1,¥2.*0(p(J*Z } FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY THE IBIS, QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, D.Sc, F.R.S., A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S. VOL. V. 1905. EIGHTH SERIES. Quam magnificata sunt opera tua, Dominp. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1905. t?6 r7. Robinson on Malayan Birds 284 58. Smith-Woodward on Fossil Birds 285 59. Vallentin on Birds from the Falkland Islands . . . 285 XXIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Dr. 0. Finsch, Mr. C. B. Rickett, Mr. J. Cole Hartland, Lieut. S. A. Davies, Mr. W. P. Pycraft, Sir Alfred E. Pease, Bt., and Mr. C. J. Carroll. The Fourth International Ornithological Congress ; New Birds from Tibet ; The Nehrkorn Collection of Birds'-Eggs ; Birds in the Insect-house at the Zoological Gardens ; the Glossy Ibises in the Zoological Gar- dens; The Emperor Penguin ; Ornithologists in Foreign Parts ; The new Migration Committee of the B. 0. C. ; the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ; New Bird-Books in pre- paration ; Mr. Radcliffe Saunders's Collection of Birds'-Eggs ; Death of M. Adolphe Boucard, C.M.Z.S 286 Number XIX., July. XXIV. A Contribution to the Ornithology of the Egyptian Soudan. By A. L. Butler, F.Z.S., M.B.O.IT., &c, Super- intendent of Game Preservation, Soudan Government. (Plate VII.) 301 XXV. Notes on the Parrots. (Part I.) By T. Salvadori, H.M.B.O.U 401 XXX11 CONTENTS. Pago XXVI. On the Display of the Lesser Bird-of-Paradiae (Paradisea minor). By W. B, Ogilvie-Grant. (Plate VIII.) 429 XXVII. On the Pterylography and Dermal Myology of the Lesser Bird-of -Paradise, with especial reference to the " Display." By W. P. Pycraft, F.Z.S., A.L.S., &c 440 XXVIII. On a small Collection of Birds from the Wadi-en- Natrun, Egypt. By W. L. S. Loat, F.Z.S 453 XXIX. On further Collections of Birds from the Efulen District of Camaroon, West Africa. By B. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D. With Notes hy the Collector, G. L. Bates.— Part III. (Plate IX.) 461 XXX. Anniversary Meeting of the British Ornithologists' Union, 1905 476 XXXI. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 60. Alpheraky on Palaearctic Geese 478 61. 'Annals of Scottish Natural History ' 479 62. ' The Auk ' 480 63. Evans on the Birds of Cambridgeshire 482 64. Flower on the Zoological Gardens of Gizeh . . . 4^2 65. Hagmann on Brazilian Birds 483 66. Huber on the Nest of Ostinops decumanw .... 483 67. ' Irish Naturalist ' 483 68. Lameere on Sexual Ornaments in Birds .... 484 69. Leverkuhn on the three Naumanns and their Works . 484 70. Lbnnberg on Birds from Tianshan 485 71. North on a new Genus of Passerine Birds .... 486 72. Oberholser on a new Sylviella 486 73. Ogilvie-Grant's Guide to the Bird-Gallery of the British Museum 486 74. Oustalet on the Birds of Cambogia, Laos, Annam, and Tonquin 488 75. Picchi on a Collection of Italian Birds 488 CONTENTS. XXX1U Page 76. Picchi on Heterochroism 489 77. Poche on Moehring's ' Avium Genera' 489 78. Richmond on the Birds descrihed in Vroeg's Catalogue 490 7'.'. Ridgway on new Tropical-American Birds . . .491 80. Ridgway on the Birds of North and Middle America . 491 81. Rules of Zoological Nomenclature 193 82. Schalow on Arctic Birds 494 83. Seabra on Birds from Angola 495 84. Shelley's 'Birds of Africa' 496 85. Sherborn on the Birds of Vroeg's Catalogue . . . 496 S6. Shufeldt on Classification 497 87. Stone on Birds from Mount Sanhedrin, California . 497 88. Van Oorl on the Osteology of the Tail in Birds . . 498 XXXII. Obituary:— Edward Cavendish Taylor and Lieut. -Col. Leonard Howard Loyd Irby 498 XXXIII. Notes and Extracts:— Capt. Boyd Alexander's Expedition ; Mr. Bates's return to Camaroon ; The Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Can Birds smell'?; The Systematic Position of the Eurylcemidce ; Birds of the Tibetan Expedition ; The Fourth International Ornithological Congress ; Retrospective Priority in Nomenclature 506 Number XX., October. XXXIV. On a Collection of Birds from Somaliland. By Harry F. Wttherby. With Field-notes by the Collector, Captain A. E. Hamerton, R.A.M.O, D.S.O. (Plate X.) . . 509 XXXV. On some rare or unfigured Eggs of Palaearctic Birds. By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.. &c. (Plate XI.) . . . -525 BER. VI II. — VOL. V. d XXXIV CONTENTS. Tage XXXVI. Notes on Alpheraky's ' Geese of Europe and Asia.' By T. Saivadobi, H.M.B.O.U 528 XXXVII. Notes on the Parrots. (Part II.) By T. Salva- dori, H.M.B.O.U 535 XXXVIII. On the Birds procured by the Earl of Ranfurly in New Zealand and the adjacent Islands. By W. R. Ogilvie- Grant. (Plate XII.) 543 XXXIX. Some Points in the Anatomy of Acanthidositta chloris, with some Remarks on the Systematic Position of the Genera Acanthidositta and Xenicus. By W. P. Pycraft, F.Z.S., A.L.S. (Plate XIII.) 603 XL. The Fourth International Ornithological Congress . . 622 XLI. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 89. * Avicultural Magazine ' 629 00. Bangs on new American Subspecies 630 91. Bangs on Coccyzus cinereus 630 02. Bangs and Zappey on the Birds of the Isle of Pines . 630 93. Chapman on the American Flamingo 631 !)4. Germain and Oustalet on the Birds of Lower Cochin China 632 95. Hantzsch on the Birds of Iceland 633 96. Herman on Ornithophsenology 631 07. Herman on Theories of Bird-Migration .... 634 98. Journal of the South-African Ornithologists' Union . 635 99. Kollibay on the Palsearctic Swifts 636 100. Madarasz on a new Bradypterus 636 101. Mearns on new Philippine Birds 637 102. Nelson on Names of certain North-American Birds. 637 L03. Nelson on a new Mexican Goatsucker 638 1 04. Oates and Reid on the Birds' Eggs in the British Museum 638 105. Owston on the Birds of Japan 630 106. Parrot on the Cyanopica of Japan 630 CONTENTS. XXXV Page 107. Sarudny and Loudon on Two new Persian Birds . . 639 108. Schioler on the Wild Duck of Greenland . . . .640 109. Sclater (W. L.) on Nature-Study for South Africa . 640 110. Shelley's < Birds of Africa ' 641 111. Thayer and Bangs on the Birds of Gorgona Island . 641 112. Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen on the Ornithological Literature of the Austrian Empire 642 113. * Verhandlungen ' of the Ornithological Society of Bavaria 642 XLII. Obituary : — William Thomas Blanford, CLE., LL.D., F.B.S., and Lieut. Sutton Aylmer Davies 64IJ XLI1I. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Mr. Michael J. Nicoll, Mr. C. Davies Sherborn, and Major Walter B. Arundel. Report of the South African Museum ; The American Museum of Natural History ; Western China ; A Visit to Dr. Krueper 647 Index of Scientific Names 653 Index of Contents 671 Titlepage, Preface, List of Members, Contents, List of Plates, and Errata. PLATES IN VOL. V. EIGHTH SERIES. Page I. Zeledonia corona t a 04 II. Skulls of Turdiform Passeres III. Macronyx sharpei 102 IV. Arboricola campbelli 165 V. Amaurocichla kempi 231 VI. 1. Nesospiza jessise ; 2. IS", goughensis 255 VII. Crateropus cordofanicus 330 Till. Paradisea minor 431 IX. Stiphrornis xanthogaster 476 X. Certhilauda somalica 512 XI. Eggs of Palaearctic Shrikes 525 XII. 1. Xenicus longipes (Adult Male); 2, 3. Xenicus stokesi, (2) Adult Male and (3) Immature (type of the species) 592 XIII. Osteology of Acanthidositta 603 SER. VIII. — VOL, v. ERRATA. Page 321, line 1, for Lagonosticta nigricollis Heugl. read Estrilda LARVATA Rlipp. Page 382, line 10, for Rhynciiops flaviventris Vieill. read Rhynciiops flavirostris Vieill. THE IBIS EIGHTH SERIES. No. XVII. JANUARY 1905. I. — On the Systematic Position of Zeledonia coronata, with some Observations on the Position of the Turdidae. By W. P. Pycraft, F.Z.S., A.L.S., &c. (Plates I. & II.) I. Introductory. Some time ago Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe placed in my hands a spirit-specimen of Zeledonia coronata, requesting me to endeavour to determine, so far as was possible, the true position of that bird in the system. It was procured for the purpose of this investigation by Dr. F. DuCane Godman, F.R.S., and to him and to Dr. Sharpe I am greatly indebted for many valuable suggestions. Furthermore, I have to record my hearty thanks to Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., who has throughout taken great interest in the progress of the work and has helped me in many ways. Zeledonia coronata (Plate I.) is a small bird presenting many very puzzling characteristics. It was first described in 1888 by Prof. Robert Ridgway *, who, however, on account of its * Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. vol. xi. p. 537 (1888). SER. VIII. VOL. V. B 2 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the curious appearance, confined himself to a diagnosis of the plumage. Concerning the question of affinity, he remarked: " This remarkable new genus is so peculiar in its characters that I am in much doubt as to which family it belongs. The very short rounded wing with long first primary, full and closely appressed loral feathers, and soft texture of the plumage in general strongly suggest the genus Scytalopus, and I was at first inclined to refer it to the Pteroptochida?, to which Scytalopus belongs ; the coloration of the head strongly suggests that of Basileuterus coronatus, and the loosely webbed rectrices with finely acuminate points, as well as the loosely webbed remiges, slender bill, and long-booted tarsi with sharp posterior edge, remind me of Catharus gracili- rostris The general resemblance to the genus Xenicus, of New Zealand, is very remarkable, X. longipes being of nearly the same size and proportions Xenicus is now referred to the Clamatores ; but whether Zeledonia is a related form belonging to the same suborder or an aberrant Oscinine type, cannot, probably, be determined without examination of its anatomy/' Soon after this account was written, skeletons of Zeledonia coronata and Catharus gracilirostris were submitted by Prof. Ridgway to Mr. F. A. Lucas. The result of the investi- gations of that gentleman"" seemed to shew that Zeledonia and Catharus were not related. Further particulars were promised, but Mr. Lucas is a very busy man and doubtless has never had an opportunity of completing his study of this very interesting bird. A careful comparison of Zeledonia with Basileuterus, Xenicus,a,nd Scytalopus made by Messrs. Salvin and Godmanf only served to shew that no relationship with any of these forms was probable, and the conclusion was arrived at that " for the present the position of this genus must remain in abeyance pending a full examination of its internal structure." Flere, then, the matter rested until the present writer reopened the question. In a short note, published in the * Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 538 (footnote). t Biologia Centr.-Amer., Aves, vol. ii. 1888-97, p. 248. Systematic Position of Zeledonia coronata. 3 'Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club'"*, he was enabled to state definitely that Zeledonia could have nothing to do with Xenicus, inasmuch as it had a typical Oscinine syrinx. Acting on this, Dr. Sharpe, in vol. iv. (p. 183) of his ' Hand-list/ placed Zeledonia in the subfamily Sialiinee, which contains the genera Catharus, Zeledonia, Sialia, Grandala, and Ridgwayia. It was to decide, if possible, whether the position assigned to Zeledonia by Dr. Sharpe, on the evidence of external characters, was at least approximately correct that I was asked to continue the work which I had commenced in 1900. Although, as the sequel will shew, I have been able to confirm Dr. Sharpe's decision in this matter, several points still remain to be settled, while a great number of new questions have arisen. All of these, unfortunately, must for the present remain in abeyance, partly on account of the pressure of other work and partly from lack of material. The latter circum- stance has hampered me much during the preparation of the present paper — how much may perhaps be gathered from the fact that I had but a single damaged specimen in spirits and a few skins of Zeledonia, and two skeletons of Sialia. Grandala, Ridgwayia, and Catharus (the remaining genera of the subfamily in which Zeledonia has been placed) I have only been able to study from skins, and these have proved to be of no help whatever in the matter. II. Pterylograthy. Pteryla capitis (text-fig. 1, pt.cap., p. 4). — This is inter- rupted only by a small bare space (apt. cap.), arising above the external aperture of the ear, slightly above the level of the posterior canthus of the eye, and passing backwards and downwards and finally forwards to end below this aperture at the base of the mandible. The interramal space is feebly developed. At the gape are a few short weak rictal bristles. * Bull. B. 0. C. xi. p. 12 (1900). b2 4 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the The nostrils are covered by a membranous operculum having the form of a triangle. So far this operculum appears to be unique. Pt. colli dorsalis (text-fig. 2, pt.coll.d., p. 5). — This tract is very narrow and passes down into the PL spinalis (text-fig. 2, pt.sp., p. 5).— The only feature of interest about this tract is the broad, more or less shield- shaped expansion which occurs over the pre-iliac (lumbar) region. This contracts again in the space bounded by the antitrochanters of the pelvis, and passes down from this point to the uropygium as a very narrow band. Text-fig. 1. if ^/J Head of Zeledonia coronata, shewing the form of the pteryla capitis and the apterion extending from the base of the lower jaw upwards. f7y>/.f7//(. = apterion capitis ; apt.coll.lat.= apterion colli laterale ; pt.eap.= pteryla capitis. Pt. caudalis (text-fig. 2, pt.c, p. 5). — There are 10 rectrices. Tbe shafts of these feathers are continued beyond the vanes to form minute filiform processes. The length of the whole tail is about equal to the combined length of the tarso-metatarsus and outer toe — minus its claw. The filiform extensions of the shafts of the tail-feathers are also distinctly traceable in Grandala coelicolor. Pt. colli ventralis. — Contracting at the throat to run down the middle line of the neck, this tract divides high up, sending backwards two relatively broad bands to pass at the base of the neck into the Pt. ventralis. — This, at its origin, and for some way down, Systematic Position of Zeledonia coronata. 5 is of considerable breadth, but near the lower third of the breast the outer border of the tract becomes suddenly eraar- ginate, and is continued forwards from this point as a narrow band to terminate in the region of the cloaca. Whether the right and Left portions of this tract join in the middle line in front of the cloaca I am unable to say, the specimen from which the description was taken having been too much damaged to settle this point. Text-r>. 2. _-£>'. ccuo. Dorsal aspect of Zeledonia coronata, prepared to shew trie form of the pterylae. pt.cap.=j>terjla capitis ; pi.c.=pteryla caudalis ; pt.coU.d. =pteryla colli dorsalis ; pt.fem.=ipterjl& fernoralis ; pt.h =-pteryl& hurneralis ; pt.sp. = y>teryla spinalis. Pt. fernoralis (text-fig. 2, pt.fem.). — This tract is -well defined, crossing the femur near its upper third and running backwards to the base o£ the oil-gland. Pt. cruralis. — Sparsely feathered and not well defined. 6 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the Pt. humeralis (text-fig. 2, pt.h., p. 5). — This tract, perhaps rather narrower than usual, calls for no special remark. Pt. alaris (text-fig. 3). Metacarpo-digital remiges or primaries. — These are actually 10 in number, but the 10th remex is reduced to the merest vestige and is even smaller than its covert. According to the usual ornithological custom, this wing would be con- sidered to have but 9 primaries. Text-fiff. 3. Right wing of Zeledonia corona/a, dorsal surface, shewing the relative lengths of the primaries. 1, 2, 3-9, 10= primaries 1-10; 1, 2, 3 = secondaries; ex. = carpal covert ; £.m. = tectrices majores. Reckoning from the wrist outwards, the first 6 remiges may be regarded as subequal in length, the remaining 3 being remarkably shorter, the 9th especially so. The 10th remex, as I have just remarked, is practically non-existent. There is no diastema between the primary and secondary remiges. The greatjreduction which has taken place in the length of the outermost primaries is to be attributed to the comparative Systematic Position of Zeledonia coronata. 7 disuse of the wings. Furthermore, this reduction has given to the wing a peculiarly rounded form, the primaries passing insensibly into the secondaries. Cubital remiges or secondaries. — These are 9 in number, the 9th being but little longer than its covert. The wing, of course, is eutaxic. These remiges decrease in length rapidly from without inwards. A peculiar feature about the remiges of the wing is their extreme breadth, which would be just as noticeable even had no reduction in the length taken place, as iu the case of the outer primaries. This feature also appears to be correlated with the disuse of the wings. Tectrices : upper surface : — T. majores. — Those of the primaries are small and rapidly decrease in size from within outwards (text-fig. 3, t.m., p. 6). The secondary series is normally developed. The transition to shorter coverts is somewhat abrupt, commencing with the covert of the 7th rcmex. The 9th remex and its covert are barely distinguishable from one another. The remaining coverts of the upper surface present the usual Passerine arrangement and call for no comment. The coverts of the under surface are also of the normal type and therefore need no description here. Plumules or down- feathers occur very sparingly on the trunk. Rhamphotheca (PI. II. fig. 11). — The only feature that requires special notice here is the form of the external nostril. This appears, so far, to be unique, inasmuch as it is pro- tected by a membranous fold or operculum, the free edge of which may be described as triangular ; the apex of the angle overhangs the mouth of the narial aperture, which is still further increased by the extension backwards of the inner angle of the base of the triangle. Podotheca (text-fig. 4, p. 8). — This is a complex formed by the fusion of several distinct elements. The acrotarsium is covered by a single shield extending from the proximal end of the tarso-metatarsus to within a short distance of its extreme distal end, which is protected by three small scales, the last 8 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the overlapping the toes. The inner edge of the large scute runs along near the middle line of the inner side of the shaft, while the outer edge extends as far as the middle line of the planta; the space between the two edges is filled up by a long plate extending the whole length of the planta and inner side of the tarso-metatarsal shaft. The large sheath covering the acrotarsium, when carefully examined, is found to be formed by a fusion of four separate scutes, traces of which can be distinctly seen. Text-fi. The tympanic cavity of Menura superba. Nat. size. The tympanic cavity as seen here is possibly of a more primitive character than in any of the Turdidaa. Fig. 6. Palate view of the skull of Geocichla, shewing vestigial basi- pterygoid processes (bp.p.). x 3. Fig. 7. Palate view of skull of Zeledonia coronata. x2. Fig. 8. Palate view of skull of Sialia ivilsoni, to compare with that of Zeledonia. x2. Note the larger and inflated maxillo-palatine processes (mx.p.). Fiff. 9, Lateral view of skull of Zeledonia coronata. X 2. Note the position of the zygomatic process (z.ps.). Fig. 10. Hemipterygoid of Menura superba. This does not appear to fuse with the palatine till comparatively late, in life, x 2. Fig. 11. Rhamphotheca of Zeledonia coronata, to shew the remarkable operculum (op.). x2. Fig. 12. Hemipterygoid region of skull of Turdus, to compare with that of Menura and Zeledonia. x2. Explanation of the Lettering. pa. = palatine. jit. = pterygoid. p.o.p. =postorbital process. «.jo. = antorbital process. a.£i. = alinasal turbinal. &/)./?.= basipterygoid process. /i.pf.=hemipterygoid. q. = quadrate. l.o.w.= lateral occipital wing. vo. = vomer. mx.p. = maxillo-palatine process. z.p.s. = processus zygomaticus op. = operculum. squamosi. o.«.=otic articular surface for z.s. = squamosal articular surface quadrate. for quadrate. On the Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 25 II. — Further Notes on the Nesting of Birds in the Province of Fohkien, S.E. China. By J. D. La Touche, C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U., and C. B. Rickett, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. The following notes deal with the birds nesting on the plains and lower hills of the Province. Those breeding on the mountains have already been dealt with by La Touche (see 'Ibis/ 1899, pp. 169-210, 400-431; 1900, pp. 34-51). The districts mentioned in this paper under the names of Yuen Fu Valley, Peling District, and the Plains may be taken to include the country from the sea-level up to 1000 feet. Central Fohkien relates to the country around Ching Feng Ling and Yamakau {' Ibis/ 1897, p. 600; 1900, p. 52), which ranges from 1500 to 2500 feet. The Yuen Fu River is a feeder of the Min River (on which the city of Foochovv stands), and enters it about 35 miles from its mouth. CORVUS TORQUATUS LeSS. The Common Crow of Foochow. It is an early breeder. We have had callow young brought to us on February 23rd, and Rickett procured a clutch of eggs almost ready to hatch taken on January 26th. The nest is nearly always placed high up in a tall pine- tree. It is composed of sticks, some of which are of considerable size, with an inner layer of finer twigs and a lining of dry grass and pine-needles. The eggs are very variable in size, shape, and colouring. The ground-colour is light green or bluish green, more or less blotched, spotted, or speckled with sap-green, and there are generally underlying spots of dull reddish grey or violet-grey. The most common shape of the eggs is ovate, but pyri- form ovate, elongated ovate, and almost oval eggs also occur. Thirty-nine specimens average 1*67 X 1*19 in. : the largest 1-82 x 1-25, the smallest 1-51 X 117. 26 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the CORVUS MACRORHYNCHUS Wagler. Less common than C. torquatus and a much later breeder. It commences building about the end of March or the beginning of April. We have only one egg of this species, taken on April 25th from a nest in a tall pine. It is ovate with a very pointed apex. In colour it is light bluish green, blotched and longitudinally streaked with sap-green. There are a few underlying markings of grey. It measures 1*71 X 1'17 in. Pica caudata Linn. The Magpie is also an early breeder, and may be seen carrying sticks at the end of December. We have, however, eggs dated as late as April 2nd. Some taken in May were probably of a second laying. The nest needs no description. As the natives consider the bird lucky they do not molest it, in consequence of which it builds in most exposed and often easily accessible sites. Forty-six eggs average 1*37 x '98 in. : the largest l*49x 1-02, the smallest l'2x -96. Urocissa sinensis (Linn.) : Ibis, 1900, p. 40. This species breeds in the plains. The eggs have already been described by La Touche. The nest is composed of twigs and tough tendrils, lined with roots and dead leaves or a little dry grass. Rickett once watched a bird " shewing off" to its mate as they sat in a tall tree. It puffed out the feathers of the head and neck, raised its tail which was spread like a fan, and turned its body slowly from side to side. Dendrocitta sinensis (Lath.). Although a common resident on the wooded hills, we have never obtained its eggs. La Touche does not mention it in his paper on " The Birds of North-west Fohkien " (< Ibis/ 1899-1900). Garrulus sinensis Gould : Ibis, 1899, p. 39. Common on the lower wooded hills of the Province. We have nothing to add to what La Touche has already written as to its eggs and nests taken at Kuatun. Nesting of Birds in Fohkieii. 27 Parus atriceps Horsf. This Tit occurs near Foochow, but is not nearly so common as P. minor. A nest with six eggs was taken from a hole in a bank. It was a fairly neat cup, composed externally of a thin layer of moss, and lined with hair, buffalo-wool, and a few feathers felted together. The eggs averaged 65 x #48 in. ; they were white, spotted with light red. The female was caught on the nest. Parus minor T. & S. : Ibis, 1899, p. 401. This very common resident nests in all parts of the Province from the plains up to 3000 or 4000 feet on the mountains of the North- West. The nest is placed in a hole iu a tree, wall, or bank. One was built in a Chinese grave, the birds entering through a small aperture like a mouse-hole on a level with the ground. The materials used are moss, wool, hair, pigs' bristles, feathers, fine dry grass, roots, and fibres ; these are some- times carelessly arranged in a loose shallow cup or mere hollowed pad ; at other times they are worked up into a firm compact felt. One nest taken near Foochow resembled in shape the toe portion of a bath-slipper. On the plains nesting begins about the end of March and two broods are reared in a season. Eggs average 65 x '50 in. ; they are white, spotted and speckled with pale red. ACREDULA CONCINNA (Gould). Acredula concinna Styan, Ibis, 1891, p. 342; La Touche, Ibis, 1899, p. 403. We have not obtained the eggs of this common Tit near Foochow. Rickett found a nest in a young pine-tree when Pheasant- shooting up the Yuen Fu River in November, which was similar to the specimen obtained by La Touche at Kuatun. Young broods are to be seen early in May. Melanochlora sultanea (Hodgson). The natives at Yamakan, Central Fohkien, say that this 28 Messrs. La Touclie and Kickett on the species breeds there iu holes in trees and lays spotted eggs. Our collectors, however, did not obtain any specimens of them. Paradoxornis guttaticollis David. No doubt breeds in Central Fohkien, but we have no specimen of its egg. Garrulax picticollis Swinhoe. This species no doubt nests in Central Fohkien, where it is common in winter. We have, however, no specimen of its egg. Dryonastes perspicillatus (Gm.) : Ibis, 1887, p. 218. We have taken but four nests of this common resident. There are two, or perhaps three, broods in the season, as we have taken eggs as late as July 11th. A nest found on May 9th Avas placed in a large thorny bush eight or ten feet from the ground. It was composed of hard wiry tendrils, within which was a layer of dead leaves, and then a layer of straw, that shewed conspicuously all round the edge, giving the nest the curious appearance of having a straw binding. The lining was of pine-needles. Another nest, built in a small tree, was composed of coarse grass, roots, and a few small twigs, lined with fine dry grass. The nests are 6 or 7 inches in external diameter, 4 inches in internal diameter. In depth they are 4 inches externally and 2 to 3 inches internally. Eight eggs average 1*10 X '85 in. : they are delicate greenish white in colour and, as a rule, very glossy, but the texture is uneven ; in shape they are more or less oval. There are three or four eggs in a clutch. Dryonastes sannio (Swinhoe). We have never obtained the eggs of this common resident species. Two young birds just able to fly were shot in the Yuen Fu Valley on May 18th. They resembled the adults, but were much duller in colour. Trochalopteron canorum (Linn.) : Ibis, 1899, p. 180. Breeds commonly about Foochow. La Touche procured Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 29 a nest with eggs at Peling as already recorded ; but that is the only one obtained by us near Foochow. Ianthocincla cinereiceps (Styan) : Ibis, 1899, p. 181. This bird also breeds in the Ching Fung Ling district, where our collectors found nests with young. Pomatorhinus stridulus Swinhoe : Ibis, 1887, p. 218; 1899, p. 183. We have young birds shot in the Yuen Fu Valley in May. A nest obtained in Central Fohkien was composed of bamboo-leaves and fern -fronds, lined with fine dry grass. It was probably damaged in the taking, as it was a flimsy cup without the usual dome. The native who took it said that it was just as he found it, and Flume gives instances of birds of this genus sometimes building open nests (' Nests and Eggs/ vol. i. pp. 81, 83, & 88). It contained two eggs, measuring •92 x "67 and -89 X '69 in. : they were ovate in shape, somewhat blunt at the smaller end ; pure white, smooth, and slightly glossy in texture, with very thin shells. Alcippe hueti David : Ibis, 1899, p. 185. Breeds on the hills and mountains of the Province. A nest taken by Rickett's collectors in Central Fohkien contained four very abnormally-coloured eggs. The skin of the old bird, shot from the nest, places their identity beyond doubt. These four eggs (taken on April 29th) are pink, somewhat thickly marked with specks and short streaks of darker pink. Two of them have a well-marked ring round the larger end, in another the ring is still more strongly marked, wbile the fourth has no trace of a ring; they measure "76 x *56 in. Two other clutches obtained at the same time are normally coloured and average "75 x *58 in. The nests are much the same as those already described by La Touche. Two broods are apparently reared in a season. ScHffiNIPARUS BRUNNEUS (Gould) . A common resident species in suitable localities. We have, however, only once obtained its nest and eggs. 30 Messrs. La louche and Rickett on the On April 24th our collectors took a nest in Central Fohkien. It was a domed or semi-domed structure, very loosely put together and composed of dead leaves, lined at the bottom with dry grass. It measured in diameter externally 4 inches, internally 2 inches ; it was 5£ inches in external depth and 3 inches in depth of egg-cavity. The eggs, four in number, measure #79 X '62, "81 x *62, 81 x *62, and '84 X '62 in. The ground-colour is greenish white, clouded and blotched with pale brown, over which are dark specks and short lines of deep vandyke-brown, almost black. The underlying markings (which in one egg form a small cap on the larger end) are blue-grey. In shape the eggs are ovate, with a rather broad apex. In style of markings they call to mind those of Alcippe hueti (' Ibis/ 1899, p. 185). Stachyridopsis rlficeps (Blyth) : Ibis, 1899, p. 186. A common resident on the wooded hills and mountains of the Province. Two nests taken in Central Fohkien on April 26th and 30th, and containing two and four eggs respectively, do not differ in any respect from those already described. In ' The Ibis ' for 1899, p. 186, La Touche drew attention to the difference between the Formosan and Fohkien birds. He noticed also a marked difference between these two races and the Indian bird, but as the Paris Museum at that time possessed only one Indian skin, he took no note of what those points of difference were. Since then, Ogilvie-Grant (P. Z. S. 1900, p. 476) has recorded his observations on the subject, but apparently does not think the races worthy of separation. Myiophoneus CvERULEus (Scop.) : Ibis, 1899, p. 178. Four nests from Central Fohkien, taken early in May, were composed of twigs, moss, roots, and dead leaves, lined with roots and dead leaves. These birds probably breed twice in the season, as a nearly finished nest was found on June 27th. The eggs have already been described. Thirteen average 134X-97 in. Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 3 1 This species is a common resident in the Province wherever there are streams flowing among rocks and boulders. Zosterops simplex Swinhoe : Ibis, 1898, p. 367 ; 1899, p. 431. Common and resident on the low grounds, but apparently rare on the higher levels. The nests vary a good deal in the amount of materials employed in the construction, some being little more than a frail network of fine dry grass bound together and secured to the supporting twig by cobwebs, while others are quite substantial little cups of moss, fine dry grass, roots, and fibres. They are either slung like a hammock in the fork of a twig or attached to the side of one. They measure about 2 inches in diameter. The eggs are pale greenish blue, and average '60 x *47 in. There are three or four in a clutch. Some caged birds of this species kept by La Touche became grey above in the place of green ; the reddish flanks turned deeper in shade, while the yellow throat faded almost to white. Chloropsis lazulina (Swinhoe). Hypsipetes leucocephalus (Gm.). Hemixus canipennis Seebohm. Spizixus semitorques Swinhoe. Iole holti (Swinhoe). The five above-mentioned species are all more or less common in Central Fohkien in winter, and some of them, if not all, most probably nest in that district. Pycnonotus sinensis (Gm.) : Ibis, 1898, p. 366. This common resident appears to be mostly confined to the low levels. It builds in bushes, low trees, hedges, low bamboos, and creepers on walls. The nest is never far from the ground, and is composed of a variety of materials, viz., fine twigs, dry grass, dead and skeleton leaves, roots, moss, feathers, paper, &c, lined with fine dry grass, roots, hair, pine-needles, and often the seeding tops of " sword -grass/' Some nests are composed entirely of the latter, and are then 32 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the very firm and compact. When composed of other materials, they are often loose untidy structures. This species fre- quently builds in gardens close to the houses. Rickett notes that the female seems to do all the work of building, the male singing near her and driving away any bird that approaches the site. The nest is cup-shaped and measures externally 4 or 5 inches in diameter, and from 2^ to 4 inches in depth. The internal diameter is about 3 inches and the depth 2 inches. There are two or three broods in a season. The eggs, usually three or four in number, vary a good deal in appearance. They are pale mauve or mauve-white, spotted or blotched with lavender-grey and claret-colour or crimson- lake over paler red. Some eggs are more lightly marked with speckles. The markings are usually denser at the larger end. The most usual shape is ovate. Thirty-one eggs averaged "88 x "64 in. : the largest of these was '90 x "70, the smallest '84 x '60. It is not at all unusual to find a piece of a snake's slough worked into a nest, and some are rendered very conspicuous by the bits of white paper used in their con- struction. Young birds assume the adult plumage at the first autumn moult, previous to which the head is ashy, paler on the ear- coverts and hind-neck ; the back and wing-coverts are ashy- brown; the quills and tail-feathers are edged with olive-yellow on the outer webs; the throat is white, as are the under parts, which are tinged with yellow, while a pale ashy band crosses the chest. Pycnonotus atricapillus (Vieill.). A common resident about Amoy, but a rare straggler in winter as far north as Foochow. La Touche does not appear to have taken its eggs when at Amoy. Buchanga leucogenys Walden. A common summer-visitor to the plains, arriving in April and leaving in September or October. Nesting commences early in May. Possibly two broods Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 33 are reared in a season, as we obtained a clutch of eggs, nearly ready to be hatched, in July. The nest is placed in a fork near the end of a horizontal branch of some tall pine or other tree, usually at a good height from the ground. It is a shallow cup, very well finished with thick substantial sides, but very thin at the bottom, so much so that as a rule the eggs practically rest on the branch. The materials used are fine twigs, pine-needles, fine dry grass, roots, and tendrils. These are strongly bound together with cobwebs, to which the bird attaches lichens and moss. The lining is generally of pine-needles, but at times fine dry grass, roots, fibres, and hair are used. The average measurements of twenty-one nests are as follows : — Outer diameter 5 inches, inner about 3 ; outer depth about 2, inner \\. The eggs vary a good deal, but are generally referable to one of the four following types : — (a) Pinkish white, with rather large spots or blotches of crimson over underlying spots of lavender-grey. (b) Delicate creamy pink, with small, roundish, dark crimson and underlying lavender-grey spots. (c) More or less pale yellowish pink, with large and irregular or small round spots of pale crimson, or pale pinkish red. The underlying markings are as in (a) and (b). (d) Pale orange, with a few very pale red blotches and underlying blotches of lilac-grey. In La Touchers collection are three or four clutches which differ somewhat from those described, the most abnormal being one of a greenish-white ground-colour, with a few spots and specks of washed-out reddish brown over dull greyish- pink specks. The markings are generally closer at the larger end, and are seldom, if ever, numerous. The shell is smooth and without gloss, except in much incubated specimens. In shape the eggs are variable, but are most commonly ovate. The clutch usually consists of four ; only once have we met with five eggs in a nest. SER. VIII. — VOL. V. D 34 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the Eighty-two eggs average "96 X -74 in. : the largest l-04x •76, the smallest -86 X '68. The parents attack and drive away with great fury any Kite, Crow, or Magpie that passes near the nest-tree, displaying at such times great power and command of wing. It was when our men were taking the eggs that we saw these powers to perfection, as the birds swept swiftly but silently to and fro among the branches, now and again darting towards the nest as if to defend it. Chibia hottentota (Linn.). A summer visitor, breeding on the plains and in Central Fohkien. The nests are, so far as our experience goes, always placed in bamboos at a height of from fifteen to twenty feet from the ground. They are slung to two or three sprays near the top, and can only be obtained by carefully cutting down the canes. The nests, though flimsy in appearance, are strongly built of fine twigs, tough roots, and tendrils, with occasionally some dry grass, moss, or dead leaves, those from Central Fohkien being more substantial than others taken in the Yuen Fu Valley. The eggs are laid in May or early in June. They are four or five in number, and vary but little in shape, being usually ovate. The ground-colour is more or less deep pinkish creamy. The markings are, as a rule, as follows : — (a) Blotches or speckles of pale red over underlying spots and blotches of reddish lilac. (b) Speckles of pale red over lavender-grey specks. (c) Same as the last, but the marks are short streaks and V-shaped spots. (d) Sparsely speckled with very dark crimson or madder- brown over spots of violet-grey. Forty-four eggs average l'14x*82 in. : the largest 1*26 X •84, the smallest 102 x -80. Orthotomus sutorius (Forst.). This very common resident species appears to confine itself to the plains. It nests in the groves of fruit-trees in the Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 35 valleys, and in gardens, building as a rule low down in some bush or small tree ; but creepers on walls, crotons growing in pots, and the leaves of arum lilies are also resorted to. In the latter case the edges of a leaf are sewn together, and in the cone thus formed the nest is placed. As a rule, two leaves are used, but Rickett once found a nest in a small- leaved creeper on a wall, where five or six leaves had been drawn together. The materials used are wool, cotton, moss, hair, fine roots, and vegetable fibres. One morning a Tailor-bird entered Rickett's room, and picking up a piece of cotton-wool that was lying on the floor carried it to the verandah-rail. Holding the cotton under its feet, it proceeded, by means of its bill, to spin it into a piece of thread, with which it flew off. Three eggs are usually laid, but four and five may be found. They are of two types of colouring : — (a) Pale green, with large blotches of two shades of pale brick-red over underlying spots of a somewhat violet-red. (b) Pale bluish green, with small spots of madder-brown, almost wholly confined to the larger end. Twenty-two eggs average -63 x "46 in. : the largest '67 X •47, the smallest "59 x '45. The old birds exhibit great anxiety when the nest is approached, and flit about restlessly, uttering an incessant nervous " twit, twit, twit." Suya crinigera Hodgson : Ibis, 1899, p. 187. La Touche has already described nests of this bird taken by him at Peling. It no doubt breeds also in Central Fohkien. Suya superciliaris Anderson. This species was first recorded as Chinese by Rickett in ' The Ibis ' for 1894, p. 218. A nest sent to him in May by Dr. Stenhouse, R.N., may pretty safely be assigned to it. The parent bird was shot, but, being a good deal damaged, Dr. Stenhouse unfortunately threw it away. He said that it had a conspicuous white stripe d2 36 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the over the eye, and on being shown the plate in Anderson's 'Yunnan Expedition/ stated that he was sure that it was the same bird. The nest was placed low down in a young pine, and was partly concealed by the rank grass growing round it. In shape it was a long blunt oval, with a large opening near the top, and was of flimsy construction. Its measurements were as follows : — Height at back 8 inches, external diameter 3^, depth of egg-cavity 2f . The materials used were moss and the seeding tops of grasses, with a few dead leaves and some cocoon-silk. The eggs (which were very heavily incubated) were pale green marked with tiny red specks, most numerous at the larger end, where they formed a small zone. Prinia inornata Sykes : Ibis, 1898, p. 360. This common resident breeds on the plains and low hills of the Province. The well-known nests are built in clumps of coarse grass, bamboos, and wheat-fields. There are two types of eggs : — (a) With the usual light greenish-blue ground-colour. (b) With a green ground-colour. The markings do not vary much. Thirty eggs average *59x'44 in.: the largest '63x*45, the smallest -56x'40. Prinia sonitans Swinhoe: Ibis, 1898, p. 359. Common on the low hills. The nest is, as a rule, a little less flimsy-looking than that of P. inornata. It is composed of the seed-spikes and down of grasses or of fine dry grass, with occasionally some cobwebs, cocoon-silk, or a few leaves intermixed, and is always slightly lined at the bottom of the egg-cavity with very fine dry grass, roots, or hair. The shape varies somewhat — one nest was a perfect oval with what might be described as a piece diagonally sliced off at one end ; another had two openings opposite to each other, and resembled a small deep basket with a handle. The structure is usually placed in bamboos or among coarse grass, and is 5 or 6 inches in height, 3 or 4 inches broad, and from 2 to 3 inches deep. Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 37 Sixteen eggs average *60 x *45 in. ; they are pale red, heavily suffused with a darker shade. Lanius schach Linn. : Ibis, 1894, p. 217. This handsome resident species retires to the low brush- wood-covered hills in April for nesting-purposes. It builds in some thick bush, or clump of "sword-grass," a large, deep, and substantial cup-shaped nest of twigs, coarse roots, tendrils, bamboo-leaves, and dry grass, lined with fine dry grass and seeding grass-spikes. The eggs are from four to six in number and ovate in shape. A clutch taken by La Touche at Amoy were pale yellowish green, with irregular spots of pale brownish red of two or three shades over spots of two shades of reddish grey and lavender- grey. They had a cap of red surface-spots over confluent underlying blotches. The markings in all the eggs which we obtained are most numerous at the larger end, where they tend to form a cap or ring. Sixteen eggs average 1*03 X '78 in. Lanius fuscatus Less. : Ibis, 1894, p. 219. The young birds described by the Rev. H. H. Slater were no doubt, as he wrote in the footnote to Rickett's article under this heading, "young L. fuscatus of pure blood." We have never obtained the eggs of this species. Pericrocotus cantonensis Swinhoe. A common summer-visitor to the plains, arriving early in April and leaving in October. It commences building at the end of April or early in May. The nest is placed on the branch of a pine or some other tree, near to but not in a fork. It is a beautifully neat little cup, generally with perpendicular walls. The sides are thin, and there is often no real bottom, the eggs having only the thin lining materials between them and the branch. If taken in wet weather, or allowed to get damp, the nest becomes quite soft and gummy, regaining its firmness when 38 Messrs. La Touche and Eickett on the dry. The materials used are fine grass, moss, fibres, roots, and pine-needles, plastered over on the outside with cobwebs, to which are stuck lichens and a little moss. The lining is of fine fibres or roots. The nests measure about 2f inches in external diameter, 2£ inches internal diameter, and 2% inches in depth. Owing to their small size and to the covering of lichen they are not easy to find, especially when placed, as they usually are, high up in a tall tree. The eggs are usually four in number and more or less ovate in shape. The ground-colour is bluish grey or pale greenish stone-colour, more or less spotted, speckled, or streaked with shades of brown, brownish red, pale earthy yellow, and purple, over underlying markings of lavender- grey. The markings are, as a rule, thicker at the larger end, where they form an ill-defined cap or ring. Twenty-six eggs average *78 x "60 in. Campophaga melanoptera (Rupp.). Three eggs, taken on June 11th, measured *90x'70 in. Our collectors took a nest (also in June) which contained a newly-hatched bird and an egg on the point of being hatched. The latter measured '95 x *69 in. The nest was placed on a fork at the end of a branch. It was a mere pad, composed of pine-needles, fine leaf-stalks, and pale silvery-grey lichens, bound together with cobwebs. In shape it was an irregular oval, with a slight depression, less than half an inch in depth, for the eggs. It was 3^ x 4^ inches in dimensions, with a maximum thickness of 1^ inches. The eggs are ovate in shape, with a bluish-white ground, thickly streaked and spotted longitudinally with brown and grey. This species is a common summer-visitor to the plains and low hills, but being shy and silent attracts little notice. Oriolus diffusus Sharpe. Like the last species, this is a common summer-visitor to the plains. The nest is placed in tall bamboos, large pines, or other Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 39 trees, always at a considerable height from the ground. It is a deep cup slung in the fork of a branch, and varies in shape and construction. In some cases the walls are very thick and the bottom thin, in others the reverse obtains ; some specimens, again, are very substantial throughout. The materials used are bamboo-leaves, coarse and fine dry grass, straw, and seeding grass-spikes, bound together by roots, tendrils, and cobwebs. The latter and cocoon-silk are used to bind the nest to its supports. The lining consists of fine dry grass, pine-needles, roots, and seeding grass-spikes. Native paper forms a favourite finish to the nests : some are thickly coated with it, and one in Rickett's garden was not only covered with it, but had a strip over a foot long hanging from the bottom of the fabric, which was thereby rendered very conspicuous. The eggs are laid in May. In colour they are a beautiful blush-pink, spotted with very dark crimson over lavender-grey underlying spots. The surface- spots are often somewhat blurred in outline, as if the colour had " run." The eggs of the Indian bird, as described by Stuart Baker (f Ibis/ 1896, p. 332), seem to differ from those of the Chinese bird. In the latter the full clutch consists of four eggs, which are ovate, with a tendency to become oval. Twelve specimens average 1*12 x "82 in. Although a shy bird, this Oriole frequents gardens and often builds close to houses, its clear loud notes and bright plumage readily attracting attention. Sturnia sinensis (Gm.). Also a summer-visitor, and breeding in the native city. We have never, however, obtained its eggs. Some collected by La Touche at Swatow (where, as well as in Hongkong, it nests in foreign-built houses) were very pale blue in colour. Graculipica nigricollis (Payk.). An extremely common resident on the plains. The nest is a large domed structure of irregular shape, composed of dry grass, straw, leaves, twigs, and in fact 40 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the any materials that come handy, even such as string, paper, hair, and rags. It is very conspicuously placed in some pine or tall tree at a good height from the ground. The eggs are laid in April, and number from four to six in a clutch. They are greenish blue, with a considerable amount of gloss. In shape they vary from narrowly ovate to oval. Thirty-nine specimens average 1*25 x *91 in. There are two, or perhaps three, broods in a season. These birds' antics at pairing-time are most absurd to watch. One sidles up to its mate uttering its everlasting " tee-a-chee " with widely open bill, the other sits with puffed- out plumage, its bill buried in the breast-feathers ; then follows a sham squabble, consisting of much snapping of beaks and playful peckings, after which they fly off to another tree and repeat the performance. Young birds when following their parents constantly utter a harsh " tcherk." Acridotheres cristatellus (Linn.) : Ibis, 1898, p. 369. This common resident breeds in holes in trees and walls, as well as under the eaves of houses. The nest is a regular rubbish-heap of dry grass, straw, leaves, feathers, &c. The wing- and tail-feathers of Pigeons, Kites, Crows, and Magpies are largely used. In every nest examined by Rickett there was a snake's slough or part of one, and our men were once told by a native that every Mynah's nest was thus provided. The eggs are pale greenish blue. These birds are very noisy and pugnacious in spring. Terpsiphone inch (Gould). A summer -visitor to the plains and low hills about Foochow. It breeds in May, placing its nest on a hori- zontal branch or in the fork of an upright from six to about fifteen feet from the ground. The structure is a beautifully firm and compact little cup, from 3 to 4 inches in external diameter, 2 to 2^ inches in internal diameter; the outer depth is from 2^ to 3£ inches, the depth of cup from 1^ to If inches. The materials used Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 41 are fine dry grass, dead leaves, roots, and moss bound together with cobwebs, and plentifully spangled on the outside with spiders' egg-cases, lichens, cocoon-silk, bright- coloured moss, and sometimes small scraps of white paper. The lining materials are pine-needles, fine grass, roots, human hair, coir, and seeding grass-spikes. The eggs are three or four in a clutch. They are more or less broadly ovate in shape, and average (eleven specimens) '77 x '59 in. The ground-colour is light orange, speckled with burnt-sienna, over underlying lilac-grey specks. The markings are thickest at the larger end, where they form a cap or broad zone, the rest of the shell being very lightly marked, often with only a few scattered specks. In one instance La Touche found a male (in red plumage) sitting on three eggs, his long tail-feathers floating in the breeze ! Microcichla scouleri (Vigors) : Ibis, 1899, p. 195. A resident species in all suitable localities, but it does not appear to be common. We have not taken the eggs near Fooehow, and so have nothing to add to what La Touche has already said on the subject. Henicurus sinensis Gould : Ibis, 1899, p. 193. A very common resident in all suitable localities. A nest taken by our collectors in Central Fohkien on May 10th was a mere hollowed pad of dead and skeleton leaves, dry grass, and roots, with a few bamboo-leaves. Henicurus schistaceus Hodgson : Ibis, 1899, p. 194. - This species is far less common than the last. A nest with two eggs taken in Central Fohkien on May 6th was composed of moss and roots, lined with fine dry grass, roots, skeleton leaves, and one feather. It was a neat firm cup. Rhyacornis fuliginosa (Vigors) : Ibis, 1899, p. 202. A common resident on the plains as well as on the moun- tains of the Province wherever there are suitable streams. 42 Messrs. La Tcuche and Rickett on the We have nothing to add to what La Touche has already written on the breeding of this species in the mountains, except to note that the nests vary a good deal in con- struction. Some are neat firm cups, others loosely and untidily built ; some, again, are mere pads, whilst others are a massive collection of materials with only a slight hollow for the eggs. Copsychus saularis (Linn.). A very common resident on the plains. It seems to prefer the neighbourhood of human habitations. About Ching Fung Ling we rarely met with it, but when we did, we invariably found some dwelling near at hand, though sometimes merely a lonely farmhouse hidden among the scrub on a hill-side. Breeding commences in April, and two, or perhaps three, broods are reared in the season. The nest is placed in a hole in a tree or wall or on the ground under a stone or stump. Rickett took one that had been built in a rolled-up sun-blind in a verandah. The materials used are fine twigs, dry grass, moss, roots, hair, pine-needles, and occasionally a feather or two. These are put together in a loose untidy manner, and often form a mere pad. The eggs are pale blue, thickly speckled, spotted, and blotched with reddish brown and violet, the latter forming sometimes surface, as well as underlying, markings. Twenty-eight eggs average -87 x *68 in. There are five in a full clutch. Merula mandarina (Bp.). A very common resident on the plains, frequenting gardens and copses, and, like the Magpie-Robin [Copsychus saularis), always to be found in the vicinity of human dwellings. The nest is placed high up in some tall pine or other big tree. It is built on one of the large boughs in a fork near the extremity of a branch, or in the angle formed by one branch with another or with the trunk. The materials used are fine twigs, straw, dry grass, moss, roots, dead leaves, and a variety of odds and ends, such as Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 43 human hair, paper, &c. These are all plastered together with mud in varying quantities, and lined with fine dry grass, roots, and sometimes pine-needles. The amount of mud used is often very considerable. According to Rickett's observations, the female is the sole architect, the male sitting on a branch near the nest singing, and attacking any birds that approach, especially Crows and Magpies, while he does not hesitate to swoop down at a prowling cat. The young in the nest appear to be fed chiefly by the female, but as soon as they leave the nursery the male takes his share in caring for them. Nesting begins in April, and two broods are reared. The eggs are four or five in number, and, as a rule, ovate, but vary a good deal in shape as well as in colour. Forty-oae eggs average ri8x*87 in. They are blotched, spotted, or speckled with various shades of red over under- lying violet spots. The markings often form a cap, usually at the larger end, but sometimes at the apex. The ground-colour varies from pale greenish to bluish green, while occasionally it is of a reddish tint. UrOLONCHA ACUTICAUDA (HodgS.). A very common resident, apparently confined to the plains and low hills. It appears to breed during most months of the year, as Rickett has notes of eggs and young, or of old birds carrying nest-materials, in nearly all the months between February and November inclusive. The large globular nest of dry grass and bamboo-leaves is placed in a bush or small tree. The grass-stems project round the entrance and form at times a short neck. Six eggs of a clutch taken on October 27th average •60 x -45 in. Munia topela (Swinhoe). Also a common resident on the plains. We have, how- ever, no authentic eggs. Rickett's coolie once found a nest which with mistaken zeal he took, instead of calling his master's attention to it, as he had instructions to do. lie was told to return it to 44 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the the place where he found it, which was a low thick bush in which Rickett saw one of these birds hopping restlessly about. The nest was replaced, but when visited a few days later was found to have been deserted. It was a deep open cup, composed of seeding spikes of " sword-grass," and contained one Munia-like egg. La Touche when at Tamsui had similar nests brought to him, but was unable to identify them with certainty. Chloris sinica (Linn.). A common resident in the plains. Breeding begins in April, when several nests are often to be found in the same grove. They are usually placed in a pine-tree near the extremity of a branch; we, however, obtained one in a fruit- tree, built in the angle formed by a branch with the trunk, and another in Rickett's garden was placed in a similar position in a Grevillia (Grevillia 7-obusta). The nest is always well concealed and is a beautiful compact little cup with very thick sides. It is composed of fine twigs, moss, dry grass, pine-needles, roots, fibres, vegetable down, and feathers, lined with very fine dry grass, roots, hair, or feathers. One brought to Rickett was lined with the short curly chestnut and black tail-feathers of a domestic cock. These curved over the egg-cavity, and at first glance gave the nest the appearance of a domed structure. The measurements are: — external diameter about 4 inches, internal diameter 2£, outer depth 1\, depth of cup 1^. The eggs are from two to four in a clutch. In shape they are more or less ovate. The ground-colour when fresh is a light opalescent green, with a few specks or comma-like markings of black and red of various shades. There are occasionally some pale reddish grey underlying marks. Seven eggs in Rickett' s collection average -73x"54 in. Two in La Touchers are much larger, viz. '77 x "56 and •82X-52. Passer montanus (Linn.). This is our common " House-Sparrow. " It builds in any Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 45 situation to which it can convey unlimited quantities of straw, grass, feathers, and rubbish of all sorts. We once found two Sparrows' nests built into the base of that of a Kite (Milvus melanotis). One contained three young and the other five eggs. There was a young Kite in the nest above. The eggs need no description and are, as is usually the case, very variable in colour. Two extremely abnormal specimens in La Touche's collection are rough rhomboids in shape ! They are white, one having some indistinct pale marks at the end. Passer rutilans Temm. : Ibis, 1900, p. 35. This species breeds about Foochow. It nests in holes in trees away from human dwellings, and is shy and wary. An egg in Rickett's collection taken near Foochow measured '74 x *52 in. Emberiza cioides Brandt : Ibis, 1900, p. 35. This common resident breeds on the low hills about Foochow. The nest, composed of fine twigs, dead leaves, dry grass, and fern-fronds, lined with fine dry grass, roots, fibres, and hair, is usually placed in a small pine-tree, not far from the ground. Rickett saw a pair carrying materials on June 15th, and shot a young bird able to fly well on May 24th, so no doubt there are two broods in a season. Some nests are firm compact cups, others very loosely and untidily constructed. La Touche has already described the eggs. Rickett notes that the song resembles that of the Yellow- Hammer without the long final note. Melophus melanicterus (Gm.) : Ibis, 1900, p. 38. This bird also builds on the low hills about Foochow, but we have no eggs from the district. A male was seen carrying nest-materials on May 16th. COTILE RIPARIA (Linil.). A winter visitor, appearing about October or November and leaving in April or early in May. 46 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the Our collectors found a colony breeding in a sand-bank up the Yuen Fu River in February. The five or six nests which were dug out were loose shallow saucers of dry grass, barnboo- leaves, and feathers. They were about 5 inches in diameter and an inch in depth. The thirteen eggs averaged -70 X '50 in. HlRUNDO GUTTURALIS Scop. Arrives about March and leaves again about the end of August ; but single birds, small parties, and even considerable flocks may be seen passing over during any month in the winter. This species breeds on the plains, but invariably selects native houses and temples to nest in, and as the natives consider that the birds' presence brings luck, and will on no account suffer them to be interfered with, we have never been able to obtain the eggs. Young birds are to be seen in the second or third week of May. Motacilla leucopsis Gould : Ibis, 1899, p. 412. A common resident, breeding on the hills and mountains and frequenting the plains in winter. We have nothing to add to what La Touche has already written about it. Eighteen eggs average '76 x -59 in. : the largest 'Si x *61, the smallest *74x *59. Anthus richardi Vieill. The small race (A. infuscatus Blyth, cf. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vol. x. p. 567 ; Ibis, 1896, p. 494) arrives in April and leaves in October, and breeds on the low hills round Foochow. The larger race arrives in October and leaves in April, so that individuals of the two races may be seen together. On October 8th Rickett obtained two of each race, which measured in the flesh as follows : — $ . Length 6*80; wing 3'40; tarsus 1*20 inches. fact that trees with convenient nest-holes are abundant. In the mountains, where Magpies are scarce, our collectors state that the Kellers' eggs are laid in holes in trees. "When prospecting for suitable quarters the birds are very- noisy and aggressive, but as soon as laying commences they become very quiet, and fly away quickly and silently when the tree is approached. The eggs, of which there are four to the clutch, are not laid till late in May, as La Touche says : " probably because the Magpies' nests are not available until early in that month." There seem to be two types of eggs : — (a) Larger — intensely glossy china-white and sparsely pitted. (b) Smaller — less glossy and closely pitted. Occasionally eggs of type («) are speckled with grey, some of them conspicuously so. These markings are sometimes on the surface, at other times within the shell. They may, of course, be, as La Touche says, " a peculiar form of nest- stains," but are difficult to remove and appear like genuine marks. Twenty-seven eggs average 1*40 X 1*13 in. : the largest 1-50 X 114, the smallest 1*31 X 1-07. Ceryle rudis (Linn.). A very common resident. We have never taken its eggs, but La Touche once kept some young which were very wild and untamable. He shot a specimen in March in which the ova were largely developed. Ceryle guttata Vigors. Resident, but much less common than the last. Wre have no notes as to its nidification. Halcyon smyrnensis (Linn.). Common and resident. We have no specimens of its eggs. La Touche reared two or three young birds at Amoy. They fed readily on raw beef and crabs and became very tame. SER. VIII. VOL. V. E 50 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the Halcyon pileata (Bocld.) : Ibis, 1900, p. 44. An egg taken by our collectors in Central Fohkien on May 16th measured T22x 1-08 in. Alcedo bengalensis Gm. : Ibis, 1892, p. 479. A very common resident. T\Ye took seven incubated eggs from a bole in a bank by some rice-fields on June 19th, and had two fresh specimens brought to us on July 9th. These nine eggs averaged v8X'69 in. in dimensions, and were intensely glossy in appearance. The nest-hole is by no means always near water. One pair reared a brood in some ornamental rockwork in a garden ; another nested in a hole in a bank facing a lawn-tennis court; while a third frequented a hole in a creeper-covered wall in Rickett' s garden, and would in all probability have bred there, had not an attempt on the part of a gardener to catch one of the birds in the hole frightened them away. In spring these Kingfishers are very noisy and active, chasing each other about at lightning speed even among the houses or through the trees in the gardens, and uttering a shrill " che-et, che-et." Upupa epops Linn. A scarce winter-visitor to Foochow, but breeds in the vicinity of Amoy. One of llickett's collectors saw an indi- vidual carrying food at a place close to Amoy early in June, but failed to trace it to its nest. Cypselus pacificus Latham. Occurs about Foochow occasionally, generally in damp or rainy weather in April, May, June, or September, but never makes any stay. Our collectors state that it breeds on the coast. Cypselus subfurcatus Blyth : Ibis, 1903, p. 217. Caprimulgus jotaka T. & S. : Ibis, 1900, p. 41. Breeds on the plains and in Central Fohkien. Rickett shot a young bird near the settlement (Foochow), with some down still adhering to the plumage, on August 18th. A female shot bv him in the Yuen Fu Valley in May contained \ Nest hi (j of Birds in Folikien. 51 ova no larger than No. 5 shot, so that it is apparently a late breeder. La Touche has a young bird procured up the Yuen Fu on August 28th. Two eggs, said to belong to this species, were brought to us by our men from Central Fohkien, but are very different from those described by La Touche from Kuatun. They are blotched, not marbled like the Kuatun eggs. The markings are much more numerous and darker, beiug darkish brown and drab-grey over underlying marks of bluish grey. They measure 122 x "90 and 1*10 X -8G in. Harpactes yamakanensis Rickett. No doubt this bird breeds in the Province, but we have no examples of its eggs. It is not uncommon in Central Fohkien in winter. Our collectors did not meet with it when in that district in April and May. Cuculus canorus Linn. Cuculus intermedins Vahl : La Touche, Ibis, 1900, p. 45. Not uncommon, especially the latter, about Foochow in spring. We have, however, no eggs of either species*. Cacomantis merulinus Scop. A summer- visitor to Amoy, but has only once occurred to our knowledge at Foochow ('Ibis/ 1903, p. 217). Coccystes coromandus (Linn.) : Ibis, 1900, p. 46. Our collector came across quite a number of individuals in Central Fohkien in May. EUDYNAMIS HONOBATA Blyth. During La Touche's first stay at Foochow (1883-87) the Koel was not noticed ; it is now a regular summer-visitor. Rickett' s first specimen was obtained in 1893. A female shot on August 5th had one ovum more than half an inch in diameter and another about one-third of an inch. * We have on three or four occasions obtained doubt those of one of these Cuckoos in nests taken by our men, but it lias been impossible to identify them. E 2 52 Messrs. La Toucke and Rickett on the An egg in Rickett's collection, answering to the descrip- tion of that of this species, was taken from the nest of Graculipica nigricollis about the end of May. It measures 1-28 x -95 in. Centropus sinensis Steph. : Ibis, 1892, p. 480. A common resident on the plains and low hills. We have a nest taken on June 21st. It was a bulky mass of " sword-grass." The two eggs it contained were blunt ovals in shape and measured 151 X 116 and 1*47 X 1*20 in. They were cream-coloured, with shells of a chalky texture. Bubo ignavus Forst. Breeds in the vicinity of Foochow. Two young birds were given to La Touche by a Dominican missionary stationed at Haitan Island, and Rickett has known of several young birds (some in the downy stage) offered for sale in Foochow. Scops glabripes Swinhoe : Rickett, Ibis, 1900, p. 57. The eggs referred to in the above-cited paper were taken on May 21st. They were of a rather deep creamy tint, somewhat closely pitted, and measured 1*40 X T24 and 1-42x1-27 in. Rickett's collector shot a female on March 28th which contained three well-developed ova — the largest, he said, of the size of the top of his thumb. He described the oviduct as much enlarged and flaccid. Young birds are easily reared on raw meat and become very tame. Scops stictonotus Sharpe. Scops latouchii Rickett. These two Owls are, no doubt, resident in the wooded hills and mountains, but we know nothing of their nidification. Glaucidium whitelyi (Blyth). We have only one egg of this very common resident species. It was taken from a hole high up in the trunk of a tall pine, and measures l'38x 1*24 in. Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 53 Glaucidium brodiei (Burton). Resident, and not uncommon in the hills and mountains of the Province. We have, however, no examples of its eggs. Ninox scutulata (Raffles). A young bird shot in the Yuen Fu Valley in July proves that this species breeds at the lower levels. La Touche does not appear to have met with it in the mountains, and Rickctt had only one specimen from Kuatun, which was shot in November. Pandion haliaetus (Linn.). A fairly common winter-visitor. La Touche (' Ibis/ 1887, p. 231) says, " some remain throughout the summer/' Nisaetus fasciatus ( Vieill.) . Resident and not uncommon. It breeds in the hills not far from Foochow and winters on the plains. Two young birds obtained by La Touche on May 22nd were successfully reared. When taken, they differed greatly in size : the smaller had the head almost covered with white down, was darker in colour, and had paler-coloured legs ; the larger was lighter in colour, with yellowish or buffy-white edgings to the head-feathers, and very little down adhering thereto. The irides in both were dark brown. Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson). Resident and not uncommon in Central Fohkien. It probably also frequents the mountains, but La Touche was unable to identify it at Kuatun, except on one occasion ('Ibis,' 1900, p. 47). Rickett's collectors took a young bird at Ah Ch'ung in May. It was covered with white down, through which the quills of the feathers were protruding. The finders described the nest as a huge structure of sticks, big enough for a man to curl himself up in ! Spilornis cheela (Lath.) : Ibis, 1900, p. 57. Fairly common and resident in Central Fohkien. The crop of one example contained a small snake and a large Mantis. 51 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the Rickett had a close view of an individual at Ching Fung Ling on one occasion. It swooped down at a small white terrier that was following him, as he was walking in a thick patch of forest. The bird presented a splendid spectacle as it checked its swoop and remained for a moment almost motion- less in the air, its barred wings and tail outspread to their utmost, its bushy crest erect, and its yellow- eyes glaring down on the cowering dog. It then swerved to one side, and dashed away through the trees at great speed. MlLVUS MELANOTIS T. & S. An extremely common resident on the plains, less so in Central Fohkien, and not met with in the mountains. There seems to be a partial migration in summer, as but few are seen about Foochow alter the breeding-season until September, when their numbers are again greatly increased. Styan has noted a similar movement as occurring in the lower Yangtze basin (f Ibis/ 1891, p. 490). This Kite is an early breeder, most eggs being laid by the middle of February; but fresh clutches may be taken in March, or perhaps a little later. Tiie nest is placed high up in a tall tree, usually a pine, and is a large and conspicuous structure. It is composed of sticks, lined with dry grass and all sorts of rubbish, such as paper, human hair, rags, and bits of matting. The eggs are usually two in number, but clutches of three are not at all uncommon, and sometimes only a single e^g is laid. Fifty-four eggs average 2:2.") x 1 -78 in. : the largest of these was 2*48 X 1*82, the smallest 2'11 X 176. An abnorm- ally small egg (not included in the above) was 1"99 x T58 in. In shape they are somewhat variable, but a broad short ovate or nearly oval form is the most usual. In colouring they are most variable, and it is rare to find specimens in the same clutch alike. The ground-colour is dirty or greenish white, blotched, spotted, speckled, smeared, or scrawled with bright brick-red, vaudyke, or other shades of brown, and sometimes violet. Rickett had a single Nesting of Birth in Fohkien. 55 egg which was dirty white, with only two or three small stains of pale rust-colour. In some cases the markings are very numerous and rich. The behaviour of the parents is very uncertain. In oue instance both old birds had to be shot before it was safe to send a boy up the tree to the nest, which was found to be empty ! In another the old bird slipped off the nest con- taining two downy nestlings and flew away out of sight. At times one parent will attempt to defend the nest, while the other soars about at a distance squealing plaintively. A newly hatched bird (covered with hairy down) had the bill dusky blue; the iris dark brown ; the cere, gape, and eyelids pale grey ; the region round the eye and the ear blackish. Loves, forehead, hind-neck, and under parts greyish white; the rest of head silvery grey; the upper part of the body and the wings brownish grey. The nest-larder contained a te squab " Dove [Tartar sis). Falco subbuteo Linn. A common summer-visitor to the plains, arriving in April and leaving in October. It breeds in the deserted nests of Crows and Kites. No eggs are laid much before the end of May, and we have taken incubated specimens as late as July. The eggs are white, so closely speckled or stippled all over with pale red as to hide the ground-colour ; over this stippling there are at times blotches of darker red or a cap of the same, covering one end or the other of the egg. When newly laid they have a beautiful " bloom/' which is lost as incubation proceeds. La Touche has an egg, taken from the oviduct of a female, which is pure white with a few " shell-marks " of violet-grey. Fifteen eggs average L58 x 1'25 in. : the largest 1*70 X 1*28, the smallest 1-50 x 1*1 7. The parents attack any large birds, such as Crows and Kites, especially the latter, that pass near the nest-tree. They seem to have a great dislike to Kites, and persecute 56 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the them even after the nesting-season is over. Rickett once saw a male Hobby strike a Kite (Milvus melanotis) fair on the back, knocking out a small cloud of feathers ! Tinnunctjlus saturatus Blyth : Ibis, 1900, p. 48. This is apparently a resident race which descends to the plains in winter, at which season we are also visited by T. alaudarius. Microhierax melanoleucus Blyth : Ibis, 1894, p. 223. A large series of specimens, obtained since Rickett wrote in the i Ibis ' as quoted above, has confirmed the conclusions then arrived at. The species is a common resident in Central Fohkien, occasionally straying down to the plains. An egg, taken from a hole in a tree, was of a blunt oval shape : it measured 1*18 x '92 in., and was buff-coloured ; the stain, however, readily washed off, shewing the dull white shell beneath. This egg had evidently been laid some time, and was lying on a few butterfly-Mings, under which was an old nest of leaves and feathers. A pair of Falconets were seen about the place and were shot by our collectors, who took from the oviduct of the female a fully formed egg (unfortunately broken), which was white with a few buff marks. In July our men brought us (alive) a pair of old birds and a fully fledged young female which they had caught in a hole in a tree. There were other birds in the hole, but they escaped. The male died in about a fortnight, but La Touche kept the two females for fourteen months, during which time he made the following notes on their habits : — The young bird for some months preferred food taken away from the old one to that provided for itself. It would scream violently, and attempt to snatch away a half- plucked Sparrow from its parent, which would endeavour to protect her property by folding her wings over it, but after a short tussle the young bird always obtained possession of the prey. They spent most of the day and all the night in a box in Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. 57 their cage. To this box they would retire directly after a meal, and there lie down. Before the box was put into the cage they used to lie on the bottom after a meal, as well as at night, at which time they were very hard to rouse. If an attempt was made to touch them with the hand they would sidle away uttering a low hissing sound. When in the box the young bird would strike fiercely with its talons if any attempt was made to touch it. These birds had a strong and very unpleasant " garlicky " smell. They were sent home to the Zoological Society's Gardens, where they soon died. An illustration of them appeared in the < Field' (xci. p. 141, 1898). TURTUR RUP1COLA (Pall.). A common resident. La Touche notes it as " fairly common at Kuatun." We have, however, only one clutch of eggs, dated "beginning of May." They measure 136 x "1 and 1*30 x 1* 10 in. : one is oval, the other oval pointed at one end. They have but little gloss. TURTUR CHJNENSIS (Scop.). A very common resident. The nest is the usual flimsy structure of sticks, placed in a tree, high bush, or thick creeper. The eggs are elliptic oval in shape, with (sometimes) one end more pointed than the other. Seventeen eggs average 1 • 14 x *87in. : the largest T20x '89, the smallest 1-08 x "85. Turtur HUMiLis (Temm.). Common in summer on the plains. A few individuals winter about Foochow. They nest in trees and lay pale cream-coloured eggs. A wounded bird brought to La Touche laid an egg on the following day that was of a much deeper colour than usual. Phasianus torquatus Gm. Considering that these birds are shot and trapped by the natives at all seasons, and that vermin, furred and feathered, abound, it is wonderful that Pheasants are as numerous as 58 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the they are on the lower wooded hills of the Province. In the mountains they are less common, as La Touche writes that they "occur sparingly on the grass-lands near Kuatun." YTe have no specimens of the eggs, for the birds are scarce enough about Foochow without our encouraging the robbing of their nests. Phasianus ellioti Swinhoe. Apparently not an abundant species in the Province [vide ' Ibis/ 1900, pp. 49 & 59). A broken egg said to be that of Elliot's Pheasant was obtained, at Kuatun. It is of a rather long and pointed ovate shape, and measures 1-85 X 1'29 in. In colour it is very pale greenish buff. PUCRASIA DARWINI Swinhoe. Common in the mountains, whence a doubtful egg, said by the natives to be that of this species, was brought by Rickett's collectors ; it was in a very damaged condition, and measured about 196x 1"18 in. Genn^us nycthemerus (Linn.). Very common on the hills and mountains of Central and North- West Fohkien. A clutch of four eggs (two much damaged) from Central Fohkien were said to be those of the Silver Pheasant. One of these eggs measured T88 x 1'46 in., another 164x 1"22. The two that were broken apparently matched the larger egg in. size. Ceriornis caboti (Gould) : bis, 1900, p. 49. This species probably occurs on the thickly wooded hills of Central Fohkien, as both Rickett and his collectors have caught glimpses of what they believe to be Tragopans, and the natives describe a bird that can only be of this species. Bambusicola thoracica (Temm.). Common throughout the Province in suitable localities. La Touche has two eggs from Kuatun which measure 1*39 x 1*07 and 1*40 x 1*05 in. Six eggs from Central Fohkien average 1*34 x L06. Nesting of Birds in Fokkien. 59 Coturnix japonica Cassin. Rickett's collector shot a Quail one spring near Foochow, and took from the oviduct an egg which measured 1 '05 X *85 in. The shell was somewhat rough and pure white. The bird was not preserved, but was probably of this species. Arboricola ricketti Grant. We have not yet taken the eggs of this common species in Central Fohkien. Francolintjs chinensis (Briss.). Common on the low wooded hills around Foochow. We have made no attempt to obtain the eggs, for the same reason that we do not wish to encourage the taking of Pheasants'' eggs. TlTRNlX BLANFORDI Blytll. This is no doubt a resident, but its skulking habits render it hard to observe, and therefore, as Styan says, it seems much scarcer than it really is. Amaurornis fuscus (Linn.) : Ibis, 1892, p. 494 {Porzana erythrothorax) . Five eggs average 1*19 X '90 in. On Sept. 13th Rickett had two newly hatched young brought to him. They resembled those described in the l Ibis ' as cited above. La Touche has a clutch of ten eggs which he doubtfully refers to this species. They are cream-coloured, with fine specks and small spots of burnt-sienna over violet underlying specks. They vary in shape from ovate to oval, with more or less pointed ends. They average 127 X 93 in.: the largest l-30x-96, the smallest 1-21 x -90. Amaurornis phcenicurus (Forst.). Common in the rice-fields and swampy spots about Foochow in summer, and occasionally to be met with in winter. We have obtained eggs in the end of April and all through May. They are of a more or less deep tint of cream-colour, spotted and speckled with burnt-sienna and violet over under- 60 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the lying violet marks. The ground-colour often has a pinkish tinge. The spots, which are generally large and elongated, are frequently thickest at the larger end, where they form a small cap. Twenty-four eggs average l"61xl'19 in, : the largest 176 x 1-20, the smallest 1-49 X M6. An egg taken from the oviduct of a bird shot on May 11th was much elongated. It was white, and had a few spots of light red on the larger end, with underlying purple spots. Amaurornis akool (Sykes). This bird appears to be common in Central Fohkien. The natives say that it breeds in July. Gallicrex cinerea (Gm.). A common summer-visitor about Foochow. We have, however, very few specimens of its eggs. On August 23rd, La Touche found a nest of this bird in a field of " river-rice." It was a shallow pad of dry rice- blades, those on the outside being twisted into the stalks of the herbage that supported the nest, which was about two feet from the ground. It contained three incubated eggs. The eggs of this species are greenish cream-coloured or deep creamy buff washed with reddish. Those of the former colour are very glossy in texture, those of the latter much less so. The surface-markings are of a rather pale yellowish red, and in some specimens are small, being much broken up into irregular spots and specks, while in others they form large elongated blotches which are thickly scattered over the whole shell. The underlying spots are pale purple, and are con- spicuous in the glossy type. Six eggs average 1*63 x 1*21 in. Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scop.). This bird is said by the natives to breed near Foochow, but we have never obtained the eggs. ^Egialitis dealbata Swinhoe : Ibis, 1892, p. 497. Three small Plovers'' eggs were given to La Touche at Amoy by a Chinese friend. On going to the place where Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. CI tliey had been found (a sandy sea-shore), a pair of what La Touche took to be these birds was seen. These eggs of are a rather deep yellow-buff with small round spots and twisted lines of very deep blackish brown over underlying spots and short streaks of blue-grey. They measure 125 x -91-127 x -93 and 1*31 x *90 in. This species is resident on the south coast of China. JEgialitis placida (Gray). Apparently resident in the Province, as we have young birds shot in July in the Yuen Fu Valley and have obtained adults in winter. Chettusia cinerea (Blyth). Our collectors shot a female in May near Yen Ping Fu (which is about 140 miles up the Min River from Foochow) with enormously developed ovaries ; it was apparently about to breed. Totanus hypoleucus (Linn.). A common resident species, but we have never obtained its eggs. Phynch.ea capensis (Linn.). Also a common resident. Pickett's collector found a nest with four eggs on a narrow " bund " between two rice-fields. It was a mere hollow in the ground lined with dry grass. La Touche has an egg taken from the oviduct of a bird shot on June 20th. It measures l'40xl in. and is ovate in shape. It is of a clear yellow-buff, thickly blotched and spotted with very dark brown, and with a few lines of the same colour, over light brown blotches and spots. There are a very few underlying spots of grey. On August 31st a native brought to Pickett a bird of this species, from the oviduct of which he had extracted an egg. ]t was elongated ovate in shape and measured 1*48 x "99 in. The markings were very small. This egg by some mischance got mixed up with some eggs presented by Pickett to the British Museum and someone has written on it "JE. geoffroyi." 62 Messrs. La Touclie and Rickett on the It is, however, undoubtedly the egg of the Painted Snipe, and the eggs collected by Swinhoe in Formosa are, in Rickett's opinion, also those of R. capensis *. ? Larus crassirostris Vieill. A common resident on the coast. Two eggs taken by a fisherman in July were probably laid by this Gull. They are ovate and pyriform ovate in shape respectively, and measure 220xl'66 and 2\34x 1'66 in. In colour they are greenish buff, with small spots and short lines of very dark brown over dark and light purplish-grey spots. Sterna ax.estheta Scop. Several adults, together with young in down and eighteen eggs, were brought to us by our men in the first half of July from an island off the coast. The eggs were nearly all incubated. The ground-colour is greenish white or light buff. The spots are not large and are fairly evenly distributed over the shell. They vary from dark burnt-sienna to madder- and dark vandyke-brown, with underlying spots of various shades of violet-grey. These eggs were deposited under rocks or stones, and the birds allowed themselves to be caught on their nests. Seventeen eggs averaged 1*81 x 127 in. Young in down were coloured as follows : — (a) (Very young) Drab-grey tinged with buff and mottled with dark brown. Bill blackish. Legs greyish black. (b) Dark grey tinged with buff, faintly mottled with dark brown. Throat and fore-neck dark grey. Under parts greyish white. (c) Same as the last, but lighter. One young bird was of a very light grey colour. * The egg figured in Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus. vol. ii. pi. i. fig. 9, as that of Ochthodromus geoffroyi is one of the eggs found by Rickett's collector as stated above. Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. (33 Sterna dougalli Montagu. Our collectors brought a number of eggs (from the island mentioned above) which they said were probably those of the present species, as it appeared to be the commonest Tern on the island. A number of these eggs were hatched, but the chicks did not answer to the description of the young in down of the Roseate Tern as given in Yarrell (4th ed.) vol. iii. p. 548. It is therefore unnecessary to describe the eggs from which they were produced. In spite of all La Touche's care these young birds did not live long. It may, however, be of use to give a brief description of them. There were three types, viz. : — (a) Upper parts mottled grey and black with a slight tinge of buff. Throat the same. Rest of under parts white. Bill deep pink, with black tip. Legs deep flesh-coloured. (b) Upper parts and throat black, mottled with buff. Under parts white. Bill dark dull red with black tip. Legs as in («). (c) Upper parts and throat buff, mottled with black. Under parts white. Bill and legs as in (a). Our men brought us several specimens of the adults, so . that there is no doubt as to this species breeding on the coast. Sterna melanauchen Temra. From the same island we obtained an adult of this species and a young bird in down, which La Touche reared. The description of this young bird, as we received it on July 16th, is as follows : — Upper parts greyish white, spotted with black ; wings light buff, barred with black; under parts whitish. Bill dark reddish, tipped with black ; legs very dark flesh-coloured. When released on Sept. 11th it agreed very well with the description of the young bird given in Cat. B. Brit. Mus. vol. xxv. p. 128. In our bird, however, the bill was blackish, as were also the legs. BULWERIA BULWERI Bp. Our collectors also brought us, from the same island, a dozen eggs of this species with the old birds caught in the 64 Messrs. La Touche and Rickett on the nest-burrows. Tliese eggs were all much incubated. They were ovate in shape and averaged 1*70 x 1'24 in. PsEUDOTANTALUS LEUCOCEPHALUS (Gm.). This bird occurs near Foochow in summer, but we have no note as to its nidification. Ardea cinerea Linn. Ricketfs collector obtained eleven eggs from a "heronry" near the mouth of the Min River. He said that there were fifty or sixty nests on a huge camphor-tree. They were between one and two feet in diameter, made of sticks, and lined with leaves. The eggs were taken on May 16th and averaged 2*25 X 1 "60 in. Herodias garzetta Linn. Before the extermination of this bird to supply the demands of fashion, it was a common summer-visitor and a few remained during the winter. The nests were built in colonies on large trees, and were composed of sticks lined with dry grass. The eggs were of a rather deep greenish blue. Twenty specimens averaged 1-79x1-30 in. The following notes were made by us at a "heronry" that formerly existed near the bank of the river close to Foochow : — The nests were placed on two large trees standing close together : a few had eggs (May 3rd), but most of them were in process of construction. It was a busy scene, with numbers of birds passing to and fro with sticks and tufts of grass in their bills or hurrying off for more material. One of each pair seemed to remain by the nest to guard it from robbery. A constant babel of sounds was maintained by guards and workers, varying from a comparatively low " wah, wall" to a loud harsh uwa-a-k, wa-a-ak, wa-a-ak" when a fight took place. At such times the birds assumed a fierce appearance, and looked very handsome with the dorsal plumes raised in a thick bushy tuft and the crest-feathers standing stiffly out. Herodias eulofhotes Swinhoe: Rickett, Ibis, 1903, p. 220. This species, though by no means so plentiful as the last, Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. G5 used also to breed near Foochow in company with the commoner birds. Rickett had three eggs taken from the oviducts of birds shot for their plumes. They resembled those of H. garzetta, and measured 170 x 1-30, 1*74 x 1"36, and 1'83 x 131 in. Two of these eggs appear in Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus. vol. ii. p. 123, under the heading of Demiegretta sacra (Gm.), an identification with which Rickett does not agree (see 'Ibis/ I. s. c). Herodias intermedia Wagler. A much rarer species than either of the foregoing. Rickett had skins procured in April and July, and La Touche (' Ibis/ 1892, p. 488) describes a bird shot at Foochow on May 7th ; so that this species might possibly have bred there in bygone days. BUBULCUS COROMANDUS (Bodd.). A common summer-visitor. La Touche has an egg taken from the oviduct of a female shot on May 5th. It is biconical in shape, and measures 1*93 x 1*35 in. Two other eggs in his collection are fusiform and oval respectively with rounded ends. They measure 2-07 X 1-29 and 1-80 x T38 in. All these eggs are very pale bluish green, almost white. ARDEOLA BACCHUS Bp. A very common resident. It nests in colonies on trees, sometimes in company with Herodias garzetta. On May 31st La Touche took four clutches of three and five eggs respectively, some being fresh and some incubated ; several nests contained young birds. The eggs resemble those of H. garzetta. Seventeen specimens average 1*56 X 1*17 in. : the largest 1'65 x 118, the smallest 1*47 x 1-15. The nests also resemble those of H. garzetta ; a few of them had leaves on the outside. Nycticorax griseus (Linn.). Very common in summer. A few may be seen about in the winter months. The birds nest in colonies on large trees, SER. VIII. VOL. V. F 66 On the Nesting of Birds in Fohkien. but the natives will not allow them to be disturbed, so we have not obtained the eggs. Ardetta sinensis (Gm.). A common summer-visitor. The only nest of which we have a note was taken by Rickett's collector. It was placed in a bamboo some twelve or fifteen feet from the ground. The materials used were twigs, straw, and bamboo-leaves in great quantity, on the top of which was a slight hollow for the eggs. The man, seeing a large deep-looking nest, bent the bamboo downward, with the result that the five or six eggs rolled out, and all but one were smashed. The specimen saved measured 1*24 X '92 in. The nest was 10 inches wide by 6 inches deep outside. DlTPETOR FLAVICOLLIS (Lath.). A common summer- visitor, arriving about the end of April or beginning of May, and leaving in September. The nest is built at various heights in trees, bushes, or bamboos. One from which Rickett took four eggs was built high up in a large tree standing in the middle of a public road, surrounded by houses and far from any water. Another was in a clump of bamboos near a house in a neighbour's garden. A pair of birds built in this clump every year. As the bamboos kept the breeze off the house it was decided to cut them down, and on July 14th the five downy nestlings were transferred to a wine-case filled with straw and placed in a neighbouring tree. The old birds reared the brood in their new quarters, feeding them morning and evening with small fishes. The eggs of this species are very pale bluish green, almost white. Forty specimens average 1'67 x 1*24 in. Nettapus coromandelianus (Gm.). On July 22nd Rickett's collector shot a pair of these birds near Foochow, and took from the oviduct of the female a perfect egg, which measured 1"69 x 1*28 in. A specimen was obtained in Central Fohkien in May. On the Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 67 -^x galericulata (Linn.). A common resident. We have not obtained its eggs. Anas zonorhyncha Swinhoe. Also a common resident. Rickett has the skins of two young in down. La Touche took nests and eggs at Swatow ('Ibis/ 1892, p. 491). PoDICIPES PHILIPPENSIS (Steph.). A common resident. About the end of July Rickett's collector shot two young in down near Foochow. He said that there were three swimming about with the old bird in a large pond. III. — On the Birds of the Upper Muonio River. By S. A. Davies, M.B.O.U., Lieut. East Lancashire Regiment. In April, 1904, I made a three months' expedition to the upper waters of the River Muonio, which are locally known as the Kongama, where I was joined three weeks later by Mr. John Stares. The Muonio rises in 69° 10' N. lat. and enters the Gulf of Bothnia in 65° 50' N. lat., forming the boundary between Sweden and Finland, but we contented ourselves with working the Kongama between 69° and 68° 30' N. lat., the latter being the northernmost limit of the pine-forests. I had previously visited the district in 1895, when I was too late for the best of the breeding- season, though I was successful in obtaining eggs of the Jack-Snipe ; and in the following year the late Daniel Meinertzhagen spent a season there on my advice, making his headquarters at Muonioniska, which was the centre of operations of John Wolley. The difficulty of getting about at such a season of the year in a country where there are practically no means of communi- cation necessarily confined our operations to a somewhat limited area, and we therefore chose the upper waters, where we thought that we should have the best chance of Ducks, Waders, and mountain-birds, although in so doing we f .2 68 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the sacrificed our opportunities of observing the Owls, Wood- peckers, and so forth, which are found in the true forests. We were greatly handicapped by an exceptionally late season, at least three weeks later than the ordinary. On the 1st of June we were still sledging on the frozen river, which is generally clear by the 10th of May. This cause consider- ably retarded the arrival of the birds ; thus the breeding- season was shorter than usual, the early breeders being late and the late breeders punctual, so that we found it impossible to manage everything in so short a time. For the purposes of observation we established ourselves at two stations : one at Leveavuopio in the north of our district (69° 50' N. lat.), and the other at Ainettivaara on the edge of the pine-forests (69° 30' N. lat.) A considerable trade in egg-collecting is still done on the Muonio, and has been going on ever since John Wolley, whose name is to this day revered by the Finns, made Muonioniska his headquarters. The eggs are sent to dealers in Helsingfors, who pay a good price for those of the rarer species ; but it is difficult to understand how they find a mar-ket, as the specimens are not kept in clutches or identified in any way. I do not think, however, that this collecting has an appreciable effect on the birds as a whole, for the area is so vast and habitations are so scattered that the damage done is infinitesimal, except in the case of certain species, such as the Gyr-Falcon, which is becoming very scarce owing to its frequenting the same breeding-places every year and being annually robbed. The Finns, as a whole, have a good general knowledge of their birds — the value of the eggs has probably much to do with it, — and, though they do not possess the marauding instinct of the English village-boy, they are keen, so far as it is possible for them to be keen, and throughout the country birds are one of the staple subjects of conversation, which suits the Northern Finn much better than hard work. The natives are excellent at imitating the notes of the various species, the Finnish names of which are often very expressive. I append some notes on the species observed. Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 60 Turdus musicus. Song-Thrush. Though we never met with this species, we saw some of its eggs in an old collection at Kaaresuando (68° 25' N. lat.), which is probably its northernmost limit on the river. Turdus iliacus. Redwing. This bird arrived on the 15th of May. It was very common and generally distributed, preferring the immediate vicinity of the river. We did not find it breeding in company with the Fieldfare, but always singly. The first clutch of eggs was taken on the 5th of June. The song was one of the features of the Lapland summer, and appeared to vary every ten miles or so ; the Redwings at Ainettivaara had a totally different song from those at Leveavuopio. We often found their nests built in the rough fences and some on the lowest of stumps. As a rule, they were never more than four feet from the ground. Each clutch contained one egg of a type distinct from the rest, brighter and more richly marked. The usual number was six. The Finnish name of this species is " Night-Thrush." Turdus pilaris. Fieldfare. The Fieldfare arrived on the 25th of May : on the 26th it was generally distributed in the birch-woods. The colonies were usually some way up the hill-sides, but occasionally we found them breeding on islands in the lakes — a fact which may be due to their preference for the big birches of twenty feet or more, which are not found in the neighbourhood of houses, owing to the ruthless felling of timber which prevails. I only once heard the song, which was uttered on the wing. We found the first clutch of eggs on the 4th of June. The nests of the former year were generally re-occupied, a fresh lining of grass only being added. On the 15th of June we saw some young birds just hatched. Turdus torquatus. Ring-Ousel. Very rare, even in the mountain-districts of the north. We obtained one clutch of eggs on the 26th of June. 70 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the Saxicola (enanthe. Wheatear. Very common on the fells, breeding high up on the hill- sides above the limit of the dwarf willow, as well as in the valley-bottoms. The nest is invariably lined with the wdiite feathers of the Willow-Grouse. This bird, arrived on the 28th of May, and began building on the 5th of June. The Finnish name signifies " S tone-Thrush. " Ruticilla phcenicurus. Redstart. Not common ; we obtained, a few nests round Ainettivaara, where the bird bred in the old Woodpeckers' holes in the birches, lining its nest with the fur of the Arctic Hare and the Lemming and the feathers of the Willow-Grouse. Cyanecula suecica. Bluethroat. Very common throughout the district, in the fir-region as well as in that of the birch. It prefers low-lying moors, where the dwarf willow and the cloudberry form the prevail- ing vegetation. The nests were invariably well-concealed, either under a stump or in the side of a tussock; but I cannot agree with the late Mr. Wheelwright as to the difficulty of finding them, for we never failed to secure them by beating over likely ground about 9 p.m., at which time the parents appear to cover their eggs. The Finnish name signifies " Hundred-tongues/' from the bird's imitative capacities, which are little short of marvellous and often a nuisance to the collector. I heard a newly-arrived example utter a note like that of the Red-wattled Lapwing, with which I am familiar in India. The Bluethroat arrived on the 25th of May, and we found the first clutch of eggs on the 9th of June. There were often seven in a nest. Accentor modularis. Hedge-Sparrow. I saw a single specimen taking shelter from a snow-storm in a shed at Ainettivaara on the 14th of May. Phylloscopus trochilus. Willow- Wren. Very common in the birch-woods ; it lines its nest with the white feathers of the Willow-Grouse, whence comes its Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 71 Finnish name of " Willow-Grouse bird." We did not come across Eversmann's Warbler (P. borealis), which occurs on the Porsanger Fjord in Norway. Cinclus melanogaster. Black- bellied Dipper. This Dipper was very sparingly distributed ; its scarceness was probably due to the fact that there were very few suitable nesting-sites for it on the Kongama. Such places as were suitable were invariably occupied, and the nest, a large domed structure with a neat cup of grass-bents, was placed in an exposed position with no attempt at concealment, so close iudeed to the water that in three cases noticed it was washed away by the heavy floods. Once we found an unlined " cock's nest " placed immediately above the nest proper. This species is one of the few that remain all the year round in the neighbourhood, frequenting the rapids, which are open even in the depth of winter. Parus sibiricus. Lapp Tit. This species is very sparingly distributed, but is most common in the fir-region. It is resident, but apparently subject to local migrations, as is the case with the Wood- peckers. It is very inconspicuous and silent. The nests were excavated, apparently by the bird itself, in birch-stumps, and were lined with lemming-fur. This was the only species of Tit that we met with. Motacilla alba. White Wagtail. Every house had a pair or two of these birds round it, but as there were barely a dozen houses in the whole district they cannot be called common. The nests were usually built in the cow-byres. This species was one of the first to arrive (on the 27th of April), and very miserable the birds looked huddling together for shelter in the old Martins' nests under the eaves in the intense cold which prevailed at the beginning of May. They began nesting on the 24th of May, and the first egg was found on the 5th of June. Budytes viRinis. Yellow Wagtail. Very common throughout the district, breeding in the same localities as the Bluethroat. The nest is very difficult 72 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the to find, as it is usually well concealed under a tussock or stump, and the birds are very watchful, leaving long before an intruder approaches. This bird arrived in large numbers on the 26th of May, and we found the first clutch of eggs on the 17th of June. Anthus pratensis. Meadow-Pipit. Fairly common in the lower part of the district ; on ascending the river its place is gradually taken by A. cervinus, until at the head-waters it is comparatively rare. Anthus cervinus. Red-throated Pipit. Very common on the bogs and moors at the head of the river ; further down it becomes rare, and we did not meet with it at Ainettivaara. Its distribution is practically the same as that of the Lapp Bunting. The song is very full and varied and contains passages recalling that of a Canary. The eggs often approximate to the Bunting type, whereas the eggs of the Lapp Bunting never approach the true Pipit type. The nests were placed in the sides of tussocks on the cloud- berry bogs. The birds arrived on the 5th of June; we found the first clutch of eggs on the 17th and young on the 2nd of July. Lanius excubitor. Great Grey Shrike. Sparingly distributed, in fact so scattered as to be almost rare. We took one clutch of nine eggs, seven being the usual number. The nest was always plentifully lined, usually with white Willow-Grouse feathers ; in the fir- region, however, at Ainettivaara, they were replaced by those of the Capercaillie. HlRUNDO RUSTICA. Swallow. We saw one example of this species on the 25th of May, but the bird is not known to the natives and it was therefore probably on migration. The Muonio Valley appears to be a migration-route to the warmer coasts of Norway, as we saw several birds on passage which certainly do not breed in the district. Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 73 Chelidon urbica. Martin. Very common round the houses, where it is encouraged by the Finns, who nail up thin planks under the eaves to support the nests. It arrived on the 25th of May, when the river was still frozen and the land was covered with snow. Cotile riparia. Sand-Martin. The northernmost colony of this species noticed was in 68° 25' N. lat., below Ainettivaara, where there was a cliff of sand above a bend of the river. The eggs were laid in the last week in June. Passer montanus. Tree-Sparrow. \Ve saw five individuals of this species at Leveavuopio on the 28th of May, and one of them stayed for a few days, but disappeared early in June. We did not notice them breeding. Fringilla moxtifringilla. Br ambling. The Brambling was very common in the birch-woods, both low down in the vicinity of the river and up the hills as far as the birch-growth extends. It arrived on the 24tb of May and by the 26th was generally distributed. We found the first eggs on the 15th of June, but took fresh specimens late in July. Seven in a clutch were not uncommon. They vary greatly in size and type, and one of a clutch is often very much larger than the rest. Linota linaria. Mealy Redpoll. This species is common in the tall willow-scrub, and especially frequents islands in the lakes and rivers. It is a late breeder and we did not find eggs till the 18th of June. Pinicola enucleator. Pine-Grosbeak. We did not observe this species in the birch-region; it appeared to be confined to the fir-region, where it was fairly plentiful. Small flocks arrived at Ainettivaara on the 9th of May, and were all in pairs the next day. At this season the birds were very tame and we could approach so near as almost to catch them by the hand. The first egg 74 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the was found on the 12th of June ; only in one case did we obtain a clutch of four, the usual number appearing to be three. The nests were placed in young firs about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Emberiza hortulana. Ortolan. I observed and shot a single specimen at Ainettivaara on the 27th of April ; it was singiug on the roof of a barn in a snow-storm. This species seems to be very rare, but we obtained one nest on the 27th of June at Isosaari in 68° 40' N. lat., which is probably its extreme range on this rivei. Emberiza schosniclus. Reed-Bunting. Fairly common throughout the district in the willow- scrub fringing the river. The Finns did not distinguish it from Calcarius lapponicus. Calcarius lapponicus. Lapland Bunting. Very plentiful in the northern part of the district, but becoming scarce as the fir-region is approached. It arrived in large numbers at Leveavuopio on the 24th of May, when the birds were singing in the birches round the house. They prefer the cloudberry-moors, where the site of the nest is constantly betrayed by the male, who sits on a perch within a few yards of it uttering his metallic double call. The nest is always lined with feathers, though often sparingly. The eggs vary greatly both in size and colouring, one type being indis- tinguishable from one form of those of the Red-throated Pipit. The female is very tame when sitting. Plectrophenax nivalis. Snow-Bunting. I first saw Snow-Buntings in flocks on the Norwegian- Finnish Frontier on the 23rd of April. At that season they were found round the houses in company with Shore- Larks, picking up what they could from such small patches of ground as were bare of snow, but the two species always kept separate in the flocks. About the beginning of May the Buntings left the houses and went up into the hills : the last we saw of them there was on the 17th of May, but we could not find them breeding on the fells. Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 75 Perisoreus infaustus. Siberian Jay. Though plentiful in some years, these birds were scarce in the fir-region at the time of our visit and we only succeeded in finding three nests. By the 9th of May the eggs were hatched. Pica rustica. Magpie. The northernmost limit of this species in the district appears to be 68° 40' N. lat., where we saw two pairs. The Magpie is not protected as in Norway, but is persecuted by the Finns on account of the damage that it does to the nests of the House-Martin, which is considered sacred. Corvus corax. Raven. Sparingly scattered throughout the district and breeding in suitable localities in the northern parts. Corvus cornix. Hooded Crow. This species does not appear to breed north of the fir- region. I found one nest at Ainettivaara on the 6th of May, and saw some individuals in the northern districts; but we observed none breeding there, and the Finns declare that they nest only in fir-trees. Alauda arvensis. Skylark. On the 19th of May we saw one specimen, evidently on migration, sitting on the ice. Otocorys alpestris. Shore-Lark. This species was first seen in company with the Snow- Buntings round the houses at the end of April. As the snow melted, the birds moved up the lower hill-sides, nesting at an elevation of some 2000 feet, in the same localities as the Dotterel. Occasionally they breed lower, as does the Golden Plover, and we found a nest close to the river on the 15th of June with the eggs nearly hatched. This was, however, on a dry undulating moor covered with grey lichen and closely resembling the ground on the hill-tops. The nest is extremely difficult to find, as the parents give no indications of its whereabouts. 76 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the Picoides tridactylus. Three-toed Woodpecker. We saw ouly one Woodpecker during the whole of our stay, and obtained but one clutch of eggs. Yet we examined over five hundred nesting-holes, of which the bigger birch-woods were full. The Finns themselves were surprised at the scarcity of Woodpeckers, Tits, and Siberian Jays during the season, a fact which can only be accounted for by supposing that they are capricious in their local migrations. Cuculus canorus. Cuckoo. Fairly common ; it arrived at Leveavuopio on the 28th of May. Although we examined some hundreds of the smaller birds' nests, we were not successful in finding any eggs of the Cuckoo in them. Asio accipitrinus. Short-eared Oivl. Fairly plentiful and distributed evenly all along the river. It arrived at Ainettivaara on the 28th of April, and was to be seen every evening hawking above the frozen river or sitting motionless on a roof or post. At this season the cry resembled the barking of a dog, but as soon as the breeding- season began it changed to the extraordinary call " Poomp- poomp," from which the Finnish name i( Pumpo-haukka" is derived. The males were then to be seen soaring and hovering in the air, occasionally stooping as a Snipe does when he drums, and at the same time making a loud snapping noise with the bill. We found the first eggs on the 6th of June. These were laid under a ling-bush in an open meadow not two hundred yards from the house at Ainettivaara. Nyctea scandiaca. Snowy Owl. We saw only one of these birds, and, although in the preceding season they had been abundant, none bred on the fells at the time of our visit. Yet lemmings were then very plentiful, so that there was an abundant food-supply ; the lemmings appear, however, to have been still more numerous the year before, so possibly the Snowy Owls anticipated a Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 77 dearth and shitted their quarters accordingly. A Lapp brought us in a clutch of eggs from Tuoipala in Norway on the 20th of June. Circus cyaneus. Hen-Harrier. Sparingly distributed along the river. We saw a pair just below the 69th degree of latitude and found a nest in lat. 68° 45'. The birds arrived at Ainettivaara on the 14th of May. Buteo lagopus. Rough-legged Buzzard. Very common, especially in the mountain-districts. We found over forty nests. The birds had already arrived on the 23rd of April, and on the 25th I saw a pair building. This nest, the first that we observed, had four eggs on the 15th of May. Four appears to be the usual number, though three often composed the clutch and at times we found five. As nesting takes place when the ground is still covered with snow, it is possible to determine the likely sites from a distance of several miles ; and once the cliffs are approached the birds betray the existence of the nest by flying round and screaming. The female is conspicuously larger than the male and her cry deeper and hoarser. The eggs were laid between the 15th and the 25th of May. The same breeding- place is occupied year after year, several old nests being often found close to the new. In one case I found the structure overthrown by an avalanche, the eggs lying unbroken in the snow beneath the cliff. The birds had constructed a second nest in the old spot, where the female was sitting on three eggs. The sites are usually fairly easy of access, except for the danger of slippery ice-slopes. I took a clutch of five eggs from the same nest from which I had obtained a young bird in 1895. This bird is still alive and has laid eggs in captivity. Aquila chrysaetus. Golden Eagle. We saw immature birds in June, and in April a pair began to nest near Leveavuopio, but were turned out by a pair of Rough-legged Buzzards. This species is very rare in the district. 78 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the Astur palumbarius. Goshawk. A few pairs were found breeding round Ainettivaara, but they were much scattered. We obtained only two nests, the first eggs being laid on the 1st of May. The structure was very bulky, like that of a Sparrow-Hawk exaggerated, and the cup was neatly lined with green fir-shoots. The Finnish name means " Capercaillie-Hawk." Falco gyrfalco. Gyr-Falcon. This species is becoming very rare. The Helsingfors dealers offer four shillings apiece for the eggs, and in consequence the nests are robbed by the Finns wherever they are accessible. When eventually the birds take to a new breeding-place it is generally inaccessible, and they appear to be moving to the Norwegian side of the frontier, where the country is more mountainous. The first eggs were laid on the 24th of April. Falco tesalon. Merlin. Fairly common, especially in the fir-region, where it nests exclusively in trees. We obtained seven nests, all built on firs, from the Ainettivaara district. The birds arrived on the 15th of May, and we took the first eggs on the 12th of June. Paxdion halia'etus. Osprey. The fir-woods at Ainettivaara are not large enough to afford suitable breeding-trees for this species, and it is consequently rare. We obtained one nest only, on the 25th of June. This species arrived on the 11th of May. Anser erythropus. Lesser White-fronted Goose. This Goose was very common on the river, breeding in the larger morasses of the birch-region. It arrived on the 23rd of May, and flocks were to be seen throughout the season — a large number of the birds appearing not to breed at all. We found the first of our nests on the 6th of June. They are always placed on small elevations in the bogs, which resemble miniature islands. The cry of this Goose is very high-pitched and shrill. When first disturbed the flocks always fly up within shot, apparently to inspect the intruder. Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 79 Axser segetum. Bean-Goose. Plentiful on migration, arriving on the 11th of May. We could not, however, find the breeding-places and did not see any birds in June. Anas boschas. Mallard. Rare, but we saw a few pairs just below the 69th degree of latitude, which were evidently breeding. It was first met with on the 13th of May. Like the Common Redshank, it seems to be confined to the head- waters of the river. Dafila acuta. Pintail. Very common, and one of the earliest Ducks to appear (15th of May). It arrives paired, and is first seen sitting on the small patches of open water above and below the rapids. The nests are often situated some distance from the river. We found the first on the 9th of June, placed in a hummock in a wet swamp under some dwarf willow-bushes. QUERQUEDULA CRECCA. Teal. Fairly common, arriving on the 18th of May. Like the last-named species, the Teal often breeds at some distance from the water, and hence the nest is only to be found by beating. We obtained the first on the 21st of June. Mareca penelope. Wigeon. Very common. It arrived on the 19th of May and bred in the neighbourhood of the river. The first eggs were found on the 7th of June. Fuligula cristata. Tufted Duck. Arrived on the 15th of May. It was fairly common, breeding in small ponds and inlets close to the river. Fuligula marila. Scaup. Very common, breeding on small rocky islands. Many nests were washed out by the heavy floods which came down in the middle of June. Clangula glaucion. Golden-eye. Does not breed further north than the extreme limit of the fir-trees at Ainettivaara. Even there the trees are not of 80 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the sufficient size to afford nesting-holes, and the eggs are all laid in boxes put up for the birds' accommodation. We often saw them thirty or even forty miles more to the north, so that they would probably breed there if boxes were provided for them. The first clutch of eggs was found on the 10th of June. Harelda glacialis. Long-tailed Duck. Very common, arriving on the 25th of May ; the first eggs were found on the 23rd of June, and. flappers were seen on the 9th of July. It nests on the moors in the neighbourhood of small pools and tarns. CEdemia nigra. Common Scoter. Very common, arriving on the 20th of May. The first eggs were found on the 16th of June. (Edemia fusca. Velvet Scoter. Not so common as the preceding species, and less easy to locate in the breeding-season, as it retires to the fell lakes. Mergus merganser. Goosander. Fairly common on the river and the lakes adjoining it. Mergus serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. The commonest of the Duck family on the river. It especially frequents the rapids, and every island is tenanted by one or two pairs. The Finns take the eggs for food. It arrived on the 16th of May, and the first egg was found on the 5th of June. Tetrao urogallus. Capercaillie. These birds were unusually scarce during our visit, and we found only one nest. In the winter they move out of the fir-region, and we saw them sixty miles north of Ainettivaara. At this season they are very silent and difficult of approach, the noise of the " ski " warning them. As soon as the " play" begins, however, they may be heard miles away. Lagopus albus. Willow -Grouse. Common, but steadily decreasing in numbers owing to persecution. The Finns carry on a great trade in these birds in winter by snaring and shooting them, and then Birch of the Upper Muonio River. 81 taking them over to the markets in Norway, where they fetch on an average sixpence apiece. By imitating the hoarse crow of the male or the mewing note of the female, the natives manage to creep within a few yards, and the cheap Belgian breech-loader does the rest. On warm days in the snow these birds are very tame, becoming wild with the approach of harder weather. When sitting the female is often very confiding, and we took a photograph within three feet of one without any screen. Lagopus mutus. Ptarmigan. Not common, but a few pairs are to be seen on every high fell-top. Mr. Stares secured photographs of a sitting hen, which allowed him to stroke her on the nest. FULICA ATKA. Coot. I saw a stuffed specimen in a house on the Norwegian side in lat. 69° 20' N. which the owner had shot there. Grus communis. Crane. Muonioniska still appears to be the northernmost breed- ing-limit of this species, as in John Wolley's day. It is, however, occasionally seen up the valley on migration, and one was shot at Koski-saari on the 7th of June. Eudromias morinellus. Dotterel. Fairly common in the mountain-districts, preferring flat- topped hills with an elevation of 2000 feet or more. The nests found were all in the vicinity of water, on flat moss- covered uplands interspersed with small pools formed by the melting snow. The birds were very confiding and would run about within a few feet of us : we succeeded in obtaining several photographs at a distance of only three feet. They sit very closely and the nest is only to be found by stumbling on it, unless the female is off the eggs, when she may be easily watched on. ./Egialitis hiaticola. Ringed Plover. Fairly common on the edges of such lakes as have spits of sand by them. It arrived on May 27th in company with Dunlins, Temmiuck's Stints, and Little Stints. Eggs were found on the 30th of June on the point of being hatched. SER. VIII. VOL. V. G 82 Lieut. S. A. Davies on the Charadrius pluvialis. Golden Plover. These birds arrived on the 14th of May. At first they frequented the moors in the neighbourhood of the river, and even after they had retired up the hill-sides to nest they came down daily to feed, puzzling us considerably for some time. Occasionally a pair bred low down, as in the case of the Shore-Lark. We found the first nest on the 7th of June. The females sit very closely, but if off the eggs are easily watched on. As soon as they have young they bring them down to the lower grounds. Vanellus vulgaris. Lapwing. Very rare and unknown to the Finns generally. I obtained one clutch of eggs, however, from 68° 25' N. lat., which were brought in by a Finn, who accurately described the bird and thought it a great rarity. Phalaropus hyperboreus. Red-necked Phalarope. This species was very common, and arrived on the 2nd of June; we found the first eggs on the 21st of June. The parents generally betray the presence of the nest by swimming about excitedly while uttering their sharp " tirr-tirr." The Finnish name is " Water-Swallow." Gallinago ccelestis. Common Snipe. Common on the upper reaches of the river, where the birds were to be heard drumming throughout the spring. They arrived on the 24th of May. Gallinago gallinula. Jack-Snipe. I saw only one example of this species and was unsuccessful in finding the nest, which, however, I had obtained in the same district in 1895. Tringa alpina. Dunlin. Does not breed in the district. We saw flocks on migra- tion at the end of May. Tringa minuta. Little Stint. We saw flocks on migration in company with Kinged Plovers, Dunlins, and Ternminck's Stints. Birds of the Upper Muonio River. 83 Tringa temmincki. Temminck's Stint. Common. Arrived on May 25th. We found the first egg on June 18th. The favourite breeding-places were grass- meadows, especially those on islands, and a great many nests were washed out by the heavy floods. The parents were very noisy at the nest, flying round and round and soaring in the air while uttering their chirruping breeding-song. Machetes pugnax. Ruff. Common. Many arrived on the 25th of May and imme- diately started " hilling." They were still il hilling " on the 19th of June. A great number of nests were swamped by the floods. We found the first eggs on the 13th of June. Tringoides hypoleucus. Common Sandpiper. Very abundant throughout the district, where it arrived on the 27th of May, the first eggs being found on the 16th of June. Occasionally it breeds at some distance from the water, and Mr. Stares found a nest quite half a mile away from the nearest lake on the slopes of a low birch-clad hill. In this case one of the birds flew off the nest, but they were usually very wary and left long before we approached. They prefer islands, and the nest is usually under the shelter of a stump or branch. Totanus glareola. Wood- Sandpiper. Very common. It arrived on the 25th of May, and the first eggs were found on the 16th of June. This species is very noticeable in the nesting-season, owing to its breeding-note " leero-leero-leero /' uttered as it soars on the wing. The Finnish name is " Leero." The eggs are only to be found by stumbling on them. I obtained one clutch from the old nest of a Great Grey Shrike placed in the fork of a birch some twenty feet from the ground; this bears out the observations made by Mr. H. L. Popham on the Yenisei. Totanus calidris. Redshank. Rare. There were a few individuals, however, at the head of the river, where we found one nest. g 2 84 On the Birds of the Upper Muonio River. Totanus fuscus. Spotted Redshank. The breeding-range of this species does not appear to extend far above the limit of the fir-region. We found none in the upper parts of the district, but about Ainettivaara it was numerous in the bogs. John Wolley found it nesting away from the marshes, but we found it always in them. In one case I flushed a male from the nest, and a Finn who was with me once knocked down a male as it swooped near him with its breast almost denuded of feathers. This seems to point to the fact that the male commonly incubates. The birds are very wary and when disturbed at their feeding- grounds behave exactly as if they had eggs. Hence it is impossible to tell the whereabouts of the nest from their actions, and it is only to be found by stumbling on it. It is a mere scrape in a hummock on a cloudberry-bog. The first eggs were found on the 9th of June. Totanus canescens. Greenshank. This species is very common and is one of the characteristic birds of the Lapland summer, its cry " vikla-vikla-vikla " (whence the Finnish name u Vikla") being heard day and night. As in the case of the preceding species, the nest is to be found only by luck, and in this case the difficulty is accentuated by the fact that the Greenshank does not breed on the lower grounds but on the birch-clad hills. It arrived on the 23rd of May, the first eggs being found on the 10th of June. Numenius phjEOPus. Whimbrel. Numerous, especially in the lower mountain-districts immediately north of the fir-region. At the head of the river there were none. It breeds on dry moors fairly close to the river. Unless the breeding- grounds have been much disturbed it is easily watched to the nest. The first eggs were found on the 6th of June. Sterna macrura. Arctic Tern. Fairly common, though not so plentiful as in 1895. It frequents the shallower lakes and breeds in scattered pairs on the islands. It arrived on the 25th of Mav, On Schaeffer's ' Museum Ornithologicum.' 85 Stercorarius parasiticus. Bvffon's Skua. This species was very plentifal during the time of our visit, and we were enabled to examine a large series of its eggs. The usual breeding-places are in the higher fell- morasses, though occasionally it nests close to the river — never, of course, in the fir-region. The principal food seems to be decayed lemmings ; it appears to prefer them in this state, as we found " larders " of lemmings in various stages of decomposition round the nests, and the birds when skinned gave out a most offensive smell. They betray their nests by flying round and hovering like Kestrels while uttering their chough-like cry "jeou-jeou." The Finnish name is " Kihu." Occasionally the eggs are of a beautiful sky-blue ground- colour without spots. Larus argentatus. Herring-Chill. We saw a few on migration in May. Larus glaucus. Glaucous Gull. We saw one on migration in May. Colymbus septextrionalis. Red-throated Diver. Fairly common, especially on the higher lakes towards the frontier of Norway. Colymbus arcticus. Black-throated Diver. Fairly common. IV. — Remarks on Schaeffer's * Museum Ornithologicum ' *. By P. L. Sclater, D.Sc, F.R.S. In the last number of this Journal ('Ibis/ 1904, p. 550) Dr. Hartert stated his opinion that the generic terms proposed by Schaeffer in his ' Museum Ornithologicum/ published in 1789, " are not admissible/' because the author " did not use binomial nomenclature." I do not quite agree with Dr. Hartert on this subject, and I trust that he will excuse me if I explain my reasons for taking a different view. * ' Museum Ornithologicum, exhibens enumerationem et descriptionem Avium, quas nova, prorsus ratioue sibi paratas in Museo suo asservat Diacobus Christianus Schaeffer.' Ratisbonise, 1789. 86 Dr. P. L. Sclater on Diacobus Christianus Schaeffer, whose writings seem to have been mostly on entomology, published two ornitho- logical works — the 'Elementa Ornithological in 1774, and the ' Museum Ornithologicum ' in 1789. In the first of these Schaeffer used no specific terms, and his genera, there- fore, cannot be accepted. But the second work, published in 1789, twenty-three years after the issue of the twelfth edition of the ' System a Natural,' cannot be so easily disposed of. Schaeffer's ' Museum Ornithologicum ' consists of an enumeration and description of the specimens of birds in his own Museum, "prepared in a new way." Two hundred and twenty-nine specimens are catalogued, and referred to fifty-nine genera. At the head of each species stands the name in three languages — Latin, German, and French. Thus No. 3 of Schaeffer's ' List ' is designated U COLUMBA PALUMBUS. Le PlGEON RaMIER. RlNGELTAUBE," after which follows a short Latin diagnosis and references to previous authorities — usually Brisson, Linnaeus (' Systema Naturae/ 12th edition), and Buff on, besides others. The whole of the two hundred and twenty-nine Latin names of Schaeffer in the work are binomial, with the following five exceptions : — No. Name. Page 26. Accipiter Circus major 8 83. Passer Passerculus Bononiensis .... 25 84. Passer Linaria vulgaris 26 108. Alauda cristata minor 32 251. Psittacus amazonicus f route luteo ... 45 Now it seems to me to be rather hard to refuse to recognise the generic names established in the present work because, out of some two hundred and twenty specific names, five are not strictly binomial. Trinomials, we know, are much in vogue at the present time, and I have heard that the idea of such names as quadrinomials is entertained, so we should not be too severe on Schaeffer's slight lapses from orthodoxy. Let us now consider Schaeffer's fifty-nine generic names used in the present work, which are mostly those propounded Schaeffer's ' Museum OrnithologicumJ 87 in his former work, the ' Eleraenta Ornithologica/ though some are additional. Of these fifty-nine generic names, thirty-three are the same as those employed by Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his ' Systema Naturae' (1766), which is always quoted by Schaeffer; but twenty-six are new and adopted from Brisson, of whom Schaeffer appears to have been a great admirer. The following is a list of these twenty- six generic names, and of the first species mentioned under each of them, which we may look upon as the type of the genus intended by Schaeffer, unless there is some reason to the contrary : — List of Schaeffer's new Generic Names. No. Genus. First Species. Page ii. Lagopus. Lagopus urogallus 2 in. Perdix. Perdix perdix 4 v. Accipiter. Accipiter nisus (i vi. Aquila. Aquila mevia 9 vn. Asio. Asio bubo 10 x. Pica. Pica pica 13 xi. Garrulus. I rarrulus glandarius 14 xn. Nucifraga. Nucifraga caryocatactes 14 *xiii. Galgulus. Galgulus garrula 14 xxi. Carduelis. Carduelis carduelis 23 xxii. Passer. Passer doniesticus 24 xxiii. Coccotbraustes. Coccothraustes coccotbraustes 28 xxv. Pyrrhula. Pyrrhula rubicella -'JO xxviii. Ficedula. Ficedula bippolais 33 xxxii. Mellisuga. Mellisuga moscbitus 41 *xxxin. Torquilla. Torquilla iynx 42 *xxxvn. Ispida. Ispida ispida 47 xlii. Limosa. Limosa totanus 52 xliv. Xumenius. Numeuius arquata 54 xlv. Ciccmia. Ciconia alba 55 xlvii. Galliiiula. Gallinula cbloropus 58 l. Uria. Una grylle »X) u. Fratercula. Fratercula arctica 01 liv. Stercorarius. Stercorarius parasiticus 62 lvii. Merganser. Merganser raucedula 66 lviii. Anser. Auser ferus 08 * Tbese tbree names must of course give way to tbe corresponding terms ( Coracias, lynx, and Alcedo) used by Linnseus for tbe same genera. 88 On Schaeffer's ' Museum OrnithologicumJ Now it is well known that in the Stricklandian Code of Nomenclature, which most of the older Ornithologists are content to follow, the twelfth edition (1766) of the ' Systema Naturse ' was adopted as the initial point of binomial nomenclature. But a reservation was made in favour of the genera established in Brisson's ' Ornithologie ' of 1760. This reservation has been widely adopted, and many of Brisson's generic terms (Perdix, Accipiter, Aquila, &c.) are in constant and familiar use. There are, however, some authors who maintain that Brisson, not having been a Binomialist, ought not to be allowed to found genera in a Binomial System. Dr. Hartert is strongly of that opinion (see 'Ibis/ 1903, p. 418), and I, though I have usually followed the lead of my friend and master, Strickland, have always thought that it was a mistake to have made this special exception in favour of Brisson. I wish, therefore, to point out that we have, in Schaeffer's ' Museum Ornitho- logicum/ twenty-six of Brisson's familiar generic terms of 1760 confirmed in 1789. Thus it is only necessary for those who reject Brisson's claims to found genera to adopt as the authority for them " Schaeffer, 1789," instead of "Brisson, 1760." The generic term " Carduelis" for the Goldfinch comes under this category, and may be quoted by those who exclude Brisson's names as "Schaeffer, 1789." It would, therefore, as has been already pointed out (cf. f Ibis/ 1904, p. 293), take precedence over " Acanthis, Bechstein, 1803." In the same way " Pica," " Nucifraga," and " Garrulns " should, in my opinion, be quoted as of "Schaeffer, 1789," and not as of "Vieillot, 1816," as is done in the ' Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna,' while " Coccothraustes " and " Pyrrhula " (of the same work) may be attributed to "Schaeffer, 1789," in place of "Pallas, 1811," and in a similar way " Passer " to Schaeffer instead of Koch. On the whole very little, if any, disturbance in our ordinary nomenclature would be caused by the adoption of Schaeffer's generic terms, and I do not see how we can logically justify our refusal to acknowledge their validity. On the Birds of Efulen in Kamerun. 89 | (Ibis, 1904, p. 605). V. — Field-notes on the Birds of Efulen in the West-African Colony of Kamerun. By George L. Bates*. 1. Agapornis pullaria 2. Agapornis zenkeri As I have not distinguished these two species from one another, they must be spoken of together. They resemble minature Parrots in their tones and actions as well as in their appearance. They go about in small flocks, making little metallic squeaky cries, which vet have something in them recalling the screams of Parrots. They like open country, and especially the tall grass called " nkae," from which they get their Bulu name of " Kos-nkae " (" kos " meaning Parrot) ; hence they are more common inland, for grass is scarce within a hundred miles of the coast. At the back of my house at Efulen was a sort of wild fig- tree, and when its fruit was ripe a flock of these little birds often visited it. Among them were apparently young birds, which would sit on a limb making a great racket and fluttering their wings till the others brought them food. 3. Ortholophus albocristatus (t. c. p. 609). This is strictly a forest-bird. It makes a practice of flying- near the ground under the trees where a company of monkeys is feeding, and picks up the fruit that they drop. I have seen an individual joining with smaller birds in pecking at a swarm of " driver " ants on the ground. It has a most disagreeable cry, resembling the squawking of a hen when caught. Usually I have observed it solitary, but one day, * [These notes were prepared to accompany Dr. Bowdler Sharpe's paper on the birds of Efulen, which appeared in the last number of ' The Ibis ' (1904, p. 591). Unfortunately they arrived too late for insertion, but are of so much interest that they deserve publication. Mr. Bates has now gone on a six months' holiday to Illinois, U.S.A., after which he proposes to return to "West Africa and resume his work. A map of the northern part of the Balu district of Kamerun, in which Efulen is marked, will be found in the ' Mittheilungen von Eorschungsreisenden und Gelehrten aus den Deutschen Schutzgebieten,' vol. xii. p. 38 (1899). — Edd.] 90 Mr. G. L. Bates on the when I was going along a forest- path, I heard a variety of strange noises in the tree-tops, and soon discovered a party of half a dozen et Bobone " (as the natives call them) chasing- each other, apparently in play. 4. Bycanistes albotibialis Cab. et Reich. (Grant, Cat. B. xxii. p. 420). This bird (the ' c Miam ") is the most common of the larger Hornbills. Two or more are generally found together, in the tops of the tall forest-trees which bear the fruits that they eat. As the foliage generally hides them from view, they are less often seen than heard. They have a loud clamorous call, and besides make querulous cries while they feed ; whenever they take flight the rushing sound of their wings is quite startling. I have watched Hornbills feeding and pulling from the trees fruits that cling tightly. They seemed to turn the head in such a manner as to bring their great casque against the twig and get a purchase, and so to wrench the fruit off, as a man does in the case of an apple that sticks fast by turning his hand and bringing the knuckles against the twig. 5. Bycanistes sharpii (Ibis, 1904, p. 609). The " Zanga-miam/'' as this species is called, is very like the larger " Miam " in habits., and often goes in company Avith it. It is less noisy and has a different manner of flight ; for while the " Miam " flies steadily aud heavily, the " Zanga " progresses in long undulations and is quite light and graceful for a Hornbill. 6. SCOPTELUS BBUNNEICEPS (t. C. p. 610). The three specimens of this species obtained were shot on two occasions. At both times the birds were seen in small flocks of from three or four to half a dozen. They were silently hunting for insects among the trees of old cleared land, flitting from bough to bough and sometimes clinging head downwards like a ' Sun-bird. The stomachs of my specimens contained insects of various kinds and a spider, while one had also some seeds in it. After killing the last Birds of Efulen in Kamerun. 91 example I saw one of these birds sitting alone and uttering a call, consisting of a clear loud note repeated six or eighl times or more, when a pause ensued. Sometimes there was a quaver or "cracked" tone in its voice. It kept this up till some little birds of another kind came to annoy it, when, after a few sallies at them, it flew away. When I had learned this bird's call I found that it was not rare, for I heard it again several times in different places. 7. Merops albicollis (Ibis, 190-1, p. 611). " Nso'oloii." Though I have sometimes seen one or two of these birds together, perched conspicuously on a bare twig, yet I have more often noticed them in small flocks. Sometimes a party comes and occupies the topmost branches of a large tree, with much twittering. Sometimes they circle or skim high in the air like slow-moving Swifts. I have more than once seen flocks circling over the waters of a good-sized stream, into which they took occasional plunges and out of which they emerged quickly, shaking their feathers. There is an air of distinguished grace about this bird, not only in the fine curves of its body, but in all its movements. It is not so much beautiful as elegant. 8. Cypselus batesi (t. c. p. 612). The unique specimen was caught alive by a boy in a large mud-nest plastered on the underside of an overhanging rock, in a small bit of forest near a stream between two plantations. The nest was evidently an abandoned Swallow's nest ; there were remains of others beneath the same rock. But the Swift must have been sitting on its own eggs. There were two white eggs in the nest almost hatched. 9. Coryth^ola cristata (Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 119). Though the " Kunduk " was not included in Dr. Sharpens list, I venture to put it in here as a companion to the next, the " Mba." This species roams about in small parties among the high trees of the forest, flying over the tops or running along the branches. When one is winged it will run along the ground like a Turkey, and often escapes through the underbrush. 92 Mr. G. L. Bates on the The flight is easy and graceful and the birds sail far without flapping. The call is a loud and rapidly repeated note, which may be heard far through the forest. Another peculiar call, consisting of a loud clucking note repeated more slowly, is heard from a solitary bird, perhaps a sitting female when off the nest. The u Kunduk " has a proud and graceful carriage, as it arches its long neck while cautiously peering amongst the leaves at the hunter. When not old and tough it is good 10. Turacus mebiani (Ibis, 1904, p. 613). The " Mba " is one of our commonest birds. It makes a loud and harsh croaking call. It is found both in the forest and in the clearings, and especially frequents the asen trees of old gardens to eat their fruit, driving away the little birds and the Green Pigeons that always occur where ripe asen fruit is to be found. I have never seen the Mba fly far. It runs along the branches like a squirrel or a monkey, hopping from one to another, and only using its wings where the trees or branches are far apart. Then it flies with an easy gliding motion, as if the force to carry it forward came from the spring with which it left the branch, and not from its wings. The flesh of the Mba is good eating. 11. Heliobucco bonapartii (t. c. p. 617). This bird, the smallest of the " Ovols," is very frequently seen. I have found several of its colonies in holes in dead trees near villages. They bore from a dozen to fifty holes in the trunk of a dead tree that is beginning to decay, and seem to reside there permanently. Near the village on the Ja River which I visited, stood the dead and half-rotten trunk of an immense cotton-tree. It was perforated for most of its length by the holes of these birds. When the base of the tree was struck with a stick a crowd of them flew out. Then when the trunk was hit harder, little bats (a species of Nyctinomus) flew out of the same holes. That the natives often find these bats and birds living together in the same holes is shewn by a curious notion which they Birds of Efulen i/i Kamerun. 93 have. When a boy brought me two white eggs taken from an Ovol's hole, he said that the little bats of the kind mentioned were hatched from the eggs laid by the 0y61. These birds are often seen feeding on the small trees on old cleared land. They eat insects to some extent, but berries and fruits form their principal food. An " asefi "-tree with ripe fruit is a constant resort, and they will chase away other birds from the spot where they wish to feed, even the Green Pigeons. The Ovol is the most quarrelsome of birds. The principal use it finds for its voice is to express anger. More than once individuals have been picked up by boys from the ground, alive but exhausted by fighting. Once two were so brought to me, still holding each other by the claws and uttering loud angry cries. They were females. 12. Trachyl.emus purpuratus (Ibis, 1904, p. 618). The " Ekuku," which is the largest of the Barbets, has habits very like the others. Its favourite haunt is the tangled growth of old cleared land, where it searches for the fruits on which it feeds. Being secretive it is seldom seen, but it is continually heard. Its usual call is a monotonous note repeated slowly, about half a dozen times, in a soft far-away tone. This is usually answered by the same call from another bird (its mate?) a little way off, and the second often begins before the first has finished, so that the two are heard at once. AVhile making this call the bird bends its head forward at each note (though an observer seldom sees that, as the bird is usually hidden). It also sometimes makes a rough guttural croaking noise, or an alarm-note, imitated by the Bulu name " Ekuku." 13. Verreatjxia africana (t. c. p. 620). All of my specimens of this bird had in their stomachs small white grubs, such as bore in the stems of plants or under bark. Once I saw a little fellow of this species, not many yards away, pecking at a small green endogenous stem no larger than a pencil. After it flew away I went to look, and found afresh hole pierced to the worm-eaten heart of the stem, but no worm. 94 Mr. G. L. Bates on the 14. Muscicapa lugens (Ibis, 1904, p. 623). The habits of this bird, which is called " Kula " or " Okulebe," are exactly like those of the little Alseonax epidata with the same native name, except that its look-out station is always some projecting snag or log over a stream, while that of Alseonax is some bare twig in a glade in the depths of the forest. Both birds seem to avoid thick foliage, requiring a small open space for their fly-catching evolu- tions ; but while the little Alseonax finds open spaces in the forest, the larger Muscicapa keeps to the more spacious and better-lighted openings over water. 15. DlAPHOROPHYIA CASTANEA (t. C. p. 625). These fluffy little birds belong to the dark forest, though they come also into the thickest part of the growth around the villages. Sometimes they make a great noise with their wings as they flit from branch to branch among the trees, and sometimes they make a sharp snapping noise like the cracking of a whip. I ascertained at last that the latter noise was made with the bill and not with the wings, as I saw a bird making it while sitting still on a twig. Occasionally, when near enough, I could hear a vocal sound accompanying the snap. The snapping sound is perhaps made by the male alone, as it is only the black-and-white bird that I have observed producing it. 16. Bias musicus (t. c. p. 626). While it is true that the name of " musicus " does more than justice to this little fellow's vocal efforts, the " Kulityan " appears to try to deserve the name, for he is continually uttering his " kuli-tyaii ! tyan ! " ; he begins slowly, then repeats the notes faster and faster till they become jumbled together. His brown mate, at least, regards it as a first- rate performance, for she may always be heard answering with her little harsh " churr ! " Both male and female have a peculiar way of flying, with much fluttering of wings and little progress — a sort of mincing flight. The male is especially fond of doing this, Birds of Efulen in Kamerun. 95 making the white on his wings flash or twinkle in the sunshine. This bird lives around village clearings, not venturing into the dark forest. 17. Smithorxis zenkeri (Ibis, 1904, p. 627). The female specimen of this bird was caught in its nest at night in the forest, near the spot where I was camping at the time. The nest was a hanging pocket-shaped mass of moss, on a bush five feet from the ground. It contained one white egg — size 16 x 23 mm. The date was January 2nd. The males of both species of Smithornis make short circuit- flights about the small openings of the undergrowth in the forest, uttering meanwhile a rattling noise, which may be best imitated by blowing between the protruded lips and making them vibrate, and at the same time using the voice. 18. ArTOMYIAS FULIGINOSA (t. C. p. 628). The " Mula " (dark) is often seen sitting motionless on a dead twig or on the loop of a vine, where its watch for insects is not obstructed by foliage ; thence it makes its sallies and returns to the same spot. In the stomachs of the examples that I have skinned were often found small, brightly-coloured beetles almost whole : two small metallic Buprestidae so obtained were good enough for specimens. The young bird (No. 402) was found on the ground under a tall tree after a storm. No. 365 met its death by becom- ing entangled in the strong web of a large yellow-and- black spider, where my boys, seeing it struggling, went and caught it. 19. TCHITREA VIRIDIS (t. C. p. 630). This species of Tchitrea, called " Abelebe," is fond of the neighbourhood of villages, where the male may often be seen whisking his white tail-plumes in and out among the bushes. T. tricolor keeps more to the forest. I have seen several of the tiny cup-shaped nests of T. viridis, placed in the forks of bushes and small trees in the open ground about villages. Though I have not myself seen the male on the nest, the 96 Mr. G. L. Bates on the natives have told me (and I do not doubt their correctness) that he shares incubation with his mate. I once saw a female busily bringing insects to a great complaining young Golden Cuckoo (probably Chrysococcyv cupreus) . The cry of the " Abelebe " is a low buzzing chirrup — so slight a sound as to be hardly noticeable, but so peculiar that when learned it cannot again be mistaken. The forest species has the same cry. 20. Elminia longicauda (Ibis, 1904, p. 631). This pretty little Flycatcher, known as the " Ose- minjombok/' is very common in old-clearing growth on the Ja, but less so about Efulen. It is most often seen in the evening, hopping about on bare twigs and continually spreading its fine tail, while always in motion. Even when singing it continually turns its body and spreads its tail. Its notes are very pleasing, as fine and sweet as those of a Sun-bird, but more varied and rich. 21. Criniger calurus (t. c. p. 632). This species is seen in nearly every ejak, or company of little birds feeding together in the forest, and is rarely seen except with an ejak. Its white throat is very conspicuous, and it has a way of spreading the long white feathers of that part when excited, as some other birds have of raising their crests; so that it may almost be said to have a crest beneath instead of on the top of the head. It is an insect-eater. 22. Bleda simplex (t. c. p. 632). The " Nkes's " notes have something of the peculiar quality of those of the " Ngomejal," but they are fewer and not so loud. It is a bird of the old cleared land about villages, and is found wherever the " Nkwe'ele " (Pycnonotus gabonensis) is to be seen, and is almost as abundant. But while the Nkwe'ele is bold, the Nkes is particularly shy, and, though heai'd continually and often seen for a moment, is hard to approach. It goes alone or in pairs, never in parties. Its principal food consists of insects. Birds of E/ulen in Kamerun. !)~ 23. Bleda leucopleura (Ibis, 1901, p. 635). The (t Ngomejal " goes in parties of from two or three to halt a dozen, and keeps to the swampy places in the forest, probably because some favourite fruit is found on the trees or vines of the swamp ; for, like the " Ntyetyal" and " Otok," it is a fruit-eater. The Ngomejal is noisy, uttering notes of a peculiar ringing and at the same time guttural tone, and running them rapidly together, so that they sound like excited talking. It is a restless bird, always on the move. 21. Bleda notata. '' Olo-ejak" (op. cit. p. 635). Both this bird and the " Nti-ejak " [Bleda syndactyla) are also called " Xtyoil " and are very similar in their habits. The word "ejak" means a company of little birds of different kinds feeding together in the forest, and " olo- ejak" means "slave of the company," while " nti-ejak" means "freeman of the company." Though often seen in an ejak, they are frequently met with by themselves. They keep near the ground in the thickest of the undergrowth. Their food consists entirely of insects. They are always among the first birds caught in snares set on the ground and baited with white ants. They are strictly forest-dwellers. 25. EURILLAS EFOLENENSIS (op. cit. p. 636). The " Otok " is one of the commonest birds, both in the bush-growth of cleared land and in the forest. Its small size and dull plumage and its skill in hiding itself cause it to be seldom seen unless it be watched for, but it is noisy and may be heard continually. Some of its many notes have a clear ringing tone that is pleasing, but they soon become monotonous. It feeds mainly on small fruits. I have not generally been able to distinguish between the different species of Eurillas when seen wild. While I am sure that the remarks given above apply to the species named, they probably apply to E. camerunensis and E. virens as well. 26. Ixonotus guttatus (op. cit. p. 638). Birds of this species, which is called. " Ntyetyal," feed on small fruits in the tops of tall trees in flocks of a dozen or SER. VIII. VOL. V. H 98 Dr. E. Hartert on Motacilla subpersonata. so. They arrive together, spend a few moments or, if they find fruit, a longer time in one place, and then are off to another, flying in a body with a cheerful twittering noise. Once I saw a small flock feeding and resting in a low tree, where they could be observed at close quarters. While watching me they went through some antics that seemed comical and almost impudent, extending one wing and keeping the other closed, so that I could not help thinking of a boy standing on one leg and extending the other. 27. Pycnonotus gabonensis (Ibis, 1904., p. 638). The " Nkwe'ele " is the commonest bird of the cleared land, or, at any rate, that most frequently seen and heard, for it is bold and continually utters its cheerful little call or song. It sings most heartily in rainy weather. It is a versatile bird, being able to circle round and snap up insects on the wing like a Flycatcher, as well as to cling by its claws to the bark of a perpendicular tree-trunk like a Woodpecker. Nests of the Nkwe'ele are often found placed on plan- tains, bushes, or small trees. The fabric is shallow and cup-shaped, made of dry leaves as a base, with fine root-fibres or grass-stems for the interior, and is not lined. VI. — Remarks on Motacilla subpersonata Meade-Waldo. By Ernst Hartert, Ph.D. Nearly everywhere in the Palaearctic Region a form of black-and-white Wagtail is met with. It is therefore not very strange that one should be found breeding in Northern Africa. Until recently this had not been ascertained to be the case, as we only knew of Motacilla alba alba and Motacilla alba lugubris being winter-visitants there. But recently Mr. Meade-Waldo has discovered a very interesting and peculiar race of this group breeding in Western Morocco, on the Oum Rbiah or Waad Moorbey. It is true that years ago Dr. Sharpe bought from Mr. Boucard a specimen of a Wagtail said to have been received from Morocco, which is now in the British Museum. This example must, however, Dr. E. Hartert on Motacilla subpersonata. 99 have been erroneously stated to come from Morocco, as it is a specimen of Motacilla personata, under which name it was entered in the ' Catalogue of Birds ' (x. p. 481), although the correctness of the locality was doubted by Dr. Sharpe. Mr. Meade-Waldo, when describing his new Wagtail, compared it with M . personata from Turkestan aud called it Motacilla subpersonata (Bull. B. 0. C. xii. p. 27, November 1901). In the 'Ibis/ 1903, p. 208, he again compared his new form with M. personata, figuring its head side by side with the head of M. alba, which, however, was called M. personata by mistake. In my opinion, it would have been better to have compared M. subpersonata with M. alba than with M. personata. With the latter it only agrees in having more black on the head than M. alba, but the black is very differently distri- buted. From M. personata it differs, moreover, in the coloration of the wing-coverts, which are narrowly margined with greyish white, instead of being so widely bordered with white as to cover the dark bases, and also in the lesser size and lesser extent of the black on the nape. With M. alba the Moroccan Wagtail agrees in every way except in the coloration of the sides of the head. There is a narrow black line from the base of the bill to the eye and another, some- times irregular and ill-defined, from the base of the bill under the ear-coverts to the sides of the neck. Besides, the black of the throat runs up in a wide band on the sides of the head, where it is connected by a black line with the black of the nape. It is thus certain that M. subpersonata is only the Moroccan representative of M. alba, to which it is more closely allied than to M. personata. On the other hand, M. subpersonata might as well be compared with one as the other, for my studies have led me to the conclusion that all the black-and-white Wagtails are geographical representatives (subspecies) of one species, which, of course, must bear the oldest name Motacilla alba. Thus M. subpersonata will stand in my forthcoming number of ' Palsearctic Birds ' as M. alba subpersonata, and M. personata as M. alba personata. n2 100 Dr. E. Hartert on Motacilla subpersonata. Text-fig. 9. Bead of Motacilla alba alba. r> ad. (spring). Text-fig. 10. Head of M. alba subpersonata, 3 ad. (spring). Text-fig. 11. Head of M. alba per sonata, d ad. (spring). On Species of Macronyx and Tmetothylacus. 101 Mr. F. W. Riggcnbach has lately sent to the Tring Museum six adult males, one adult female, and two young birds in first plumage of this Wagtail, all from the banks of the Oum Rbiah or Waad Moorbey, from the Mhoiwla, a day's march from Mazagau, to llahamma. The female diflers from the male in being smaller (wing 5 mm. shorter), and in having the crown of the head dark grey with black spots and a black patch in front, just above the white fore- head, while the upper throat is mixed with white. The young are like those of M. alba alba, but have darker ear- coverts. The accompanying text-figures represent the heads of a fully adult male of M. alba sub per sonata, from one of Mr. Riggenbach's specimens (text-fig. 10), and corresponding heads of M. alba, alba (text-fig. 9) and M. alba per sonata (text-fig. 11). VII. — Notes on the East- African Species of Macronyx and Tmetothylacus. By P. J. Jackson, C.B., C.M.G. (Plate III.) I trust that the accompanying notes on the three species of Macronyx, one of which is new to science, and also on their near ally, the remarkable Tmetothylacus tenellus of Cabanis, found in British East Africa, may prove of interest to readers of the ' Ibis/ Of the species of Macronyx, the largest and at the same time the commonest is M. croceus. This fine and conspicuous bird occurs along the coast from Witu to Mombasa and throughout the two Protectorates westward to Uganda. It is particularly plentiful in the Nandi country, at an altitude of 6500 feet, and again at the Eldoma Ravine and on the eastern foot-hills of Mau. It frequents open grass-country inter- spersed with short scrub and acacia-trees, and is almost invariably found iu pairs all the year round. It is very tame and confiding, and is easily approached. It has a short pleasing song, which it warbles forth on the wing, or while 102 Mr. F. J. Jackson on the East-African at rest perched on a tree, bush, or ant-hill. Its flight is short and jerky, and when flushed from the ground the bird gets up in a leisurely manner and often remains flitting up and down over the spot with a quivering jerky motion of the wings, at the same time calling in a plaintive voice to its mate hidden in the grass. When disturbed, it almost invariably flies up to a bush or tree, from which it can obtain a good view of the intruder. Its nest is placed under the shelter of a tuft of grass, but in Nandi, where I found many of the birds breeding between April and June in 1898, it was always situated at the foot of a common plant, with large velvety leaves and pretty pink flowers, that abounds on the grassy slopes of the hill-sides. The nest is constructed of dry grass-stems and roots, and is lined with fine grass-rootlets. The eggs are generally three in number. Two specimens in my collection, from near Entebbe in Uganda (May 18th, 1895) are of a pale brownish white, densely freckled, especially towards the larger end, with dullish light red. A third egg from the same clutch is more thinly marked, and has the ground-colour of a clearer white. The measure- ments of these eggs are 0'8 by 0-65 inch. Macrunyx sharpei (Plate III.) , which I had great pleasure in naming after my old friend Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (see Bull. B. O. C. xiv. p. 74), appears to be confined to the higher portions of the great Mau plateau, between 7000 and 8500 feet in elevation. It is readily distinguished from M. croceus by the smaller size, the greenish-yellow under surface, and the band of black spots across the lower throat and chest, in place of the distinct black gorget of the latter bird. It also differs considerably in its habits, being entirely confined to the open rolling grass-country devoid of bush and trees, and being found for the most part singly, or only occasionally in pairs. When flushed, it flies straight away for a con- siderable distance, and always settles again on the ground. I first came across this bird on a cold blustering day in February 1898, on the Mau downs at an altitude of 8700 feet, where I obtained two specimens out of several seen. I then Species of Macronyx and Tmetothylacus. 103 thought that the birds were on migration, as I had so many times passed the same way without noticing any of them, but I have since found that they are resident. In May 1901 I met with a considerable number of them, for the most part singly, near the railway-station of Londiani at the head of the Nyando Valley (alt. 7500 feet). On the 22nd of the same month I found a nest, from which the old bird rose, placed under a tuft of grass on the side of a low ant-hill, and containing two slightly incubated eggs. The foundation of the nest was composed of grass stems and roots, while it was neatly lined with small fine rootlets. The eggs are of a very pale greenish white, obscurely mottled with pale yellowish-brown and grey under-markings, most numerous at the larger end. They measure 0*85 by 0*65 inch. Macronyx wintoni, so far as I have been able to ascertain, is found in three places only — the Rift Valley in the vicinity of Lake Naivasha, the eastern side of the Guashangishu plateau, and the Nyando Valley in the vicinity of Kitotos. I first met with it in the Nyando Valley in Oct. 1889, and obtained two specimens. It was thought to be a new species, and was named by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (' Ibis/ 1891, p. 444) M. wintoni, after the late Sir Francis de Winton, who was at that time Administrator of the Imperial British East Africa Company's territories ; but Captain Shelley (B. of Afr. iii. p. 13) considers it to be inseparable from the South-African M. amelice. Even if this be correct, it was certainly an inter- esting discovery, as the bird has not, I believe, been recorded from either British Central Africa or German East Africa. This remark applies equally to C/iera progne * and Pyrome- lana taha, both of which are found in the Rift Valley. M. wintoni is fairly plentiful in the Nyando Valley on the open plains near Kitotos, but may be considered a rare * Captain Shelley lias separated the northern form of this bird as Client ilelamerei on account of its slightly longer tail (Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 73), but refuses specific rank to Macronyx wintoni, which has, in my opinion, quite as good claims to that distinction as Chera delamerei. 104- On Species of Macron yx and Tmetothylacus. bird in the Rift Valley and on the Guashangishu plateau. It is essentially a bird of the open grassy plains, and is rather wild and difficult to approach ; when flushed it will often fly so far that it is exceedingly difficult to mark it down. Its habit, too, of running adds to the difficulty. That it is a resident species, there can, I think, be little doubt, as I have obtained specimens in May, June, August, September, and October, and have seen it near Lake Naivasha in February. The very remarkable Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus Cab., which has recently led Dr. Madarasz to believe that a bird had been brought to light that would " entirely modify the hitherto established principal characteristics of the Order Passeriformes " *, is fairly well distributed throughout British East Africa, though it is a distinctly local species. It is found in the coast-regions both on the mainland of Witu and on Patta Island north of Lamu, and again in Juba-land. I have also seen it in the Baringo district, in the Nyando Valley, and near Taveta. Four specimens were obtained by Mr. A. B. Percival on the upper waters of the river Tsavo, north-east of Kilimanjaro, in 190.2. It was at Lake Jipi, some ten to twelve miles south of Taveta, that Mr. Coloman Katona obtained the specimen described by Dr. Madarasz, but unless he actually saw the bird wading in the shallow water at the edge of the lake; I very much doubt its being aquatic in its habits. My own experience points to the reverse, as I have invariably found it in open bush-country where the soil is dry and sandy, and at a considerable distance from water. It is generally met with in small family-parties of three or four together, and when flushed almost invariably perches on a bush or small acacia-tree. It is rather wild and by no means easy to approach. Tmetothylacus with its naked legs is, no doubt, a very abnormal form, but the plumage of the young bird, which is quite Anthme in character, at once shews that its nearest ally is Ant J his. * Cf. Ibis, 1904, p. 653. On the Knot Breeding in Iceland. 105 VIII. — The Knot reported as Breeding in Iceland. By Otto Ottosson, M.D. On the 1 7th of June, 1898, a nest of the Knot (Tringa canutus) was found in the island of Hrisey in the north of Iceland. It contained four fresh eggs of characteristic appearance. As I know no other discovery of a nest of this bird with eggs, and their identity is beyond all doubt, though the bird was watched and not shot, I presume that the facts relating to it may be of great interest. Concerning the nest and its position, I can only say that the bird was breeding together with several pairs of T. maritima. So soon as I received the clutch I wrote for full details about it, with an account of the discovery ; but, unfortunately, the collector (E. Moller, of Akureyri in Iceland) was then dead. However, some particulars accompanied the sending of the eggs. The collector, who had a very good knowledge of the Ice- landic bird-fauna — of which I, during a ten years' connexion with him, had many opportunities of satisfying myself, — knew this bird very well, and had often seen it in spring, but never before met with it breeding, though in the course of thirty years' collecting of eggs he always had his attention especially directed to it. Of the nest nothing is stated, and of the bird only that it was not shy but kept near the nest, and could therefore be observed with great accuracy. Moller would not shoot it, hoping to get another clutch of eggs from the same pair, and he regarded it as enough that he had seen it at the distance of a few metres. The colour of the eggs is as follows : — Ground greenish grey. The markings consist of close, very oblique spots, forming a zone or wreath at the thick end, partly of dark red-brown on the surface, partly of deep grey-violet and grey-blue underlying spots; there are besides at the thicker end a few dark black-brown spots and streaks very much on the surface. The eggs are quite like very large eggs of T. alpina of the closely-spotted 106 Mr. W. L. Sclater— Ornithological type, and cannot be confounded with any others of the same size. Dimensions : 41 x 29 ; 41x29-1; 41'4 x 28*5; 41'4x29 mm. Weights : 89 ; 92-5 ; 93 j 97 centigrams. Lenhofda, Sweden, December 1st, 1904. IX. — An Ornithological Excursion to the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi. By W. L. Sclater, Director of the So nth- African Museum. The receut opening of the railway between Bulawayo and the Victoria Falls on the Upper Zambesi has rendered a visit to what is, without doubt, the most remarkable natural phenomenon in Africa, if not in the whole wrorid, an easy matter, and one which can be undertaken in comparative comfort and at a fairly reasonable cost. Having just completed the manuscript of the fourth and last volume of the ' Birds of South Africa/ I felt that I was entitled to take a short holiday, and decided to visit the Falls, and at the same time to make some additions to the collections of the South- African Museum from that district. As is well known, the first European who saw the great Falls of the Zambesi was David Livingstone. On his fourth journey from the south in 1852 he tii^t met the upper waters of the Zambesi at Sesheke, some sixty miles above them. Thence he went right through to the Atlantic coast of Angola at St. Paul de Loanda. Returning from Loanda in 1855 he left Sesheke on the 3rd of November to descend the Zambesi to its mouth. He stopped at the Island of Kalai, about thirty miles down the river, and from this point made an excursion still further down in a small canoe. He landed on an island at the lip of the fall itself, where he made a little garden and carved his initials on the trunk of a tree. On this island, now called " Livingstone Island/' can still be seen the identical tree, and indistinct traces of the " L " which he carved on it in November, 1855 *. * See his ' Missionary Travels,' p. 525. Excursion to the Victoria Falls. 107 Although since this discovery a number of travellers have visited the Falls, such as Chapman, Baines, Baldwin, Selous, Holub, Oates, and Mohr, very few have done any zoological Collecting in the neighbourhood. Indeed, with the excep- tion of Dr. Bradshaw, who resided in the neighbourhood for several years, no one seems to have collected system- atically on the Upper Zambesi at all *. The collections of Sir John Kirk, who accompanied Livingstone on his second journey in 1862-3, and of Captain Alexander, who ascended the river from its mouth as far as its continence with the Kafuc, were made chiefly along the lower reaches. Unfortunately Dr. Bradshaw's collection was dispersed at the time of his death, and no complete account of it has ever been published. My own excursion was far too short to obtain anything but a general view of the bird-life of the Upper Zambesi, but I think that a few notes of what I saw and a list of the birds that I brought back may be of interest to my fellow-members of the B. O. Tj/ Accompanied by my wife and the taxidermist of the S. A. Museum, I left Cape Town on Wednesday morning the 31st of August, and reached Bulawayo in the early morning of the 3rd of September. Leaving again in the evening, we arrived in time for dinner at the Victoria Falls Hotel on the 4th of September, the whole journey occupying five and a half days. Little bird-life was seen on the way up ; but a pair of Lanners (Falco biarmicus) was observed perched on the telegraph-wire near Touws River on the first day. Near Gaberones, in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, where the country becomes more interesting and picturesque, with kopjes and forest of a thin and shadeless character, several birds could be distinguished from the carriage-windows. Perched on the branches of the thorns {Acacia), which were just beginning to get green, were seen examples of two species of Rollers (Coracias caudatus and C. mossambicus) , while small parties of Yellow-billed Hornbills (Lop/wceros * "Victoria Falls" is one of the localities mentioned in Dr. Sharpe's Appendix to Oates 's ' Matabeleland,' but very few specimens seem to have been obtained there. 108 Mr. W. L. Sclater — Ornithological epirhinus) flew from tree to tree with their characteristic undulating flight, the long tail waving behind. One of the commonest of the birds in this district is the " Go-away -bird " [Schizorhis concolor), with its plain grey dress and fine crest, which it keeps elevating and depressing as it rests on a branch. Its loud cry, always exactly resembling its name, is uttered in a most curious querulous touc. We did not, of course, hear it on this occasion, but we had ample opportunity of making its acquaintance later. Other birds easily recognised were the Long-tailed Shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus) , the White-crowned Shrike (Eurocephalus anguitimens), and the large Drougo (Dicrurus ater), easily distinguished by its forked tail. At Mahalapye, in the Protectorate, I was fortunate enough to light upon a fine example of a l( Gom Paauw " (Otis kori), just brought into the station by a native, and to secure its skin for the Museum. Although by no means a rare bird in some parts of the country, it is never easy to obtain specimens, as it is excel- lent eating and is always destined for the cooking-pot. At Bulawayo, where we spent the day, the only birds about the town were a number of Pied Crows (Corvus scapu- latus), which probably act as scavengers. I have never seen Crows about any other South-African town, nor anywhere in such numbers. Between Bulawayo and the Falls the country is decidedly hilly, and the work on the line here was very heavy, the whole district being covered with a thin forest, chiefly of Mopami and Teak ; it is also excessively dry and waterless. In addition to the birds already observed, I recognised here only a small Dove, with its wings rich rufous underneath (Haplopelia larvata) and a Bateleur Eagle (Helotarsus ecaudatus) soaring high up in the sky, with its excessively short tail and its head bent down towards the ground, searching for a meal. On arriving at the Falls we stayed for three days at the temporary hotel at the present terminus of the railway, about half a mile from the Falls themselves, spending our time chiefly in viewing them from different points and in taking photographs. Excursion to the Victoria Falls. 109 Birds were not so numerous as I expected them to be, either on the river itself or in the bush and scrub along the banks. The first morning I saw a pair of the "Berg Grans ,; {Chenalopex cegyptiacus) standing on a rock just above the Falls themselves, while River-Duikers (Phalacrocoraa africanus) and Snake-birds (Plotus levaillanti) could be observed at all times and in all sorts of places along the river, both of them generally sitting motionless and upright on a projecting rock, and only moving off in a leisurely manner when approached quite closely. Kingfishers, as might be expected, are very numerous on the Zambesi, both as regards individuals and species ; the smaller Black -and- White Kingfisher [Ceryle rudis) is perhaps the most common, but the larger (C. maxima) is by no means rare, and it is a beautiful sight to see it poised in the air, with its head and beak pointed directly downwards and its wings vibrating rapidly, before making a dash on the unsuspecting fish below. Flying around the actual Falls, in and out of the clouds of rising spray, was a pair of Hawks, which, however, I was never able to identify satisfactorily, also a number of small Swallows with white under-parts ; these, I believe, were Hirundo dimidiata, the Pearl-breasted Swallow, but 1 Avas unable to secure an example, and consequently could not be quite certain. Playing about the rocks at the Falls, too, were several pairs of the handsome black-and-white Wagtail (Motacilla vidua) which were running up and down and taking short flights in search of insects and grubs. In the so-called " Rain-Forest," and in the bush around the Falls and along the banks of the river above, were a good many small birds. The Three-streaked Bush-Shrike {Telephonus austratis), noticeable for its clear melodious whistle, sat very tamely on the branches of the bare trees. Emerald-spotted Doves (Chalcopelia afra) and Cape Turtle- Doves {Turtur capicola) were very plentiful, the cry of the former being one of the mosc characteristic sounds on the Zambesi — " hoo hoo hoo-hoo " in a gradually descending scale. Round the blossoms of some of the larger trees 110 Mr. W. L. SclsLter— Ornithological (especially one known as the Mzingula, the botanical name of which I have been unable to obtain) hovered numbers of Scarlet-chested Sun-birds (Cinnyris gutturalis) , while flocks of small birds of the genera Quelea and Lagonosticta flew from bush to bush. On the 8th of September we moved up about seven miles above the Falls to a place called Livingstone, on the north bank of the Zambesi, where the river is broad and open and not obstructed by islands, at least for a mile or two. Here there seemed to be a good many more birds, and we added considerably to our list and collection. One of the com- monest species was the Stripe-chested Weaver-bird (Ptocei- passer pectoralis), which was to be seen everywhere, and was very noisy and quarrelsome. These birds were usually in small parties about the mimosa-thorns, and were a good deal on the ground ; they appeared to be thinking of breeding, and everywhere their untidy nests — woven of dry grass-stems, with the ends sticking out in all directions — were to be seen, a good many generally occupying each thorn-tree. A dead mule lying a short distance from thp settlement had attracted a number of Vultures ; these, after gorging themselves, settled in the neighbouring trees to rest and digest. We were fortunate enough to secure two of them for the Museum, and they proved to be very interesting, being respectively Ruppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) and the Hooded Vulture {Necrosyrtes pileatus), species hitherto unrepresented in our collections at Cape Town. When on the river one day, unfortunately without my gun, I was much surprised to see a Gull seated on a rock : 1 identified it with tolerable certainty as Larus cirrho- cephalus ; unfortunately, neither Drury nor I saw it again. We stopped two days at Livingstone, and then proceeded to a camp which had been made for us about seven miles further up the river, where the Sinde, a small tributary from the north, joins the main stream. Here the river is much broken up by islands, and there seemed to be good collecting-ground, so we began our work in earnest. By far the commonest bush-bird at this spot was the Black- Excursion to the Victoria Falls. Ill capped Bulbul (Pycnonotus layardi), with its cheerful piping note and active habits, a number being usually found together haunting the higher branches of the trees in the neighbour- hood of the river. Jardine's Babbler {Crateropus jardinii) was also a noticeable bird, noisy and. restless, with a harsh chattering note, reminding one of the well-known Indian "Sat-bhai" (Crateropus canorus) ; Avhile the Black Tit {Par us xanthostomus) was commonly seen climbing about the topmost branches of the taller trees, and getting into all sorts of queer attitudes, like the English Tits and the (ape Mouse-birds. Among the Birds-of-Prey the Kite {Milvus migrans) was very frequently seen rolling round in the air, easily recog- nised by its long forked tail, while the Bateleur (Helotarsus ecaudatas) could also be clearly identified by its short tail. Occasionally, too, I saw the magnificent Fish-Eagle {Haliaetus vocifer), while one example of that somewhat rare bird, Wahlberg's Eagle {Aquila wahlbergi), was obtained. One morning, on a neighbouring island, Drury was fortunate enough to meet with a family of the large Eagle-Owl {Bubo lacteus), consisting of a pair and one young bird fully Hedged ; the female — which was carrying in her claws the greater part of the carcase of a Zambesi Genet {Genetta rubiginosa) — and the young bird were secured and skinned. Game-birds were not very numerous : a few Guinea-fowls were seen, but were very wary and difficult to approach ; the prevailing Partridge was Pternistes swainsoni, while the only Knorhaan seen and secured was a female Otis melano- gaster. I saw one example of that rare bird Seebohm's Courser {Rkinoptilus seebohmi) on the way up from Livingstone to the Sinde, but unfortunately my gun had been left behind with a boy at the time. Apart from the Duikers and Snake-birds, the " Hadadah " [Hagedashia hagedash) was one of the commonest birds about the Zambesi ; it was often to be seen standing about on the islands in mid-stream, and when disturbed made off with a loud cry somewhat resembling " a-a-ah." 112 Mr. W. L. Sclater — Ornithological Hammerkops (Scopus vmbretta) were also very common, and at a distance were not easily distinguished from the Hadadahs. After staying eight days in our camp we returned to Livingstone, where I left Drury for a few days more, and proceeded to Bulawayo. A day was spent in making an excursion to the Khami ruins, about fourteen miles from Bulawayo ; these are probably of similar origin to those of Zimbabwe, which we subsequently visited, but are not in so good a state of preservation. Except for a flock of Guinea-fowls and a pair of Coqui Francolins noticed on our way back, very few birds were observed. Another two days were devoted to the World's View, where Mr. Rhodes' s grave is situated, on the top of a smooth granite kopje in the Matoppo Hills ; but here, too, I was somewhat disappointed in the number of birds. The large White- necked Raven (Corvultur albicollis) was very numerous, however, about the hotel ; it was exceedingly tame and familiar, and appeared to be living on scraps picked up near the kitchen door. In no other part of Africa have I seen this species so abundant and so tame. Running about among the rocks I also observed the White- shouldered Bush-Chat (ThaiAnolcea cinnamomeiventris) , a species that I had never before met with, while Drongos and Kites were just as numerous as about the Falls. Mr. Marshall Hole, whose house in the suburbs of Bula- wayo I visited, has a large aviary containing a number of seed-eating birds ; among these 1 wras very much astonished to see a pair of Cut-throat Weaver-birds (Amuclina fasciata) , which I understood from him had been caught locally. This species, so far as I am aware, has never before been found south of the Zambesi, and is, therefore, new to our fauna. According to Reichenow (Vogel Afrikas, iii. p. 147"), it has not been recorded in the east south of Dar-es- Salaam in German East Africa. Leaving Bulawayo on the 28th of September, we proceeded by rail and road to Zimbabwe, in order to see the ruins of the great temple and hill-fort, the true history of which Excursion to the Victoria Falls. 113 is still shrouded in mystery. We travelled hurriedly, and had no opportunity of collecting and little of observing birds. Except for a flock of Brom-Vogels (Bucorax caffer), marching in a stately manner across an open flat, and a pair of Black Ducks (Anas sparsa), flushed when crossing the Tokwe River, there was little of interest from an ornithological point of view. From Zimbabwe we travelled back to Cape Town, making short stoppages at Serowe (the capital of the Bechuana chief Khama) and at Kimberley. The following is a list of the birds observed at the Victoria Falls or in the immediate neighbourhood. Examples of all of them, except those marked with an asterisk, were secured for the South-African Museum : — 1 lypbantornis auricapillu^. jamesoni. Ploceipasser pectoralis. Lagonosticta brmmeiceps. Hypbargus harterti. Estrilda angolensis. Amadina fasciata. Quelea quelea. Vidua principalis. Passer diffusus. ^eriims icterus. Eniberiza flaviventris. Fringillaria tahapisi. Anthus pyrrhonotus. — rufulus. Motacilla vidua. Cinnyris mariquensis. gutturalis. Zosterups anderssoni. Parus xanthostomus. Xilaus brubru. Telephonus senegalus. australis. Dryoscopus cubla. guttatus. Laniarius sulphureipectus. Sigmodus tricolor. Prionops talacoma. Crateropus jardinii. SER. VIII. VOL. V. Pycnonotus layardi. Chlorocicbla occidentalis. ( listicola ervtbrops. cbiniana. Saxicola falkensteini. Erythropygia zambesiana. Muscicapa casrulescens. Pacbyprora molitor. Terpsiphone perspicillata. Dicrurus afer. Rbinopomastus cyanomelas. Coracias caudatus. mossambicus. Melittophagus mefidionalis. bullockoides. Merops nubieoides. Ceryle rudis. * maxima. Corytbornis cyanostigma. Halcyon orientalis. Colius erytbromelon. Lopboceros melanoleucus. erythrorbyuchus. Campothera bennetti. Lybius torquatus. Trachypbonus cafer. ( Vntropus senegalensis. superciliosus. Schizorhis concolor. 114 Recently published Ornithological Works. Pyocephalus meyeri. Agapornis lilianee. Scops capeusis. Bubo lacteus. *Milvus segyptius. Aquila wahlbergi. *Helotarsus ecaudatus. Asturinula monogrammica. *Haliaetus vocifer. Gyps rueppelli. Necrosyrtes pileatus. Vinago wakefieldi. Turtur seniitorquatus. capicola. GZna capensis. Chalcopelia afra. Pternistes swainsoni. *Nuuiida coronata. Liomocorax niger. *Podica petersi. Otis melanogaster. *Larus cirrbocepbalus. *Lobivanellus lateralis. Hoplopterus armatus. Totauus bypoleueus. glareola. *Anastomus lauielligerus. Scopus umbretta. *Herodias alba. *IIagedashia bagedasli. Butorides atricapilla. Pbalacrocorax africanus. *Plotus levaillanti. *Chenalopex segyptiacus. X. — Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. 1. ' Annals of Scottish Natural History.' [The Annals of Scottish Natural History. Nos. 51 & 52, July and October 1904.] Mr. T. G. Laidlaw's report on the movements and occur- rences of birds in Scotland during 1903 is commenced in the first and ended in the second of these numbers. It is to be regretted that a falling off should again be noticeable in the returns from the lighthouses on the east coast between the Bell Rock and the Orkneys ; but, on the other hand, those from inland stations are in excess of any previous record. Mr. N. B. Kinnear has some notes on the avifauna of the Loch Arkaig district. In Dr. T. Edmonston Saxby's remarks on the occurrences of birds in Shetland we note the first record of the Hawfinch from that group of islands ; and a footnote (which should refer the reader to p. 187 and not to p. 179) indicates that an example of this range-extending species struck the lantern at the Skerryvore lighthouse, which lies to the south-west of Tiree, in the Hebrides. An editorial complaint is made respecting the wholesale taking of the eggs of the Great Skua, no fewer than sixty having been received by a person in Orkney " from one of the Shetland stations'" [presumably Foula]. Recently published Ornithological Works. 115 Among the shorter notices we find the first account of the occurrence of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Outer Hebrides. Mr. Harvie-Brown contributes some interesting items upon the southward march of the Eider Ducks along the west coast of Sutherland, as well as some valuable details of the phenomenal number of Woodcocks and Snipes which nested in Central Scotland during the remarkably cold spring of 1902. We gather from the writer's remarks that many layings were unproductive, and that there was a large per- centage of deaths among the young birds ; also that similar unfortunate results mai'ked the cold summer of 1904. Further notes on the subject are to be found at p. 245 in the October number. In this Mr. W. Eagle Clarke records the occurrence of a Short-toed Lark on September 20th at the Flanuan Islands, during his recent visit there with Mr. T. G. Laidlaw — this being the very first record for Scotland of this inhabitant of Central and Southern Europe. A large number of Lap- land Buntings were also noticed from September 6th to 21st at this new observation-station, and we may expect details of other interesting species. At p. 223 we are told how the Rev. Albert Ernest Sorby, of Darfield Rectory, Yorkshire, was charged and fined (in contumaciam) at Lerwick for having taken eggs of the Great Skua and the Sea-Eagle in Shetland, and we are happy to add that the spoils Avere forfeited. On turning to p. 245, it appears that the Eagle which laid the confiscated egg was an " albino " or probably a whitish individual — at any rate, the successor to a female which was shot and stuffed in 1903. At the time of writing, says Mr. J. S. Tulloch, " every inducement is offered in the way of money for the ' albino ' dead." Lastly, we must notice Mr. W. P. Py craft's interesting discovery in the University Museum, Aberdeen, of an overlooked and wrongly identified example of the American Killdeer Plover, labelled as having been shot at Peterhead in 1867 by Mr. Andrew Murray, who presented many shore-birds to the Museum. This bird is not, however, entitled to the honour that Mr. Pycraft claims for it as being the first " British " specimen, for the Hampshire bird was obtained in 1859, and although its pedigree was i2 116 Recently published Ornithological Works. not considered quite good enough in 1884 to justify the insertion of the species in the 4th Edition of " Yarrell," yet subsequent inquiries have maintained its character. — H. S. 2. ' The Auk.' [The Auk. A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. xxi. Nos. 3 & 4, July and October 1904.] The July number of f The Auk ' opens with a paper by our Foreign Member, Dr. H. von Ihering, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the Biology of the Tyrannidse with respect to their Systematic Arrangement ; and this is followed by Mr. P. A. Taverner's Discussion of the Origin of Migration, in which much that is trite as well as true is enunciated. Very inter- esting, but all too short, are the Extracts from an unpublished Journal of Audubon, contributed by Mr. Ruthven Deane. Passing over two papers of local interest, we come to Dr. J. A. Allen's discussion of the case of Meg alestris versus Cat har acta. It would appear that in the game of Nomenclature, which is at present so popular, it has been claimed by Herr Franz Poche ( Ornithol. Monatsb. 1904, p. 23) that the name Catharacta of Briinnich, 1764 (amended as Catarracta), should take priority of Megalestris , Bonaparte, 1856, for the group of Great Skuas- This claim is now dissected and its futility exposed in masterly style. Mrs. Florence Merriam Bailey contributes some valuable notes on the Birds of the Upper Pecos, in New Mexico, where Messrs. Henshaw and Nelson left some work " for future investigators " in 1883, and the area is, we are now told, by no means exhausted. Then follows an elaborate paper, illustrated by maps, on the Origin and Distribution of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Parus rufescens) by Mr. Joseph Grinnell. A full-page illustration of a specimen of (Estrelata hasitata, obtained in New Hamp- shire on August 30th, 1903, accompanies a notice by Dr. Allen of the eleven examples procured in the United States — four of them since 1895. This rare Petrel is therefore not yet extinct. Extirpated, as Mr. Nicoll tells us, in Dominica and Guadeloupe by an introduced opossum, there seems to be just a chance that it may still have a breeding-place in the Recently published Omitholoyical Works. 117 unexplored mountains of Haiti ('Ibis/ 1904, pp. 563 & 574). The occurrence of the European A\ lgeon at Los Angeles, California (about 33° N. lat.), seems to be the furthest to the south yet recorded for it on the American side of the Pacific. In the October number, Mr. Milton S. Ray's account of a fortnight on the Farallones (about thirty miles west of San Francisco) will appeal to all lovers of cliffs, caverns, and sea-birds. The most curious inhabitant is, however, the Rock- Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) ; and in one of its nests were found embedded no fewer than 1665 objects — amongst them 769 bones (rabbit, fish, and bird), 492 small granite- stones, 333 bits of flat rusty iron and nails, besides wire, pieces of scissors, &c. Six illustrations from photographs accompany this paper. Mrs. F. M. Bailey sends some addi- tions to Mr. YV. I. Mitchell's contribution of 1898, on the birds of San Miguel County, New Mexico, and papers of local interest follow, on birds of various portions of the States of Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Particulars are given of the aim and scope of the newly founded " Worthing- ton Society for the Investigation of Bird-Life," to be erected at Shawnee, Monroe County, Pennsylvania ; and we are glad to see that the services of Mr. \Y. E. D. Scott, who is personally known to many of us, have been engaged for the Direction of this work. — H. S. 3. ' Avicultural Magazine.' [Avicultural Magazine. The Journal of the Avicultural Society. New Series. Vol. ii. Nos. 8-12 (June to October, 1904).] These five numbers of the 'Avicultural Magazine/ the last of which includes the Report of the Council, Index for the year, and so forth, are chiefly noticeable for a series of excellent papers by Mr. D. Seth- Smith on the breeding in captivity of the Tataupa Tinamou {Cnjpturus tataupa), col. pi.; of the Painted Quails {Excalfactoria) , pi.; of the Brush Bronze-wing Pigeon (Phaps eleyans) ; and of the Scaly Dove (Scardafella squamosa). With regard to the Tinamou, young were in the end successfully reared, while it appears that the species is polygamous, and the male 118 Recently published Ornithological Works. certainly incubates and covers up the eggs on leaving them. The same gentleman also writes on Psitteuteles iveberi. In addition, Mr. A. E. L. Bertling gives an interesting account of the hatching and rearing of the young of the Brush-Turkey {Taleyalla lathami) at the Zoological Society's Gardens. Mr. J. L. Bonhote writes on the Bahama Amazon (Chrysotis bahamensis), col. pi. ; Dr. G further on the nesting in captivity of the Red-backed Shrike, Mr. St. Quintin on that of the Raven, Mr. Porter on that of the Red-faced Love-bird (Agapornis pullaria), and Miss Alderson on that of the Rufous Dove (Leptoptila reichenbachi) . Dr. A. G. Butler has an article on Saltator aurantiirostris (col. pi.) with another on melanism and albinism, and Mr. Meade- Waldo an essay on nesting-boxes. Among the smaller contributions the breeding of a pair of ^pinioned Whoopers is recorded, but the locality is not stated. 4. Bryan on Marcus Island. [A Monograph of Marcus Island. An Account of its Physical Features and Geology, with Descriptions of the Fauna and Flora. By William Alanson Bryan, B.Sc. Honolulu : Bishop Museum Press, 1903.] Marcus Island is a little speck of land in the North Pacific, in lat. 24° 14' N. and long. 154° E., some 1400 miles from Honolulu. It was formerly claimed by the Japanese, but is now acknowledged to belong to the U.S. Mr. Bryan visited it, in the interest of the " Bishop Museum " of Honolulu, in a ship belonging to a Guano Company, but did not make a long stay. There were no land-birds on the island, but 56 specimens of marine birds and waders were obtained, which are referred to 18 species. Most of these are well known, but a new Noddy is described as Micranous inarcusi. Good field-notes are given on all the species. 5. Campbell on the Birds of the Bell Rock. [Notes on the Natural History of the Bell Rock. By J. 31. Campbell. With an Introduction by James Murdoch, late Secretary to the Board of Northern Lighthouses. Edinburgh : David Douglas, 1904. Pp. xv & 112. Price 3s. 6d.] This little volume, by an Assistant Light-keeper of the Recently published Ornithological Works. 119 Bell Rock Lighthouse, consists of notes originally published in the local press under the heads of the various months from April 1901 to April 1904. They will interest students of marine zoology, as well as ornithologists, as they give an excellent idea of what may be observed at different times of year at similar spots on the east coast of Scotland. As a record of migration they fail in that the direction of the birds' flight is not given, and the state of the weather is not invariably noted. The book is well written, but no very striking occurrences are reported. 6. Dubois' ' Synopsis Avium.' [Synopsis Avium. Nouveau Manuel d'Ornithologie. Par Alphonse Dubois. One vol., large 8vo. Pp. 1340. Brussels, 1899-1904.] This work (cf. ' Ibis,' 1904, p. 147), now quite complete, consists of two volumes, paged continuously. The Index of species and subspecies recently issued is very full, and renders the Synopsis a most useful book of reference to the working Ornithologist. Twelve thousand species are enumerated, besides 3327 subspecies, and references are given to the patria of each and to the publications in which it is to be found described. 7. Ehmcke on some new Larks. [Besckreibungeinigerneuer Lerchenarten aus den Museen von Sarajevo und Budapest. Von A. Ehmcke. Ann. Mus. Nat. Hung. ii. pp. 296- 301 (1904).] In this remarkable paper, after a few preliminary sentences, 10 supposed new species of Alauda are described : — A. inter- cede/is from Greece, A. balcanica from the Balkans, A. minuta from Caucasia, A. scliach from Persia, A. beludshistana from Persian Beloochistan, A. cypriaca and A. insularis from Cyprus, A. sordida from Hungary, A. subtilis from Monte- negro, and A. transcaspica from Transcaspia. 8. ' The Emu.' [The Emu. A Quarterly Magazine to popularize the Study and Protection of Native Birds. Official Organ of the Australasian Ornith- 120 Recently published Ornithological Works. ologists' Union. Melbourne. Vol. iii. pt. 4 ; Vol. iv. pt. 1 (April to July, 1904).] The chief contributor to these parts of c The Emu ' is Mr. A. W. Milligan, who, besides describing a supposed new species of Kestrel (Cerchneis imicolor) from Yalgoo, in North-Western Australia, contributes " Notes on a Trip to the Wongan Hills, West Australia," the first part of which is devoted to an account of the birds, and the second to the • nests and eggs procured, with a discussion of the effects of the soil and its flora on the distribution of species. The most important items are the discovery of a new Honey-eater (Ptilotis novcp-norcice) and of the nest of Acanthiza pallida, while Lipoa ocellata and Psophodes mgrogularis are said to have abandoned the district. Mr. E. Degen writes on the genus Gymnorhina and on the Australian birds in the Zoolo- gical Gardens (London); Mr. T. Carter concludes his account of the birds of the North-West Cape ; Miss J. A. Fletcher and Mr. F. M. Littler contribute further papers on Tasmanian birds ; Mr. R. Hail describes as a new subspecies Mirafra horsfieldi pallida from West Australia; and Mr. 11. C. McGregor, of the Philippine Museum at Manila, gives us lils ideas on scientific bird-names. Among the minor contributions are some interesting excerpts from the Journal of Willem de Vlaming, concerning a voyage in the ' Nijptang' to Australia in 1677. The plain plates are of Podargus strigoides, its nest and young, Ninooc boobook, and Wongan Hills scenery : the coloured plate represents Ptilotis carteri and Melithreptus brevirostris. 9. Fatio on the Birds of Switzerland. [Faune des Vertebres de la Suisse. Par Victor Fatio, Dr. Phil. Vol. II. Oiseaux, 2me Partie : Gyrateurs, Sarceleurs, Eehassiers, Hero- diones, Lamellirostres, Totipalmes, Lon 7 had not adopted binomial nomenclature. 12. Hartert's ' Miscellanea Ornithological [Miscellanea Ornitholo^iea. and other Notes mostly on Palcearctic Birds. By Ernst Hartert, Ph.D. Nov. Zool. xi. p. 457 (1904).] These notes have been made by Dr. Hartert during the preparation of his work on Paleearctic Birds, and though some of us may not altogether agree with his conclusions, they deserve careful consideration. He points out that three subspecies of Carpodacus thura should be recognised. The proper specific name of the Sepoy Finch {Hcematospiza sipalii), he considers, should be " indie 'a (Gm.)." This we are of opinion is not "fully proven/' But we quite allow tha'1: Carpodacus sinaiticus should be more correctly called C. syncecus Temm. Notes on the genus Passer follow, and contain various remarks on the synonyms and rectifications of its puzzling members. Dr. Hartert then takes up Stoliczka's much-neglected Linota pygnuea, described in 1868 (J. A. S. B. xxxvii. pt. 2, p. 62) , which he is inclined to refer to a young Serinus pusillus. Discussing the species of Crossbill, our author comes to the conclusion that the true Loxia pityupsittacus of Borkhausen (1796), but not of Bechstein (1802), is 124 Recently published Ornithological Works. "totally different" from the large-billed Scottish bird which is commonly referred to it, which he calls L. curvirostra scotica (cf. Vog. pal. Fauna, p. 120). Lastly, Dr. Hartert writes of the forms of Passer simplex. 13. Harvie-Brown and Macpherson on the Birds of the North-west Highlands. [A Fauna of the North-west Highlands and Skye. By J. A. Harvi«- Brown and Rev. II. A. Macpherson. Edinburgh : David Douglas, l'J04. Pp. civ & 372. Price 30s.] The present volume of the ' Vertebrate Fauna of Scotland ' brings ns very near to the completion of the series, so far as the country north of the Forth aud Clyde is concerned, only the areas of " Tay " aud "Dec" remaining, for the former of which ample materials are already to hand. Part of this instalment consists of supplementary information on the districts west of the watersheds between Cape Wrath and Loch Broom, treated in the first volume, while the re- mainder traverses the North-west Highlands to the boundary of the area of " Argyll," a coloured map of the whole country being supplied for reference. While the greatest interest attaches to these parts of Scotland, which include the former sites of the nests of so many White-tailed Eagles, Kites, and Ospreys, and are the present haunts of so large a number of Golden Eagles — not to mention Snow-Buntings, Divers, aud other rare birds, — the district is remarkably poor both in species and individuals ; moreover, the lines of flight of our migrants impinge but little upon its shores. The large deer-forests, however, are a specially interesting feature, and this area was of old the home of many martens, polecats, and other mammals, some of which are verging upon extinction. Sections are devoted in particular to Handa, Priest Island, and the islands near Skye, on the first of which the Fulmar Petrel has lately been found breeding. The volumes of this series are so well known that it is unnecessary to particularise further than to say that the usual treatment of the subject is followed, the historical and Recently published Ornithological Works. 125 physical aspects of the country being fully discussed, with lists, in conclusion, of the various species of vertebrates. In all respects this instalment attains the well-known standard of its predecessors, while a special feature is the addition of chapters on the geology by Mr. L. W. Hinxman and on the climate and its changes from the pen of Mr. Harvie-Brown, to whom we are so much indebted for his constant and valuable labours. The present volume is dedicated to our friend and fellow- member the late T. E. Buckley, whose portrait, surrounded by those of others connected with the work, forms one of the eighteen plates which embellish the pages, in addition to many smaller illustrations. An obituarial notice of the Rev. H. A. Macpherson is also added. The accounts of the ancient breeding-places of the Osprey, and the fine series of views of them, would alone make the book of the greatest value. 14. Hut ton and Drummond on the Animals of New Zealand. [The Animals of New Zealand ; an Account of the Colony's Air- breathing Vertebrates. By Capt. F. W. Hutton, F.E.S., and James Drummond. 1 vol., 8vo. 381 pp. Christchurch, Wellington, and Dunedin, N.Z., Melbourne, and London. Whitcombe and Tomes, Ltd. 1904.] The Mammals of New Zealand are few in number, as are also the Reptiles and Batrachians, so that the greater part of this volume is taken up by the Birds. A new handbook of the avifauna of New Zealand was much wanted, as Sir Walter Buller's beautifully illustrated ' History ' (of which a second edition was published in 1887-8) is rather too bulky for general use, and his ' Manual ' was issued twenty-two years ago. In the present work the authors " have attempted to com- bine popular information with that which is purely scientific/' and have certainly succeeded in compressing a large amount of useful matter into a small space. The numerous text- figures reproduced from photographs are also of much value as helps to identification, although we cannot say that they give a pleasing effect in every case. We recognise many old 126 Recently published Ornithological Works. friends amongst them, and some of these are excellent. It may be added that the sources whence they are derived are always carefully indicated. The extraordinary features of the Maorian Ornis, which entitle New Zealand and its satellites to rank as a distinct subregion, are well known, and need not be discussed on the present occasion. But the remarkable fact that the islands are regularly visited in the summer by two species of para- sitic Cuckoos, which arrive from the north to lay their eggs in other birds' nests, is one that is always worthy of special mention. One more subject in relation to the birds of New Zealand must be alluded to, and it is a sad subject — the gradual destruction of the native forms. " It cannot be doubted," the authors of the volume tell us, " that the ancient Fauna, as a whole and as it existed in its original state, is fast departing," and there seems to be no prospect of saving it. Many species are already extinct, others barely survive. Two " sanctuaries " have been established — Little Barren Island in the north, and Resolution Island in the south, but this does not seem to have improved matters much. " Try as we may we can never bring back the departed birds." Smiling homesteads and well-tilled fields do not suit them. ''Their habitations have been laid waste and their glory is departed." 15. Jagerskiold on Birds from the White Nile. [Birds from the White Nile. By L. A. Jagerskiold. Results of the Swedish Zoological Expedition to Egypt and the White Nile, 1901. Part I. 18 pp. 1004.] In 'The Ibis' for 1903 (p. 421) we gave a notice of Dr. Walter Innes Bey's journey to the White Nile in 1901, in company with the expedition sent out from Sweden, under the direction of Mr. L. A. Jagerskiold, for the purpose of studying the Fauna of the Sudan and the adjoining districts. We have now a list of the species obtained or observed by the Swedish Naturalists on this occasion, with short field-notes on each of them. They are 129 in number, but none are new. Recently published Ornithological Works. 127 16. Kollibay on the Birds of the Bocche di Cattaro. [Die Vogelfauna der Bocche di Cattaro. Yon Paul Kollibay. Journ. f. Orn. 1904, p. 457.] We have now received a separate copy of the second and concluding portion of this excellent memoir, the first part of which we have already noticed ('Ibis/ 1904, p. 651). It contains a series of field-notes on the birds of this attractive spot, altogether 223 in number, taken from the observa- tions of the author and his fellow- workers in the same district. The country is rich in Buntings, no less than seven being included in the List, of which the brilliant Embei'iza melano- cephala is of special interest. It arrives from the south in May, and nests in June. Herr Kollibay puts its simple song into musical notes. Altogether the Bocche di Cattaro must be a delightful place for an ornithological excursion. 17. Meyer on Birds from South-east Celebes. [Vogel von Siidost Celebes. Von A. B. Meyer. Notes Leyden Mus. xxiv. pp. 232-235.] Dr. Meyer catalogues thirteen species of birds of which examples were obtained by the brothers Sarasiu during their recent expedition across the south-eastern arm of* Celebes. One of these species, Zosterops consobrinorum , is described as new to science. 18. North on the Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds. [Nests and Eggs of Birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania. By Alfred J. North. Part IV. Sydney, 1904.] Mr. North continues his attractive work on the nests and eggs of Australian birds, to which we have called special attention on former occasions (see ' Ibis/ 1902, pp. 156, 660, and 1903, p. 6.22). In this part he proceeds with his account of the Passerines of various groups, and, besides illustrations in the text, gives us large and beautifully drawn plates of the nests of Malurus melanocephalus, Acanthiza pusilla, Orygma rubricatum, and Pomatostomus temporalis, with three of eggs. The notes on nesting arc very full and complete. 128 Recently published Ornithological Works. 19. North on Australian Birds. [(1) Description of a new Species of Poephila. By Alfred J. North. Records Austr. Mus. v. pt. 4 (1904). (2) On Heterochrosis in Australian Psittaci. Id. ibid. (3) On the Bower of the Eastern Bower-bird, CMamydodera orientalis Gould. Id. ibid. (4) Description of the Eggs of the White-quilled Rock-Pigeon, Petro- phassa albipennis Gould. Id. ibid.] Mr. A. J. North sends us copies of four short contribu- tions to the ' .Records of the Australian Museum.' In the first he describes a new Poephila — P. neglect a, probably from Queensland, and states that P. nigrotecta Hart. (Bull. B. O. C. viii. p. lix, 1899) is apparently the same as P. atropygialis Cart, et Rams. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. i. 4, 1877, p. 382. In the second he describes cases of xanthochroism, melanism, erythrism, albinism, and other abnormal plumages in Aus- tralian Parrots. Iu the third he describes and figures the bower of CMamydodera orientalis from N.E. Queensland. In the last he describes the eggs of the rare Rock-Pigeon, Petrophassa albipennis, from N.W. Australia. The nest of this Pigeon is placed on the ground. 20. Patterson's ' Xotes of an East Coast Naturalist.3 Notes of an East Coast Naturalist. By Arthur II. Patterson. Illus- trated by E. Southgate. London, 1904. Price 6s.] When in 1868 the British Association met at Norwich, a local naturalist proposed to arrange an excursion to u The Broads/' for the delectation of Section D, then comprising Zoology and. Botany. The scheme failed, for none but the East Anglians present seemed to have even heard of the ex- istence of " The Broads/' and were incredulous of assurances that the district was worth a visit, as one of unique character in England, and of especial interest on account of its Fauna and Flora. The six-and-thirty years since passed have seen a great change wrought, and nowadays the Broads of Norfolk are as much overrun with excursionists — yea, " trippers " of the baser sort — as Blackpool or Southend, to the detriment, of course, of their natural charms and of their natural inmates, Recently published Ornithological Works. 129 the human native perhaps excepted. We cannot pretend that some of their original glory had not departed by 1868 — to have seen that one would have had to go back some thirty or forty years, if not more, to the days of Girdlestone, Hoy, Richard Lubbock, the Pagets, Scales, Whitear, and others whose names are well known to the naturalists of Norfolk and Suffolk ; but still the district retained much of its original character which has since, to a great extent, disappeared. With the invasion of the " tripper " has come the publica- tion of many books on the Broads, mostly of the quasi- naturalist kind now so popular — occasionally right when the author " cribs " from good sources, but generally wrong when he trusts to his own judgment, and by florid writing tries to hide his own ignorance. In marked contrast to such books is Mr. Patterson's little volume before us, which tells the plain tale of a true observer, and is of itself worth more than the whole of the rubbish just mentioned. Yet all will agree that it would have been far more convenient had a little more order been observed in arrangement of the notes, though this defect is somewhat remedied by an index, which, so far as we have tested it, seems to be extremelv good. We do not intend to go into any of the notes : some may be thought hardly worth recording, but there is a fresh wholesome air of reality about all of them which makes it hard to say which should have been excluded. The author's capacity as an observer is exemplified by the fact that he recognised a strange bird, while on the ground, as a Pectoral Sandpiper, which being shot shortly after proved to be so — only not the ordinary American form, but the Asiatic Tringa acuminata. A dozen coloured plates by Air. Frank Southgate shew very remarkable power in depicting birds, and most decidedly embellish this little book. 21 . Rothschild and Hartert on some Papuan Birds. [Berichtung. Von Dr. Walter Rothschild und Ernst Hartert. Ann. Mus. Xat. Hung. i. p. 447 (1903).] The object of this article is to shew that Dr. J. v. Madarasz was in error in his treatment of a small collection of birds SER. VIII. VOL. V. K 130 Recently published Ornithological Works. ■which was sent to the Hungarian National Museum by Graf Rudolf Festetich, and was described by Dr. Madarasz as being from Bougainville Island of the Solomon group. On re-examination at Tring these birds have been identified as belonging, with one exception, to well-known species of German New Guinea. The exception is Eclectus pectoralis xalamonensis Rothsch. & Hart., which is really from Bougain- ville. The importance of having all specimens correctly labelled immediately they are obtained is commented on. 22. Schnee on the Land-fauna of the Marshall Islands. [Die Landfauna der Marschall-Inseln nebst einigen Beruerkungen zur Fauna der Insel Nauru. Von Dr. med. Paul Schnee. Zool. Jahrb., Syst. xx. pp. 387-412 (1904).] The Marshall Islands lie in the Pacific, between the Caro- lines and the Gilbert group, from 5° to 14° N. lat. They are about thirty-four in number. The author, who passed many years on medical service in Jaluit, the principal island, has put together in this article a summary of its land-fauna, the list of birds having been compiled for him by Prof, lieichenow. The 24 species are nearly all Waders and Sea- birds, except the wandering Cuckoo, Eudynamis taitensis, as has been long ago shown by Dr. Finsch (see ' Ibis/ 1880, p. 329). The Tatare of the group (T. rehsii) is said to be extinct on Jaluit, though still existing on Nauru (cf. Finsch, 'Ibis/ 1883, p. 143). 23. Scott and Sharpe on Patagonian Birds. [Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia 1890- 1899, J. B. Hatcher in Charge, edited by William D. Scott. Volume II# Ornithology, Part I. Rkeidae — Spheniscidse. By William Earle Dodge Scott, Princeton University, associated with R. Bowdler Sharpe, British Museum of Natural History. 4to. 112 pp. Princeton, 1904.] We are glad to receive the first Part of Mr. W. E. D. Scott's work on the Birds of Patagonia. Originally based on the collections made by the Princeton University's Geological Expeditions to Patagonia (1896-99) under the charge of Dr. J. B. Hatcher, it has been augmented by the careful studies of the author in the British Museum into Recently published Ornithological Works. 131 a complete monograph of Patagonian ornithology, which promises to be a very useful piece of work. The author has been much assisted in his labours by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, whose name is also on the titlepage, and whose classification is followed. This Part begins with the Rheas and Tinamous, and passes upwards to the Pigeons, Rails, Grebes, and Penguins. After a complete synonymy and detailed description of each species, the known particulars of its history and habits are given, and many illustrative figures are introduced in the text. The progress of this important work has been much delayed by the state of Mr. Scott's health, but we may now hope to see it completed shortly. 24>. Sharpe on the Ornithological Literature of 1903. [The Zoological Record, Vol. XL. 1903. III. Aves. By R. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D. &c. Printed for the Zoological Society of London. 8vo. 72 pp. Price 6s. August 1904.] In our last number {' Ibis/ 1904, p. 64-5) we gave a long notice of the " Birds "-section of the ' Interna- tional Catalogue of Scientific Literature/ and explained the reasons why we were constrained to pronounce it to be not a success. It is only fair now to say a few words about the corresponding portion of the ' Zoological Record/ which, as we shall shew, is superior to it in every way. In the first place, we have in August 1904 the record of the ornithological literature of 1903 ready for consultation nine months after the year is closed, instead of having to wait two years for it, as was the case with the corresponding record of the Inter- national Catalogue for 1901. In the second place, the price of the whole volume of the 'Zoological Record' is 20s.* against 37s. 6d. for the International Catalogue ; and last, but not least, the " Aves " of the ' Zoological Record * is a complete and solid piece of work in strong contrast to the correspond- ing portion of the International Record, which, as we have clearly shown, is just the contrary. The number of the titles in the list of ornithological * Under a new arrangement the "Aves" of the 'Zoological Record ' may be purchased separately at the very moderate price of 6s. k2 132 Recently published Ornithological Works. publications which commences this division of the c Zoolo- gical Record ' is 724. Then follows the " Subject Index/' which, although it contains only 36 pages, is, in our opinion, much clearer and more intelligible than the comparatively bulky Index of its rival. 25. Soemundsson' s Zoological Notes from Iceland. [Zoologiske Meddelelser fra Island. Yid. Meddel. fr. d. naturh. Foren. iKbhvn. 1904 After describing the capture of three fishes new to Iceland the author gives notes on 28 species of birds, of which three are new to that island, viz. Ampelis garrulus, Upupa epops, and Ceryle alcyon. He also remarks that Troglodytes parvulus is not so rare in Iceland as was supposed by the Rev. Mr. Slater, and likewise that Strepsilas interpres certainly winters there. Friagilla cadebs, a fourth species new to Iceland, is included with a query, as the specimen referred to had not come to hand. 26. Swenander on the Stomachs of African Birds. [Untersuchungen iiber dem Vorderdarni einiger Vogel aus dem Sudan. By Gust. Swenander. Results of the Swedish Zoological Expedition to Egypt and tin- White Nile, 1901. Part I.] The Naturalists of the Jagerskiold's Expedition of 1900-1 (see above, p. 126) made a collection of the stomachs of the birds obtained on the White Nile, upon which Mr. Swenander now reports. They belong to 18 species, concerning each of which notes are given. Two plates illustrate peculiarities in the intestinal organs of Pseudotantalus ibis, Leptopti/us crumenifer, several species of Ibis, and other birds. 27. Tanner's Observations in Tenerife. [Beobachtungen auf Tenerife. Von Budolf von Tanner. Nov. Zool. xi. p. 430 (1904).] Herr von Tanner has been resident in the interior of Tenerife for more than two years (cf. ' Ibis/ 1904, p. 670), and has had, therefore, better opportunities of studying the bird-life of that interesting island than previous visitors who Recently published Ornithological Works. 133 have made only short stays, mostly in the -winter and spring. He has paid special attention to the migrants, among which he specifies Tardus musicus, An thus arboreus, Motacilla alba, and Vanellus cristatus as regular visitants. Many field-notes on various resident species and occasional visitors are given. 28. Todd on the Birds of Erie District, Pennsylvania. [The Birds of Erie and Presque Isle, Erie ( Jounty, Pennsylvania. By W. E. Clyde Todd. Ann. Carnegie Mas. ii. pp. 48*1 -59G.] This is a paper on a local Avifauna, but is perhaps of greater general interest than many of its fellows. A con- siderable portion of Western Pennsylvania borders on Lake Erie, and the author, who has lately been attached to the great Carnegie Museum at Pittsburgh, was sent, accompanied by a taxidermist, on a special mission to obtain a series of birds from that district. In this mission he appears to have achieved considerable success, having secured nearly 1000 specimens in a few months. The present memoir is based mainly upon this collection, but includes all other available information upon the birds of the Erie district. The species recorded in the list are 237 in number and the held-nofes are ample and well written. The occurrence of Biiumich's Murrc (Uria lomvia) so far from the sea- coast is interesting. In December 1896 a large flight of these birds seems to have made its way up the basin of the Great Lakes far into the interior. Other stray speci- mens of the same species were obtained in the winter of 1899-1900. The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), formerly "very abundant," is now "almost exterminated " ', the last recorded specimens were killed in 1889. 29. True on the U.S. National Museum in 1903. [Report upon the Condition and Progress of the U.S. National Museum during the Year ending June 30th, 1903. By II. Rath bun. Washington, 1904.] The portion of this report relating to the Department of Biology is by Mr. Frederick W. True, the Head Curator. 134 Recently published Ornithological Works. It gives a good account of the general progress of the Department, although we observe that the laboratories of the " Division of Birds " are stated to be still " much overcrowded," and that " many devices have to be resorted to in order to accommodate the collections/' It has even been found necessary, we are told, " to place different parts of the collection in rooms widely separated." The study- collection comprises some 65,000 specimens, of which the Passerine series is well arranged and " entirely accessible," being kept in good order, no doubt, for the progress of Mr. Ridgway's great work. It seems hard that a branch of zoological science that has so many excellent followers in the U.S. should not meet with more liberal treatment (cf. 'Ibis,' 1904, p. 481). The following notable accessions to the bird-collection are specially mentioned : — Mr. Homer Dcvonport had presented 22 large and valuable birds from his Aviary, among which were an Australian Goose, a Javan Jungle-fowl, a Black- winged Peacock (Pavo nigripennis) } and several beautiful Pheasants, including an example of Diard's Fircback [Lophura diardi). Prom Mr. A. Boucard were purchased skins of two rare Birds-of-Paradise, Paradisea gulielmi and Rhipidornis gulielmi-tertii. A pair of flightless Cormorants from the Galapagos, and about 300 birds from that group and the islands on the west coast of Mexico, were also purchased. The Bishop Museum, Honolulu, had presented a collection of birds from Guam, containing examples of about 44 species new to the U.S. Museum. Mr. Outram Bangs had pre- sented about 50 birds from Honduras, and 300 specimens from Chiriqui were received from him in exchange. The Biological Survey had transmitted a fine series of birds'-eggs from different parts of North America. 30. Winge on Birds of the Bronze Aye in Denmark. [Oiu Fugle fra Bronzealderen i Danmark. Vidensk. Meddel. fr. d. natiuli. Foren. i Kbhvn. 1904.] Mr. Winge gives particulars of the wing-bones of the Jackdaw and Crow (or Book) found in an urn of the Bronze Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 135 Age together with the bones of a young person, and surmises that they were placed there to carry the soul of the departed to the "unknown land." He also gives particulars of the bones of other species of birds found along with human remains from the Bronze Age. 31. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses, 1903. [Fuglene red de danske Fyr i 190."!. Vidensk. Meddel. f'r. d. naturli. Foren. i Kbhvn. 1904, p. 319."] The twenty-first of these excellent reports relates to the birds obtained at the Danish Lighthouses in 1903, and transmitted to the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen. They were 1138 in number, and are referred to 67 species; they were received from 35 stations, which are carefully enumerated and plainly shown on the accompanying map. The usual notes are given. The most numerous species in the List are Alauda arvensis (256 ex.), Erithacus rubecula (183 ex.), Tardus musicus (73 ex.), and Sturnus vulgaris (99 ex.). Of Regulus cristatus 33 examples were obtained. XL — Letters, Extracts, and Notices. We have received the following letters addressed to " The Editors of < The Ibis ' " :— Sirs, — Mr. Harvie-Brown, in his letter to you of Sept. 1st, 1904 (' Ibis/ 1904, p. 664), criticises my article on nomen- clature in connection with Barn-Owls (Bull. B. O. C. xiv. p. 87). I am always willing to accept every criticism so long as I am allowed to defend my own standpoint in return. I therefore venture to ask you to receive this reply to Mr. Harvie-Brown. I would first wish to point out that Zoological Nomen- clature does not stand alone in the world in promoting strife on all points of doubt or innovation. From the earliest historical period every innovation in Philosophy, Physics, Mechanics, Astronomy, Locomotion, Medicine, Surgery, in fact in every branch of human intellectual or 136 Letters, Extracts, and Notices. material progress, has been fought and opposed tooth and nail by those who have been brought up in the schools of thought of the previous epochs. Nevertheless, we have always ended by adopting these innovations. So I feel sure it will be with zoologists, when once they have grasped the meaning of the trinomial nomenclature as applied to geo- graphical races. Mr. Harvie-Brown has quite misunderstood the nature of trinomials. He says in effect that the tri- nomial is justified only so long as it has a " distinctive geographical descriptive power." This is an impossibility, for by far the largest number of trinomially treated forms have been previously described binomially. Such is the case with my Aluco flammea nigrescens, which has been described as Strix nigrescens by Lawrence. Such was also the case with Dendragapus obscurus richard- soni, which had been described as Canace obscurus, var. richardsoni. In both these cases the geographical race had been given a name which no one could be justified in changing into Aluco flammea dominicensis or Dendragapus obscurus montanensis. The question of calling the forms Aluco flammea I., II., III., &c, or a, b, c, &c, is only raising a quibble, and, moreover, a very dangerous quibble ; for it is much easier for numbers or letters to be accidentally trans- posed than quite distinct third names. If, as Mr. Harvie- Brown suggests, we were to add the geographical range and the exact locality to each specimen quoted in print, we should be doing exactly what those who use trinomials avoid, namely, we should be giving a long, many-worded description instead of a short name. As to the question of different habits of different sub- species, Mr. Harvie-Brown, I fear, has entirely misunderstood the purpose of my instancing the habits of the Robin abroad and in England. But the greatest justification for my calling the English Robin " Erithacus rubecula melophilus," instead of the " dark-breasted English form of Erithacus rubecula/' is that while our indigenous Robins are all E. r. melophilus and easily recognisable in the skin or alive, at Brighton and in other south- and east-coast localities continental Robins are Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 137 blown across, and so we get in England both Erithacus rubecula rubecula and Erithacus rubecula melophilus, though the former is purely an accidental visitor. In conclusion, J only wish once more to urge strongly that the opponents of trinomials, before they criticise and run down those who employ them, should for once seriously consider what trinomials are. The most ardent opponents ol' trinomials admit every day names such as " Pelecanus fuscus, vnr. californicus" but exclaim loudly if an unfortunate writer like myself ventures to leave out the abbreviated word " var." for the sake of brevity, and writes the name of the Western Brown Pelican, Pelecanus fuscus californicus. I am, Sirs, yours ike, Zoological Museum, Tring, Walter Rothschild. 24tb October, L904. Sirs, — I am now able to give a complete account of the development of Ross's (ioose, Chen rossi (see 'Ibis/ 1904, j). 73). This season my female laid three eggs, and as in previous years sin; had proved to be a bad mother, I took the eggs away and put them under a common hen. The period of incubation was 2 1 days this time, and the eggs were hatched on the 10th of July. All the three eggs were hatched, but, unfortunately, the hen in some way or other killed two of the chicks the same day that they were born. The third escaped this fate and was tenderly cared for by its foster- mother. I have described in detail the colour of the down in a previous letter (' Ibis/ 1903, p. 215), so that it will suffice to say that the chick was a fluffy object with grey down and a bright canary-yellow head. The little bird grew very rapidly, and when two weeks old was about the size of a Japanese bantam-hen. The bill was still black at this stage with a pink tip (the nail) and the legs were greenish. When three weeks old the feathers began to appear on the shoulders, the flanks, the tail, and the wings. When four weeks old the bird was about the size of a small hen. The body was almost 138 Letters, Extracts, and Notices. entirely feathered, but the head and neck were still in down. The legs were bluish and the bill was getting lighter in colour. When five weeks old the whole body was feathered, and when six weeks old even the flight-feathers were of their full length. The first plumage may be described as follows : — General colour white. A brownish-grey spot on the occiput, which runs down along the back of the neck. The base of the neck and the mantle brownish grey, forming a crescent of that colour, of which the points are turned forward on each side of the base of the neck. The smaller wing- coverts are of the palest brownish grey, Avith a dark spot at the tip of each feather. The flanks are grey ; the large flight- feathers black. The first five secondaries have a dark spot in the centre; those that follow are white, with only a very slight sprinkling of brownish; the three innermost have dark centres, and the white edges are finely spotted with grey. The tail is white, with only a suspicion of a greyish tint on the middle feathers. The legs are greenish grey with pink shining through. The bill is pinkish ; the lores are blackish grey, which colour extends over and behind the eyes. When ten weeks old the bird began to moult, and the grey feathers of the juvenile dress were rapidly replaced by white ones. Also the large tail-feathers were moulted, the central rectrices being dropped first. The legs now began to turn pink in earnest, and the bill assumed its double coloration of a greenish base and a pink tip. I am, yours &c, Gooilust, 'sGraveland, Holland. F. E. Blaauw. October, 1904. Sirs, — I wish to point out that an unfortunate mistake has occurred in my remarks on the birds of Jamaica (f Ibis/ 1904, p. 577). The Vulture that is so common in the town of Kingston is the red-headed Cathartes aura, and not the black-headed C. atratus. I am, yours &c., 10 Charles Road, St. Leonard's, Michael J. Nicoll. October, 1904. Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 139 Sirs, — In the last volume of the ' The Ibis ' I find (p. 480) a notice of Dr. Finsch's departure from the Leyden Museum. In that article you say that Prof. Schlegel, up to his death in 1882, had catalogued some 18,000 specimens of birds, representing 2300 species, in his ' Museum d'Histoire naturelle des Pays-Bas/ but that after that date little was done among the birds until 1898, when Dr. Finsch took up the matter and began a new catalogue, which contains entries of some 13,000 specimens, referable to 3000 species. It is not my intention to enter upon the question how far a mere manuscript list of genera and species of birds, such as that made by Dr. Finsch, should be placed on the same level as the highly esteemed work done by Prof. Schlegel in his well- known eight volumes of the ' Museum d'Histoire naturelle des Pays-Bas ' ; but I cannot help saying that your remark upon the period between 1882 and 1898 is far from courteous to me, who occupied the position of Conservator of the Ornithological Department at the Leyden Museum from 1884 to 1897. It is true that I have not, like Dr. Finsch, left behind " a Catalogue" with entries of so and so many species and specimens of birds, but nevertheless I should say that the determination, labelling, and arranging of thousands of birds, comprising whole families, which were still in the same state as that in which I left them there in 1897, may have facilitated to some extent the work of Dr. Finsch above alluded to. I am well aware that you could not be precisely informed about this kind of unpublished work of mine in the Leyden Museum — a work which, it seems to me, is just as valuable as that attributed to Dr. Finsch ; but from all that I published in the 'Notes from the Leyden Museum ' during that period (interrupted as it was by my second journey to Liberia and a year's stay in the Dutch East Indies), you might have concluded that it was not so very little that I did in the Leyden Museum between 1884 and 1897. Had it not been for the sake of my good name amongst 140 Letters, Extracts, and Notices. my colleagues and friends who may read your article, I certainly would not have troubled you with this rectification, for which, however, I feel sure you will not object to allow a little space in the forthcoming number of 'The Ibis.' I am, Sirs, yours &c, Rotterdamsche Diergaarde, J. Buttikofer. Rotterdam, 19th November, 1904. [We much regret to find that the paragraph in ques- tion should be construed as involving any depreciation of Dr. Buttikofer, whose excellent work in zoology is known to all of us, and we can assure him that nothing could be farther from our thoughts. — Edd.] Sirs, — The adoption or non-adoption of the trinomial system is such an important resolve that I would crave space to urge most earnestly that the subject should be studied with the great attention that it deserves. Above all, let existing prejudices be thrown to the winds, for to be conser- vative on principle, without weighing arguments, is surely unscientific. In 'The Ibis' for October 1904, Dr. E. Hartert brought forward some strong arguments in favour of the trinomial system ; but there is a point on which he did not touch, and on which I should like to make a few remarks. I have often heard it argued that the trinomial system necessitates finer divisions than the binomial. In reality, however, " fine splitting " is an individuality and is practiced by both trinomialists and binomialists ; but whereas the " subspecies " of the trinomialists can be ignored in a general survey of a genus, every fine division of the binomialist has to be considered. I am sure that soon it will be generally recognised that the binomialist is creating the greatest possible confusion by describing what are nothing more than geographical races Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 141 of known species under two names, without making any distinction between these races and well-marked species. In my opinion, those who cling to two names, and two names only, should describe and name nothing but distinct species and leave geographical races entirely alone ; other- wise, if a continuance is made of the practice of naming geographical races just in the same wray as full species a knowledge of the true relationship of birds will become an enormous difficulty. I think it is generally acknowledged that there are such things as geographical races, and that it is an advantage to our science that they should be named and described. If so, and if the above-given argument against the practice of naming such races on the binomial system be accepted, what system are we to adopt ? What alternative is there to the trinomial system? Yours faithfully, Holmeliurst, Harrv F. WlTHERBY. Barley, New Forest, November L'2nd, 1904. The South-African Ornithologists' Union. — The first Annual Meeting of the newly constituted " South- African Ornitholo- gists' Union" was held in the Transvaal Museum at Pretoria on October 8th, 1904. In the absence of the President (Mr. W. L. Sclater), Mr. J. Burtt Davy, F.L.S., took the Chair. The Hon. Secretary, Mr. Alwin Haagner, read a report, which shewed that, since the inaugural meeting on April 9th (see 'Ibis/ 1904, p. 478), 14 new Members had joined the Union, bringing the total numbers up to 53. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : — Mr. W. L. Sclater, President ; Dr. J. W. B. Gunning and Dr. S. Schonland, Vice-Presidents ; and Mr. A. K. Haagner, Secretary. The name and scope of the proposed new Journal were discussed, but not finally decided upon. 142 Letters, Extracts, and Notices. The Antarctic Exhibition. — The Antarctic Exhibition, lately opened at the Bruton Gallery, Bruton Street, Bond Street, is well worthy of a visit from the ornithologist. Besides numerous photographs taken by Engineer- Lieutenant Skel- ton, who was Chief Engineer of the f Discovery ' in the National Antarctic Expedition, it contains the whole series of water-colour drawings made by Dr. Edward Wilson, the Junior Surgeon and Naturalist, who is an accomplished artist, and is especially happy in his sketches of living animals. More than 80 of these sketches illustrate the bird- life of the Antarctic Seas, among which the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) and its smaller associate Eudyptes ailelice are conspicuous. New Discovery of Dodo's Bones. — Prof. Newton announces in ' Nature' (Oct. 27th, 1904) the discovery by M. Thirioux in Mauritius, about 2^ miles from Port Louis, of a small partly collapsed cave, about 800 feet above the sea-level, containing numerous bones of the Dodo (Didus ineptus) and other extirpated birds, such as the Brevipennate Parrot {Lophopsittacus mauritianus), the " Poule Bouge " (Aphan- apteryx hroecki), and the Great Coot (Fulica newtoni). Some of the smaller Dodo-bones are of great rarity, and at least one of them (the pygostyle) had not been found before. M. Thirioux has disposed of his very considerable series of these bones to the Museum of Mauritius. Prof. Newton expresses a hope that some competent person may be found to publish a scientific description of this important collection. The Agaleya Islands. — Some years ago (' Ibis/ 1897, p. 145) we Aentured to recommend the Agalega group, in the Indian Ocean south of the Seychelles, as a desirable place for the attention of ornithologists, birds being stated to be very numerous there. We are pleased to observe that the proposed Expedition for the exploration of the Indian Ocean (see Geogr. Journ. vol. xxiv. p. 593j is likely to visit these little-known islands. It will be of great interest Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 143 to ascertain whether there are any land-birds in the Agalegas, and we hope that Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner and Mr. Foster Cooper, the Naturalists of the new Expedition, will pay special attention to this point. A series of birds from this remote locality will be much appreciated, as we believe that, as regards ornithology, they are quite a terra incognita. Breeding of the Screamer in Captivity. — Among the ornitho- logical events at the Zoological Society's Gardens last year few were of greater interest than the breeding of the Crested Screamer (Chauna cristata), which, so far as I know, is the first instance of this bird nesting in Europe, though it is not an uncommon species in Zoological Gardens, and has been represented in the Regent's Park for many years. Two of these birds, of which the sexes are exactly alike in external appearance, paired in the spring of 1904, and eggs were laid in a large nest, made of loose sticks and placed on the ground in the Great Aviary, on the 17th, 19th, and 21st of May. A fourth egg was supposed to have been laid on the 23rd of May, but the keepers did not see it. Three young only were hatched on July oth, after an incubation of about six weeks, in which both the male and the female took part. The chicks, which I saw a few days afterwards, were exactly like young geese in appearance and of a buffy white colour. One of them was trodden on and killed by one of its parents the same day that it was hatched, but the other two throve well, moulted in due course into their full dress, and in October were scarcely distinguishable from adults. It is now still more evident to me that the right position for the Palamedeidse, as maintained by Parker (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 411), is in the Order Anseres next to the Anatidte, as they were placed in the Nomencl. Av. Neotr. in 1873. — P. L. S. The Bewick Collection, Newcastle. — It will interest lovers of British Birds to know that, as we are informed by the * Museums Journal,' a fine collection of the works of the 144 Obituary. famous engraver Thomas Bewick was made accessible at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in August last year. The collection was left to that city by the will of the late Sir J. W. Pease. The city had already a good series of Bewick's works in the Hancock Museum, consisting chiefly of drawings and portraits. But Sir J. W. Pease had gathered together copies of all the books illustrated by Bewick, with some of his best drawings and many engraved blocks and personal relics. These have now all been arranged in connexion with the former collection. Meeting of the International Ornithological Congress. — The Fourth International Ornithological Congress, under the Presidency of Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, will meet in London on the 12th of June this year, and an Organizing Committee has been formed to make the necessary preparations. The Secretaries to the Committee are Dr. Ernst Hartert, of Tring, and Mr. J. L. Bonhote, of Ditton Hall, Cambridgeshire. The Treasurer is Mr. C. E. Pagan, of the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. It is arranged, that the Congress should sit from Monday, June 12th, to Saturday, June 17th, during which period it is proposed that evening receptions and short excursions shall take place. Longer excursions will be made after the Congress is over for those who are able to remain for them. The Meetings will be held in the Imperial Institute, South Kensington. A General Committee is being formed, consisting of Ornithologists from all parts of the world. All members of the B. O. U. will receive invita- tions to attend the Congress. Further particulars will be given in our next number. XII. — Obituary. Carlo, Freiherr von Erlanger; Comte Amkdee Alleon ; Captain F. H. Salvin; and Mr. Edward Neale. Ornithology has sustained a severe loss by the death of Freiherr Carlo von Erl anger, who lost his life in a motor- Obituary. 145 car accident at Salzburg on September 4th, 1904, when hardly 32 years old. From his boyhood Erlanger had been an ardent student of bird-life. He began to collect the birds of his native country when he was still at school, and presented many specimens to the Senckenbergische Museum at Frankfurt-a.-M. In this connexion he became fir^t known to zoologists, for his donations were duly recorded in the Reports of the Senckenbergische Gesellschaft and his name was mentioned in the ' Catalogue of the Senckenbergian Collection of Birds/ After having finished his studies, Erlanger went for a year to Lausanne, and for another (1895) to Cambridge, where he attended Natural Science lectures, and, after learning Arabic at the Oriental Academy in Berlin, soon began to travel. From Cambridge he visited Lundy Island, and it is hardly saying too much when it is stated that he collected birds wherever he went. In 1895 he was elected a member of the B. O. U. In 1893-1894 he made a tour in Tunis, and in 1896 started on his famous expedition to the Tunisian Sahara, where he brought together the largest and best collection of birds ever made during one expedition in that country. This collection resulted in the remarkable contri- butions to the Ornithology of Tunisia published in the 'Journal fur Ornithologie ' in 1898 and 1899, accompanied by seventeen excellent plates. This work was so important that it made its author at once famous throughout and beyond the ornithological world. Some parts of it, like his ad- mirable treatise on the Crested Larks, will ever rank among the best articles written on the geographical forms of a group. It is a rare event that an ornithological writer begins his career with such a work. But Erlanger did not rest on his laurels, for in the same year that his Tunisian work was finished he set out on a more important expedition. On this occasion he selected Tropical Africa for his field of work. Together with Oscar Neumann, Dr. Ellenbeck, Mr. Holter- miiller, and his excellent taxidermist and assistant Carl Hil- gert, he started from Zeila on the Somali coast and travelled SER. VIII. — vol. v. L 146 Obituary. to Adis Abeba, exploring on the way Southern Abyssinia and Hanir. Separating himself here from Mr. Neumann, who thence made his well-known journey to the Nile, Erlanger travelled across Somaliland to Kismayu on the Indian Ocean. This daring march — Somaliland was at that time in a state of unrest — together with the explorations in Harar and round Adis Abeba, resulted in the bringing home of 8000 bird- skins^ about 1000 mammals, 400 reptiles, over 20,000 insects, and specimens of 3000 species of plants. Only a small number of the birds has as yet been worked out, but the first portion of the new series of articles, with splendid plates, has appeared in the ' Journal fur Ornithologie/ A glance at it shews how careful and exact the author was — it must be admitted often with quite unrivalled series to work upon. The chief aim of Carlo von Erlanger was to study in every detail the geographical forms (subspecies) of each species, and to investigate the actual affinity of the various described species and subspecies. He eagerly accepted Matschie's theory that the watersheds between river-systems are the principal demarcation-lines between the various forms. But he was not one-sided, for he also collected eggs and made biological observations, readily assisted by Mr. Hilgert. If it is a thousand pities that Erlanger did. not live to work out all his collections himself, it is sorrowful to think how much more he would have done afterwards — for he actually had in his mind further expeditions to German East Africa, to Turkestan and Thibet, and to the Polar llegions. His love for our beloved science and his energy were unbounded ; but he also took interest in other matters and was very fond, of shooting and other field-sports and much engrossed in his military duties as Lieutenant in the 13th Hussars. Nothing pleasanter and more instructive could an ornithologist do than to visit Erlanger in his home at Nieder-Ingelheim on the Rhine, where Charlemagne's Pfalz (castle) once stood. Whoever visited him there went awav with regret that the time had flown so fast and with Obituary. 147 the impression that he had met with an ornithologist and a man ! — E. H. Comte Amedee Alleon. — The biographical memoir pre- pared by Dr. Paul Leverkuhn, and published in the last number of ' Ornis/ enables us to say a few words upon Count Amedee Alleon, who died on the lGth of January, 1904, at his residence, Makrikeuy, near Constantinople. Jean Gerard Amedee Alleon, born at Buyak-Dere on the Bosphorus, on the 8th of October, 1838, was the son of Count Jacques Alleon, and belonged to a well-known French family long engaged in financial business in Turkey. From his earliest days Alleon exhibited great artistic talent com- bined with a love of Natural History. A large series of his drawings of birds is now in the Museum of H.R.H. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria at Sophia, where is also preserved the most extensive of several collections of the birds of European Turkey which he formed, consisting of upwards of 1000 specimens. Alleon's name is well known to all workers in European Ornithology as that of one of our best authorities on the birds of the vicinity of Constantinople and the western coasts of the Black Sea. In preparing his memoirs he was mostly associated with Jules Vian, of Belleville, near Paris, to whom he was latterly in the habit of transmitting his speci- mens by the Orient Express. A catalogue of the birds of the vicinity of Constantinople by Alleon and Vian will be found in the 'Bulletin of the Zoological Society of France' for 1880, and a memoir on the birds of the Dobrudsha and Bulgaria by the same authors in ' Ornis ' for 1886. Alleon was also an excellent taxidermist, and published two works on this subject in 1889 and 1898. A complete list of his writings is appended to Dr. Leverkuhn's biographical notice. In 1869 Mr. H. J. Elwes and the late Mr. T. E. Buckley visited Alleon at Constantinople and, as will be seen in their article on the birds of Turkey ('Ibis/ 1870, p. 60), gave a most appreciative account of the work he was then carrying on. 148 Obituary. Captain Francis Henry Salvin, who died on the 2nd of October in his 87th year, was the son of William Thomas Salvin, of Croxdale Hall, near Durham, while the family were also owners of Burn Hall in the immediate neighbourhood. II is great-nephew is now in possession of Croxdale Hall, which has descended in an unbroken line from father to son since 1392, a length of tenure hardly to be equalled in the kingdom. Salvin was educated at Ampleforth in Yorkshire, and, through his father's marriage with Maria Weston, sub- sequently came into possession of the Sutton Estate, near Guildford, with its well-known Elizabethan mansion of Sutton Place. An ardent lover of nature, he made the habits of the animals around him his constant study, and was well known to ornithologists not only for his trained Cormorants and their fishing abilities, but also for his writings on Falconry. In 1855 he published, in conjunction with the late W. Brodrick, of Bel ford in Northumberland, e Falconry in the British Islands ' (with illustrations by Joseph Wolf), of which a second edition was issued in 1873; and in 1859, associated with Mr. (1. A. Freeman, 'Falconry, its History, Claims, and Practice/ with a chapter on " Fishing with Cormorants/' The latter part of his life was passed in quiet country pursuits at Sutton. Edward Neale, who for nearly twenty years had been a member of the British Ornithologists' Union, passed away, after a long and painful illness, on the 11th November last, at the age of seventy. By profession an artist, he devoted his talents more specially to the delineation of Animal Life, and painted chietiy sporting and Natural History subjects. The illustrations in the late E. Booth's i Rough Notes on Birds, &c.' were executed by him, as were also several plates for Dresser's ' Birds of Europe.' Neale was devoted to his art, and continued his work even when seriously ill and confined to his bed, while he bore his sufferings with the greatest fortitude. rn THE IBIS. EIGHTH SERIES. No. XVIII. APRIL 1905. XIII. — An Oological Journey to Russia. By H. E. Dresser. Being anxious to obtain certain further details respecting European oology, I decided to visit Finland and Russia during last spring, and to examine several of the largest egg- collections in those countries. I left Hull for Helsingfors on the 18th of May and arrived on the 23rd, having stayed for half a day at Copenhagen on the way. At Helsingfors I at once looked up my old friend Professor Palmen ; but the series of eggs in the Museum there is not large and con- tains little of interest, though Mr. I. A. Sandman, an old corre^ spondent of mine, has a very good collection, which I spent the best part of a day in inspecting. He has collected in various parts of Finland, and has several clutches of the eggs of Emberiza rustica taken in North-East Finland, besides speci- mens of those of Cuculus canorus from nests of Saxicola oenanthe, Ruticilla phcenicurus, Fringilla moniifringilla, Turdus pilaris, and Anthus cervinus. After spending three days at Helsingfors I went to Tammefors to visit Dr. Hougberg, who has, perhaps, the largest oological collection in Finland. His country-house is beautifully situated on a well-wooded tongue of land jutting out into the lake, and in most of ser. viii. — vol. v. M 150 Mr. H. E. Dresser — An the trees he has placed nesting-boxes, which have been well tenanted ; several have been occupied by Muscicapa atricapilla. Dr. Hougberg's collection is especially rich in eggs taken in Finland and in varieties. It contains twenty clutches of eggs of Aquila chrysa'etus, some of which shew exceptionally fine coloration. Amongst the varieties in the collection I noticed a clutch of eggs of Sti'epsilas interpres very richly marked on a pale grey ground, another of Numenius phaopus, recalling certain eggs of Larus canus in general character, a third of Limosa lapponica very slightly spotted on a pale greenish-grey ground, and two eggs of Grus communis, unusually darkly marked on a greenish ground. On the 27th of May I left Dr. Hougberg's hospitable quarters to visit Mr. Schoultz, arriving at Humppela after a journey of five hours by rail. Mr. Schoultz's collection has been chiefly formed by himself in Finland, and he was, I believe, the first oologist who found the Rustic Bunting breeding in the north-east of that country. He shewed me on the map the exact localities where the bird has been met with in the breeding-season, and offered, if I could spare a fortnight, to take me to find a nest or two, but, unfortunately, I could not accept his kind proposal. In his collection I saw a clutch of four eggs of Nucifraga caryocatactes taken in Fin- land between Raumo and Nystad, a clutch of four of those of Tringa minuta from Utsjoki, one unspotted egg of Co/ymbus arcticus and one only slightly spotted on a greyish-blue- green ground. Besides these there were several very well- marked clutches of eggs of Phylloscopus sibilatrix taken in Finland, many fine varieties of those of Falco cesalon, one particularly dark clutch of those of Emberisa rustica, and several eggs of Saxicola cenanthe and Muscicapa atricapilla finely but distinctly dotted with red. In the collection were a good many eggs obtained in exchange from other parts of Europe, but none of them were of much value, and some seemed to me rather doubtful. After spending a couple of days with Mr. Schoultz, I travelled on to Wiborg to pass a short time with my old friend Mr. W. Hackman, arriving there on the 29th of May. I Oological Journey to Russia. 151 found Mr. Hackman at his country-seat of Hertuala, a lovely place on the shore of the Saima Lake, where I lived when I first visited Finland as a lad in 1856. I intended to stay there at least a week, but on the following day I received a telegram from Dr. Bianchi asking me to come to St. Peters- burg as soon as possible, as he was starting almost at once for a trip in the country, so I arranged to leave by the night- train on the 1st of June. At Hertuala I visited several of the places 1 formerly knew so well, when I spent the whole of the summer there in 1856 and collected birds and eggs. The old tree in which I then found the Great Black Woodpecker breeding was still standing, with several more holes in it, but I did not see the birds. The gardener, however, told me that they were there in the previous year, but that he had not observed them since. Oriolus galbula still frequents the gardens, as do many other birds I used to see when formerly in the district. On my arrival at St. Petersburg I went at once to the Museum, where I found Dr. Bianchi, who was most friendly, and afforded me every facility. He had looked out all the eggs obtained on the Taimyr Peninsula and the New Siberian Islands, so that I could examine them at my ease, and among them I was able, for the first time, to examine authentic eggs of the Knot {Tringa canutm), obtained by the late Dr. Walter. Dr. Walter's assistant was in St. Petersburg at the time, so Dr. Bianchi sent for him in order that I might learn further particulars from his own lips. I ascertained from him that only one clutch of three eggs of Tringa canutus, No. 70 (cf. Ibis, 1904, p. 233), obtained by Dr. Walter, was thoroughly authenticated, by the parent bird being shot on leaving the nest. These specimens agreed well with the de- scription which I translated and gave in ' The Ibis/ as above quoted. Of the eggs of Calidris arenaria there were several clutches not shewing any great variation, besides several of Tringa subarquata obtained by Dr. Walter, all resembling those found by Mr. H. L. Popham and figured by Prof. Newton (P. Z. S. 1897, pi. li. figs. 1-4). Amongst them were several beautiful varieties. 152 Mr. H. E. Dresser — An I ascertained that Mr. R. Goebel's collection, which was offered to Prof. Newton and myself, had found a home in the Museum, and as it was said to contain two clutches of eggs of Tringa subar quota, which we supposed to be referable to Tringa striata, 1 examined and compared them with those obtained by Dr. Walter. One of them is, I believe, un- doubtedly correct, but the other is not, and the egg more nearly resembles certain specimens of that of Calidris arenaria. In the Museum I also examined the following eggs : — Of the Pheasants those of Phasianus persicus, P. strauchi, P. mongolicus, P. tarimensis, P. chrysomelas, and P. principalis, all resembling those of Phasianus colchicus, though those of P. tarimensis were rather rufous in tinge, and those of P. chrysomelas were rather greyish. Three eggs of Grus nigricollis were of the usual Crane-type, though very dark, but the others were paler. Wild-taken specimens of the eggs of Grus leucogeranus elosely resembled those laid in the aviary at Lilford Hall, but the markings were rather more purple in tinge. Eggs of Tetraophasis obscurus were creamy white with pale rufous spots or nearly obsolete markings ; in general appear- ance they resembled those of Tetrao urogallus, but were paler. Eggs of Perdix sifanica resembled those of Perdix cinerea, some being greyer and others more rufous. Eggs of Ithaginis sinensis from Szechuen were creamy white, with rich blackish surface-spots and blotches. Eggs of Ciconia boyciana were all like those of Ciconia alba, but were, if anything, a trifle larger. Eggs of Podoces hendersoni were pale greenish grey, finely spotted with pale rufous, and recalled some varieties of those of Tardus viscivorus. Eggs of Podoces pleskii obtained by Mr. Zarudny were pale greenish grey, with pale dull brownish spots, generally spread over the surface, and recalled some varieties of those of Lanius excubitor. Eggs of Merula kessleri were pale greenish grey with a bluish tinge, some darker, some paler, spotted all over the Oologicul Journey to Russia. 153 surface with small wood-brown spots ; they much resembled those of Tardus meruit/. Eggs of Melanocorypha maxima resembled those of Melano- corypha calandra, but were larger and darker. Eggs of Melanocorypha mongolica collected by Prjevalski were of the Calandra type, and one clutch had dull wood- brown spots, almost confluent at the larger end. Eggs of Lusciniola armandi were white, with pale red spots, and somewhat resembled those of certain Titmice, but the spots were paler. 'Eggs of Acroceji/ialus agricola obtained by Mr. Zarudny were greenish white, closely marked with dark greenish brown. Eggs of Calliope tschebaievi were very pale uniform blue, unmarked. All the eggs of Babax lanceolatas were of a rich dark blue, darker iu tone than those of Accentor /nodularis, and unspotted. Eggs of Bucanetes mongolicus were white, with a faint bluish tinge, sparingly dotted at the larger end with black. Eggs of Montifringilla davidiana were, like all the eggs of Montifringilla and Leucosticte which I have seen, pure white, and measured about 20 by 11 mm. Only one clutch of the eggs of Pterorhinus davidi was in the Museum ; these were pale blue, marked with small black spots and with a wreath of black scratches and wavy lines round the larger end. Two eggs of Trochaloplerum ellioti from Kan-su resembled the foregoing, but were much less marked. Synthliborhamphus antiquus deposits two eggs in a hole in the ground, which, as shown by von Schrenck (' Vogel des Amur-Landes/ Taf. xvi. figs. 2, 3), are dissimilar, one being pale olive-brown sparsely spotted with underlying lilac-grey and dull brown surface-spots, the other having the ground- colour pale greyish clay or creamy, not olive-brown. I had not time to examine any birds, and not even all the eggs that I wished to see, as Dr. Bianchi was obliged to leave St. Petersburg on the 4th of June, but he shewed me a 154 Mr. H. E. Dresser— An series of skins of Koslowia (Leucosticte) roborowskii and Otocorys teleschoivi, both excellent species, and also three specimens of Emberiza koslowi from Tibet. I spent an evening after leaving the Museum with Mr. Alfaraki, and another with Mr. H. Goebel, and the latter shewed me a collection of eggs made in the Minsinsk Dis- trict, Yenesei Government, Siberia, between the head-waters of the Yenesei and Irkutsk, which I eventually purchased, as it contained those of several species which I wanted, amongst them being clutches of Carpodacus rosens, Uragus sibiricus, Motacilla leucopsis, and Emberiza aureola, with the nests ; and eggs of Falco amurensis, Tardus obscurus, Muscicapa luteola, Anthus richardi, Gallinago megala, Galli- nago solitaria, Grus monachus, and so forth. I spent some time also with Dr. Bianchi in the new Museum, where the arrangements are excellent. The cases, about nine feet square or more, shewing birds in their haunts, with all the surroundings carefully reproduced, are especially fine, as are also the larger cases with groups of the Urus, Wild Horse, and Wild Camel; but the gem of the collection is the huge plate-glass case containing the last- obtained specimen of the Mammoth, stuffed, with all the surroundings carefully reproduced as they were found. The skeleton is set up close by, and iu another case are the stomach, intestines, &c, which have all been carefully preserved. After calling to see some old friends in the town, I left St. Petersburg on the 4th of June for Wesenberg, in Esthonia, to visit Mr. Buturlin, the well-known Russian ornithologist and traveller, arriving there the next morning. That day and the following we spent in looking at the birds in his collection, and he then proposed that we should visit some .small islands in the Gulf of Finland. We accordingly started early the next morning for Kunda, a little port, where we arrived before noon, and called on Mr. StepanofT, the chief of the Customs, who made us very welcome and offered us his steam-launch. After an early dinner he and two other friends joined us, and we all started for the largest Oological Journey to Russia. 155 island, Goft, where birds are most plentiful. Onourarriva we found a dozen fishermen who had been camping there for three days, and as they had evidently been living to a large extent on eggs (judging from the quantity of shells near their camp-fire), none were left, though we saw many birds. This island was about three-quarters of a mile long, rocky and sandy, with a few bushes in the middle. Here we saw a pair of Greenshanks which had evideutly been nesting, but of course we found no eggs. We then went to the second and rather smaller island some distance away. This was also composed of sand and heavy stones, with grass and low bushes in many places, and here we found jEgialitis hiaticula, Strepsilas interpres, Motacilla alba, CEdemia fusca, Sterna jluviatilis, Larus canus, and Larus cachinnans, many of them with eggs. Altogether there are three uninhabited islands in the group, but we did not visit the third and smallest, as we returned to Kunda for supper. The next day we spent in skinning the birds and blowing the eggs that we had obtained at the Goft Islands ; in the evening we returned to Wesenberg. Mr. Buturlin is not an egg- collector, but he had a small collection which had been made at the mouth of the Petchora River by a young naval officer, Mr. Novosilltzeff, out of which he kindly gave me a clutch of eggs of Squatarola helvetica and two eggs of Cygnus bewicki. Baron Harald Loudon had invited us to spend a few days at his place in Livonia, so we left Wesenberg on the evening of the 10th of June and arrived at Wolmar early the next morning. Here we had a pleasant drive of about two hours through a pretty and well-wooded country to Lisden, the Baron's estate, in his carriage, a regular Russian equipage with four horses abreast. Baron Loudon has travelled much in Trauscaspia and Central Asia, and has a very large and rich collection of Palsearctic bird-skins and one room filled with mounted birds, while there are horns in most of the sitting-rooms. The Baron has an interesting- collection of photographs taken by himself on his journeys and a considerable number of curiosities of various kinds. 156 Mr. H. E. Dresser— An The weather was very fine, so we spent part of the day out of doors, where we saw Buteo zimmcrmamtce, Coracias garrulus , and many other more common birds ; Carpodacus erythrinus is often seen in the garden, but we did not observe it there. The Baron had a small egg-collection, but there was not much in it of interest to me, except a few eggs from Trans- caspia, any of which, he told me, I could have. I selected several, and amongst them was one of Gecinus flavirostris, which I believe is the only authentic specimen known, for when Messrs. Loudon and Zarudny met with this Woodpecker all the nests contained young birds, except one, in which an addled egg was found : this was not discoloured and they were able to blow it. The next day we visited a wood about six miles distant, where we saw a nest of Aquila pomarina, which was not presently tenanted, though we noticed a pair of the birds. We also saw several Buzzards' nests and one of a Goshawk. When crossing a deep wide ditch in a wood a bird flew out nearly under our feet and the Baron shot it; it proved to be a female Bed wing {Turdus iliacus). The nest was in a depression or shallow hole in the side of the ditch and contained five incubated eggs, four of which I was able to blow. The nest was at the foot of a tiny spruce sapling about a foot high. In another wood we found a Blizzard's nest in a high pine- tree, so the keeper went and brought back a boy, who climbed the tree and found that the nest contained two young birds in down and one egg. As the Buzzards here are supposed to be Buteo zimmermann OS y. -^ •Si s S* o ^ s> R ^S 11 ju .a « ho CD K ej 00 a> Q > o o — H i* ^ «n o O CO cq ^Hfi s -* ^SP CO fcb ex 3 >H • . pq < "M >° 1^ 1 - >"■ >>'*+ t-s I-H a5 ,r o K" >H fH •"s - eg / PC i> :&q • f. -. t ; P* — ; ec ci o — H o f^ ,£5 0) o o i* • !* - • . F< C cS 1-9 00 © > H >• CO o CQ [ cr.' Ol ® », 2 -w O O OB po a — O P^ c .1 a -m . _, fl" a- eS !< S.h • ^ * '5 > -*- -: = t^5 as - T3 ^ ■5 K i3 ft« S " S C 3j « £ OB fr q H -g _ S ,2 s-^-^^2^ 0.22.FJ CO -a o >— r-B DC S £ >? F »^» S-5 » » g S 2 3 go '^PhOOP^SPhCOcoHohhP^ South-eastern Sierra Leone. 215 For their kindly assistance in naming the skins that I have brought home and in giving me useful information as to what birds to look for more particularly, I have to thank both Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Captain Shelley. [Considering the number of years that Sierra Leone has been a British Protectorate, it is somewhat surprising that so little has been done towards a history of its Fauna, and Mr. Kemp's contribution is very welcome. Sir Edward Sabine procured examples of a few species of birds from this district (such as Chaunonotus sabinei), and Louis Fraser obtained a few others, such as Pitta pulih. Sundevall de- scribed in 1849 the collection made by Professor Adam Afzelius sixty years before, and a few specimens collected by Dr. Clarke were sent to Mr. Samuel Stevens, and were mostly purchased by the late Marquis of Tweeddale, though some passed into the collections of Captain Shelley and myself. The Avifauna of the adjoining .Republic of Liberia has been so effectively worked out by Dr. Biittikofer that it is highly necessary that we should have an equal knowledge of the birds of Sierra Leone, and Mr. Kemp has certainly made an interesting commencement of this task. — R. B. S.] 1. Francolinus lathami. Francolinus lathami Hartl. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxii. p. 139 (1893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 23 (1899) ; Reichen. Vdg. Afrikas, i. p. 498 (1901). Bo, June 1904. Irides dark brown ; bill and claws black ; feet chrome-yellow. This is a rare species in the Sierra Leone district. 2. Francolinus ahantensis. Francolinus ahantensis Temm. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxii. p. 171 (1893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 25 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 470 (1901). Rotifunk, October 1902. Feet scarlet. This is quite a scarce bird. Of nearly a hundred Francolins which I have been able to handle, one only was of this red- legged species, all the rest being F. thornii, which has green legs. q 2 216 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of 3. Francolinus thorxii. Francolinus thornei Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 22 (1902). Bo : June, August, September, October 1903. Irides dark hazel ; bill yellow, with black culmen ; feet yellowish olive- green ; claws brownish ; eyelids dull yellow. An immature chick was procured at Bo in January 1904. This Francolin is common and resident throughout the year. It frequently perches on trees and bushes when flushed from the railway-line. The eggs are often found by the natives while gathering the rice in December and January, and are always two in number. The natives say that there is one nesting-period only, though the state of immaturity of many specimens shot by our men scarcely corroborates this. A hen shot on the 30th of September proved on examination to contain a well-developed egg. Some of our white staff allege that there are three seasons of breeding in the course of the year, judging by the birds which they have shot. 4. VlNAGO SHARPII. Vinago sharpei Reichenow, Orn. MB. x. p. 45 (1902). A series of skins from Rotifunk and Bo. Bill pale horn- coloured ; bare face scarlet ; irides blue ; feet yellow. This bird never flies to the ground, and it is stated by the natives here that it will break off a twig purposely to walk down it to the ground if no branch be available. Its principal food consists of a berry which grows in great quantities and goes by the name of " Christmas- seed." Captive Pigeons of this species, which I have kept, have invariably died in a few days. 5. TURTU1UEXA IRIDITORQUES. Turturoena iriditorques (Cass.) ; Salvad. Cat. B. xxi. p. 327 (x893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 73 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 419 (1901). Moyamba, 1902. Quite a scarce and little-known species with us. 6. Streptopelia semitorquata. Streptopelia semitorquata (Riipp.) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 78 (1899). South-eastern Sierra Leone. 217 Tartar semitorquatus Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 409 (1901). This Pigeon is resident throughout the year and very common. At times it assembles in large flocks of from thirty to forty birds. 7. CHALCOPELIA Al'KA. Chalcopelia afra (C.) ; Salvad. Cat. B. xxi. p. 506 (1893); Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 83 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 426 (1901). Bo, June 1902. Quite a common Dove here. 8. Tympanistria tympanistria. Tympanistria tympanistria (Ternra. & Knip) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 83 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 424 (1901). Very plentiful and resident throughout the year. The natives frequently snare these Doves, many of which I have caged, but always with ill-success, as they have invariably died within three or four months of their capture. 9. Chalcopelia puella. Chalcopelia puella (Schl.) ; Salvad. Cat. B. xxi. p. 523 (1893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 84 (1899) ; Reicben. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 423 (1901). Bo, July 1904. Iris black ; bill greenish horn-coloured ; nostrils nink ; feet crimson. This Dove is very rare here. 10. Sarothrura bonapartii. Sarothrura bonapartei (Hartl.); Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 103 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 290 (1900). J . Bo, August 1904. Irides brown ; upper mandible dark slate-coloured, lower mandible bluish slate-coloured; feet aud claws lavender-blue, inclining to slate-coloured. [The single specimen sent by Mr. Kemp has lost its tail, which makes identification difficult (cf. Sharpe, Cat. B. xxiii. p. 115, 1894), but I believe that I am right in ascribing it to S. bonapartei. Being a Crake, and therefore difficult to procure under any circumstances, it can well be believed 218 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of that this species occurs throughout West Africa, and yet may have escaped the notice of many collectors. — R. B. S.] 11. Tringoides hypoleucus. Tringoides hypoleucus (L.) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 161 (1899); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 224 (1900). Rotifunk, November 1902. Bo, October 1903. 12. Gallinago gallinago. Gallinago gallinago (L.) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 165 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 237 (1900). Bo, January 1901. Feet dirty whitish olive. 13. Plegadis falcinellus. Plegadis falcinellus (L.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 25 (1898) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 187 (1899). Plegadis autumnalis (Hasselq.); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 329 (1901). An immature bird from Mano, on the Taia River, 1902. 14. Ardea cinerea. Ardea cinerea L. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 194 (1898); id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 194 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 379 (1901). Bo, 1904. 15. BUTORIDES ATRICAPILLA. Butorides atricapilla (Afzel.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 172 (1898); id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 199(1899); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 370 (1901). Rotifunk, October 1902. Bo, June 1904. 16. TlGRORXIS LEUCOLOPHA. Tigrornis leucolopha (Jard.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 191 (1898) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 200 (1899). Tigrisoma leucolophum Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 365 (1901). Rotifunk, November 1902. An immature bird in the downy state was brought in alive by natives. South-eastern Sierra Leone. 219 17. DENDROCYCNA V1DUATA. Dendrocyyna viduata (L.) j Salvad. Cat. B. xxvii. p. 142 (1898); Sharpe, Haud-1. B.i. p. 214 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 124 (1900). Rotifimk, November 1902. At Rotifunk this Tree-Duck was plentiful. 18. Phalacrocokax africanus. Phalacrocorax africanus (Gm.) ; Grant, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 407 (1898) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 234 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 93 (1900). Rotifunk, November 1902. Bo, April 1901. 19. Plotus rufus. Plotus rufus Daud. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 412 (1898) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 236 (1899). Anhinga rufa Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, i. p. 95 (1900). Rotifunk, November 1902. 20. POLYBOROIDES TYPICUS. Pohjboroides typicus Smith ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 48 (1874) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 244 (4899); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 531 (1901). Moyamba, August 1902. Iris, bill, and claws black; feet and face lemon-yellow: bare skin round the nostrils pale violet flesh-coloured. Bo, May and August 1903 and February 1904. Gerihun, August 1903. The specimen obtained in February was found robbing, one after another, the nests of Hyphantornis cucullatus, inserting its bill into each nest. While acting thus the Hawk is able to hover without using its feet, after the manner of a H umming-bird. 21. ASTUR MACROSCELIDES. Astur castanilius pt. Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 248 (1899). Astur tachiro castanilius Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 554 (1901). An adult bird from Mission Creek, Rotifunk, June 1902. 220 Mr. II. Kemp on the Birds of Two young birds from Bo, February and April 1904. Iris bluish grey and lemon-yellow ; bill and claws black ; cere, orbit, and feet lemon-yellow. 22. AsTUR SPHENURUS. Astur sphenurus (Rupp.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 112 (1874) : id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 249 (1899); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 557 (1901). Bo, January and February 1904. Irides, eyelids, and feet chrome-yellow ; cere chrome-yellow ; bill bluish slate- coloured, blue-black at tip ; claws black. 23. ACCIPITER BUETTIKOFERI. Accipiter buettikoferi Sharpe, Notes Leyden Mus. x. p. 199 (1888) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 253 (1899). Accipiter hartlaubi Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, i. p. 564 (1901). Bo, May 1903. Irides crimson ; eyelids, cere, eyebrows, and feet scarlet-orange; claws bluish black. Bo, March and May 1904. This is not an uncommon Hawk here, but is far less fre- quently seen than Asturinula monogrammica. Two obtained on the 5th of May were an undoubted pair, and were com- mencing to build in a large cottonwood-tree on the outskirts of the town at that date. The hen, upon dissection, proved to be almost ready to lay. Onlv a few specimens of this Hawk seem to have been obtained hitherto, viz. by Buttikofer in Liberia. Its occur- rence therefore at Bo, which is about a hundred miles from the Liberiau frontier, considerably extends its known range. 24. Asturinula monogrammica. Asturinula monogrammica (Temm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i p. 275 (1874) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 264 (1899). Kaupifalco monogrammicus Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 547 (1901). Rotifunk, April 1902. Irides dark amber ; beak and claws black ; eyelids, cere, and feet orange. Bo : May, June, and July 1903. Very plentiful. South-eastern Sierra Leone. 221 25. (tVPOHIERAX angolensis. Gypuhiera.t' angolensis (Gra.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 312 (1874) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 267 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 603 (1901). Moyamba, August 1902. 26. MlLVUS /EGYPTIUS. Milvus (Bgyptius (Gm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 320(1874): id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 268 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 609 (1901). Bo, May and September 1903. Irides dark hazel ; cere, eyelids, and feet deep chrome-yellow ; claws black. In the Mendi folk-lore, of which there is a good supply, this bird is reputed to have once seized a native baby, and as a punishment to have been condemned to remain always on the wing. This story, coupled with its liking for fowls, makes it very unpopular, and if one falls to the gun, every child, boy and girl alike, runs up to beat the bird soundly. In a village quite a crowd will collect to punish the bird thus. 27. Elanus c^eruleus. Elanus car idem (Desf.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 336 (1874) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 269 (1899); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 615 (1901). Rotifunk, November 1902. This Hawk is not plentiful at Bo, but is more abundant at Rotifunk, while further towards the coast in the neigh- bourhood of Freetown it is common. 28. Baza cuculoides. Baza cuculoides (Sw.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 354 (1874) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 271 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 618 (1901). ? . Bo, October 1904. Irides and feet deep chrome- yellow ; beak and claws black : cere and eyelids dull yellow. 29. Huhua POENSIS. Bubo poensis Fraser ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 42 (1875); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 657 (1901). Huhua poensis Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 284 (1899) Mano, on the Taia River, January 1904. 222 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of 30. Bubo leucostictus. Bubo leucostictus Hartl. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 41 (1875) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 658 (1901)- Huhua leucosticta Sharpe, Hand-]. B. i. p. 281 (1899). Mano, on the Taia River, January 1904. 31. Scops leucotis. Scops leucotis (Temm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 97 (1875) : id. Hand-]. B. i. p. 287 (1899). Asio leucotis Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 661 (1901). Hangha, April 190-1, immature. Beak, feet, and claws whitish slate-blue ; eyes black, with a golden ring. 32. Syrnium nuchale. Syrnium nuchale Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 294 (1875); id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 294 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 670 (1901). Rotifunk, September 1902. Ho, May 1903 and March and June 1904. This is quite a common Owl, and is often caught alive by the natives. 33. Strix maculata. Stria; maculata Brchm, Naum. 1858, p. 220. Si rix flammea L. pt. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. ii. p. 290 (1875) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 300 (1899). Strix flammea maculata Brehm ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. ]». 676 (1901). Rotifunk, September 1902. This specimen was brought in alive by natives and lived four weeks in captivity. 34. CORACIAS SENEGALENSIS. Coracias senegalensis (Gm.) ; Reichen. Orn. MB. 1899, p. 191 ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 46 (1900). Coracias abyssinicus senegalensis Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 221 (1902). Kommendi, February 1904. 35. EuRYSTOMUS AFER. Eurystomus afer (Lath.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 30 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 47 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 228 (1902). South-eastern Sierra Leone. 223 Rotifunk, April and July 1902. Iris nearly black ; bill bright yellow ; feet flesh-coloured ; claws dark. Bo, January and February 1904. Tikonko, February 1901. 36. EURYSTOMUS GULARIS. Eurystomus gularis Vieill. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 32 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 47 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 231 (1902). Bo, May 1903. Quite a rare bird. 37. Alcedo quadribrachys. Alcedo quadribrachys Bp. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 157 (1892); id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 51 (1900); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 293 (1902). Rotifunk, 1902 ; brought in alive by a native. 38. CORYTHORNIS CYANOSTIGMA. Corythomis cyanostiyma (Riipp.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 167 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 52 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 289 (1902). Rotifunk, 1902 ; brought in alive by a native. 39. ISPIDINA PICTA. Ispidina picta (Bodd.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 191 (1892); id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 54 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 286 (1902). Rotifunk, 1902. Iris black ; bill, feet, and claws vermilion. Bo, April and May 1904. 40. Halcyon forbesi. Halcyon forbesi Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 247, pi. vi. fig. 2 (1892); id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 57 (1900). Halcyon torquatus forbesi Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 280 (1902). Irides nearly black; upper mandible scarlet; lower mandible and claws black ; feet scarlet. 224 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of 41. Halcyon senegalensis. Halcyon senegalensis (L.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 242 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 57 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 282 (1902). A series of skins from Rotifunk and Bo. Iris dark brown ; upper mandible scarlet ; lower mandible, feet, and claws black. Very common and known as the " Telegraph-bird," from its habit of perching on the telegraph-wire. It is resident throughout the year. 42. Halcyon semicjeruleus. Halcyon semicceruleus (Forst.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 232 (1892); id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 57 (1900); Reichen. Vug. Afrikas, ii. p. 276 (1902). Baoraa, January 1904. Eyes black ; bill and feet scarlet; claws black. Jagbamah, February 1904. Bo, February and March 1904. This species is not so common as H. senegalensis. 43. Ceratogymna elata. Ceratogymiia data (Temm.) ; Grant, Cat. B. xvii. p. 388 (1892) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 66 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 238 (1902). Moyamba, 1902. 44. Lophoceros SEMIFASCIATUS. Lophoceros semifasciatus (Hartl.) ; Grant, Cat. B. xvii. p. 401 (1892) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 67 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 247 (1902). A series of skins from Rotifunk (1902) and Bo (1903). Resident throughout the year and common in some localities. 45. Melittophagus pusillus. Melittophagus pusillus (P. L. S. Mull.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 47 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 72 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 305 (1902). Rotifunk, April 1902. Very uncommon. South-eastern Sierra Leone. 225 46. Melittophagus gularis. Melittophagus gularis Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 51 (1892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 73 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 312 (1902). Tikonko, February. Irides scarlet ; bill black ; feet and claws dark slate-coloured. Bo: February, March, April, May, and August. These Bee-eaters leave the country in May, and return about the middle of August in more ragged plumage than when they are departing. They are not nearly so numerous as Merops albicollis, but still they are common. 47. Merops albicollis. Merops albicollis Yieill.; Sharpe, Cat. B. xvii. p. 76 (1 892) ; id. Hand-1. B. ii. p. 74 (1900). Aerops albicollis Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 317 (1902). Rotif unk, March 1902. Irides blood-red ; bill black ; feet greenish. Bo, January 1904. This is the commonest of our Bee-eaters, and can generally be seen in considerable numbers about every town. It leaves in April, flocking after the manner of Swallows, and returns again in November, being away daring the entire rainy season. 48. Macrodiptervx loxgipennis. Macrodipteryx longipennis (Shaw); Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 74 (1900). Macrodipteryx macro dipt erics Afzel. ; Hartert, Cat. B. xvi. p. 594 (1892) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 370 (1902). Bo, June 1903 and January 1904. Iris black. When at rest the plumes of the f ull-pluinaged cock lie flat upon the ground at the side of the tail aud extend beyond it, and do not, as has been supposed by some authors, stand up more or less vertically or stick out at right angles to the plane of the wing. Similarly, when the birds are soaring in the air the feathers point backwards, but when the birds are actually flying and beating with the wing the streamers bend upwards and flutter and flap about above the bird. 226 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of 49. SCOTORNIS CLIMACURUS. Scotornis climacurus Vieill. ; Hartert, Cat. B. xvi. p. 594 (1892) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 82 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 368 (1902). Rotifunk, 1902. Bo, September 1903, January and July 1904. The natives will on no account handle any Nightjar, looking upon them as " devil-birds/'' and stoutly aver that sickness will come upon them or their relatives if they so much as utter this bird's name. 50. TURACUS BUFFONI. Turacus buffoni Vieill. ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 438 (1891^ : Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 152 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 55 (1902). Bo: May, June, and October 1903, and March 1904. Irides dark hazel; bill dull blood-red; orbit scarlet; feet and claws black. This Touraco probably breeds in May and June, as a hen obtained in the latter month contained in its ovary an almost fully developed egg. 51. Turacus macro rhynchus. Turacus macrorhynchus (Eraser) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 441 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 153 (19001; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 48 (190.2). Moyamba, July 1902. 52. CORYTH^OLA CRISTATA. Corythteola cristata (Vieill.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 449 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 154 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 26 (1902). Moyamba, 1902. 53. SCHIZORHIS AFRICANA. Schizorhis africana (Lath.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 450 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 155 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 30 (1902). Bo, September 1903. Bill chrome-yellow. South-eastern Sierra Leone. 227 54. COCCYSTKS CAFER. Coccystes cafer (Licht.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 221 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 156 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 76 (1902). Bo : January, February, and March 1904. Bill and claws black j feet bluish slate-coloured. Mano, February 1904. 55. Cuculus CLAMOSUS. Cuculus clamosus Lath. ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 260 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 159 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 86 (1902). Bo, May and August 1903. Irides very dark hazel. 56. Chrysococcyx cupreus. Clmjsococcyx cupreus (Bodcl.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 285 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 161 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 94 (1902). <$ . Bo, August 1904. Irides and eyelids coral-vermilion ; upper mandible nearly black, lower mandible flesh-coloured ; feet and claws bluish slate-coloured. 57. Centropus senegalensis. Centropus senegalensis (L.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 360 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 168 (1900) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 58 (1902). A series of skins from Rotif unk and Bo. Irides crimson ; bill, feet, and claws black. Resident throughout the year and without doubt the most common bird of its size. The natives say that it places snakes round its nest to keep away intruders. 58. Ceuthmochares flavirostris. Ceuthmo chares flavirostris (Swains.) ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 401 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 172 (1900); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 72 (1902). Rotif unk, June 1902. Bill, face, and eyelids bright yellow; iris blood-red; feet blue-black. Bo, June 1903 and April 1904. 228 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of 59. Barbatula scolopacea. Barbatula scolopacea (Temra.) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 182 (1900); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 144 (1902). Bo, July and August 1903. Irides golden; bill black; feet and claws dark slate-coloured. Bo, March 1904. 60. TrACHYL^MUS GOFF1N1. Trachyphonus goffini Schl. ; Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 106. Trachylcemus goffini (Schl.) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 187 (1900) ; Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, ii. p. 160 (1902). £ . Bo, March 1904. Eyes dark crimson; bill deep chrome; feet and claws bluish slate-coloured. 61. Dendromus maculosus. Campotliera maculosa (Val.) ; Hargitt, Cat. B. xviii. p. 104 (1890) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 206 (1900). Dendromus maculosus Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 170 (1902). Rotifunk and Bo. 62. Dendromus xivosus. Campotliera nivosa (Sw.) ; Hargitt, Cat. B. xviii. p. 108 (1890) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 207 (1900). Be ml 'ramus nivosus Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, ii. p. 169 (1902). Rotifunk (1902) and Bo (1904). 63. Mesopicus pyrrhogastek. Mesopicus pyrrhogaster (Malh.) ; Hargitt, Cat. B. xviii. p. 373 (1890) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 223(1900) ; Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, ii. p. 183 (1902). Rotifunk, August 1902. 64. Dendropicus lugubris. Dendropicus lugubris Hartl.; Hargitt, Cat. B. xviii. p. 305 ^1890) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 218 (1900) ; Reichen. Yog. Afrikas, ii. p. 200 (1902). Tikonko, February 1901. 65. Pitta pulih. Pitta angolensis (nee V.) ; Sclater, Cat. B. xiv. p. 422 (1888); Sharpe, Hand-1. B. iii. p. 180 (1901) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 390 (1903). South-eastern Sierra Leone. 229 Pitta pulih Fraser ; Finsch, Notes Leydeu Mus. xxii. p. 211 (1903). Bo: February j July, and August 1904. Iris black; bill brown ; feet and claws pinkish flesh-coloured. The Timaue name of this bird is " Umpuhli," which signifies a " voluble talker." The Mendi name is " Sek- wondi." It is a common species, frequently heard, but seldom seen. 66. DlAPHOROPHYIA CASTANEA. Diaphorophyia castanea (Fras.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. iv. p. 140 (1879); id. Hand-1. B. iii. p. 245 (1901) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 490 (1903). Tikonko, February 1901. Eye-wattles dirty dark red. 67. Diaphorophyia blissetti. Diaphorophyia blissetti Sharpe, Cat. B. iv. p. 141 (1879) ; id. Hand-1. B. iii. p. 245 (1901) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 492 (1903). Bo, April 1904. Iris and bill black ; eyelids bright cobalt-blue ; feet slate-coloured. 68. Platystira cyanea. Platystira cyanea (P. L. S. Mull.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. iv. p. 145 (1879); id. Hand-1. B. iii. p. 246 (1901) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 488 (1903). Rotifunk, November 1902 69. Bias musicus. Bias musicus (V.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. iv. p. 142 (1879) ; id. Hand-1. B. iii. p. 246 (1901); Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, ii. p. 469 (1903). Bo : May and June 1903, February 1904. Irides and feet lemon-yellow ; bill and claws black. 70. TcHITREA NIGRICEPS. Terpsiphone nigriceps (Hartl.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. iv. p. 359 (1879) ; id. Hand-1. B iii. p. 265 (1901). Tchitrea nigriceps Reichen. V6g. Afrikas, ii. p. 511 (1903). SER. VIII. VOL. V. R 230 Mr. R. Kemp on the Birds of . 119 (1904) ; Shelley, B. Africa, iv. pt. 1, p. 167 (1905). A series of skins from Rotifunk and Bo. These are the most numerous Manikins and are resi- dent here throughout the year. In the rainy season they arc frequent companions of S. bicolor, Estrilcla Occident a lis, E. sutflava, and the hens and young cocks of Vidua principalis. The nests are more or less spherical, built from the middle of August to February in small thick bushes, bananas, lime-trees, the palm-leafed roofs of huts, or any other convenient place, and usually contain five eggs of a dirty white. During the rains the birds roost in their nests. Oftentimes a nest will be packed with five or six of them, which can be captured at night with a butterfly-net and a lantern. 122. Spermestes bicolor. Spermestes bicolor (Fraser) ; Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, iii. p. 151 (1904); Shelley, B. Africa, iv. pt. 1, p. 162 (1905). A series from Bo. Bill lavender-blue ; eyes, feet, and claws black. Resident throughout the year and a frequent companion of Spermestes cucullatus, spending the ,day in the rice-farm clearings. At Rotifunk I never observed these Manikins, whilst at Bo and its neighbourhood they are common. 123. Hypargus schlegeli. Hypargos sclile 20 > Tropic of Cancer Capeverd » | I? .»• C.Verd ^ C.SVRoque SOUTH aJtios AMERICA r* AsceiudonL GUINEA ' Martzsis Vbux,P. RIO DE JANEIRO- Wolfish B\ Tropic of Capri corn tfl In taccssiblel. Omjiqhl. Outline Map showing the position of Govgh Island. Birds of Govgk Island. 249 miles W. by S. of the Cape of Good Hope and about 2000 miles N. by E. of Cape Horn ; and, with the Tristan da Cunha group, which lie over 200 miles to the north- wards, is among the most remote of all Oceanic islands. It is small and uninhabited; of volcanic origin; from seven to eight miles long, and from three to four wide ; and is lofty, rising to a height of 4380 feet. The island has been but little visited, except by sealers, Avho, in days gone by, found it worthy of their attention ; and the ' Scotia's ' party were the first naturalists who have ever set foot upon its fastnesses. I greatly regret that owing to Mr. Bruce's breakdown in health his notes are not available for incorporation here, but I have to thank his colleagues, Dr. Harvey Pirie and Mr. R. N. Rudmose Brown, for the following description of the island, and also, with Mr. D. W. Wilton, for other valuable information : — " Gough Island rises on every side abruptly from the ocean in sheer precipices several hundred feet high. The general aspect of the island, as seen from ship-board, is very beautiful, with its green slopes and moss- and lichen-covered cliffs, over which numbers of rushing waterfalls shoot out into the sea with a drop of several hundred feet. The only apparent landing-place is on the eastern side, where the party from the ' Scotia ' landed. Here a ravine runs down from the interior to the coast and along it flows a small stream. Near the seaward end of this ravine are a few acres of level ground covered with grass or, in the moister parts, with ferns and rankly growing celery and docks. Here, too, is a narrow beach, perhaps a hundred yards long, strewn with many large boulders and numerous fern- rhizomes of considerable size. At the S.W. end of the island there appears to be a plateau of about half a square mile in extent at an elevation of some 300 feet, but every- where else the island rises into steep ridges separated by narrow valleys, which must render its exploration a matter of extreme difficulty. On the lower ground and up to a height of over 1000 feet the island is thicklv covered with 250 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on the tussock-grass [Spartina arundinacea) and buckthorn-trees (Phylica nitida) : the former spread profusely over the Text-fig. 17. Vegetation, Gough Island. steeper slopes, and the latter gnarled and stunted, yet growing vigorously even on the most exposed ridges. Birds of Gough Island. 251 These trees appear hardly to rise beyond twenty feet in height and generally bear a thick growth of licheus on their stems. Under the waterfalls and along the sheltered banks Text-fig. 18. Ravine, Gough Island. of the streams ferns and mosses grow in luxuriance. More than the general aspect of the vegetation on the higher ground could not be determined, but the very summit of 252 Mr. \Y. Eagle Clarke on the the island seemed by its green appearance to be clothed with mosses and lichens." To this description may be added a few items culled from Mr. Comer's notes, to which reference will be made more particularly anon. He tells us that there are two kinds of trees on the island, one of which is quite plentiful, but the other is scarce. These, though stunted, are dense in some places, and retain their leaves all the year round. The thick bushes, he says, extend up to an elevation of about 2000 feet, while the grass and brakes grow very rankly and make walking extremely difficult. According to the f Report on the Fisheries and Fishing Industries of the United States/ vol. ii. p. 415 (1887), Gough " island at one time abounded in fur-seals and sea-elephants, but is now almost deserted by those animals. About 1825 a party of American sealers lived there, but met with such indifferent success that the station was abandoned." The few accounts agree that, owing to the weather- conditions usually prevailing, landing on Gough Island is a matter of great difficulty. In the case of the ' Scotia/ three days were spent off the island, during which her staff, after landing under the most trying conditions, were only able to remain ashore about four hours. This was on the 22nd of April, 1904. Previous to this visit only twelve species of birds had been identified as forming the avifauna of the island. The natu- ralists of the ' Scotia ' observed or secured examples of nineteen species, and added no less than twelve to the ornis of the island, of which two, or possibly three, are new to science. The total avifauna now stands at twenty -three species. Only three terrestrial forms are known, all of which are peculiar species — namely, two Buntings of the genus Neso- spiza and a flightless Gallinule, Porphyriornis comeri. The two species of Nesospisa are the most interesting, not, however, because they are novelties, nor because we owe our knowledge of them to the researches of the Scottish Expedition, but because they differ very considerably from their single congener, N. acunha, peculiar to Tristan da Birds of Gough Island. 253 Cunha, where it is now confined to Inaccessible Island, though it was formerly also found on the main island of the group. The Gough Island birds of this genus differ remarkably among themselves, and whether they represent two species or only one in various stages of plumage is a matter on which opinions differ. At first I was under the impression that they were representatives, sexual or otherwise, of a single species, but an examination of the material revealed characters which it was difficult to reconcile with such an opinion, and which led me to describe them as two species. My reasons for doing so will be explained in the systematic portion of this contribution. The Gallinule or "Island Hen" (Porphyriornis comeri) appears to differ only slightly from the species (P. nesiotis) found on Tristan Island ; though, on the other hand, both of them would seem, if report is to be relied upon, to be widely different from the representative of the family found on Inaccessible Island (see Moseley, " Naturalist on the < Challenger/ " p. 122). These three terrestrial endemic birds are, moreover, representatives of genera entirely unknown elsewhere except in Tristan da Cunha ; and thus Gough Island, though lying over 200 miles to the south, must be looked upon omitkologically as an outlier of the Tristan group. The relationship is, however, somewhat remote, for the Buntings found on Inaccessible and Gough Islands are specifically very distinct ; and Tristan possesses a peculiar genus of Thrush, Nesocichla, with a single species (N. ere- mita), which is not at present known to have any repre- sentative on Gough Island. The other birds forming the ornis of Gough Island are mostly Tubinares. The number of species of this Order observed during the short visit of the ' Scotia' is quite remarkable, and it would seem probable that a thorough investigation of the island — as yet almost untrodden by the foot of man — in the summer-season would reveal the fact that it is a perfect paradise as a breeding-station for 254 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on the "Petrels." Indeed, one species of Albatros (Thalassogeron eximius) has not been obtained elsewhere. The only previous contribution to our knowledge of the avifauna of the island is, I believe, contained in a com- munication by Mr. G. E. Yerrill to the ' Transactions of the Connecticut Academy/ based upon the collections and experiences of Mr. George Comer. Mr. Comer resided on Gough Island from the 22nd of August, 1888, until the 2.3rd of January, 1889, and was engaged, along with others, in the capture of seals. During this period he got together a very creditable ornithological collection, and among his specimens were two birds which proved to be new to science, namely, the flightless Gallinule (Porphyriornis comeri) and an Albatros {Thalassogeron eximius). Mr. Comer's notes arc of considerable interest, and I have not hesitated to make use of them where desirable. I have also included the names of the very few species observed by him of which examples were not obtained or noted by Mr. Bruce and his colleagues, in order to render my account of the avifauna of this most interesting and little-known isle as complete as possible : these are given within square brackets. The date of the visit of the ' Scotia ' to the island was not the best for ornithological work, April being mid-autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, too, the state of the weather did not permit of more than a few hours being spent ashore, and even then the party could not proceed far inland, owing to the uncertainty of the prevailing meteoro- logical conditions. Under these circumstances the members of the Expedition are to be congratulated upon having accomplished so much good work. The colours of the bills and feet, when given, are taken from a scries of carefully prepared drawings made at the time of capture of the various birds by Mr. Cuthbertson, the artist to the Expedition. The few species in the following list the identification of which I consider doubtful are not numbered. I have to thank Mr. W. P. Pycraft for having most obligingly examined certain material submitted to him, and for giving me his valuable opinion thereon. Birds of Gouyh Island. 255 T shall have occasion to make several references to the following works, in addition to other literature : — Carmichael. — Some Account of the Island of Tristan da Cunha and of its Natural Productions. By Captain Dugald Carmichael, F.L.S. Trans. Linn. Soc. xii. pp. 483-513 (1817). Thomson. — Voyage of the 'Challenger.' The Atlantic. By Sir C. Wyville Thomson. Vol. ii. (1877). Verrill. — On some Birds and Eg. Hatcher. 4to. Princeton & Stuttgart, 1903. 314 pp.] In our last number (above, p. 131) we gave a notice of the first part of Mr. W. E. D. Scott's work on the birds of Patagonia, which is based mainly on the collections made by Mr. Hatcher and his active assistants during his three expe- ditions to that country. Mr. Hatcher's principal object was to collect the fossils of Patagonia, concerning which the remarkable discoveries of Dr. Florentino Ameghino and his brother " had so strongly aroused the interest of the scientific world." But while the geological collections were being made the examination of the present fauna and flora of Patagonia was by no means neglected, and large series of specimens in nearly every branch of natural history, especially mammals, birds, and plants, were accumulated. The narrative of the journeys of Mr. Hatcher and his assistants is contained in the volume now before us, and will be found well worthy of perusal. The point of landing and the head- quarters of the three expeditions was Gallegos, near the mouth of the river of the same name, in Southern Patagonia, from which, as a base, a large extent of the Argentine Recently published Ornithological Works. 279 territory of Santa Cruz was explored and investigated. We eall special attention to this work because of the numerous descriptions of the bird-life of the country interspersed in it, which certainly should not be neglected by the ornithologist, although it is probable that the main facts here recorded will also be given by Mr. W. E. D. Scott in his special ornithological volume, the first part of which was noticed in our last number. We may call attention, for example, to the passages on the Carrion-Hawks (Polybori) of Patagonia (p. 57), to the numerous allusions to the Patagonian Rhea [Rhea darwini) and the Condor (Sarcorhamphus gryphus) , to the description of the large colonies of the Black-faced Ibis {Theristicus melanopis) (p. 178), and to the account of the peculiar habits of Upurerthia dumetoria (p. 83). Many other references to birds will be found in Mr. Hatcher's narrative, which amply prove that, although Palaeontology may be his first love, he is an acute and much interested observer of existing animal-life as well as that of bygone ages. 47. Hellmayr on Brazilian, Finches. [Ueber neue xmd wenig bekannte Fringilliden Brasiliens, nebst Be- merkungen iiber uothwendige Anderimgen in der Noinenclatur einiger Arten. Yon K. E. Hellmayr. Verb, zool.-bot. Gesellsch. in Wien, 1904, p. 616.] We are glad to understand that Herr Hellmayr has in preparation a general review of the Brazilian Ornis, which will be a very useful piece of work. As a contribution thereto we have before us a paper on some of the Fringillidse of Brazil, which is of much value, although, in our opinion, all changes in established nomenclature should be deprecated unless absolutely necessary. The unfortunate Amaurospiza mcesta is clearly shewn to have received four different names from four different autho- rities. We may hope that the proper appellation of this rare Finch is now finally settled. The rest of Mr. Hellmayr's paper is taken up with remarks on the Brazilian species of Spermophila, or, as the author, 280 Recently published Ornithological Works. following Dr. Cabanis, calls it, Sporophila, of which 12 species, besides subspecies, are recognised. Two of the species are described as new — S. saturata from South Brazil, and S. lo- renzi, probably from Cayenne. Mr. Hellmayr has examined most of the types of the different species, and appears to have done his work well. 48. Hut ton on the Curlew Sandpiper. [On the Occurrence of the Curlew-Sandpiper in New Zealand. Trans. New Zealand Inst, xxxvi. p. 155 (1904).] Capt. Hutton records the occurrence of two specimens of the Curlew-Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata) at Lake Ellesmere, in New Zealand, in April 1903. As this far-wandering bird had already been met with in xYustralia and Tasmania, this occurrence is not to be wondered at. One of the specimens was sent to the British Museum. 49. Thering on the Birds of Paraguay and S. Paulo. [Estudo comparative) das Avifaunas de Paraguay e de S. Paulo, por H. von Ihering. Pievista d. Mus. Paul. vi. p. 310 (1904).] After a short enumeration of the principal authorities on the Birds of Paraguay and a useful list of the titles of their books and papers, Herr v. Ihering gives a systematic catalogue of the species ascertained to belong to the avifauna, with occasional remarks as required. All the supposed " new species " of Bertoni * are referred to their correct headings. The list, which nearly follows the arrangement of the ' Nomen- clator/ contains 470 names. The author then proceeds to the birds of S. Paulo, at which he has so long and so zealously laboured, and makes alterations in, and additions to, his account of the avifauna published in the fifth volume of the ' Revista'f. With these additions and omissions, the ornis of S. Paulo is credited with 657 species. The memoir concludes with a " Zoo-geographical Discussion " of the avifaunas of Paraguay and South Brazil, which is worthy of careful study. * Cf. < Ibis/ 1904, p. 172. t See 'Ibis,' 1891,-p. 134, and 1903, p. 421. Recently published Ornithological Works. 281 50. Macoun on Canadian Birds. [Catalogue of Canadian Birds. Part III. Sparrows, Swallows, Vireos, Warblers, Wrens, Titmice and Thrushes. Including the Order Passeres after the Icteridae. By John Macoun. Ottawa : 1904. 8vo. Pp. i-iv, 415-738, and (Index) pp. i-xxiii. Price 10 cents.] This part of Mr. Macoun' s Catalogue, which concludes the work, though an addendum will be shortly forthcoming, is devoted to those of the Passeres which have not already been treated (see Ibis, 1904, p. 157). It is far from being a mere list of species, as most valuable notes are given on their distribution and breeding-habits. The nests and eggs are in several cases described " for the first time " by Mr. Raine {e.g. of Leucosticte tephrocotis and Zonotrichia querula), but we are not informed whether the description has appeared in print before, or, in other words^ whether it is now quoted from the ' Ottawa Naturalist ' or other periodicals to which Mr. Ttaine is accustomed to contribute. The services of several new observers have been obtained, and many districts more carefully examined, as, for instance, Southern British Columbia, the Peace-River region, and the country round Banff, in the Rocky Mountains. Details are constantly added concerning the islands off the west coast, and there is a particularly interesting article on Ampelis garrulus. 51. Madardsz on the Birds of Cyprus. [Uejber die Vogel Cyperns. Yon Dr. Julius Madarasz. Ann. Mus. Nat. Hung. ii. p. 499. Buda-Pesth, 1904.] A new list of the birds of Cyprus is not unwelcome, as that of the late Lord Lilford was published (in this Journal) in 1889, and much has been done since that date. Dr. v. Madarasz bases his memoir on the birds transmitted to the National Hungarian Museum by Herr Ch. Glaszner, who has been resident at Larnaca since 1891, and has thus had exceptionally good opportunities of studying the Bird-life of Cyprus. Herr Glaszner has sent to Buda-Pesth considerable series of some species (upwards of 100 specimens of Sylvia melano- 282 Recently published Ornithological Works. thorax !), and has augmented the Cyprian avifauna by the discovery of such representative forms as Paras aphrodite, Scops cypria, Garrulus glaszneri, Loxia gvillemardi, and others, which are restricted to the island. Thus supple- mented, the ornis of Cyprus is now shown to contain 249 species. We confess, however, to being a little doubtful about some of them. Are there really three different Starlings in Cyprus — S. poltaraszkii, S. purpurascens, and S. ptorphyronotus ? 52. Osgood on the Birds of the Alaskan Peninsula. [North-American Fauna. — No. 24. A Biological Reconnaissance of the Base of the Alaska Peninsula. By W. II. Osgood, Assistant Biolo- gical Survey. Washing-ton, 1904.] This is an account of one of the summer tours to which our friend Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Division of the Biological Survey of the U.S., occasionally treats himself or some member of his staff. On this occasion the base of the Alaskan Peninsula, being little known to naturalists, was selected for investigation, and Mr. Wilfred H. Osgood, an assistant in the Biological Survey, was deputed for the task. The well-written and nicely illustrated report now before us shews how the " biological reconnaissance " was accomplished, while the exact route followed is plainly set forth on several maps. There is much general information to be gained from the pages of this memoir, and the "list of birds" contains a series of valuable field-notes relating to about 130 species. Of Phylloscopus borealis, which has recently been ascer- tained to intrude into Western Alaska, two specimens were obtained in July 1902. 53. Reichenoio's ' Birds of Africa.' [Die Vogel Afrikas, von Ant. Reichenow. Dritte Band, erste Halfte. Neudamm: J. Neumann, 1904.] The first portion of the third volume of Dr. Reichenow's ' Vogel Afrikas,' which has been lately issued, contains his Recent I ij published Ornithological Works. 283 account of the Ploceidae, Fringillid;e, Motacillidae, Alaudidae, and Pycnonotidae — altogether making about 490 species. We are glad to observe that though subspecies are recognised, they are not included in the numbering of the species, winch already amount to 1786. The following species are figured in four plates : — Glaucidium castaneum, Pisorhina badia. Erythropygia hartlaubi, E. vulpecula, Tarsiger orient alls, T. guttatus, Alethe poliothorax, Bradypterus castaneus, An- dropadus montanus, Bleda poliocephala, and Phyllostrephus chlorigula. 54. Reichenow on the Birds of the German Deep-sea Expedition. [Uebersicht der auf der deutschen Tiefsee Expedition gesamraelten Vogel. Von Anton Reichenow. L904. (Two coloured plates.)] The seventh volume of the series of reports on the scientific results of the voyage of the German Deep-sea Expedition under Prof. Chun contains an account of the birds obtained, drawn up by Dr. Reichenow. In all 71 species are enumerated, most of which are, as might be expected, marine. Three new " conspecies " are characterised — Corvus splendens maledivicus from the Maldives, Buchanga stigmatops phaedra from Sumatra, and Butorides javanicus albo-limbatns from Diego Garcia. Charadrius rufocinctus from S.E. Africa and Homopelia picturata chuni from Diego Garcia, both already described by Dr. Reichenow (Orn. Monatsb. viii. p. 123, 1900), are now figured. The typical H. picturata is figured in company with the latter. In relation to this voyage, Prof. Van Hoffen's article in the ' Journal f. Ornithologie ' for 1901 should be consulted. 55. Riley on a new Myiarchus. [Description of a new Myiarchus from Grenada and St. Vincent, West Indies. By J. II. Riley. Smiths. Miscall. Coll. vol. ii. p. 275 (1904).] Myiarchus oberi nugator (subsp. nov.) represents this form of Tyrant-bird in Grenada and St. Vincent. The types are in the U.S. National Museum. 284 Recently published Ornithological J forks. 56. Riley on Birds from Barbuda and Antigua, West Indies. [Catalogue of a Collection of Birds from Barbuda and Antigua, British West Indies. By J. H. Riley. Smiths. Miscell. Coll. vol. ii. p. 297 (1904).] In this paper we have an account of a collection of 324 skins formed by Mr. E. Gr. Selwyn-Branch on the (ornitho- logically) little-known islands of Barbuda and Antigua, British West Indies, in 1903, and acquired by the U.S. National Museum. Adding previous records we are now acquainted with 59 species and subspecies from Barbuda and 61 from Antigua. A new subspecies of Kestrel from Porto Rico is described as Cerchneis sparveria loquacula, and a new and distinct species of Dendroeca from Barbuda is named D. subita. The form of Coccyzus in Dominica (C. dominica Shelley) is quite unnecessarily renamed Coccyzus shelleyi. We may be allowed to point out that " dominie us " is an adjective and " dominicee " a feminine substantive in the genitive case, and that these two terms are not identical. 57. Robinson on Malayan Birds. [List of a small Collection of Mammals, Birds, and Batrachians from Gunong Angsi, Negri Sembilan. By Robert C. Robinson, M.B.O.U. Journ. Fed. Malay States Mus. vol. i. p. 25 (1895).] The first number of the new journal lately started by the Museums of the Federated States of the Malay Peninsula contains, among other articles on a variety of subjects, one which refers to our branch of science. This is a list of the birds procured by the Dyak hunters of the Selangor Museum on Gunong Angsi, the highest point of a range of hills in Negri Sembilan, not connected with the main range and covered with heavy timber. The list, we are told by Mr. Robinson, seems to shew that the characteristic Himalayo-Sondaic forms, such as Sibia, Mesia, and Ptery- thrus, do not occur on these mountains, which, so far as our present information goes, are tenanted by typical Malayan Recently published Ornithological Works. 285 forms, identical with those found on Mount Ophir and in the Johore Hills. Mr. Robinson's list of birds contains the names of 31 species, to which short remarks are added. None of them are new, but some are not yet quite positively identified. 58. Smith Woodward on Fossil Birds. A Guide to the Fossil Mammals and Birds in the Department of Geology and Palaeontology in the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London. S.W. With 6 plates and 88 text-figures, Eighth edition. London, 1904. Price Sixpence.] This is, we may surely say, as cheap a sixpennyworth of scientific matter as has ever been offered to the public for their instruction. The greater part of the ' Guide ' is, of course, devoted to the Mammals, which in their fossil state are very much more numerous than Birds. But the last ten pages of the work are occupied by a condensed account of the principal extinct forms of bird-life, and are illustrated by text-figures in which their leading features are admirably shown. We have the wonderful skulls of Odontopteryx and Phororhacos, and the whole skeletons of Hesperornis, Ichthyornis, and Dinornis set before us, besides interesting particulars con- cerning the only two known specimens of the anomalous form Archceopteryx yet discovered, which are now-a-days referred to two different species. 59. Vallentin on Birds from the Falkland Islands. [Notes on the Falkland Islands. By Rupert Vallentin. Manch. Mem. xlviii. pt. 3, no. 23. Manchester, 1904. Pp. 48.] Mr. Vallentin, who has recently paid two visits to the Falkland Islands, has in the present memoir put together a good deal of information concerning this distant outlier of the Empire. Besides many allusions to the birds of the group, the author gives a special heading to the section ee Aves," and arranges his field-notes of this subject in systematic order, following " as a Guide " Evans's volume on ' Birds/ About 36 species are mentioned, and interesting information is given with regard to many of them. The Penguins form a 286 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. leading feature in the Falklandian Avifauna, and good notes are given upon the four species of this family that are found in the group. Views, from photographs, of the " rookeries " of the Rock-hopper and Gentoo are added, but there is no map of the islands to shew their exact localities. Nor is the list of books and papers on the natural history of the Falklands by any means complete. XXIII. — Letters, Extracts, and Notes. We have received the following letters addressed to " The Editors of < The Ibis ' " :— Sirs, — I wish to point out that Ortholophus finscki of Dr. Sharpe (' Ibis/ 1904, p. 610) is simply a synonym of Buceros albocristatus Cassin, of Liberia. If Dr. Sharpe had read my review carefully * he would hardly have written (/. 6'.) : "I do not think that Dr. Finsch can have seen Cassin's plate and description in the ' Transactions of the Philadelphia Academy' (vol. i. p. 135, pi. 15)." In the carefully-compared synonymy of my paper on Ortholophus I have referred to all of Cassin's publications respecting this species, and especially to the description and plate xv., which appeared not in the i Transactions ' but in the ' Journal ' of the Academy of Nat. Sci. Philad. (vol. i. 2nd ser., 1847-50, part ii., August 1848, p. 135, pi. xv.). This plate repre- sents undoubtedly a specimen from Liberia (St. Paul's River : MacDowell), as is proved by the series in the Leiden Museum from Liberia (Buttikofer