama and the valley of the Amazons ; and Sialia azurea,
the habitat of which is given as " Southern Arizona and
Eastern Mexico," breeds in Guatemala. We notice that the
authors of the List persist in calling the Cliff-Swallow Petro-
chelidon lunifrons (Say), instead o^ P . prjrrhonota (Vieill.),
though how they could argue the point out consistently we
cannot think. The demands upon our space preclude further

Recently published Ornithological Works. 513

remarks ; but while admitting that the publication of such a
List demands recognition on its merits, we must regret the
drawbacks to which we have already alluded, and others
which we have passed over in silence.

78. ' The AukJ

[' The Auk,' a Quartei-ly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. III. No. 2, April,
No. 3, July, 1886.]

The articles treating of the ornithology of the North-
American continent are of the usual interesting character,
but some of them need hardly be enumerated in this notice.
Mr. C. B. Cory contributes two instalments of his " Birds of
the West Indies,^^with somewhat rough woodcuts of a few of
the species. Mr. A. P. Chadbourne describes a new race of the
Field-Sparrow from Texas, as Spizella pusilla arenacea, var.
nov. (p. 248) ; and at p. 262 a new species of Heron from
Florida is named Ardetta neoxena by Mr. Cory. Mr. E. T,
Seton gives an account of the species found in our Canadian
possession_, Manitoba, 257 in number; and Mr. W. Brewster
concludes his " Ornithological Reconnaissance in western
North Carolina/' respecting the mountains of which, in winter,
Mr. Batchelder contributes his experiences. A batch of new
species forms a feature of the July number of our contem-
porary. Mr. Bidgway opens with Larus barrovianus, sp. nov.,
from Alaska and vicinity, differing from L. glaucus in the
shape of its bill and coloration of mantle and primaries ;
H(Ematopus galapagensis, sp. n., from the Galapagos; Amphi-
spiza fey'rariperezi, Pipilo submaculatus, P. complexus, Anas
diazi, Philortijx yersonatus, spp. nn., from various localities
in Southern Mexico ; Pyroderus masoni, Aulacorhamphus
dimidiatm, spp. nn., supposed to be from the interior of
Venezuela; Micrathene graysoni,sp. n., from Socorro Island,
Western Mexico ; Pealea, gen. n., type Thalassidroma lineata,
Peale ; Geothlypis coryi, G. tanneri, Centurus nyeanus, and C.
blakei, spp. nn., from the Bahamas ; and, lastly, the new genus
Lawrencia, type Empidonax nanus, Lawr., already mentioned
in our present issue (p. 461) . Mr. Cory describes three new
species : — Thryothorus guadeloupensis fi'om Guadeloupe, Loxi-

514 Recently published Ornitholngical Works.

g'lUa richardsoni from Sta. Lucia^ and L. barbadensis from
Barbadoes. Mr. Brewster's paper on the new Petrel jEstre-
lata scalaris (we should write (Estrelaia) treats of tlie question
of its distinctness from (E.fisheri, Ridgw., and (E. gularis,
Peale.

79. The Bombaij Natural History Society.

[Journal of tlie Bombay Natural History Society. Edited by E. H.
Aitken and R. A. Sterndale. Vol. I. No. 1, January, No. 2, April, 1836.]

This Society was founded so long ago as 1883, and we are
glad to find that it has now developed sufficient vitality to
have a mouth-piece. Such a Journal was much wanted in
India since the abrupt discontinuance of ' Stray Feather's/
and it is satisfactory to see a goodly list of Members. The
Editors are Messrs. E. H. Aitken and R. A. Sterndale, who are
also in special charge of the Sections of Mammals and Birds ;
and the former contributes an interesting ornithological
paper to the first number, " On the Mimicry of Phyllornis
jerdoni," besides " Catalogues of the Birds and Eggs in the
Society's Collection." No. 2 opens with a friendly criticism
by Mr. H. Littledale, of the ' Handbook to the Birds of the
Bombay Presidency,^ lately noticed in this Journal (p. 190),
by Lieut. H. E. Barnes, who in his turn contributes an
article on ^'Birds'-nesting in Rajpootana." We shall look
forward to further interesting papers from our confreres and
others, for Indian ornithologists should not allow themselves
to be forgotten.

80. Brewster on Bird-Migration.

[Bird-Migration. By William Brewster. Memoirs of the Nuttall
Ornithological Club, No. 1, March, 1886. Cambridge, Mass. 4to.]

An Introduction informs us that although the Nuttall
Ornithological Club merged its quarterly bulletin in the
' Auk,' yet seeing that the latter is already overcrowded and
unable to accept long papers, the Club has decided to begin
a series of Memoirs, to be issued irregularly, as material
ofl;ers. Naturally the President of the Club takes the initia-
tive, and commences with a very interesting paper, divided

Recently published Ornithological Works. 515

into two sectioEs ; the former treating of the author^s ' Obser-
vations on nocturnal Bird-flights at the lighthouse at Point
Lepreaux, Bay of Fundy^ New Brunswick ; ■' the latter being
entitled ' Facts and Theories respecting the general subject
of Bird-Migration/ Mr. Brewster's experiences in the
lantern of the lighthouse while birds were striking frequently,
and at times continuously, are very interesting, his estimate
of the proportion borne by the killed and severely wounded
to those which escape practically uninjured being highly
instructive. Part II. deserves, and has no doubt already
received, careful perusal from those who are specially studying
the migration of birds. It would be difficult to find a more
patient observer than Mr. Brewster, and his statements with
regard to North- American species deserve the highest respect,
however much some of them may militate against the ex-
periences of some observers on this side of the water. His
opinion is, that with most North-American birds the majority
of adults either precede or accompany the first flights of
young in the autumnal migration, and he has failed to find
any proof that the young of a single species precede the old.
From this rule he does not even except the North-American
Limicolce. What do our authorities on European migrants
say to this ? Here is plenty of matter for controversy, and
still more for reflection, to which latter we will confine our-
selves. To those who believe that the American Spotted
Sandpiper visits the British Islands, we recommend Mr,
Brewster's remark that it " is conspicuous among Scolopacidse
for its comparatively feeble, restricted powers of flight;''
yet there are some ornithologists for whom such unproved
visitations present no difficulty, while the well-authenticated
narratives of the behaviour of the nestling Cuckoo are classed
with stories of ghosts and apparitions.

81. British Association'' s Report on Migrations in 1885.

[Report on the Migration of Birds in the Spring and Autumn of 1885.
By Messrs. J. A. Harvie-Brown, J. Cordeaux, R, M. Barrington, A. G.
More, and W. Eagle Clarke. Seventh Report. Svo. Edinburgh :

188G.]

This seventh Report shows a marked improvement upon

516 Recently published Ornithological Works.

its predecessors in style and in condensation of material.
Mr. Harvie-Brown^s remarks upon the main lines of migra-
tion in Scotland are very interesting, and to those mentioned
by him we may be permitted to add the valley of the Nith,
upon the authority of an observant ornithologist, Mr. Robert
Service, of Dumfries. As before, a map is prefixed with a
numbered index to the stations ; but Ave think that in the
body of the Report it would be better if the names of the
places were given, for practically readers will not refer to the
map at every instant to see, for instance, where Stations
"IV., X., XIV., and XXVII/' may be; they may do so at
first, but they will not keep it up for long. The suggestion
that a list should be formed of localities where foreign fowls
like the various species of Porphyrio, Canada Geese, and
other water-birds likely to stray, are kept, appears to meet a
want, and we recommend it to our readers. Mr. Gatke^s
diary from Heligoland is of unusual interest this year; but
the days on which nothing whatever occurred might have
been omitted, to the saving of many a line. We observe that
the Recorders for Ireland trust that " the Commissioners of
Irish Lights will distribute six additional copies of Morrises
'British Birds' in the present year'^: — would not the
coloured plates suffice without the letterpress?

82. A. W. Butler on the Birds of Indiana.

[A List of the Birds observed in Franklin County, Indiana. By Amos
W. Butler. BuU. Brookville Soc. Nat. Hist., No. 2, 1880.]

The species mentioned as found in this south-eastern
portion of Indiana are 235 in number; and those which
breed there are distinguished by an asterisk. This List
forms a useful supplement to the accounts already giveu of
the avifauna of the district by Dr. Raymond, Mr. E. R.
Quick, and the author.

83. Giglioli on the Birds of Italy.

[Avifauna Italica. Elenco delle specie di uccelli stazionarie o di pas-
saggio in Italia, colla loro sinonimia volgare, e con uotizie piu specialmente

Recently published Ornithological Works. 517

intorao alle migrazioni ed alia nidificazione, compilato dal Dottore Enrico
Hillyer Giglioli. 8vo. Firenze: 1886.]

This very important work will prove invaluable to any one
who is studying the Birds of Europe^ containing as it does
the most complete and accurate list which has yet appeared
of the species found in Italy and the neighbouring islands,
inclusive of Malta. Especially useful are the remarks upon
geographical distribution and breeding-limits. Amongst
the rarities we note Turdus pallasi, Oreocincla dauma,
Nemura cyanura, Sylvia nana, Hypolais olivetoruni and
H. opaca, Accentor montanellus, Chelidon cashmiriensis,
Cotile obsoleta, Syrnium uralense, Aquila nipalensis, Bubulcus
coromandus, Hydromia alleni, and Myialitis geoffroyi, as well
as some sea-birds which seldom enter the Mediterranean. By
the way, we have recently examined specimens of the Indian
Buff-backed Heron [B. coromandus) from Lenkoran, on the
Caspian. We are glad also to see that Prof. Giglioli has suc-
ceeded in unearthing the fast-decaying specimen of Houbara
undulata which Saunders asserted many years ago to be in the
Syracuse Museum, but which has since lain there unobserved,
and has even had its very existence doubted. At the end of
the volume are lists of residents and migrants, calendars of
breeding, &c. We are glad to see that at the suggestion of
Prof. Giglioli the Italian Government has established an Orni-
thological Bureau dependent upon the Board of Agriculture,
and at the end of the year a Report will be issued of the results
of the observations collected by naturalists and also by keepers
of lighthouses and semaphore stations. But let it not be for-
gotten that, although still without one penny of Government
aid, it was a Committee of British ornithologists who inau-
gurated the movement now so well imitated in America and
elsewhere.

84. Meyer on Birds from Emperor -William's- Land.

[Notiz liber eine Vogelsammlung von Kaiser Wilhelms Land (Nordost-
Neu Guinea) und Naclibarscliaft von A. B. Meyer. Zeitsch. f. d. ges.
Ornithol. 1886, Heft 1.]

Dr. A. B. Meyer treats of the first collection of birds

SER. V. — VOL. IV. 2o

518 Recently published Ornithological Works.

received in Europe from Emperor-William's-Lancl, as the
German portion of New Guinea is now called. This was
made by the well-known French traveller Laglaize at Kaf u, on
the north coast, in 143' 15' E. long. Two species [Paradisea
finschi, Meyer, and Cyclopsittacus edwardsi, Oust.) had pre-
viously been described from the same locality. These, added
to the 24- of which examples were in Laglaize^s collection,
make the total number of species as yet known from Lifu 26,
of which the list is here given. Besides these, Salvadori
(Atti 11. Ac. Sc. Torino, xiii, p. 317) has recorded 16 species
of birds obtained on Tarawai Island, off the north coast of
New Guinea, which is probably within the limits of the
recent German acquisitions. But there is some little un-
certainty as to the identification of this little-known island
(or islands ?) .

85. ' Mittheilungen ' of the Ornithological Union of

Vienna.

[Mittheilungen des oruithologischen Vereines in AVien. Section fiir
Vogelkunde. Jalir. 10, Nos. 6-10, 1886.]

These numbers are mostly occupied with local ornitho-
logical papers and translations. No, 10 contains an article
of wider interest, on the birds of New Zealand, by A. Reis-
chek, of Auckland, in which good original observations on
the various Petrels of New Zealand are given.

86-87. Mojsisovics on Hungarian Birds.

[Bericlit iiber eine Reise nacli Siidungarn und Slavonieu im Friihjahi-e
1884. Von Prof. August von Mojsisovics. Mitth. d. naturwissensch.
Ver. f. Steiermark, 1884 und 1885.

Biologisclie uud fauuistische Beobachtungen iiber Vogel und Sauge-
tbiere Siidungarns uud Slavoniens in den Jahren 1884 und 188-5. Von
Prof. August von Mojsisovics. Mitth. d. naturwissensch. Ver. f. Steier-
mark, 1885.]

In the first paper Prof. IMojsisovics gives us an interesting
account of his excursion to Southern Hungary and Sclavonia
in May 1884, when he visited some of the great breeding-
places of Ardeidse and other aquatic birds on the Danube
and Save. At Nestin, near Illok, on the Danube, an estate

Recently published Ornithological Works. 5 19

of Graf Otto Chotck, was a carefully preserved eyrie oi Aquila
imperialis (sive heliaca), situated on au oak tree within sight
of the house, from which, as the Professor was subsequently
informed, three young birds were successfully reared by
their parents two months later. But all the larger birds of
this district and their nesting-places seem to have become
woefully diminished of late years.

In the second article Prof. Mojsisovics gives a series of
systematically arranged notes on the birds met with during
the tour described in his former paper, and during another
excursion in the same district. Of Sterna fluviatilis he
speaks at some length and asserts that in this species
some examples can only be distinguished from jS. arctica
(sive macrura) by the longer tarsus. One hundred and
ninety-two species are included in the list. The supposed
occurrence of Hoplopterus spinosus (see p. 31) was not defi-
nitely established.

88. ' Ornis,' Vol. I, Nos. 2, 3.

[Ornis : Internationale Zeitsclirift fiir die gesammte Ornithologie.
Organ des perruanenten internationalen oruithologisclieu Comites, lieraus-
gegeben von Dr. R, Blasius und Dr. G. v. Hayek. 1 Jahrg,2 uud 3 Hefte.
Wien.]

The conjoined numbers 2 and 3 of our new contemporary
' Ornis ^ {antea, p. 90) contain articles by E. J. Grabowsky
on the habits of the birds of Borneo, and by H. Gatke on
the migratory visitors to Heligoland in 1884; as also the
lengthy report of the committee on the ornithological observ-
ing-stations of Austria and Hungary for 1885, drawn up by
Messrs. v. Dalla Torre and v. Tschusi. Herr Gatke's orni-
thological diary for 1884 will be read with great interest.

89. Payne- Gallivey on Duck Decoys.

[The Book of Duck Decoys : their Construction, Management, and
History. By Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Bart. 4to. London : Van
Voorst, 1886.]

This beautifully printed work, with numerous illustrations
and plans for the establishment and working of decoys, falls
more within the lines of the sportsman, and even of the

2o2

520 Recently published Ornithological Works.

antiquarian^ than of the pure ornithologist. That it will be
read by many of the latter, and deserves to be read by all,
there can be no doubt ; and if those whose means allow of
their keeping up decoys without a view to profit will avail
themselves of the practical experiences of one w4io is both
sportsman and ornithologist, considerable advantage may
accrue to our favourite branch of science. Even from the
present volume, devoid of all pretension in this respect, there
is a good deal to be leai'nt respecting the various Ducks
w^hich frequent or are absent from certain localities ; and the
details of the way in which some species have replaced others
is interesting and instructive. For instance, at the Hale
Decoy in Lancashire, Mallard predominated from 1801 to
1875 ; but in the latter year Teal suddenly ajipeared in large
numbers, and the result of this " lead " of fowl has been that
numbers of foreign-bred Teal now resort to this favourable
locality, replacing the Mallard, wdiose bieeding-haunts in the
" moss-lands " of the county are decreasing through drainage.
It will be an agreeable surprise to many of our readers to
learn that even at the present time, in spite of cultivation,
drainage, railways, and trespassers under the Ground Game
Act, there are still upwards of forty decoys in working order
in England and Ireland, while there are many disused ones
which could easily be re-established. We by no means share
the gloomy and desponding views expressed by the reviewer
of this work in the ' Athenaeum ' ; and even if the majority
of decoys can no longer be worked so as to produce an
ample livelihood, they can surely be so managed as to afford a
good deal of pleasure, with little, if any loss. The sea-boai'd
counties of Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex are, from
their position, the most favourable ; but inland Nottingham-
shire, owing to its large lakes and the winding Trent, is
believed to contain at times more wildfowl than any other
county of its class ; while next to it, perhaps, comes Bucking-
hamshire, which formerly boasted several decoys. At present
only one of the latter is worked ; but we understand that a
younger member of the Rothschild family takes an active
interest in ornithology, and he has now every opportunity for

Recently published Ornithological Works. 521

following the example of our worthy President^ Lord Lilford,
who has recently had a decoy constructed for him near
Oundle, in Northamptonshire, by T. G. Skelton, one of tlie
celebrated decoy-making family. We heartily recommend
the bookj and hope it will be productive of good.

90. Radde's Fauna and Flora of the South-western Casj)ia7i
District.

[Die Fauna unci Flora des siidwestliclien Caspi-gebietes : wissenscliaft-
liclie Beitrage zu den Reisen an der Persisch-Russisclien Grenze. Von
Dr. Gustav Kadde. Leipzig : Brockhaus, 188G. 1 vol. 8vo. 420 pp.]

Dr. Radde has_, perhaps wisely, issued in a separate volume
the systematic account of the zoological and botanical results
of his travels in the district adjoining the south-western por-
tions of the Caspian Sea, which border on the present frontier
between Russia and Persia. He had himself prepared the
portion relating to the Mammals, Birds, and Fishes of this
little-known region, besides the Botany, having obtained
the assistance of other well-known savants for the various
groups of Arthrozoa and MoUusca. As regards the Birds,
this part of the subject has been recently treated of very
fully in the author^s ' Ornis Caucasica,' published at Cassel
in 1884, In the present work we have therefore only a
list of the species as yet known to occur in " Talysch," as
this district is called, with remarks on their horizontal and
vertical distribution. The nomenclature and arrangement
of the ' Ornis Caucasica ' are adhered to. The species
included in the list are 312, and 40 'Warieties,^' i. e. sub-
species. The ' Ornis Caucasica ' gave us 370 species and 66
varieties. We observe that the Porphyrio of the Caspian is
still called '' veterum, S. G. Gmelin,-" although it has been
shown that that ancient naturalist never made such a name,
and, moreover, that the species in question is the Indian
P . polio cephalus [cf. Ibis, 1885, p. 111).

91. Reyes on the Birds of Spain and Portugal.

[Cataldgo de la.f Aves de Espana, Portugal 6 Islas Balearei?. Por Don

522 Recently published Ornithological Works.

Ventura cle los Eeyes y Prosper. Anales de la Soc. Esp. de Hist. Nat.
torn. XV. 188G. Madrid : 1886.]

This is a very useful compilation, giving a list of 408
species found in or ascribed to the Peninsula, with remarks
upon their geographical distribution. The author appears
to be well acquainted with the writings of his compatriots, as
well as with those of Lord Lilford, Col. Irby, and Howard
Saunders, but we fear that he does not understand English
perfectly ; and he is evidently unacquainted with Saunders's
later and fuller Catalogue of the Birds of Southern Spain, in
French, published in the Bulletin de la Societe Zoologique de
France, in 1876-77. Unfortunately Dr. Reyes does not draw
any critical distinctions between the relative values of the
authorities cited by him, one of whom (Vayreda) we consider
to be almost valueless, whilst some others, although useful in
their time, are now out of date. The treatise is, however, by far
the best of its kind that has as yet appeared in the Spanish
language, and we are much pleased to see such good Avork in
the Peninsula.

92. Snelleman on the Birds of Sumatra.

[Midden Sumatra. Reizen in Onderzoekingeu der Sumatra-Expeditie,
uitgernst door bet aardrijkskundig Genootschap, 1877-79, beschreven
door de Leden der Expeditie, ouder toezicbt van Prof. P. J. Veth.
Royal 8vo. Leiden, 1881. Baud iv. Natuurlijke Historie. Zorgideerin
en Vogels, door Job. F, Snelleman.]

IMr. Snelleman gives a list of about 95 species of birds of
which examples were obtained by Prof. Veth during his
expedition into the interior of Sumatra in 1877-79. Three
of these species were originally supposed to be new and
were described by Schlegel as Perdix vethi, Arachnothera
concolor, and Bhipidura vidua. These are now identified wdth
Peloi^erdix rubrirostris, Salvad., Arachnothera affitiis, Horsf.,
var. modesta, Eyton, and Bhipidura atrata, Salvad., all three
being figured ; Treron massica, Schlegel, is also figured.

93-94. Sousa on African Birds.

[Lista das aves colligidas em Africa de 1884 a 1885, pelos Srs. Capello
e Iveus. Por Jos6 Augusto de Sousa. Jorn. d. Sci. Math., Phys. e Natur.
Lisboa, 1880, No. xlii.

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 523

Lista das aves colligidas pelo Sr. Serpa Pinto, no Ibo, em 1885. Por
Jos^ Augusto de Sousa. Tom. cit. (Separate copies.)]

The former is a list of some of the species (30 in number)
collected by Senhors Capello and Ivens, between 11° 22' and
15° 38' S. lat., and 23° 43' and 30° 21' E. long., during their
well-known journey across the " Dark Continent.^' Most of
the species are South-African, but Amauresthes frinyilloides
appears to have been found for the first time to the north of
Zanzibar, and Musophaga rossce beyond the limit of the
Province of Angola. From the river Coroca two species are
added to the list.

The latter paper contains a list of 23 species sent to the
Lisbon Museum by the celebrated explorer Senhor Serpa
Pinto, and principally collected between about 12° 25' S.
lat., and 40° 40' E. long. Among the more interesting are
Smithor'nis capeiisis and Erythrocercus thomsoni, Shelley.

95. Taczanowski on the Birds of Ussuria.

[Liste des Oiseaux re9us recemmeut du Sud-oueat du Paj'S Oussourien.
Par L. Taczanowslii. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1885, pp. 404-478.]

This list contains remarks on 171 species obtained for the
Warsaw Museum by MM. Jankowski and Kalinowski; the
majority from localities between 43° and 46° N. lat., with a
few from Vladivostok, among the latter being an example
of the Cinereous Vulture ( Vultur monachus), new to Eastern
Siberia. Buphus coromandus is recorded for the first time
from North China.

L. — Letters, Announcements , ^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to the
Editors of 'The Ibis :' —

Sirs,— In 'The Ibis,' 1884 (p. 42), Mr. Seebohm wrote,
''it seems probable that the name of Bubo maximus must be
erased from the list of Japan birds." I am happy to be

524 Letters, Announcements , 6^c.

able to avert this erasure, as the Norwich Museum has re-
cently received from Mr. F. Ringer, of Nagasaki, the gift of
a typical specimen o{ B. maximus (sive zV/wa?;wA^), which was
shot on the Goto Islands, a group about 50 miles W.S.W. of
Nagasaki, and included in the south-western portion of the
Japanese group.

I am &c ,

J. H. GURNEY.

Nortlirepps Hall, Norwich,
Juue 14, 1886.

Sirs, — At page 367 supra, in a report on Dr. Finsch's
and my paper on Birds from New Guinea, it was remarked,
concerning Microdynamis parva of Salvadori, that " the
exact locality of the specimen is not stated/'' I beg leave to
remark that in our first paper on Birds from New Guinea
(Paradiseidee), ^Zeitschrift fiir die gesammte Ornithologie,'
1885, p. 372, it was stated, in a note, that all birds men-
tioned by us without locality are from the Horseshoe
Mountains (see map, supra, p. 238). This note has not
been reproduced in the translation of our paper [supra,

p. 240).

Yours &c.,
Dresden Zoological Museum, A. B. Meyer.

July 13tli, 1886.

[This is, no doubt, the case. But in our eyes " locality "
is of such importance that it is advisable to state it distinctly,
and not to leave it to be found out by reference to a foot-
note in a former paper, which may be easily overlooked. —
Edd.]

Sirs, — I do not think that Ptilopus melanocephalus has
yet been recorded from Borneo or its adjacent islands. I
was ashore for a couple of hours on the island of Bangeuy
at the end of last month, when one of my servants shot a
male in full plumage. I am unable to say whether tliis
bird is permanently located in Banguey, or whether the one

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 525

shot was a straggler from Falassan, from which island I
think it has been recorded. A day or two previously I
obtained a specimen of Orthor'haniphus magnirostris out of a
flock of five at Cape Scinpangmengaio. This species is
marked with a query in Salvadori^s work. I compared the
specimen with Gould^s description.

Yours faithfully,
Labuan, Borneo. A. EvERETT.

July 15, 1886.

P.S. — It is said by natives that Parrots^ similar to those
found in tlie Philippines {Tanygnathus or Prioniturus ?), occur
on the Mautanaui Islands, a group of coral islets about
18 miles olf the N.W. coast of Borneo.

Sirs, — There is so much with which I am disposed to agree
in my friend Mr. Seebohm^s speculations on the genesis and
distribution of species of birds, that although I have for
some time felt doubtful whether his views as to the effects of
the Glacial epoch are warranted by known palaeontological
data, I have not hitherto attempted to criticise his conclu-
sions. In previous papers, for instance in those on Cursorius
and Scohpax (antea, pp. 121, 141), and also, if my memory is
correct, in some earlier writings, the view advocated by
Mr. Seebohm has been that the differentiation of the species
belonging to a genus, or to a section of a genus, dates from
some part of the Glacial epoch. In his last paper on Himan-
topus, however, a very much greater change within the same
limited geological time is advocated, and a conclusion is
adopted which appears to me very startling and, as I think
I shall show, quite untenable. This conclusion (p. 226) is,
that '^ the couple of hundred species and subspecies of birds
which compose the family Charadriidse " are " the variously-
modified descendants of a species of wader which lived on the
shores of the north polar basin some time before the close of
the Glacial epoch, ^^

It is manifest from the context, coupled with the remarks
on the family Charadriidse at p. 122, that the author of the

526 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

passage advocates the view that genera so diverse as Chara-
drius, Tringa, Scolopax, Totanus, Himantopus, and Numenius
(andj I suppose_, Cursorius and Glareola) have all originated
from one ancestral type since the middle of the Pleistocene
period. Mr. Seebohm has evidently overlooked the palaeonto-
logical evidence that exists, and a brief notice of this may be
of interest to readers of ' The Ibis.^

It is true that our knowledge of fossil birds is very limited ;
but still something has been ascertained, and an exhaustive
account of the information obtained up to 1871 is given by
our eminent foreign member M, Alphonse Mihie-Edwards in
his ' Recherches Anatomiques et Paleontologiqnes pour
servir a I'histoire des Oiseaux Fossiles de la France/' In
this work (see ^Tlie Ibis/ 1869, p. 219) species of Numenius,
Tringa, and Totanus, besides a form called Elorius, and,
above all, a true Himantopus, are described from Miocene
beds. A bird, referred with doubt to Numenius {N. gyp-
sorum?),is described from the Eocene ; but this, although un-
doubtedly Charadrian, was a somewhat generalized form
intermediate between Curlews and Godwits. In America a
genus named Palieotritiga, probably Charadrian, but of which
the affinities are doubtful, has been found in Cretaceous beds.
Neglecting the older types, it is manifest that, so far from
all the genera of Charadriidse having originated towards the
end of the Glacial epoch, several of the best marked existed
in the far more ancient Miocene period.

In caise some ornithologists should not be familiar with the
relative importance of the geological terms used, I may per-
haps be allowed to show how very great the difference is.
Omitting all disputed terms, four principal divisions of geo-
logical time are usually recognized subsequent to the com-
mencement of the Tertiary era ; these are, commencing from
the earliest :— Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene.
But these divisions, judging by the changes that took place
in the fauna within the limits of each — by far the best test
— were by no means of equal duration. Eocene must have
been nearly equal to the Miocene and Pliocene together,
whilst each of the latter greatly exceeded the Pleistocene.

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 527

The Glacial epoch was comprised in the Pleistocene, with
which it may be regarded as practically equivalent.

Most of the birds' bones which have been found in cave-
breccias and other Pleistocene deposits appear to have been
those of species that are still living at the present day ; and
there is no reason to believe that changes in birds have taken
place more rapidly than in Mammalia, the fossil remains of
which are far more abundant. Indeed the evidence points
rather the other way. Now the majority of the Pleistocene
Mammalia are living species and, so far as it is practicable to
judge, nearly all — perhaps all truly generic forms, such as
are adopted amongst birds by Mr. Seebohra — date from the
Pliocene at least, whilst many are older.

In cases such as those of Scolopax and Cursorius, where
the differentiation suggested only extends to a few allied
species, there is a greater possibility that Mr. Seebohm may
be correct. Indeed some years ago I suggested a similar
origin — the intervention of an ice-covered continent in the
Glacial epoch — to account for the separation of certain allied
species of migratory birds in Eastern and Western Asia ;
but the hypothesis should be used with caution. I doubt
whether, in any case, all the species of any considerable
genus have been differentiated since the commencement of
the Pleistocene.

Mr. Seebohm's geological views are also, I think, in several
respects open to exception. It is possible that there may
have been half a dozen alternations of glacial and interglacial
phases in the Pleistocene epoch (p. 226), but it is at least
equally probable there were none ; and certainly the evidence
existing for more than one interglacial phase is quite insuffi-
cient to justify the founding of arguments upon it. Then
what reason is there for supposing that at one portion of the
Glacial epoch a glacier (ice-sheet?) stretched '^from the North
Pole down the mountains of Greenland'' (p. 226), and that
in a subsequent phase of that epoch a different glacier ex-
tended '' across the North Pole from the Rocky Mountains
either to Novaya Zemlya or to the mountains of Eastern
Siberia"? (p. 227). Unless a change in the distribution of

528 Letters, Announcements, S^c.

land and water took place in the interim^ the ice of one cold
cycle would probably occupy the same area as did that of the
preceding cycle. Without some evidence of the area occupied
by ice-sheets at different times^ it is scarcely scientific to
suggest hypothetical glaciers in order to account for hypo-
thetical specific differentiations. Moreover the area of the
ice-sheets in North America and Western Europe is fairly
well ascertained^ and does not, so far as 1 can see, support
Mr. Seebohra's hypothesis. Certainly he is mistaken in the
inference he draws at p. 238, where he says, '' The shores of
the Pacific are so much more mountainous than those of the
Atlantic, that the ice of the Glacial periods must have extended
much further south on the former than it did on the shore of
the Atlantic." In the Eastern hemisphere the statement
that the Pacific coast is much more mountainous than the
Atlantic is open to question, whilst in America it has been
ascertained that despite the mountains in the neighbourhood
of the Pacific the ice did not extend so far south along tliat
shore as it did on the Atlantic. This necessarily follows
from the arrangement of the isothermal lines^ which show the
west coast of each continent to be the warmer, and which
must have shown similar differences in the ice-age, as they
are due to the earth's rotation.

These are, however, matters of minor importance. Upon
the main question, I think that Mr. Seebohm over-estimates
the effects of the Glacial epoch, and that the origin of existing
genera and, to a great extent, of existing species of birds is
of higher antiquity. On the other hand, I heartily agree
with Mr. Seebohm in believing that the laws of geographical
distribution are not the same for the whole animal kingdom;
and in confirmation of his argument on this head I may
mention that, as I pointed out two years ago, in an address
to the Geological Section of the British Association, there are
some important differences between land Mollusca and Verte-
brata in this respect, I believe, too, that the distribution of
Plants differs materially from that of Vertebrate animals.

W. T. Blanford.

September 15, 1886.

Letters, Announcements, &;c. 539

Report on the British Museum for 1885. — The Parliamentary-
Report of the British Museum for 1885 contains the following
passages on ornithological subjects : —

''The 'Hume'' Collection of birds of the British Asian
Empire consists of 63,000 bird-skins, 18,500 eggs, and 500
nests, besides 371 skins of Mammalia.

" This collection has been presented by Allan O. Hume,
Esq., C.B., and is^ without comparison^ the most extensive,
complete, and important that has ever been formed of the
birds of the Indian region. The aim of the donor was to
obtain specimens from, and to acquire a perfect knowledge
of, the avifaima of every part of British Asia. For this
purpose he organized a system under which numerous local
observers and collectors worked for and with him. He fitted
out expeditions, with a staff of collectors and taxidermists,
into Scinde, Coorg, Manipur, the Malayan Peninsula, Te-
nnasserim, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ; he also
acquired, either by purchase or presentation, collections
formed by other well-known Indian ornithologists, as the
Mandelli collection from Sikim and Tiber, Brook's North-
western and Central Indian birds, Adams's Lambhur birds,
Bingham's collections from Delhi and Tenasscrim, and
Scully's collection from Turkestan.

"The value of this collection, therefore, should not be
measured merely by the number of specimens which it
contains, but by the judgment which determined their selec-
tion, the history attached to many of them, and the com-
pleteness of the several series. Assuming that the collection
contains 2000 species, each would be represented on an
average by about 30 specimens, and that number is, in the
majority of cases, necessary to illustrate the geographical
distribution or variation of the species according to age,
season, or locality.

" A series of 5331 specimens of American birds, presented
by P. D. Godraan, Esq., F.R.S., and O. Salvin, Esq., F.R.S.
— This is the first instalment of a donation which, when
completed, will, with regard to its scientific value, be perhaps
not surpassed even by the donation reported above. The

530 Letters, Annomicements, ^c.

donors have been engaged in the formation of a collection of
the birds of Tropical America for many years, and are at
present describing its contents in their magnificent work
entitled ' Biologia Centrali-Araericana/ In order to render
their collection, as soon as possible, available for general
study, and more especially for the purpose of the ' Catalogue
of Birds,^ which the Trustees are publishing at present, they
have offered to transfer to the British Museum such parts as
have been completed in their work. All the specimens are
in the most perfect condition and accurately labelled, so that
their incorporation into the general collection entails no
more work than the mechanical labour of placing them in
the cabinets.

'' Besides the ' Hume ' collection with 82,000 skins, nests,
and eggs, and besides 5331 specimens from the ' Salvin and
Godman^ collection, and 2281 from the ' Sclater' collection,
the additions amount to 2149, of which the most important
are the following : —

" Pairs of the parent birds of the Ring-Ouzel, Shoveller,
Teal, Pochard, and Tufted Duck, with their nests and eggs,
from Norfolk ; presented by Lord Walsingham.

" Pairs of the parent birds of the Common Gull, Herring-
Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Arctic Tern (five pairs), and
Hichardson^s Skua (two pairs, with their nests and eggs, or
young, from the Island of Moussa, Shetland) ; presented by
Lieut. G. H. Bruce, R.N., and E. M. Nelson, Esq.

" Nest and young, with parent bird of the Common Wren ;
presented by Colonel Irby.

" A pair of Teal, with nest and young, from Tring ; pre-
sented by the Hon. Walter Rothschild.

" Nine hundred and thirty-six specimens from various
localities; presented by R. Bowdler Sharpe, Esq.

" Thirty Finches from Northern Prance and the Vosges
Mountains ; presented by E. Hargitt, Esq.

"Twenty specimens of Finches and Starlings from Norway;
presented by the Christiania Museum.

" Twelve specimens of rare Buntings from Siberia and
Japan ; presented by Henry Seebohm, Esq.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 531

*^ Three specimens of Steller's Sea-eagle {Haliaetus pela-
gicus), from Kamtchatka; presented by Henry Seebohm,
Esq.

" A collection of 198 specimens from Fao^ in the Persian
Gulf; presented by W. D. Gumming, Esq.

" Twenty-four specimens from the Island of Palawan^
collected by W. E. Lempriere^ containing 13 species new to
the collection, with three new species ; purchased.

" Two specimens of Falco babylonicus and one of F. pere^
grinus from Rajputana ; presented by Scrope Doig, Esq.

" Sixty-six skins from Muscat, including the types of
Merops muscatensis and Bubo milesi ; presented by Colonel
Miles.

'^Twenty-two birds from Aden; presented by Major Yer-
bury, R.A.

" Eight hundred and fifty-three specimens from Buenos
Ayres and Patagonia, collected by the late Mr. Henry Durn-
ford-, containing the types of Cyclorhis altirostris and Porzatia
spiloptej'u ; purchased.

' A specimen of the rare Swainson's Warbler {Heloncea
swainsoni) from Charleston ; presented by Dr. Elliott Coues.

'' An example of the rare Pygmy Owl {Micrathene whit-
neyi) from Arizona; presented by H. K. Goale, Esq.

" Two specimens of the Tooth-billed Bower-bird {Sce-
nopeus dentirostris) , and a pair of Cracticus rufescens from
Queensland; presented by T. H. B. Bowyer, Esq.^^

Sale of the Jardine Ornithological Collection. — The dispersal,
on the 17th of June last, of this historical collection by
Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, the well-known auctioneers of
literary property, is an event which can hardly be passed
without notice. It is true that nearly twelve years have been
allowed to elapse since the death of Sir V/illiam Jardine, in
1874, and the intimate knowledge of the treasures contained
in his collection was confined to an annually narrowing
circle ; but ornithologists were not wanting who remembered
the numerous species described by him from time to time

532 Letters, Announcements , &;c.

and who knew full well that no such oppoi'tunity had hitherto
presented itself for the acquisition of the actual types or of
typical specimens. It had been hoped that this entire col-
lection, consisting of upwards of 8000 specimens (the British
portion having gone to Edinburgh) , would have been acquired
by the British Museum of Natural History ; but we beHeve
that a very reasonable offer was refused, and one which even-
tually proved to be in excess of the total obtained at the sale.
Either the catalogues were sparingly circulated or else they
were sent to the wrong people : the result was a poor attend-
ance and, as a rule, ridiculously low prices. If, in addition
to the sale catalogue, the printed copies Avhich the auctioneers
held of Sir William^s detailed catalogue, consisting of 208
pages, had been circulated or even sold for a small sum, there
can be little doubt that the amount realized would have been
far greater. We were glad to see that both the Cambridge
University and the British Museum secured some valuable
lots ; and the buyer for the latter obtained, in a lot of unspe-
cified mounted birds, nothing less than the type of Bulwer^s
Petrel, for a few shillings. If this specimen had been cata-
logued, or if its existence had been known, it would probably
have fetched many pounds. A sadder sight than the throw-
ing away of this fine collection among dealers and plumassiers
has seldom been witnessed: but through no fault of the
auctioneers, who did their best with this, to them, novel de-
scription of property.

New Work by Professor B. Ridgway. — We are glad to hear
that Messrs. J. B. Lippincott & Co. have iu the press a
' Manual of North-American Birds ' by our valued Foreign
Member Prof. Eidgway, of Washington. The work is to
contain 425 illustrations, suitably executed, and, as regards
geographical limits, classification, and nomenclature, it will
be in conformity with the Code of the American Ornitho-
logists' Union.

1 N D E X.

Acanthis exilipes, 359,

362, 363, 364.
holboelli, 360, 361,

362, 363.

hornemanni, 359,

360, 362, 363, 364.

linaria, 359, 360,

361, 362, 363, 364.

holboelli, 362.

pallescens, 362.

rostrata, 360, 361,

362, 363, 364.

rufescens, 362.

Accentor alpinus, 26.

montauelliis. 517.

Accipiter bioolor, 75.

inimillus, 283.

nisus, 379.

tiuus, 501.

Acridotheres melano-

sternus, 187.
Acrocephalus arundi-

naceu8, 481.

bseticatus, 286.

paliistris, 482.

phragraitis, 481.

stentorius, 186.

streperus, 482.

turcloides, 481.

Actitis liypoleuca, 21.
Aedon familiaris, 495.
jEgialitis coUaris, 178.

curonica, 492.

dubius, 167,492.

geoffroyi, 22, 167,

492,517.

mongolicus, 167.

sanctae-heleuEe,

469.

semipalmata, 178.

varia, 469.

wilsonia, 178.

SER, V. VOL. IV.

/^luroedus arfakianus,

258.

buccoides, 258.

melanocephalus,

258.

melanotis, 258.

stonei, 258.

jEthiops canicapillus,

306.
^thopyga eximia, 376.
Agapoi'iiis puUai'ia, 81.

swinderniana, 81.

Ageli3eiis imthunii, 509.
Ajaja rosea, 172.
AliEmon desertorum, 18.
Alauda arvensis, l(iO, 497.

ccelivox, 160.

cristata, 18.

wattersi, 160.

AIca alia, 457.

cristatella, 211.

impeunis, 403, 410.

pica, 457.

psitfcacula, 211.

torda, 400, 457.

Alcedo amazona, 60.
amei'icana, 60.

bengalensis, 166,

488.^

bicolor, 60.

inda, 60.

ispida, 166, 453,

488.

paradisea, 62.

rudis, 427.

superciliosa, 60.

torquaha, 60.

Alcippe nigrifrons, 185.
Alophouerpes wallacii,

98.
Alseonax muttui, 185.
Amadina bicolor, 310.

Amadina cantans, 31 L

cucuUata, 309.

erythrocephala,312j

313.

fasciata, 312, 313.

iVingilloides, 308.

hartlaubi, 319.

hmulata, 338.

nitens, 338.

poeusis, 309, 310,

polyzona, 337, 338.

punctipennis, 309.

sanguiuolenta, 334.

sharpii, 311.

Terreauxi, 317.

Amaureste's fringilloides,

309, 522.
Amaurospiza unicolor,

502, 503.
Amblyornis inornata,
257.

subalaris, 194, 241,

257, 470.
Ammoperdix bonhami,
498.

beyi, 166.

Ampelis garrulus, 419,

4.53.
Atnj^hispiza ferrari-

perezi, 513.
Anadina larvata, 325.
Anas acuta, 456.

albeola, 202.

bosclias, 512.

cblorotis, 85.

clangula, 456.

diazi, 513.

fusca, 456.

glacialis, 400, 431,

435. 441, 456.

marila, 456.

mollis, 456.

2p

534

INDEX.

Anas mollissima, 441.

nigra, 456.

penelope, 456.

tadonia, 456.

Ansex* albifrons, 456,

cinereus, 408.

leucopsis, 456.

Anthracoceros coronatus,

184.
Anthus campestris, 497.

gustavi, IGO.

spinoletta, 25.

trivialis, 486.

Apteryx australis, 91.

oweni, 91.

Aquila albicilla, 406, 435,
439, 440, 455.

chrysaetos, 406, 455.

clanga, 198.

heliaea, 519.

imperialis, 519.

uipaleusis, 517.

pennata, 476.

rapax, 284.

Ara ararauna, 67.

chloroptera, 66.

bahni, 67.

macao, 67.

luaeuvuana, 67.

severa, 66.

Arachnotbera afRnis, var.
modesta, 523.

concolor, 523.

Araniides axillaris, 176.

cayenneusis, 176.

Aranius scolopacens, 177.
Ardea, sp,, 22,^456.

agami, 170.

cseriilea, 169.

cserulescens, 169.

candidissima, 169.

cinerea, 49, 456, 490.

cocoi, 169.

comata, 491, 499.

cyanurus, 170.

egretta, 169.

gularis, 491, 499.

ibis, 491.

leucogaster, 169.

luce, 169.

melanocephala, 293.

nsevia, 170.

nivea, 169.

pinnata, 170.

poeciloptila, 85.

purpurea, 294, 490,

498.

ralloides, 491.

rufiventris, 294.

seapularis, 170.

Ardea tricolor, 169.

virescens, 472, 474,

475.
Ai'detta exilis, 501.

niinuta, 295, 296,

490, 499.

neoxena, 513.

podiceps, 294, 295,

296.

sinensis, 162.

Argva, sp., 16.

'- buttoni, 165, 484.

squauiiceps, 164,

165.

Arses benkei, 367.
Artamides pollens, 153.

scbistaceus, 153.

Asio accipitrinus, 477.
Astra pia nigra, 247.
Astrarchia stephanias,

194, 240, 245, 247.
Astrilda astrild, 332.

cinerea, 333.

nigricauda, 333.

nonnula, 330.

phcenicotis, 336.

rubriyentris, 332.

rufopicta, 323.

undulata, 332.

Astur nisus, 454.

palumbarius, 435,

454.

Asturina magnirostris,
72.

melanops, 75.

nitida, 72.

poecilonotus, 75.

Athene cunicularia, 71.

lineata, 71-

passerinoides, 72.

torquata, 71.

Atticora melanoleuca,

507.
Aulacorbampbus dimidi-
atus, 513.

whitelyanus, 66,

500, 504.

Avocetta avocetta, 228.
europiua, 229.

noTiE-liollandise,

229, 233.

Avocettula recurvirostris,
509.

Basileuterus mesoleucus,

506.

roraimae, 500, 506.

Batrachostomus corniitus,

103.
Baza cuculoides, 298.

Baza verreauxi, 297, 298.
Bellona cristata, 472,473,

474, 475.
Bernicla ruiicoUis, 380.
Botaurus lentiginosus,
170, 512.

nuigitans, 512.

pinnatus, 170.

Bracbygalba lugubris, 62,

604.
Brac-bylopbus mentalis,
267.

miniatus, 274, 277.

Bracbypternus ceylonus,
183.

intermedius, 184.

Brachypteryx salacceusis,

376:
Brotogerys clu'ysoptera,
68.

panychlora, 509.

panychlorus, 68.

tiriacula, 68.

tirica, 68.

Buarremon personatus,

507, 509.
Bubo ascalapbus, 164.

bengalensis, 164.

— — capensis, 164.

ignavus, 164, 524.

magellanicus, 1(54.

maximus, ,523, 524.

milesi, 163, 164,

531.

• turconianus, 164.

virginianus, 70.

Bubulcus coromandus,
517.

ibis, 491.

Bucco collaris, 62.

cyanocollis, 453.

macrorbyncbus, 62.

margaritatus, 108.

niger, 66.

tamatia, 63.

— — tectus, 62.
Buchanga atra, 185.
Budytes flavus, 486.
Bupbus coromandus,

523.
Burnesia gracilis, 496.

lepida, 481, 496.

Busarellus nigricoUis,

74.
Buteo abbreviatus, 72,
189.

albicaudatus, 74.

desertorum, 284,

476.
latissimus, 473.

INDEX.

535

Buteo menetriesi, 470.

pterocles, 74.

iinicolor, 72, 73,

607.

vulgaris, 435, 454.

Buteogallus sequinoctia-

lis, 74.
Butorides atricapilla,

294.

Oacatua ophthalmica,
194.

triton, 194.

Caccabis chukar, 20, 498.

melanocephala, 19.

Caica histrio, 69.

ruaxiiniliani, 70.

melanocephaliis, 69.

Cairina moschata, 173.
Oalidris areiiaria, 21, 50,

179.
Callipepla californica, 91.

vallicola, 91.

Calliste cucuUata, 473.

nigricincta, 506.

versicolor, 473.

whitelyi, 500, 504.

Callolophus malaccensis,
277.

nientalis, 270.

Calornis cantoroides,
152.

• gularis, 194.

obscura, 152.

panayensis, 162.

Calyphantria Ji£emato-

cephala, 357.
Campephilus melano-
leucus, 58.

rubricollis, 58,

Campethera bennetti,

291.
Campias sedulus, 58.
Oampylopterus hypery-

thrus, 509.
Cancroma cochlearia,

171.
Capito cayennensis, 66.

goffini, 112.

raargaritatus, 108.

niger, 66.

purpiiratus, 112.

squamiceps, 108.

Caprimulgiis, sp. ?, 15.

asiaticus, 15, 184.

europajus, 284, 454,

487.
Oarpopbaga spilorrboa,

2.
subflavescens, 2.

Cataptrophorns semi-
palmatus, 179.

Catharistes atratiis, 78.

Catliartes atratus, 78,
149.

aura, 78.

fcetens, 78.

gryjjbus, 455.

pa]ia, 78, 455.

Celeus cinnamotueus, 59.

citi-inus, 59.

exalbidus, 59.

multicolor, 59.

rufus, 59.

Ceutropus, sp., 15.

Centurus blakei, .513.

hirundiiiaceus, 59.

nyeanus, 513.

Cercbneis, sp., 13.

isabellina, 76.

sparverius, 76.

tinnunculus, 494.

Cercibis oxycercus, 171.

Cercotricbas melano-
ptera, 16.

Certbia familiaris, 453.

Certhiola atrata, 473.

barbadensis, 472.

dominicana, 473,

474.

martinicana, 475.

saceharina, 473.

Ceryle amazona, 60.

americana, 60, 509.

inda, 60.

superciliosa, 60.

torquata, 60.

Ceyx cyanopectus, 156.

melanura, 156.

tridactyla, 184.

CbfEtura gaumeri, 195,
370.

poliiira, 473.

Chalcopsittacus ater, 155.

insignis, 155.

Cbaraaepelia griseola,
173.

passerina, 173, 509.

talpacoti, 174.

Oharuaepetes tscbudii,

203.
Oharadrius azarae, 178.

brevirostris, 178.

— — cantianus, 456.

crassivostris, 178.

fulvus, 86, 167.

, var. virgi-

nicus, 178.

geoffroyi, 492.

himantopus, 235.

Charadrius minor, 456.

raorinellus, 456.

pluvialis, 20, 435.

virginicus, 178.

Charmosyna stellje, 367.
Chasmorbynebus varie-

gatus, 504.
Obauna derbiana, 150,

300.
Chelidon casbmiriensis,
517.

dasypus, 201.

urbica, 201.

Cbelidoptera tenebrosa,

63.
Chen rossi, 471.
Cbenalopex jubatus, 172.
Cbera caffra, 346.

procne, 346.

Cbloroenas albilineata,
173.

rufina, 173.

Cbloronerpes cbloro-
cephalus, 59.

flavigularis, 58, 59.

kirkii, 58.

rubiginosus, 59.

sanguineus, 58.

sedulus, 58.

tephrodops, 58.

Chloropbonia roraimoe,

504.
Ohloropicus flavinucba,
262, 263.

kirki, 58.

mentalis, 267, 270.

miniatus, 274, 275,

277.
Ohloropipo uniformis,

500,509.
Cbrysococcyx cupreus,

291.
Chrysonotus miniatus,

277.
Cbrysopblegma flavi-
nucba, 261, 262.

malaccense, 262,

275, 276, 277, 280, 281.
mentale, 260, 261,

267, 269, 270, 271, 272,
273.

miniatum, 262, 273,

275, 276, 277, 280, 281.

mystacale, 260, 261,

265, 266.

puniceus, 281.

squ'^micollis, 260,

268, 269, 271.
Chrysoptilus puncti-

pectus, 203.

2 p2

536

INDEX.

Chrysotis amazonica, 69.

coeligena, ()8, 509.

farinosa, 69.

■ festiva, 68.

ochrocephala, 69.

pretrei, 79.

Ciccaba hulula, 71.

superciliaris, 71.

Ciconia abdimii, 297.

argala, 400, 456.

episcopus, 161.

maguari, 171.

mycteria, 400.

nigra, 297, 422, 435,

439, 456.
Oinclocertbia macro-
rbyncba, 475.

ruficauda, 472, 474.

Oinclus aquations, 222.

albicollis,

26.
Oinnyris humbloti, 87.

mariquensis, 286.

Circaetus cinereus, 282,
470.

pectoralis, 282.

Circus humbloti, 87.

macrurus, 476, 494.

pygargus, 163.

Oisticola cursitans, 160.
Oittociucla macrura, 185.
Cladorhyncbus leuco-
cephalus, 231.

orientalis, 231.

pectoralis, 231.

Climacocercus concen-

tricus, 76.
Ooccopygia ernesti, 331.

quartinia, 331.

Coccotbraustes cantans,
311.

capensis, 349.

erytbrocepbala,

313.

fasciatus, 313.

guttata, 316.

lijematina, 316.

melanogastra, 355.

oris, 352.

ovizivora, 312.

ostrinus, 314,

sanguinirostris,

358.

scutatus, 309.

socia, 3U7.

Ooccygus heliventris, 64

melanocoryphus,

64.

minor, 64, 473.

seniculuB, 64.

Coccystes, sp., 15.

glaudarius, 291.

Coliuspasser albonotatus,
345, 348.

ardens, 343, 344,

345, 346. .

axillaris, 343, 344,

345, 348.

bocagii, 345, 349.

capeusis, 343, 344,

345, 349.

eques, 345, 348.

flaviscapulatus,

347.

bartlaubi, 345, 347.

laticaudus,343,345,

347.

maerocercus, 345,

347.

macrurus, 345, 347,

348.

phceniceus, 344,

349.

procne, 343, 344,

345.

torquatus, 347.

— — xantbomelas, 344,

345, 350.
Coliustruthus ardens,
346.

concolor, 346.

macrourus, 348.

CoUuricincla affmis, 154

megarbyncba, 154.

Collyriocincla boweri,

90.
Colomba rufaxilla, 174.
Columba albilineata, 173,
506.

coronata, 454.

intermedia, 187.

livia, 19, 435, 454.

locutrix, 173.

cenas, 454.

palumbus, 454.

plumbea, 173.

rufina, 173.

speciosa, 173.

turtur, 454.

unicineta, 81.

vinacea, 173.

Oolumbigallina passerina,

472, 474.
Columbina griseola, 173.
Colymbus arcticus, 51,
457.

dominicus, 181.

septentrionalis, 52,

457.
Cometes phaon, 366.

Contopus ardesiacus, 506.

latirostris, 475.

Conurus aiireus, 68.

canicularis, 68.

cyauopterus, 67.

egregius, 68, 509.

guiauensis, 67-

macuvuana, 67.

paTua, 67.

pertinax, 68.

severus, 66.

solstitialis, 67.

tiriaeula, 68.

tuiparus, 68.

versicolor, 67.

Coracias abyssinica, 15.
caudata, 284.

garrula, 15, 488,

498.

indica, 165, 488.

n£Evia, 284.

Coracopsis sibilans, 87.
Corax fuscicapillus, 153.
Corvus, sp., 17.

afBnis, 17.

capellanus, 477.

corax, 26, 48, 380,

453.

comix, 364, 379,

452, 453.

corona, 26, 364,

434.

frugilegus, 453.

monedula, 453.

umbrinus, 164, 379.

vaUdissimus, 152.

Corytbus capensis, 350.
Oossypba (Irania) guttu-

ralis, 495.
Cotile fucata, 507.

fuligula, 201.

obsoleta, 14, 517.

riparia, 485.

Coturnix cbinensis, 187-

communis, 489.

■ coturnix, 489.

dactylisonans, 20.

Cracticus rufescens, 531.
Craspedopbora alberti,
250.

intercedens, 250.

magnifica, 250.

Orateropus bicolor, 288.

buttoni, 484.

Orax alector, 174.

mitu, 174.

mustelina, 176.

scbomburgki, 176.

urumutum, 174.

Orex crex, 167, 490.

INDEX.

537

Crex egregia, 293.

pratensis, 167, 490.

Crotopbaga ani, 93, 473.

major, 63.

rugirostra, 63.

sulcirostris, 63.

Cryptospiza reichenovvi,

316, 317.
Crypturus noctivagus,

181.

pileatus, 181.

rubipes, 203.

sovi, 181.

variegatus, 181.

Cuculus canorus, 453,

489, 498.

cayanus, 64.

byperytbrus, 157.

melanogasttsr, 64.

minor, 64.

pravatus, 159.

poimerati, 159.

Ciiltrides rufipennis, 63.

Cursorius, sp., 21.

£egyptiu8, 119, 120,

121.
bicinctus, 118, 120.

bisignatus,

118.

gracilis,

118.

bitorquatus, 119,

120.

cbalcopterus, 118,

120.
cinctus, 118, 120.

coroujandelicus,

117, 120, 121.

gallicus, 116, 120,

121.

somalensis,

116.

bimantopiis, 235.

rufus, 116, 117,120,

121.

senegalensis, 117,

120, 121.

somalensis, 116, 120,

121.
Cyanecula wolfi, 496.
Cyauieterus venustus,

509.
Cyclopsittacus aruensis,

151, 152.

diopbtbalmus, 152.

edwardsi, 373, 518.

Cyclorbis altirostris, 531.
Oygniis gibbus, 408.

musicus, 200, 408,

456.

Cygnus olor, 456.
Cyornis banyunias, 159.

elegans, 159.

heristi, 159.

rubecLiloides, 159.

tickellia?, 159.

Cypselus, sp., 15.

apus, 434, 498.

melba, 25.

pallidus, 487.

Cyrtostomusfrenatiis, 98.

, var. plateni,

98.

Dafila babamensis, 172.
Daptrius ater, 78.
Demiegretta asba, 490.

gularis, 168,490,491.

Dendrobates passerinus,

58.

sanguineus, 58.

Dendrocygna autumn alls,

172.

discolor, 172.

javanica, 188.

viduata, 172.

Dendrceca testiva, 91.
bryauti castanei-

ceps, 91.

capitalis, 472.

delicata, 475.

pluiubea, 473, 474.

rufigula, 473, 474.

Dendropbila frontalis,

186.
Deroptyus accipitrinus,

69.
Dicffium nehrkoriii, 216.
Diglossa major, 509.
Dilopbus carunculatus,

18.
Dinornis didiformis, 471.

elepbantopus, 471.

niaximus, 470.

Diomedea exulans, 404.

405, 457.
Diphyllodes chrysoptera,

255, 256, 257.

hunsteini, 194, 256.

jobiensis, 241, 256.

magnifica, 255, 256,

257.
Diplopterus galeritus, 64.

naivius, 64.

Discura longicauda, 507.

longieaudata, 502.

Douacicola bunsteini, 1,

237.
Drepanorni3 albertisi,

248, 249, 250.

Drepanornis brujiai,

249.
eervinicauda, 248,

249.
Dromas ardeola, 20.
Dromococcyx pavoninus.

64, 507.
Drymoeea gracilis, 496.

jerdoni, 185, 188.

valida, 185, 186.

Dryocopusalbirostris, 58.

lineatus, 58.

Dryotomus flavigula, 262.
Dumetia albogularis, 185,
Dysporus sula, 457.

Edoliosoma meyeri, 152.

remotum, 152.

Elainea martinica, 472,

473, 474, 475.
Elanoides fiircatus, 76.
Elanus levicurus, 76.

scrijDtus, 365.

Emberiza ardens, 346.

einerea, 494, 497.

citrinella, 392, 434.

hoi-tulana, 487, 498.

longicauda, 345.

luteola, 487.

melanocepbala, 498.

miliaria, 497.

orix, 352.

panayensis, 346.

paradisea, 342.

principalis, 341.

procne, 345.

quelea, 357, 358.

regia, 342.

Serena, 341.

signata, 346.

vidua, 341.

Empidochanes fringil-

laris, 461.

fuscatus, 460, 461.

olira, 461.

poecilocercus, 462.

pcecilurus, 462.

Tireoninus, 461.

Empidonax acadicus,

465.

albigularis, 463.

atriceps, 461, 462.

bairdi, 459, 466,

brunneus, 460, 462

463.

difficilis, 466.

flavescens, 459, 467.

flaviventris, 4(56.

fulvifrons, 462.

pygmreus, 463

538

INDEX.

Empidonax fulvifrons

rubiciiiiclus, 463.

fulvipectus, 4B8.

■ griseipectiis, 464.

liammondi, 467,

468.

minimus, 465.

nanus, 461, 513.

obscurus, 468.

• pusillus, 464, 465.

salvini, 459, 467.

traillii, 464, 465.

Engyptila i-ufaxilla, 174.

vinaceilulva, 195.

Enneoctonus collurio,

287.
Eos incondita, 367.

insularis, 154.

rioiniata, 154.

wallacei, 154.

Epimachus ellioti, 248.
meyeri, 194, 240,

247, 248.

speeiosus, 248.

Ereunutes pusillus, 179.

semipaluiatus, 179.

Erithacus cyaneculus,

482, 496.

gutturalis, 482, 495.

pliilomela, 482.

Erythrocercus thomsoni,

523.
Erythrosternaparva, 480.
Esacus recurvirostris,

188.
Estrelda afra, 320.
angolensis, 326, 328,

336.
astrild, 326, 328,

332, 335.
atricapilla, 327,

330.

bengala, 336.

bilineata, 323.

ca^rulesceus, 327,

328, 329, 332.

cantans, 311.

capistrata, 327, 330.

carlelita, 342.

cbarmosina, 327,

330.

cinerea, 328, 333.

cucullata, 309.

cyanogastra, 336.

dufresnii, 327, 330.

. effrenata, 333.

elegans, 320.

ernesti, 331.

• erythronota, 289,

32G, 327, 329.

Estrelda erythropteron,

321.

frenata, 333.

granatina, 326, 328,

335.

bypomelas, 323.

ianthinogastra, 328,

335.
— ^ incana, 327, 329.

leucolis, 383.

lipiniana, 329.

mariposa, 336.

melauogastra, 323,

328.

melanogenys, 331.

melanopygia, 333.

melanotis, 330.

melba, 320.

melpoda, 326, 327,

332.

minima, 323.

neisna, 330.

nigricollis, 325.

ritidula, 319.

■ ■ nonnula, 327, 330.

occidentalis, 332.

paludicola, 327, 331.

perreini, 327, 328,

329.

pbcEnicotis, 336.

polyzona, 337.

quai'tini, 326.

cpuu'tinia, 327, 331.

rliodopareia, .324.

rbodopsis, 325.

rhodoptera, 333.

rhodopyga, 328,

333.

rubricata, 324.

rubriveutris, 332,

333.

rueppelli, 323.

rutibarba, 18, 328,

334.

rufopicta, 322.

salvatieri, 326, 327,

331.

sanguinolenta, 334.

senegala, 323.

Serena, 341.

speciosa, 320.

subflaya, 326, 328,

334.

■ orientalis,

troglodytes, 333.

undulata, 332.

vinacea, 325.

viridis, 328, 334.

Estrelda (Neisma) du-
fresnii, 331

Estrelda (Neisnoa) quar-

tiuia, 331.

( ) subflava, 334.

Eucometes cassini, 600,

501, 508.
oleaginea, 500, 501,

508, 509.
Eudice cantans, 312.
Eudocimus ruber, 171.
Eudyptes pachyrliyuchus,

91.
Euetheia bicolor, 472,

473, 474.
Eulabes ])tilogenys, 187.
Eulampis holosericeus,

472, 474, 475.

jugularis, 473, 475.

Euphonia flavifrons,

475.

nigricollis, 67.

Euplectes, sp. ?, 353.

abj-ssinieus, 354.

afer, 355.

■ aurinotus, 354.

capensis, 350.

• craspedopterus,

352.

diademata, 354.

edwardsi, 353.

erythrops, 356.

flammiceps, 352.

flaviceps, 352.

franciscanus, 353.

friederic'hsoni, 352.

gierowii, 352.

gregaria, 358.

habessinicus, 355.

ignicolor, 353.

ladoensis, 3.55.

lepiduB, 307.

melanogastra, 355.

nigriventris, 353.

oryx, 352, 353.

petiti, 353.

phoenicomerus, 344,

350.

pseudoryx, 353.

pyrrbozana, 352.

sanguinirostris, 357.

scioanus, 354.

stictus, 350, 355.

sundevallii, 353.

— taha, ,354, 355.

xantbomelas, 350.

Eiipodotis arabs, 20.

rufiorista, 293.

Eupsyebortys cristatus,

175.
Eurypyga kelias, 177,

365.

INDEX.

539

Euthyrhynchus flavigula,

194.

fiilvigula, 194.

griseigula, 194.

Eutrj'gon leucoparia, 367.
Excalfactoria chiuensis,

160.

Falco sesalon, 49.

albieoUis, 74.

albigularis, 76.

apivorus, 4-40.

aurantius, 76.

babylonicus, 531.

caudicans, 197.

communis. 163.

concolor, 163.

fusco-caTulescens,

76.

groenlandicus, 197.

guianensis. 75.

gyrfalc-o, 197.

isabellinus, 76.

islandus, 197.

melanogenys, 155,

156.

inelanops, 75.

ornatus, 75.

■ palumbarius, 399,

425, 431, 439, 440.

peregrinator, 183.

jjeregriuus, 1 56,

531.

rufigularis, 76.

• rusticolus, 197.

spai'Terins caribbaj-

arum, 474.
subbuteo, 163, 420,

422, 454, 477.

subuiger, 365.

tinnunculus, 26,

454.
Florida crerulea, 169.
Foudia consobrina, 88.

efytbrops, 356.

humatocephala,

357.
madagascariensis,

216.
Francolinus gariepensis,

292.

natalensis, 292.

pileatus, 292.

subtorquatus, 293.

Fregaha aquila, 168.
Friiigilla abjssinica, 354,

355.

afra, 320.

angolensis, 336.

astrikl, 332.

Fringilla atricoUis, 338.

bengalus, 336.

buccalis, 334.

ca^rulescens, 328,

329.

■ — — ■ cafFra, 346.

cantans, 311.

cbalybeata, 338.

chrysoptera, 348.

cinerea, 333.

coelebs, 26, 452.

detruncata, 313.

dufresneyii, 330.

elegans, 31 9.

— — erytbrocephala,
356.

erythronota, 329,

330.

flavoptera, 348.

i'uvmosa, 319.

funerea, 338.

granatin a, 335.

ignicolor, 353.

ignita, 323.

laticauda, 347.

linaria, 25, 47.

lippa, 332.

longicauda, 345.

macrocerca, 347.

melanofis, 330.

melba, 319.

melpoda, 332.

minima, 323.

montit'ringilla, 220.

multizona, 337.

nitens, 338.

oryx, 353. ^

paradisea, 342.

perreini, 328.

• phalerata, 349.

• polyzona, 337.

principalis, 341.

pustiilata, 316.

quelea, 357.

ranunculacea, 355.

regia, 342.

reticulata, 313.

rubricata, 324.

rubriventris, 333.

rufibarba, 334.

sanguinolenta, 334.

senegala, 323.

Serena, 341.

speciosa, 319.

subflava, 334.

siiperciliosa, 341.

troglodytes, 333.

ultraraarina, 338.

undulata, 332.

viridis, 326, 3.34.

Fringilla (Estrelda) flavi-

ventris, 331.

( ) lineata, 321.

Friugillaria tahapisi, 290.
Fulica atra, 167, 455,

489.
Fuligula glacialis, 422.
spectabilis, 422.

Galbula albirostris, 61.

albiventris, 62.

flavirostris, 61.

leptura, 61.

leueogastra, 62.

lugubris, 62.

paradisea, 62.

ruficauda, 61.

viridicauda, 61.

viridis, 61.

Galerita cristata, 165,

487.
Gallicrex cinerea, 160.
GalliiiMgo, sp., 21.

freuata, 179.

japouica, 129.

major, 223, 492.

undulata, 179.

Gallinula chloropus, 187,

489, 498.

galeata, 177, 474.

Gallus bankiva, 455.
domesticus, 435,

439, 441, 455.
Gampsonyx swainsoni,

77.
Garrulax rufifrons, 376.
Garrulus glandarius, 434.
Garzetta candidissima,

169.
Geciuus flavinucha, 262.

malaccensis, 277.

mentalis, 267, 269,

272.

miniatus, 274, 277.

Geocichla borsfieldi, 136.

varia, 136.

Geococcyx californianus,

376.
Geotblypis coryi, 513.

tanneri, 513.

Geotrygon montana, 174,

473.

mystacea, 475.

Geranospizias ea'rules-

cens, 76.

gracilis, 76.

bemidactylus, 76.

Glareola grallaria, 365.

megapoda, 81.

nucbalis liberiae, 81.

540

INDEX.

Glarcola pratincola, 492.
Glauciclium ferox, 72.

phala^noides, 72.

purailum, 72.

Glaucopis wilsoni, 85.
Gorsachius melanolo-

phus, 161.
Goura victorise, var.

comata, 373.
Graculus carbo, 457.

cristatus, 457.

Graucalus cucuUatus, 87.

guillemardi, 154.

magnirostris, 154.

striatus, 161.

Bulphureus, 87.

Grus cinerea, 455.
Gymnorhis flavicollis,

486, 497.
Gj-paetos barbatus, 455.
Gypngus papa, 78, 149.
Gypoictiuia melano-

sternon, 457.

Habropyga astrild, 332.

cserulescens, 328.

cbarmosiiia, 330,

cinerea, 333.

ernesti, 331.

erytbronota, 329.

fimbriata, 328.

IVenata, 333.

bypomelasna, 324.

hypomelas, 323.

incaua, 329.

larvata, 325.

uiargaritata, 317.

melpoda, 332.

minor, 332.

natalensis, 329.

■ oenoebroa, 324.

paludicola, 331.

perreini, 329.

quart inia, 331.

rara, 323.

rbodopsis, 325.

. rbodoptera, 333.

rbodopyga, 333.

rufibarba, 334.

subflava, 334.

Hsematopus galapagensis,
513.

• ostralegus, 21.

Hoemopbila pulchra, 259.

stokmanni, 259.

Halcyon smyrnensis, 488.
Haliaetus albicilla, 48.

pelagicus, ^/ol.

Halieiis brasilianuy, IGS.
Haplospiza unicolori 80.

Harpactes fasciatus, 184.
Harpagus bidentatus, 77-
Harpiprion cayennensis,

172.
Heliornis fulica, 177.
Helonaea swainsoni, 4,

531.
Hermotimia auriceps,

152.
Herodias, sp., 22.

alba, 188.

egretta, 169.

garzetta, 491.

intermedia, 188,

298.

Herpetotberes cacbin-

nans, 77.
Heterospizias meridio-

nalis, 74.
Hierococcyx bocki, 157,

158, 159.

fugax, 157, 158,

159.

byperj'tbrus, 157,

158, 159.

pectoralis, 157.

— — nanus, 158, 159.

nisieolor, 157, 158.

— — nisoides, 157.

sparverioides, 157,

158, 159.

strenuus, 159.

varius, 158.

Hierofalco grebnitzkii,

197.

gyrfalco sacer, 196.

islandus, 48.

uralensis, 197.

Himantopua albicollis,

235.
— — albus, 233.

americanus, 225,

227, 230.

andinus, 225, 227,

228, 232.

asiaticus, 235.

atropterus, 235.

autumnalis, 235.

avocetta, 224, 225,

227 228.

brasiliensis, 225,

227, 233.

candidus, 235.

liimantopus, 235.

intermedins, 235.

leucocepbalus, 225,

227, 233, 234.

melanopterus, 224,

225, 227, 235.

■ melas, 234.

Himantopus mexicanus,

225,227,232.

niger, 234.

nigricollis, 178, 232,

233.
novae-zelandiae, 225,

227, 234.

palmatus, 231.

pectoralis, 224, 225,

227, 228, 231.

plinii, 235.

rubricoUis, 225, 227,

229.

rufipes, 235.

spicatus, 234.

vulgaris, 235.

Hirundo a'tbiopica, 201.

angolensis, 96.

cucullata, 286.

domicella, 201.

gordoni, 201.

leucosoraa, 96.

lucida, 96.

■ • rufula, 497.

rnstica, 14, 186, 286,

434, 436, 485, 497.

savignii, 379.

semirufa, 96, 201.

seuegalensis, 201.

striolata, 96.

Hoplopteruscayanu3,177.

spinosus, 519.

Houbara macqueeni, 166.

uudulata, 617.

Ilumblotia ilavirostris,

88.
Hydranassa tricolor, 169.
Hydrochelidon bybrida,

198, 493.
Hj'dropbasiauus cbirur-

gus, 188.
Hydremia alleni, 517.
Hylopbilus sclateri, 500.
Hypargos rerreauxi,

318.
Hypargus margaritatus,

317, 318.

monteiri, 317, 318.

uiveiguttatus, 317.

Hypbantica cardinalis,

357.

erythrops, 357.

basmatocepliala,

357.
sanguinirostris, 357

358.
Hyphantornis galbuIa.lS.

quelea, 358.

Hyplianturgus olivaceus,

290.

INDEX.

541

Hypocliera tenea, 339.

chalybeata,338,339.

nigerrima, 339.

niteos, 338.

pnrpurascens, 339.

ultramarina, 338.

Hypocolius ampelinus,

477, 494.
Hypolais hypolais, 26.

obsoleta, 481.

olivetorum, 517.

opaca, 517.

Hypomorpbnus anthra-

ciiius, 74.

buson, 74.

rutilans, 74.

urubitinga, 74.

Hypotriorchis femoralis,

"76.

rufigularis, 76.

Hypsibates himantopus,

235.

nigricollis, 178, 232.

Hypsipetes parvirostris,

87.

Ibis albicollis, 171.

cayennensis, 172.

infurcatus, 171.

oxycercus, 171.

rubra, 171.

Ibycter americanus, 77.

aquiliuus, 77.

ater, 78.

chimachima, 78.

Ichthyoborus busarellus,

74.
Icterus laudabilis, 475.
Ictinia plumbea, 77.
lole philippinensis, 1 69.
Ischnosceles gracilis, 76.
lyngipicus frater, 92.

waltersi, 92.

lynx torquilla, 444.

Jacamerops grandis, 62.
Junco hyemalis carolin -
ensis, 189.

Lagonosticta amandava,

321.

c£erulea, 321.

cserulescens, 328.

ignita, 323.

jamesoni, 322, 324.

larvata, 322, 325.

raelanogastra, 323.

minima, 323.

nigricollis, 321, 322,

325.

Lagonosticta polionota,

322, 324, .325.

rara, 321, 322, 323.

rhodopareia, 322,

324, 325.
rhodopsis, 321, 322,

325.
rubricata, 290, 321,

322, 324.

rufopicta, 322.

russi, 323.

senegala, 322, 323.

vinacea, 322, 325.

(Estrelda) lateritia,

322.

Lagopus alpinus', 49,

455.

rupeetris, 49.

saliceti, 435, 455.

Lamprocolius phoenico-

pterus, 288.

sycobius, 288.

Lamproptila grandis, 62.
Lamprotoruis australis,

288.
Lauiarius atrococcineus,

287.

coccineus, 288.

silens, 287.

Lanius, sp., 16.

auriculatus, 485,

497.
borealis, 36, 37, 39,

40.

caniceps, 185.

collaris, 287.

collurio, 453, 485,

497. _

cristatus, 184.

excubitor,30,31,32,

33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,

39, 40, 453.

fallax, 165, 484.

bomeyeri, 31, 34,

37, 40.

leucopterus, 34, 40.

ludovicianus, 39.

major, 30, 31, 32,

33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,

39, 40.

minor, 484.

mollis, 40.

nubicus, 16, 485.

phcenicuroides, 485.

Larus, sp. ?, 23.

atricilla, 180, 181.

barrovianus, 513.

cachinnans, 168.

canus, 379, 457.

— — eburneus, 457.

Larus fuscus, 456.

glaucus, 456, 513.

hemprichi, 22, 168.

ichthyaetus, 23, 379.

leucopbseus, 379.

marinus, 456.

minutus, 512.

ridibundus, 168,

379.
Latbria streptophora,

500, 502, 509.
Lepidopygia nana, 311.
Leptodon cayennensis, 77.

uncinatus, 77.

Leptoptila albifrons, 195.

fulviventris, 195.

LeptorhynchuB pectoralis,

231.
Leptosomus gracilis, 87.
Lestris parasitica, 457.
Leucopeza semperi, 475.
Loucopternis albicollis,

74.

melanops, 75.

Limicola hartlaubi, 97.

platyrbyucha, 97.

Limuaetus philippensis,

156.

pbilippinensis, 156.

Limonidi'omus indicus,

186.
Limosa meyeri, 456.
Linota exilipes, 210.
■ hornemanni, 47,

209.

bnaria, 46, 47, 209.

Linura fiscberi, 342.
Lobivanellus indicus, 167.
Locbmias nematura, 507.
Locustella lanceolata,

160.
Lopborina minor, 241,

244, 245.

superba, 90, 244.

minor, 90,

244.
Lophortyx californicus

brnnnescens, 91.
Lophotriorcbis kieneri,

156, 299.
Lorius erythrotborax,

154, 155.

lory, 154.

Loxia afra, 355.

africana, 358. '

astrild, 332.

aurea, 354.

bengalus, 336.

brasiliana, 313.

caffra, 345.

542

INDEX.

Loxia can tans, 311.

• capeusis, 349.

curvirostra, 25.

cyanogastra, 336.

erythrocephala,313.

fasciata, 313.

franciscana, 353.

granatina, 335.

guttata, 31(5.

hsEiuatina, 316.

ignicolor, 353.

jugularis, 313.

lathami, 357.

longicavida, 348.

macroura, 348.

maculosa, 313.

melanogastra, 355.

naivia, 349.

orix, 352.

orizivora, 312.

ostrinus, 314.

prasipteron, 309.

quelea, 357.

sanguinirostris, 357.

socia, 307.

Loxigilla barbadensis,
471, 472, 514.

elegans, 319.

melas, 339.

nitens, 338.

noctis, 473, 474.

richardsoni, 472,

475, 514.

Lychnidospiza melano-
gastra, 324.

Lyncornis macrotis, 157.

Lypornis tenebrosa, 453.

Macrocercus aracanga,

67.

ararauna, 67.

macao, 66.

nobilis, 67.

Macrocorax fuscicapillus,

153.
Ma-crorliamphus griseus,

179.
Maci-otarsus nigricollis,

232.
Malacolophus (Bracliylo-

phus) miniatus, 274.
Manucodia atra, 155,

242.
clialybeata, j 55,

241, 242.

jobiensis, 242.

rubiensis, 241, 242.

Margarops densirostris,

474.
montanus, 474.

Mariposa cyanogastra,

336.

granatina, 335.

phcenicotis, 336.

Marquetia elegans, 320.
Melanerpes rubrifrons,

59.
Melanocorypha rbimacu-

lata, 497.
Melidectes emilii, 367.
Melierax gabar, 283.
Melipotes fuuiigatus, 367.
Melittophagus boleslay-

skii, 36().

bullocki, 366.

gularis, 366.

revoili, 366.

Melpoda lippa, 332.
Menura lyra, 417.
Mergulus alle, 52.
Mergus albellus, 456.

• merganser, 441,456.

Barrator, 456.

Merops segyptius, 487,

498.
apiaster, 15, 487,

498.

bullockoides, 284.

cyanophrys, 15, 165.

muscatensis, 15,

165, 366, 531.

swinhoii, 184.

Tiridis, 15, 165, 366,

453.
Merula caribb.Ta, 472.

erythrotis, 205.

gyumophthalma,

472.

uigrirostris, 472.

siinillima, 204, 205.

torquata, 26.

Mesopicus kirki, 58.
Micrastur gilvicollis, 75.

rairandoUii, 501.

semitorquatus, 75.

Micrathenegraysoni, 513.

whitneyi, 531.

Microcerculus ustulatus,

500.
Microdynamis parva, 367,

524.
Micropogon darnaudi,

108.
Milvago cliimachima, 78.
Milvulus tyranuus, 509.
Milvus £egyptius, 14, 284.

korschun, 476.

migrans, 476.

Miuius gilvus, 472.
Mirafra navia, 290.

Mirafra nigricans, 290,

291.

parva, 160.

philippinensis, 160,

Mitrephaiies aurantiiven-

tris, 461,462.

iulvit'rous, 461.

pliseocercus, 461,

462.
Mitua tomentosa, 174.

tuberosa, 174.

Mniotilta varia, 512.
Moniotus brasiliensis, 60.
Monasa atra, 63.

nigra, 63.

Monasta tranquilla, 63.
Monticola cyanus, 16,

496.
saxatilis, 87, 482,

496.
Mormon arcticus, 435,

457.
Morplinus guianensis. 75.

harpyia, 75.

Motacilla alba, 17, 26,

165, 379, 48(>, 497.

feldeggii, 17,486.

flava, 486, 497.

sulpliurea, 26.

Munia caniceps, 311, 312.
— cantans, 310, 311.

fringilloides, 309.

nana, 310, 311.

oryzivora, 310, 311,

312.

rubronigra, 310.

sbarpii, 311.

Muscicapa atricapilla,

453, 494.

fringillaris, 462.

fuscata, 462.

gri.sola, 286, 453,

480, 494.

oliva, 461,462.

parva, 480.

Muscipeta fuscata, 460.
Musophaga boebmi, 97.

rossce, 97, 522.

Mycteria americana, 171.

senegalensis, 297.

Myiadestes sancta3-luciJB,

475.

sibilans, 472.

Myiarchus oberi, 473.
Myiobius roraimaB, 500.
Myiopboneus temmincki,

145.

tibetanus, 145.

Myristicivora bieolor,

153.

INDEX.

543

Mjristicivora melanura,

153.
Myrmecocichla melauura,

17.
Myzomela ramsayi, 367.

Naucleriis furcatus, 7fi.
Nectarinia metalli -a, 15.
Nemiira cyanura, 517-
Neomorphus pucherani,

509.

rufipennis, 63.

Neophron mouachus,

455.

per cnopt eras, 13

Nestor meridionalis, 85.

superbus, 85.

Nettapus auritus. 297.
Nigrita arnaudi, 308.

bicolor, 305, 306,

307.

bocagei, 306.

cabanisi, 308.

canicapilla, 304,

305, 306, 307.

ciiiereocapilla, 305,

306.

emilLT, 305, 306.

fusconota, 304, 305,

306.

luceni, 304, 305,

306.

luteifrons, 304, 305,

306.

uropygialis, 304,

305, 306.

Ninox lugubris, 156.

philippinensis, 156.

Niobe ardens, 346.
Nisaetus peunatus, 283,

476.
Nisus sexfasciatus, 75.
Notherodius seolooaceus,

177.
Nothocrax iirumutum,

174.
Nothoprocta godmaui,

203.
Notornis hochstetteri, 97,

98.

mantelli, 98, 373.

Nucifraga caryocatactes,

25.
Numenius arquata, 21,

456, 492.

gypsorum, 526.

hudsonicus, 180.

major, 168.

phajopus, 21, 180,

456, 492.

Nyctherodius violaceus,

170.
Nycticorax gardeni, 170.

, 491, 499.

griseus nsevius, 170.

ntcvius, 170.

pileatus, 171.

violaceus, 170.

Nyctiornis amictus, 366.

Oehthodromus 'wilsonius,

178.
Ochthoeca setopbagoides,

506.
Odontophorus guianensis,

175.
Odoutorhyncbus bra-

nickii, 53.
Odoutriorcbis cayen-

nensis, 77.
CEdiciiemus bistriatus,

177.

seolopax, 20, 167.

ffidistoma pygmajum,

194.
(Ena eapensis, 19.
Q^]nop8 aura, 78.
CEstrelata fi.shrri, 514.

gularis, 514.

scalaris, 514.

Oncostoma cinereigulare,

57.

olivaceum, 57.

Opisthocomus cristatus,

98.
Oreocincla dauma, 517.
Oriolus galbula, 164, 477,

494.
Ortalida motmot, 175.
Ortalis motmot, 175.
Ortborbarapbus magni-

rostris, 525.
Ortygarcbus cayennensis,

176.

mangle, 176.

Ortygornis pondiceri-

anus, 166.
Ortvgospiza atricollis,

337, 338.

dufresuii, 331.

• f uscocrissa, 337.

polyzona, 337.

subflava, 334.

Ortyx cristatus, 175.
Ornyx afer, 355.

approximans, 350.

xautbomelas, 350.

Oryx capensis, 349, 350.
- — • minor, 350.
oryx, 352.

Oryx petiti, 352.

xautbomelas, 350.

Oryzornis orizivora, 312.
Ossifraga gigantea, 85.
Otis afra, 455.

melanogaster, 20.

tetrax, 455.

Otus bracbyotus, 477.

Pacbyprora molitor, 286.

senegalensig, 287.

Padda orizivora, 312.
Pagopbila eburnea, 611.
Palicornis cyanocepbalus,

183.

eupatrius, 183.

torquatus, 183, 454.

Palamedea cornuta, 172.
Palumbus torringtoni.e,

299.
Pandiou baliaetus, 14,

455.
Paradisea apoda, 251, '

411,453.
decora, 194.

finschii, 194, 241,

250, 251, 518.

minor, 250, 251.

novse-guineffi, 251.

raggiana, 251.

speciosa, 256.

Paradisornis rudolpbi,

194,240,252,255,476.
Paroaria gularis, 503.

• nigrigenys, 503.

Parotia lawesi, 90, 241,

243, 244.
sexpennis, 90, 243,

244.
Parra jacana, 79, 177,

301.

jassana, 177.

Parus ater, 453.

caudatus, 400, 453.

cristatus, 26, 434,

453.

major, 453.

palustris, 82.

Passer, sp. ?, 18.

flavicollis, 486.

moutanus, 83.

Pedioecetes pbasianelhis,

192.
Pelecanus fnscus, 168.
■ onocrotalus, 24,

372.

rufescens, 372.

sbarpii, 372.

Pellorneum fusci-

capillum, 185.

544

INDEX.

Peloperdix rubrirostris,

523.
Penelope cristata, 175.

greeyi, 174.

. jacucaca, 175.

marail, 175.

pipile, 175.

Pentbetria albonotata,

348.

■ ardens, 346.

axillaris, 349.

bocagei, 349.

concolor, 344, 346.

eques, 348.

— — flaviscapulatus, 347,

348.

hartlaubi, 346, 347.

laticauda, 347.

longicauda, 346.

luacroura, 347.

rubritorques, 346.

Percnopis bicolor, 307.

dorsofusca, 306.

Perdix cimerea, 455.

coturnix, 455.

petrosa, 455.

yetbi, 523.

PericrocoLus exsul, 162.

flammeus, 161 , 162.

novus, 161, 162.

Peristera janiaicensis,

174.

inontana, 174.

Pernis apivorus, 435,

443, 454, 476.
Petrochelidon lunifrons,

512.

pyrrhonota, 512.

Phaetbon sethereus, 474.

indicus, 23, 168.

Pbalacrocorax, sp., 24.

brasilianus, 168,

169.

Phalaropus rufus, 455.
Pbasianus reevesi, 382.
Philetserus arnaudi, 307,

308.
cabauisi, 307, 308.

— lepidus, 307.

uitens, 338.

socius, 307.

Pbilortix personatus, 513.
Pbimosus infurcatus,

171.

Phoenicopbaes pyrrbo-
cepbalu3, 184.

Pbcenicopterus anti-
quorum, 456.

roseu3, 22, 188.

ruber, 172.

Pholidauges leucogaster,

288.

rerreauxi, 288, 289.

Phonipara fumosa, 502,

503.

pbaBoptila, 503.

Pbonvgama liunsteini,

237, 243.

keraudreni, 242,

243.

purpureo-violacea,

194, 242, 243.
Pbyllornia jerdoni, 514.
Pbylloseopus borealis,

2)7, 218, 219, 220,

221, 222, 223.

collybita, 495.

rufus, 481, 495.

tristis, 481.

trocbilus, 218, 219,

285, 481.
Pbytotoma angusti-

rostris, 366.
Piaya cay ana, 64.

melanogaster, 64.

minuta, 64.

Pica azuren., 453.

fuliginosa, 453.

melanoleuca, 453.

Picumnus jberiugi, 79,

80.

minutus, 57.

punctifrons, 203.

temmincki, 80.

Picus arizonte, 115,

citrinus, 59.

flavigula, .58.

flavinucha, 262.

gularis, 267, 272.

liueatus, 58.

mabrattensis, 183.

major, 423, 434,

443, 444, 453.

malaccensis, 276.

martius, 423, 435,

443, 444, 453.

melanoleucus, 58.

. mentalis, 267, 269,

272.
miniatus, 273, 274,

276,277.

passerinus, 58.

rubiginosus, 59.

rubricoUis, 58.

rubrifrons, 59.

scindiacus, 384.

squamicollis, 269,

271, 272, 273.
stricklaudi, 1 12,

113, 114, 115.

Picus tridactylus, 453.
Tiridis, 411, 423,

453.
(Leuconotopicus)

stricklandi, 113.
Pilberodius pileatus, 171.
Pionias aecipitrinus, 69.

bistrio, 69.

melanocepbalus, 70.

Pionus menstruus, 69.

violaceus, 501.

Pipile cumanensis, 175.
Pipilo compkxus, 513.

submajulatus, 513.

Pipra minuta, 57, 58.

Berena, 509.

suavissinia, 509.

Pipreola whitelyi, 500,

.502, 509.
Piprisoma agile, 186.
Platalea ajaja, 172.

leucorodia, 22.

Platycercus unicolor,

3S5.
Platyrhynchua mysta-

ceus, 507.
Platj'stira cyanea, 287.
Plectrophanes nivalis, 38,

47, 370.
Plectropterus gambensis,

300.
Ploceus capensis, 350.
— '■ — dubius, 354.

erytbrops, 356.

fringilloides, 308.

btematocepbala,

357.

manyar, 188.

oryx, 353.

philippiniis, 186.

ruBsi, 358, 3.59.

sanguinirostris,

357, 358.
, var. setbiopi-

cus, 358.
, var. major,

358.

socius, 307.

Plotus anbinga, 41, 169.

cbantrei, 42.

levaillanti, 41, 42,

43.
melanogaster, 41,

81.

nov£e-bolIandiae, 41.

Podargus gigas, 454.
Pocliceps cristatus, 457,

493, 499.

domiuicus, 181, 400.

fluviatilis, 188.

INDEX.

545

Podiceps minor, 493.

nigricollis, 79.

pbilippensis, 400.

rubricollis, 425, 457.

Podoa surinaraensis, 177.
Pceocephalus meyeri,

291.
PolioaetU3 ichthyaetua,

183.
Polioptila albiventria,

370.
Polyborus aterrimug,
455.

cheriway, 78.

Polymistria pavonina,

609.
Porpbyrio caBruleus, 378.

martinicus, 177.

poliocepbaluB, 187,

521.

veteruin, 521.

Porzana albicollis, 176.

bailloni, 161, 489.

cayeuneiisis, 176.

concolor, 176.

porzana, 489.

maruetta, 489.

pj^gmtea, 161.

spiloptera, 531.

tabuensis, 161.

Pratincola hempricbii,
480, 494.

rubetra, 480.

Prinia hodgsoni, 185.
Prionites momota, 60.
Procellaria gigantea, 457.

glacialis, 410, 457.

pelagica, 457.

Psalidoprocne obscura,

96.
Psaltria exilis, 376.
Pseudogryphus californi-

anus, 149.
Pseudoptynx philippi-

nensis, 156.
Psittacara bahni, 67.
Psittacella madaraszi,
367.

pallida, 367.

Psittacula cyanoptera, 70.

gregarius, 70.

modesta, 70.

passerina, 70.

purpurata, 70.

sclateri, 70.

Psittacus jestivus, 69.

amazonicus, 421,

426, 435, 454.

cbrysopterus, 68.

domicella, 454.

Psittacus dufresneanus,
69.

eritbacus, 81, 454.

festivus, 68.

leucocepbalus, 454.

magnus, 422, 435,

454.

maximiliani, 70.

melanocepbalus, 69.

menstruus, 69, 454.

ochrocephalus, 69,

420.

pavua, 67.

pileatus 69.

puUarius, 454.

pulverulentus, 69.

purpuratus, 70.

timneli, 81.

tiriacula, 68.

Psopbia cantatrix, 365.

crepitans, 177.

Pternisteg swaiusoni,

292.
Pteroeles bicinctus, 292.

coronatus, 166..

exustus, 19.

licbteusteini, 19,

166.

namaqua, 292.

Pteroglossus aracari, 65.

bitorquatus, 65.

inscriptus, 65.

nattereri, 66.

pipei'ivorus, 66.

pluricinctus, 65.

sulcatus, 66.

viridis, 65.

Ptilocolpa griseipectus,

160.
Ptilonorhyncbus holos,

453.
Ptilopus melanocepbalus,
524.

patruelis, 367.

porpbyreus, 376.

temmincki, 98.

Ptilotis albonotata, 194.

fulvocinerea, 367.

Pucrasia meyeri, 145.

xantbospila, 145.

Pulsatrix torquatus, 71.
Pycnonotus arsinoe, 17.

leucotis, 483.

xantbopygus, 164.

Pyctorbis nasalis, 185.
Pyranga ardeus, 506.
Pyrenestescoccineus, 314.

ostrinus, 313, 314.

personatus, 314.

sanguineus, 314.

Pyroderus masoni, 513.
Pyromelana afra, 352,

355.

aurea, 351, 354.

— — capensis, 350.
diadeumta, 351 ,

354.
flammiceps, 351,

352.

franciscaua, 351,

353.

friederichsoni, 351,

352.

gierowi, 351, 352.

ladoensis, 351.

nigrifrons, 351, 353.

nigriventris, 351,

353, 354.

orix, 350, 351, 352.

OT-yx, 353.

scioana, 351, 354.

sticta, 351, 352,

354.

sundevalli, 353.

taba, 290, 350, 351,

354.
Pyrrbococcyx brachy-
ptera, 64.

cay anus, 64.

minutuB, 64.

Pyrrbocoma ruficeps, 80.
Pyrrbocorax alpinus, 26.

graculus, 26.

Pyrrbula nana, 311.

vulgaris, 434.

Pyrrbulauda grisea, 18.

melanaucben, 18.

Pytelia bicolor, 307.

caniceps, 312.

citerior, 320.

raelba, 290.

monteiri, 318.

reicbeuowii, 317.

Pytilia afra, 319, 320.

capistrata, 318, 326,

330.

cinereigula, 320.

liypogrammica,

319, 320.

incana, 329.

liueata, 318, 319,

321.

melba, 318, 319,

320.

minima, 323.

nitidula, 318, 319.

perreini, 329.

phoenicoptera, 318,

319,321.
phoemcotis, 336.

546

INDEX.

Pytilia rufopicta, 322.

sangiiinolenta, 334.

schlegeli, 318, 319.

subflava, 334.

wieneri, 320.

Quelea setbiopica, 356,

358, 359.

• capitata, 356.

cardiiialis, 350,

357.

erytbrops, 356.

latbami, 35?*.

occidentalis, 358.

orientalis, 358.

quelea, 355, 356,

357, 358.

russi, 356.

sanguiDirostris,

357, 358.

socia, 358.

Querquedula circia, 493.

crecca, 22.

formosa, 194.

Quiscalus fortirostris,
giiadeloiipensis, 474.

Eallus aquaticus, 455.

crepitans, 176.

crex, 455.

longirostris, 176.

— peruvianus, 203.

plateni, 216.

Rampbocinclns bracby-

urus, 475.
Eectes cerviniventris,

194.

leucorbynclius, 194.

Eeeurvirostra amei'icana,

230.
-^— andina, 232.

avocetta, 228, 456.

leucocepbala, 231.

noYje-bollandiie,

229.

occidentalis, 230.

orientalis, 231.

rubricollis, 229.

sinensis, 229.

Eegerbinus uncinatus,

77.
Ebampbastos dicolorus,

65.
erytbrorbyncbus,

64.

oseulans, 65.

toco, 65.

Titellinus, 65.

Rbainpliastu.s nioniotus,

60.

Rhamphocbaris crassiros-

tris, 194.
Rbampbomantis roUesi,

367.
Rbea americana, 366.
Ebipidura albifrontata,

185.

atrata, 523.

cinnamoniea, 367.

Tidua, 523.

Rbodopyga bypomelas,

323.

rara, 323.

rbodopsis, 325.

Rhodostetbia rosea, 196.
Rbyacopbila glareola,

167.

solitarius, 180.

Rbjncbocyclus mega-

cepbalus, 501.
Rbyncbops melanurus,

180.

nigra, 180.

Rostrbamus bamatus, 77.

r sociabilis, 77.

Rupornis uiagnirostris,

72.
Ruticilla, sp., 17.

erytbronota, 496.

niesoleuca, 482.

pboenicura, 496.

titbys, 25.

Salpiza cristata. 175.

• jacucaca, 175.

- — — marail, 175.
Saltator guadeloupensis,

475.
Sarcorbampbus papa,

78.
Saxicola, sp., 17.
deserti, 100, 483,

496.

galtoni, 285.

isabellina, 483, 496.

melanoleuca, 483.

mcesta, 483.

montana, 164.

monticola, 284.

morio, 483, 496.

— — oenantbe, 17, 100,

452, 483.

pieata, 164.

rubetra, 452.

stapazina, 17.

Scelostrix Candida, 161.
Scenopeus dentirostris,

531.
Scolopax isequatorialis,

135, 136.

Scolopax albipeunis,
136.

andina, 135.

aucklandica, 1.30.

— — australis, 133, 135,

avocetta, 229.

brasilieusis, 135.

frenata, 1.39, 179.

andina. 138.

brasiliensis,

138.

magellanica,

138.

paraguayje,

137.

gallinago, 135, 139,

140, 141.

walsoni, 140.

gallinula, 143, 455.

gigantea, 132.

biemalis, 129.

iiuperiabs, 128, 130.

janiesoni, 128, 130.

— • — japonica, 1-30.

macrodactyla, 134,

135.

nobilis, 133.

magellanica, 135.

major, 142.

megala, 133.

minor, 127.

nemoricola, 128,

130.

nigripennis, 136.

nobilis, 1.33, 134,

135.

macrodactyla,

133.

paludosa, 175.

Paraguay se, 135,

139.

rocbusseni, 128.

roseubergi, 128.

rusticula, 127, 435,

455, 512.

saturata, 127, 376.

solitaria, 129, 130.

japonica, 129.

stenura, 132.

stricklandi, 129,

130.

uadulata, 131, 132.

gigantea, 131.

wilsoni, 135, 139.

141.
Scops asio, 71.

brasibanus, 71.

cboliba, 71.

giu, 163, 477, 494.

Selaspborus rufus, 215.

INDEX.

547

Selenidera nattereri, 66.

piperivora, 66.

Setophaga castaueoca-

pilla, 500, 506.
ruticilla, 472, 473,

474.

verticalis, 506.

Sialia azurea, 512.
Simorhynchus cristatus,

211.

psittacula, 211.

Sitta piiropsea, 453.
Sittace, sp. ?, 454.

araraima, 67.

chloroptera, 66.

liahni, 67.

inacao, 67, 454.

— — macuTuana, 67.

severa, 66.

Siurus auricapillus, 7.
Smithornis capensis,

523.
Somateria spectabilis,

196.

v-nigrmn, 202.

Spatula clypeata, 493.
Speotyto cunicularia,

71, "72.
SperiLiestes bicolor, 308.

309, 310.

caniceps, 312.

cantans, 312.

eucullatus, 308,

309.
fringilloides, 308,

309.

nana, 311.

poeusis, 308, 309,

310.
rufodorsalis, 308,

309.

scutatiis, 309.

Spermophaga cyano-

rhyncba, 316.

margaritata, 317.

niveiguttata, 317.

Spermophila supercilia-

ris, 80.
Spermospiza guttata, 315,

316, 317.
hsematina, 314, 315,

316.
Spilornis spilogaster,

182.
Spizaetus ceylonensis,

182.

mauduyti, 75.

ornatus, 75.

Spizella piisilla arenacea,

513.

Sporteginthus miniatus,

334.

subflava, 334.

Sporotblastes erytbro-

cephala, -313.

fasciatiis, 313.

Squatarola belvetica, 167.
Steganura paradisea,

342.
, Tar. australia,

343.

spbfenura, 342.

verreauxi, .343.

Sterna albigena, 23.

anglica, 493, 512.

arctica, 456,- 519.

bergi, 23.

■ caspia, 456.

fluviatilis, 519.

• biniudo, 422, 435,

456.

inaorura, 51, 519.

niagnirostris, 180.

minuta, 23, 456.

nilotica, .512.

saundersi, 493.

Stiginatops cbloris, 194.
Strepsilas iuterpre.s, 20,

49, 178, 456.
Streptooitta albicollis, 98.

■ torquata, 98.

Stringops babroptilus,

91.
Strix aluco, 420, 454.

asio, 454.

bracbyotus, 454.

bubo, 392, 454.

cayennensis, 71.

flammea, 14, 70,

377, 454, 477.
— • — flammeus america-

nus, 189.

lactea, 454.

lapponica, 410, 427,

4.54.
liturata, 410, 422,

427,43.5,440,441,4.54.
nisoria, 406, 420,

431, 435, 440, 454.

uoctua, 454.

nyctea, 454.

otus, 406, 410, 454.

passerina, 406, 454.

perlata, 70.

phalaenoides, 72.

scops, 454.

tengmalrai, 454.

Strobilophaga burtoni,

385.
Struthio camelus, 425.

Sturnia violacea, 162.
Sturnus vulgaris, 452.
Sycalis citrina, 507.
Sylvia afRnis, 495.
atricapilla, 481,

495.

cinerea, 481.

curruca, 222, 495.

familiaris, 495.

nana, 517.

nisoria, 480.

phoeuicurus, 452.

rubecula, 452.

Symphemia semipalmata,

179.
Synallaxis adusta, .500.
Synthliborharaphus

wumizusuuie, 511.
Syrnium hululutu, 71.

perspicillatum, 71.

superciliare, 71.

• • uraleuse, 517.

Tacbypetes aquik, 168.
Tacbyphonus cristatus,

509.
Tachytriorchis abbrevia-

tus, 72.
Taha abyssinica, 355.

dubia, 354.

Tamil sia erytbropyga,

108.
Tantalus loculator, 171.
Telephoniis erythropte-

rus, 287.

Senegal us, 287.

Terekia cinerea, 21,

492.
Terpsiphone coiuoreusis,

87.

cristata, 16.

Tetreenura regia, 342.
Tetrao mlokosiewiczii,

511.
tetrix, 435, 440,

455.

— urogallus, 455.

Tetraophasis szechenyii,

98, 145.
Textor erythrorhynchus,

28.3.
Thalassidroma lineata,

513.
Thamnophilua insignis,

509.

striatus, 453.

Tberisticus caudatus,

171.

raelanopis, 171.

Thrasaetus harpyia, 75.

548

INDEX.

Thryothorus guadelou-

pensis, 471, 474. 513.

musicus, 472.

Thyrorhina schomburgki,

176, 504.
Tichodroma muraria,

25.
Tigrisoma brasiliense,

170.

tigrinum, 170.

Tinamu3 subcristatus,

181.
Tinnunculus alaudarius,

494.

gracilis, 469.

isabellinus, 76.

Tockus erythrorhyncbus,

289.
•Totanus calidris, 21, 167,

455, 492.

canescens, 492.

flaYipes, 180.

fuscus, 45.5.

glareola, 167, 293.

glottis, 455.

hypoleucus, 21, 25.

melauoleucus, 180.

ochropus, 21, 167,

455.

semipalmatus, 179.

solitarius, 180.

Btagnatilis, 26.

Tracbypelmus subcrista-
tus, 181.
Trachyphonus arnaudi,

108, 109, 110, 111.
boehmi, 109, 110,

111, 112, 378.

caffer, 107, 108.

erytlu-ocephalus,

105, 106, 107, 111.

goffini, 112.

■ margaritatug, 108,

109, 112.

purpuratus, 111,

112.
shelleyi, 105, 106,

107, IIJ, 112.
squamiceps, 108,

109.

versicolor, 111.

Treron, sp. ?, 18.

abyssinica, 18.

massica, 523.

Tringa, sp., 21.

alpina, 167.

canutuB, 179.

cinclus, 21.

ferruginea, 455.

maculata, 196.

Tringa maritima, 455.

striata, 50.

Tringoides hypoleucus,

167.

inaeulariug, 180.

Trochalopterum cacbin-

nans, 204.
— — ciniiamomeum, 204.
Troglodytes borealis, 44,

45, 46,
hirtensis, 43, 44,

92.
parvulus, 43, 44,

45.
Trogon atricollis, 61.

melanoptems, 61.

melanurus, 61.

meridionalis, 61.

narina, 453.

personatus, 60.

viridis, 61.

Trvngites rufescens,

i96.
Turdus atrigularis, 495.

comorensis, 87.

fuscescens, 512.

iliacus, 46.

musicus, 482, 495,

olivaceus, 143.

pallasi, 517.

roraimte, 500, 504.

Turuix lepuraua, 292.
Turtur, sp. ?, 19.

aiiritus, 489.

risorius, 166.

senegalensis, 166.

Tympauistria bicolor,

3,4.

fraseri, 3, 4.

virgo, 2, 4.

Tyrannula megacephala,

501.
Tyrannus rostratus, 473,

475.

Upupa epops, 16, 166,

454, 498.
Uia^ginthus cyanogastra,

336.

granatinus, 335.

ianthinogaster,

336.

phoenicotis, 336.

Urax erythrorhyncbus,

174. "

tomentosa, 174.

Uria alle, 400.

grylle, 400, 420,

422, 435, 457.
troile, 400, 457.

Urobrachya affinis, 349.

albouotata, 348.

axillaris, 349.

bocagei, 349.

eques, 348.

raechowi, 349.

phoeuicea, 349.

zauzibarica, 344,

349.
Urochroina purpurata,

70.
Urogalba paradisea, 62.
Uroloncha caritans, 312.
Urubitinga albicollis, 74.
authracina, 74, 189,

473.

melano]5s, 75.

zonura, 74.

cayennensis,

Vanellus

178.

cristatus, 456.

Venilia gularis, 260, 267,

272.

malaccensis, 277.

mentalis, 260, 267,

269.

miniatus, 274, 277.

Vidcstrelda paradisea,

343.

regia, 342,

Serena, 341.

superciliosa, 342.

Vidua, sp. ?, 348.
albonotata, 348.

ardens, 346.

■ axillaris, 349.

concolor, 344, 346.

decora, 341.

eques, 348.

erythrorhyncha,

341.

fischeri, 339, 340,

342.

fuliginosa, 341.

hypocherina, 339,

340.

laticauda, 347.

lenocinia, 346.

longicauda, 346.

macrocerca, 347.

macroura, 348.

nitens, 339.

paradisea, 339, 340,

342.

orieutalis, 343.

phoenicopterus, 346.

principalis, 339,

340, 341.
regia, 339, 340, 342.

INDEX.

549

Vidua rubritorques, 346.

serena, 341.

• sphoenura, 342.

splendens, 340.

superciliosa, 339,

340, 341.

torquata, 346.

ultramai'ina. 339.

verreauxi, 340, 342.

Vireo calidris, 472, 473,

475.
. solitarius alticola,

189.

Vultur cinereus, 455.

fulvus, 455.

monachus, 523.

Xanthomelus aureus.

90.
Xenerpestes minlosi, 53,

54.
Xenorhyuchus asiaticus,

188.

Yungipicus gymnoph-
tbalmus, 183.

Zenaida bogotensis, 79.

rubripes, 79.

Zonogastris citerior,

320.

elegans, 320.

lineata, 321.

melba, 320.

phoenicoptera,

321.
Zonotricbia pileata,

506.
Zosterops angasizae, 87.
mouroniensis, 87.

END OF VOL. IV.

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4to, 1885.)

3. Blomepield. Reminiscences of Prideaux John Selby. (8vo. Bath, 1886.)

4. The Canadian Record of Science. (Vol. i. nos. 2-4.)

6. Cory. A List of the Birds of the West Indies. Revised Edition. (4to,
1886.)

6. Dalgleish. List of the Birds of Culross and TuUiallan. (Appendix to
Beveridge's * Culross and Tiilliallan/ 1885.)

7. Lawrence. Descriptions of new Species of Birds of the Family Colum-
bidae. (The Auk, vol. ii. no. 4.)

8. Lawrence. Description of a new Species of Bird of the Genus Engyptila,
with Notes on two Yucatan Birds. (Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. iv. no. 8.)

9. Menzbieb. OEuvres Posthumes de M. le Dr. N, A. Sewertzow. (Nouv.
M^m. Soc. Imp. d. Nat. Moscou, xv. 1885.)

10. Mittheilungen des ornjthologischen Vereines in Wien. (Section fiir
Vogelkunde, &c. 1885. Jahr. 9, Nos. 20-28.)

11. Newton, Memoir of the late John Scales. (Trans. Norfolk and Norwich
Nat. Soc. vol. iv.)

12. ScHALOW. Richard Bohm : ein Blatt der Erinnerung. (J. f. 0. 1885.)

13. Stejnegeb. Results of Ornithological Explorations in the Commander
Islands. (Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. ]9, 1885.)

CONTENTS or NUMBEE, XIII.— EIETH SEUIES.

Pag©
I. On two new Species of Birds from New Ireland. Bj' 0.

FiNscH, Ph.D., H.M.B.O.U. (Plate t.) 1

II. On a new African Pigeon of the Genus Tympanistria. By

Dr. G. Hartlaxtb 2

III. On the Xest and Eggs of Swainson's Warbler {Heloncea siuain-

soni). By William Brewster 4

IV. On the Birds of Aden and the jSTeighbourhood. By Major J.
W. Yerburt, ll.A. With Notes by R. Boavdler Suarpe,
F.L.S. &c. (Plate II.) 11

Y. Notes on the Birds of the Upper Engadine. By Henry Seebohm 24

YI. On Lanius excubitor and Lanius major. By Egbert Collext 30

YII. On the Species of the Genus Plotus and their Distribution.

By H. B. Tristram, D.D., F.E.S. (Plate III.) .... 41

YIII. On the Wren of St. Kilda. By H. E. Dresser, E.Z.S. ... 43

IX. Notes from Northern Iceland in the Summer of 1885. By 45
Henry H. Slater and Thomas Carter

X. On some interesting Additions to the Avifauna of Bucaramanga, 53
U.S. of Colombia. By Hans von Berlepsch. (Plate IV.).

XI. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely in British

Guiana. By Oseerx Salvin, M.A.,r.R.S., &c. (Continued.) 57

XII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

1. 'The Auk' . • ., 78

2. Berlepsch and Jhering on South-Brazilian Birds .... 79

3. R. Blasiua on Colleclions iu the Mark and Poraerauia . . 1

4. R. Blasius on Collections in Sweden and Norway . . . . •■ 80
6. Biittikofer on Liberian Birds j

6. Biittikofer on Glareula megnpoda J

7. Oazin on Plotus melanoc/aster I 81

8. Dixon on Evolution without Natural Selection . . . . |

9. Evans on some Scottish Birds 82

10. Forbes's Scieutitic Papers 83

11. Gadow on the Anatomy of Birds [ aa

12. Giglioli on the Ornithological Congress at Vienna . • ■ |

13. Kii'k on Variations in New-Zealand Birds 85

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CONTENTS OF NUMBER XIV. {continued).

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45. Me nzHer on the Posthumous Works of SevertzofE . . . 197

46. 'The Naturalist' 198

47. Newton's Memoir of the late John Scales 199

48. Olphe-Galliard on the Birds of Western Europe . .

49. Palacky on the Distribution of Birds

60. Sharpe and Wyatt on the Hirundinidae ,

51. Smithsonian Eeport for 1883 , _

62. Stejneger on the Birds of the Commander Islands and(

Kamtschatba

53. Taczanowski's Ornithology of Peru ' 202

XXVI. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Mr. W. Davison, Dr. Gadow, Dr. Giinther, and
Mr. W, E. Brooks ; Science in Indiana; The Abundance of
Quails last year ; The Generic Term Simorhynchns ; The
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Publications received since the issue of No. 13, Fifth Series,

AND not noticed IN THE PRESENT NuMBER.

14. Annalen des k.-k. naturhistorischen Hof museums, redigirt von Dr. Franz
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15. Bericht iiber die Verwaltung der koniglichen Sammlungen fiir Kunst
und Wissenschaft zu Dresden in den Jahren 1882 imd 1883. (4to, 1886.)

16. B1.ASIUS. Die Raubvcigel von Cochabamba. (Mitth. d. ornithol. Ver.

1884, no. 9.)

17. Blasius. Osteologische Studien (Messungs-Methoden an Vogel-Ske-
letten). (J. f. 0. 1885, p. 409.)

18. Blasius. Ueber einige Vogel von Cochabamba in Bolivia. (J. f. 0.

1885, p. 416.)

19. Blasius. Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Vogelfauna von Celebes. — I,
(Zeitsch. f d. ges. Ornith. 1885, Heft iii.)

20. BoECK. Ornis des Thales von Cochabamba in Bolivia. (Mitth. d.
ornithol. Ver. 1884, nos. 7, 11.)

21. The Canadian Record of Science. (Vol. ii. no. 1.)

22. FiNSCH uud Meyer. Vogel von Neu-Guinea. Parts i., ii. (Zeitsch. f.
d. ges. Ornith. 1886, Heft 1.)

23. Hancock. Note on the Habit of the young Cuckoo in ejecting the Eggs
and Young of its Foster-parent from the Nest. (N. H. Trans, of Northuinb.,
Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, vol. viii.)

24. Jahresbericht (1883) des Ausschusses fiir Beobachtungsstationen der
Vogel Deutschlands. (J. f 0. 1885, p. 225.)

25. Lawbence. Characters of two supposed new Species of Birds from
Yucatan. (Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. no. 9.)

26. LwoFF. Beitrage zur Histologie des Haares, der Borste, des Stachela
und der Feder. (Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou, pt. i. p. 141.)

27. Mittheilungen des ornithologischen Vereines in Wien. (Section fiir
Vogelkunde, &c. 1885, Jahr. 9, Nos. 29-32; 1886, Jahr. 10, Nos. 1-5.)

28. Random Notes on Natural Historv. Vol. iii. no. 2.

29. ScHALOW. Die Musophagidse. (J. f. 0. 1886, p. 1.)

30. Shufeldt. The Skeleton in Geococcyx. (Journ. Anat. & Phys., Jan
1886.)

31. VoBDEEMAN. Bijdrage tot de Kennis der Avifauna van den Berg Salak
(West-Java). (Natuurk. Tijdsch. v. Nederl. Indie, Dl. xlv. Afl. 3.)

CONTENTS OE NUMBEU XIY.— EIPTH SEMES.

Page
XIV. On a new Species of Barbet of the Genus Trachyphonus, By

Dr. G. Haexlatjb. (Plate V.)! 105

XV. Notes on Woodpeckers. — No. XI. On a new Species from

Arizona. By Edwakd Hargixi, F.Z.S 112

XVI. A Review of the Species of the Genus Cursorius. By Henry

Seebohm 115

XVII. A Eeview of the Species of the Genus Scolopax. By Henry

Seebohm 122

XVIII. Descriptions of two new Birds from Tibet. By Dr. Julius

VON Madarasz 145

XIX. On the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Wings. By P. L. Sclatee,

M.A., Ph.D., P.R.S 147

XX. On some Papuan, Moluccan, and Sulu Birds. By T. Salva-

DORi, C.M.Z.S 151

XXI. Contributions to the Ornithology of the Philippine Islands.
—No. 2. On Additional Collections of Birds. By 11. G.
Wardlaw Ramsay, P.Z.S., M.B.O.U 155

XXII. On a Collection of Birds from the vicinity of Muscat. By R.
BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.. Zoological Depart-
ment, British Museum of Natural History. (Plate VI.) . 162

XXIII. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely in British

Guiana. ByOsBERxSALViN, M.A.,]?.R.S., &c. (Continued.) 168

XXIV. Notes from Ceylon. By H. Parker, P.Z.S 182

XXV. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

30. Adrianof on the Birds of North-western Mongolia . . . 188

31. 'The Auk' ._ 189

32. Barnes on the Birds of the Bombay Presidency . . . . ) -^nn

33. Beckham on some Kentucky Birds f

34. Blomefield's ' Reminiscences of Selby ' i ^^^y-,

36. Booth on British Birds f ""

36. Canadian Record of Science 1

37. Cory's New List of West-Indian Birds U92

38. Dalgleish on the Birds of Culross and Tulliallan . . . . )

39. Des Mm's on Em-opean Birds l 10^

40. Finsch and Meyer on new Paradise-birds j

41. Giglioli and Manzella on Italian Birds [ 194

42. Gould's ' Birds of New Giunea ' |

43. Lawrence on Birds from Yucatan i ■■ p-

44. Murdoch on the Birds of Point Barrow . • (

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JULY 1886.

JBrice Qs.

THE IBIS,

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY.

EDITED BY

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.,

SECKETAKY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON,

AND

HOWARD SAUNDERS, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

LONDON:
JOHN VAN VOOIIST, 1, P ATERN OS TEE ROW.

Annual Subscription, payable before Slst March each year, £1 Is.

P TATLOE AND FEAHCIB, PBtNTEBS,]

[bed LIOK COD&T, rLBET 6TBEET

BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

PRESIDENT.
The Right Hon. Lord Lilford.
SECRETARY.
H. E. Dresser, Esq.
committee.
The President. '^

The Editors of 'The Ibis.' > Ea^ officio.
The Secretary. J

W. T. Blanford, Esq.
E. DuCane GodmaNj Esq.
Edward Cavendish Taylor, Esq.
The British Ornithologists' Union was instituted in 1858 for
the advancement of the science of Ornithology. Its funds are
devoted primarily to the publication of 'The Ibis/ a Quarterly
Journal of Ornithology, of which twenty-seven volumes have now
been completed.

The Union consists of Ordinary Members, Honorary Members
(limited to ten), and Foreign Members (limited to twenty).

Ordinary Members pay an admission fee of £2, and a contri-
bution of £1 on election, and £i on the 1st of January of each
subsequent year.

Ordinary Members and Honorary Members are entitled to
receive a copy of ' The Ibis ' gratis.

Authors are entitled to 25 extra copies of their papers pub-
lished in ' The Ibis/ on applying for them to the Secretary.

The Election of Members takes place at the Annual General
Meeting, held in April or May of each year. Persons wishing to
become Member are requsested to apply to the Secretary for infor-
mation respecting Election.

H. E. DRESSER,

Secretary.
0 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W.

Noiv ready.

A NEW LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS.

A List of British Birds compiled bv a Committee of the British Ornithologists'
Union. 229 pp. 8vo. Price 10s. Qd.

London : John Van Voorst, 1 Paternoster Row, E.C.

Members of the British Ornithologists' Union can obtain the above of
Mr. R. H. Porter, 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W., at the reduced price
of hs. cash, or three copies for lOs. 6c?.

CONTENTS OF NUMBER XV. {continued).

Page

69. Oustalet on new Birds from New Guinea )

70. Random Notes on Natural History / „__

71. Eeport on the Dresden Museum of Art and Science. . . f

72. Report on the Observing-stations of German Birds . . . )

73. Scnalow's Essay on the Touracoos 374

74. Sclater on the Uoerebidae, Tanagridae, and Icterid* . . . 375

75. Sliufeldt on the Skeleton of Qeococcyx 1 o- >

76. Vorderman on the Birds of Mount Salak . , . ." '. !(^'^

XXXVIII. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Count T. Salvadori, Herr A. von Pelzeln, Dr. G.
Hartlaub, Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor, and Dr. Leonhard
Stejueger ; Reeves's Pheasants at Home ; Radde's Scientific
Expedition in Transcaspia ; Mr. H. 0. Forbes in New Guinea ;
News of Mr. H. H. Johnston ; Rediscovery of Platycercus
tmicolor ; Anniversary Meeting of the British Ornithologists'
Union, 1886 ; Obituary — Prof. E. von Boeck, of Cocha-
bamba ; and Heer Franjois P. L. PoUen 377

Publications received since the issue of No. 14^ Fifth Series

AND NOT noticed IN THE PRESENT NuMBER.

32. The American Ornithologists' Union. Code of Nomenclature and Check-
list of North-American Birds. (8vo. New York, 1886.)

33. ' The Auk.' Vol. iii. no. 2.

34. Blasiits und Hayek. Ornis. (Jahrg. 1, Heft 2, 3, 1885.)

35. Bbewster. Bird Migration. (Mem. Nuttall Om. Club, no. 1, 1886.)

36. BuTLEB. A List of the Birds observed in Franklin County, Indiana
(Bull. Brookville Soc. Nat. Hist. no. 2, 1886.)

37. The Canadian Record of Science. (Vol. ii. no. 2.)

38. GiGLiOLi. Avifauna Italica. (8vo. Firenze, 1886.)

39. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. (Vol. i. no. 2.)

40. The Journal of the Trenton Natural History Society. (Vol. i. no. 1.)

41. Meyer. Notiz iiber eine Vogelsammlung von Kaiser Wilhelms Land
(Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Ornith. 1886, Heft 1.)

42. Mittheilungen des ornithologischen Vereines in Wien, (Blatter fiir
Vogelkunde &c., Jahrg. 10, 1886, nos. 6-10.)

48. MoJSisovics. Bericht iiber eine Reise nach Siidungarn und Slavonien
im Friibjahre 1884. (IVlitth. d. naturw. Ver. f. Steiermark, Jahr. 1884 und
1885.)

44. Mojsisovics. Biologische und faunistische Beobachtungen iiber Voo-el
und Saugethiere Siidungarns und Slavoniens. (Mitth. d. naturw. Ver f Steier-
mark, 1885.)

45. Reyes. Catalogo de las Aves de Espana. (8vo. Madrid, 1886.)

46. SoTJSA. Lista das aves coUigidas em Afiica de 1884 a 1885 pelos srs.
.Capello e Ivens. (Jorn. d. Sci. Math., Phys. e Nat. Lisboa, no. xlii. 1886.)

47. SousA. Lista das aves colligidas pelo sr. Serpa Pinto no Ibo em 1885.
(Jorn. d. Sci. Math., Phys. e Nat. Lisboa, no. xlii. 1886.)

48. Taczanowski. Liste des Oiseaux re^us recemment du Sud-ouest du
Pays Oussourien. (Bull. Soc. Zool. France, t. x. 1885.)

CONTENTS OP NUMBEU XV.— EIETH SEllIES.

Page
XXVII. Further Notes on Pliylloscopus horealis iu Norway. By

Robert Collett, F.M.B.O.U 217

XXVIII. A Review of the Species of the Genus Himantojyus. By

Henby Seebohm 224

XXIX. On some new Paradise-birds. By 0. Finsch and A, B.

Meyee. (Plate VII.) 237

XXX. Description of a new Ground-finch from Western Peru.

By P. L. Sclatee, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. (Plate VIII.) 258

XXXI. Notes on Woodpeckers. — No. XII. On the Genus Chry-

sojjhlegma. By Edward Hargixt, F.Z.S 260

XXXII. Additional Notes on the Ornithology of the Transvaal.
By Thomas Ayees. (Communicated by John Henry
Gtjeney.) 282

XXXIII. Note on Kiener's Hawk-eagle. By Sajitjel Bligh. (Com-

municated by John Henry Gurney.) 299

XXXIV. On the Claws and Spurs of Birds' Wings. By P. L.

Sclatee, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S 300

XXXV. A Review of the Species of the Family Phceidce of the
Ethiopian Region. By Captain G. E. Shelley, F.Z.S.
—Parti. Viduince. (Plate IX.) . . . . . . .301

XXXVI. Additional Notes on the Genus Acantliis. By W. Euv,in

Brooks 359

XXXVII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

54. Anuals of the Natural-History Museum of Vienna . . . 364

55. Bennett on Birds breeding in New South Wales. . . . )

f)Q. W. Blasius on measuring Birds' Skeletons ( „^_

57. W. Blasius on the Birds of Prey of Cochabamba . . . f "^

58. W. Blasius on Birds from Cochabamba )

59. Boeck on the Birds of Cochabamba J „„„

60. Dresser's Monograph of the Bee-eaters j"

61. Finsch and Meyer on Birds from New Guinea j r,^-

62. Hancock on the Cuckoo { '^^^

63. Kingsley's ' Standard Natural History ' 368

64. Lawrence on tv/o new Birds from Y^ucatau 1

65. Lwoff on the Histology of Feathers i 370

66. Macpherson and Duckworth on the Birds of Cumbeiland . )

67. Meyer's Bhistrations of Birds' Skeletons .571

68. ' Mittheilungeu ' of the Ornithological Union of Vienna . 372

[^Contents continued on page 3 of Wrapper. '\

Covers for binding last year's Volume may be had on application to the

Publisher.

Cojnamuications may be addressed to the Editors, 6 Tenterden Street, Han-
over Square, W. Advertisements &c. to the Publisher, John Van Voorst,
1 Paternoster Row, London, E.G.

Members of the B. 0. U. are requested to keep tlie Secretary, 11. E.
Dresser, Esq., 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W., informed of any
change of Residence, so that the Number.^ of ' The Ibis' may be sent to them
without delay.

OCTOBER 1888.

JPrice 6s.

i^^M

THE IBIS

QUAllTERLY JOUllNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

EDITED BY

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATEll, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

SECEETAEY TO THE ZOOLOaiCAL SOCIETY OF LONDON,
AND

HOWARD SAUNDERS, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

f£^:?:Sr^'' t^\J "/5^

LONDON:
JOHN VAN VOORST, 1, P ATEEN OSTEK ROW

Annual Suhscript'ion, payable before 31sf Marcli cacli year, £\ Is.

(SlKTAYLOB AXD FRAXCIS, PEINTEES,]
[^

[RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET,

«©>

BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

PBESIDENT.
The Right Hon. Lord Lilford.
SECRETARY.
H. E. Dresser, Esq.
COMMITTEE.
The President. ^

The Editors of ^The Ibis.^ >Ex officio. •
The Secretary. J

W. T. Blanford, Esq.
E. DuCane Godman, Esq.
Edward Cavendish Taylor, Esq.
The British Ornithologists' Union was instituted in 1858 for
the advancement of the science of Ornithology. Its funds are
devoted primarily to the publication of 'The Ibis/ a Quarterly
Journal of Ornithology, of which twenty-eight volumes have now
been completed.

The Union consists of Ordinary Members, Honorary Members
(limited to ten), and Foreign Members (limited to twenty).

Ordinary Members pay an admission fee of £2, and a contri-
bution of £1 on election, and j8l on the 1st of January of each
subsequent year.

Ordinary Members and Honorary Members are entitled to
receive a copy of * The Ibis ' gratis.

Authors are entitled to 25 extra copies of their papers pub-
lished in ' The Ibis,' on applying for them to the Secretary.

The Election of Members takes place at the Annual General
Meeting, held in April or May of each year. Persons wishing to
become Members are requested to apply to the Secretary for infor-
mation respecting Election.

H. E. DRESSER,

Secretary.
6 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W.

Noiv ready.

A NEW LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS.

A List of Britisli Birds compiled by a Committee of the British Ornithologists'
Union. 229 pp. 8vo. Price 10s. 6d.

London : John Van Vooest, 1 Paternoster Row, E.G.

Members of the British Ornithologists' Union can obtain the above of
Mr. R. II. Porter, 6 Tenterden Street, lianover Square, W., at the reduced pric»
of 5s. cash, or tbree copies for 10s, 6d.

CONTENTS OF NUMBER XVI. {continued).

Page

92. Snelleman on the Birds of Sumatra [ ,.„„

93-94. Sousa on African Birds \ ^^"^

95. Taczanowski on the Birds of Ussuria 623

L. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Messrs. J. H. Gurney, A. B. Meyer, A, Everett,
and W. T. Blanford ; Report on the British Museum for
1885 ; Sale of the Jardine Ornithological Collection ; New
Work by Prof. B. Bidgway 523

Index 533

Titlepage, Preface, List of Members, and Contents.

Publications received since the issue or No. 15, Fifth Series,

AND NOT noticed IN THE PRESENT NuMBER.

49. Annalen desk. k. naturhistorischen Hof museums. (Band 1, no. 2, 1886.)

50. Beckham. 'Remarks on the Flumsige oi Iteffulus calendula. (Proc. U.S.
Nat. Mus. 1885, p. 625.) _

51. Beelepsch. Kritische Bemerkungen zur Colibri-Literatur. (Festschr.
d. Ver. f. Naturk. zu Cassel, 1886.)

62. Blasius. Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Vogelfauna von Celebes. 11.

(Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Ornith. 1886, p. 81.)

53. Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences. (No. 4. 8vo. 1886.)
64. BuTTiKOFER. On a Collection of Birds from the Tenimber Islands.

(Notes from the Leyden Mus. viii. p. 58.)

55. BuTTiKOFER. On a new Species of Pei-icrocotus from Sumbavy-a. (Notes
from the Leyden Mus. viii. p. 155.)

56. Fischer und Pelzeln. Vogel und Saugethiere von Jan Mayen. (4to.
Wien, 1886.)

57. Gurney and Southwell. Fauna and Flora of Norfolk. — Part .
Birds. Sect. 1. (Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc. iv. p. 259.)

58. Huet. Note sur les naissances, dons et acquisitions de la Menagerie du
Museum d'Histoire NatureUe pendant des mois de mai-d^cembre 1885, et de
janvier-avril 1886. (Bull. Soc. Nat. d'Acclimat. France, 1886.)

59. Meyer. Notiz iiber Lophorina minor (Rams.) und Euthyrhyncha fulvi-
gula, Schl. (Zeitschr. f. d. ges. Ornith. 1886, p. 180.)

60. Mittheilungeu des ornithologischen Vereines in Wien. (Section fiir
Vogelkunde, Jahrg. 10, Nos. 11-16, 1886.)

61. Nathusius. Ueber die Lage des Vogel-Eies im Uterus. (Zool. Anz.
1885, p. 413.)

62. Nathusius. Besteht eine ausnahmslose Regel iiber die Lage der Pole
des Vogel-Eies im Uterus im Verhaltniss zur CloakenmUndung ? (Zool. Anz.
1885, p. 415.)

63. Nathusius. Ueber das fossile Ei von Struthiolithus chersonensis, Brandt.
(Zool. Anz. 1886, p. 47.)

64. OuSTALET. Note sur un Perroquet et sur un Pigeon Goura de la cote
septentrionale de la Nouvelle-Guin6e. (Bibliotheque de I'Ecole des hautes
6tudes, tome xxxi. art. 2.)

65. OusTALET. Catalogue des Oiseaux rapportes par M. G. R^voil de son
deuxieme voyage aux Pays des Comalis. (Bibliotheque de I'Ecole des hautes
6tudes, tome xxxi. art. 10.)

66. OusTALET. Description de quelques oiseaux nouveaux de la Chine et du
Thibet. (Le Naturaliste, 1886.)

67. Pelzeln und Kohl. Ueber eine Sendung yon Saugethieren und Vogeln
aus Ceylon. (Verhandl. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesellsch. Wien, 1885.)

68. Shufeldt. Osteology of Conurus carolinensis. (Jouru. Anat. & Phya.
vol. XX. p. 407.)

69. Smart. Birds on the British List. (8vo. 1886.)

70. Taczanowski. Ornithologie du P^rou. Tables. (8vo. 1886.)

71. VoEDERMAN. Bijdrage tot de Kennis van de Avifauna der Preanger
Eegentschappen Langs de Wijnkoopersbaai (West- Java). (Natuurk. Tijdschr.
v. Nederl. Indie, Dl. xlvi. Afl. 1.)

72. Wells. A List of the Birds of Grenada, West Indies. (8vo. 1886.)

CONTENTS OP NUMBEE XYI.— EIETH SERIES.

Page
XXXIX. On the Wings of Birds. By C. J. Sundeyall. (Plates X.,

XI.) 389

XL. Note on the Nestling Plumage of Gypoictinia melano-

sternon (Gould). By John Henky Gttkkey .... 457

XLI. Description of a new Species of the Genus Empidonax
from Guatemala, By Bobert Bidgway, Curator
Department of Birds, United States National Musomn . 459

XLII. On EmpidocJicmes fuscatus (Max.) and Empidonax brunneas,

Bidgw. By Bobert Bidgway . 460

XLIII. On the Species of the Genus Empidonax. By Kobeet

Bidgway 461

XLIV. Ornithology in the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. By

Howard Saunders 468

XLV. On a Collection of Birds from several little-known Islands

of the West Indies. By Charles B. Coey .... 471

XLVI. On a Collection of Birds from Pao in the Persian Gulf.
By B. BoAVDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. With Notes
by the Collector, W. D. Gumming 475

XLVII. On a Collection of Birds from Bushire, in the Persian Gulf.

By B. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., P.Z.S., &c 493

XLVIII. A List of the Birds obtained by Mr. Henry Whitely in
British Guiana. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., P.B.S., &c.
(Concluded.) (Plate XII.) 499

XLIX. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : —

77. The American Ornithologists' Union Code and Cbeck-

List 510

78. ' The Auk ' 513

79. The Bombay Natural History Society I mi

80. Brewster ou Bird-Migratiou \ ^^^

81. British Association's Report on Migrations in 1885 . . . 515

82. A. W. Butlepi on the Birds of Indiana I ktc

83. Gigholi on the Birds of Italy . _._ .( ^

84. Meyer on Birds from Emperor- William's-Land .... 517

85. ' Mittheilungeu ' of the Ornithological Union of Vienna • I c-io
86-87. Mojsisovics ou Hungarian Birds (

88. ' Ornis/ Vol. I. Nos. 2, 3 [ 519

89. Payne-Gallwey on Duck Decoys j

90. Radde's Fauua and Flora of the South-western Caspian

District [521

91. Reyes on the Birds of Spain and Portugal )

\_Contents continued on pay e 3 of Wrapper.']

Covers for binding last year's Volume may be had on application to the

Publisher.

Communications may be addressed to the Editors, 6 Tenterden Street, Han-
over Square, W. Advertisements &c. to the Publisher, John Van Voorst,
1 Paternoster Row, London, E.G.

Members of the B. 0. U. are requested to keep the Secretary, H, E.
Dresser, Esq., 6 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W., informed of any
change of Residence, so that the Numbers of ' The Ibis ' may be sent to them
without delay.

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