5^.i:^\occhq) FOR THE PEOPLE FOK EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY THE IBIS, QUAllTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNI'rHOLOGY. KDITED BY ALFRED NEWTON, M.A., PIIOFKSSOU OF ZOOI-OGY AND COAIl'AKATIVE ANATOMY IN THK UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIUGK, F.L.S., F.Z.S., ETC.. ETC. VOL. IIL \>m. NEW SERIES. Ibidis interea tu quoqiie noinen habe ! Ovin. LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, 1 PATERNOSTER ROW 1867. VMNTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COTTRT, FLEET STREET. PREFACE. It is with great satisfaction that the Editor of ' The Ibis' regards the vakiable aid, so freely rendered him during the past year by Ornithologists in almost every part of the world, as evincing the interest they take in the welfare of the Journal he has the honour to conduct. Amongst those to whom his gratitude for such help is due, he must especially mention Mr. Osbert Salvin, who, in the Editor's temporary absence from England, very kindly undertook to bring out the Number for July — a task which he is sure the readers of ' The Ibis ' will agree with him in consi- dering to have been most efficiently performed. A.N. Magdalene College, Cambridge. September 1867. BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. 18G7. Onlhutry Memhers. John H. Barnebt-Lxjtlet, M,A. ; Brockhampton, Herefordshire. Robert Birkbeck, F.Z.S.; 65 Lombard Street, London. Henry Buckley, F.Z.S.; Edgbaston, Birmingham. William Tuomas Hodgetts Chambers-Hodgetts ; Hudscott, Devon, John H. Cochrane ; Dunkathel, County Cork. Arthtjb William Crichton, B.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S,; Broadward Hall, Salop. Henry Eeles Dresser, F.Z.S. ; 7 New Broad Street, City, London. Henry Maurice Drumjiond-Hay, C.M.Z.S., Lieutenant-Colonel, Eoyal Perth Rifles ; Seggieden, Perthshire. Henry John El\ves, F.Z.S., Scots Fusilier Guards; 41 Portman Square, London. George Gooch Fowler, B.A. ; Gunton Hall, SuiSblk. Henry Elliott Fox,B. A. ; 21 Brondesbury Villas, Kilbum, Middlesex. Frederick DuCane Godman, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; 55 Lowndes Square, London. Percy Sanden Godman, B.A., C.M.Z.S. ; Borregaard, Sarpsborg, Norway. John Henry Gurney, F.Z.S., &c.; Catton Hall, Norfolk. Rev. William Henry Haavker, M.A., F.Z.S.; Ashford, Sussex. Wilfrid Hudleston Hudleston, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 21 Gloucester Place, Portman Square, London. Arthur Edward Knox, M.A., F.L.S. , F.Z.S.; Trotton House, Sussex. Right Hon. Thomas Lyttleton, Lord Lilford, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.; Lilford Hall, Northants. Alexander Goodman More, F.L.S., &c.; 3 Botanic View, Glasnevin, Dublin. Edward Clough Newcome ; Feltwell Hall, Norfolk. Alfred Newton, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. ; Magdalene College, Cambridge. Edward Newton, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S.; Auditor-General, Mauritius. John William Powlett-Orde, F.Z.S., late Captain 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ; Auchnaba House, Argyllshire. VI Geobge Dawson Kowley, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 5 Peel Terrace, Biighton. OsBERT Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S.; 16 The Grove, Boltons, London. Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.H.S., F.L.S., Sec.Z.S.,&c.; 15 Lower Belgrave Street, London. Alfred Forbes Sealy, M.A., C.M.Z.S., &c.; Madras. Charles "William Shepherd, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Trotterscliife, Kent. Rev. Alfred Charles Smith, M.A., Rector of Yatesbury, Wilts. Rowland M. Sperling, Lieutenant Royal Navy, Her Majesty's Ship ' Racoon.' Henry Stevenson, F.L.S.; Unthank's Road, Norwich. Rev. Edward Cavendish Taylor, M.A., F.Z.S.; Oxford and Cam- bridge Club, London. George Cavendish Taylor, F.Z.S.; 42 Elvaston Place, London. Rev. Henry Baker Tristram, M. A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S., &c., Master of Greatham Hospital, Durham. Henry Morris Upcher, F.Z.S.; Sheringham Hall, Norfolk. Right Hon. Arthur Viscount Walden, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 15 Cromwell Road, London. # Extra- Ordinary Members. Edward Blyth, Hon. Memb. As. Soc. ; 27 Saint Mark's Crescent London. Alfred Russel Wallace, F.Z.S. ; 9 Saint Mark's Crescent, London. Honorary Members. Professor Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Doctor Edtjabd Baldamus, Pfarrer zu Osternienburg bei Odthen, Sekretiir der deutschen Ornithologen-Gesellschaft. Doctor Jean Cabanis, Erster Custos am Koniglichen Museum der Friedrich-Wilhelm's Universitat zu Berlin. John Cassin, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Doctor GusTAV Hartlaub, Bremen. T. C. Jerdon, Surgeon-Major in Her Majesty's Army, Madras. Edgar Leopold Layard, F.Z.S., South African Museum, Capetown. Professor J. Reinhardt, Kongehge Naturhistoriske Museum i Kj'6- henhavn. Robert Swinhoe, F.Z.S., F.R.G.S., Her Majesty's Consul at Amoy. Jules P. Verreaux, Aide-Naturalistc du Museum d'Histoire Natu- relle a Paris. (CONTENTS OF VOL. III.— NEW SERIES. (1867.) Number IX., January. Page I. The Ornithology- of India. — A Commentary on Dr. Jcr- don's ' Birds of India.' By Edavard Blttd, late Curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, Hon. Mem. As. Soc 1 II. Egypt Revisited. By E. Cavendish Taylor, M.A., F.Z.S 48 III. On the Ornithology of Palestine. (Part V.) By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. (Plate I.) . . 73 IV. A Month in Tripoli. By W. T. H. Chambers ... 97 V. Remarks on Br. Leotaud's ' Birds of Trinidad.' By P. L. ScLATER, M.A., F.R.S. &c 104 VI. On the Genus Cinclus. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., r.Z.S., &c. (Plate II.) 109 VII. Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications : — 1. English : — Sclater and Salvin's ' Exotic Ornithology,'parti.; Harting's ' Birds of Middlesex ; ' Crieh ton's ' Naturalist's Ramble to the Orcades ; ' King's ' Sportsman and Naturalist in Canada ; ' Lord's ' Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columbia '. 123 2. French : — Mulsant's 'Essai d'une Classification Methodique des Trochilidees ; ' Pollen's * Memoires Scientifiques ' . . . . 126 3. American : — Bryant on Birds of Porto Rico ; Weiz on Ver- tebrates of Labrador ; Lawrence on New Birds from Central and South America ; Coues on the Ornithology of Arizona and ''RoYicw of the Family ProcelJ a ri id ce^ 129 Vlll CONTENTS. Page 4. Australasian : — Biiller's 'Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand ; ' llamsay on Australian Oology 131 VIII. Letters, A.nnouncements, &c. : — Letters from Mr. E. P. llamsay, Dr. D. Scott, Capt. Beavan, Messrs. H. J. Elwes, D. Mackay and C. Barron ; Further Dis- covery of Didine Bones in Rodriguez ; Demand for Vol. I. of 'The Ibis' 134 Number X., April. IX. The Ornithology of India. — A Commentary on Dr. Jer- dons ' Birds of India.' By Edward Blyth, late Curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, Hon. Mem. As. Soc. 147 X. Notes on the Birds seen during a Voyage from London to New Zealand in 1866. By Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. . . 185 XI. Notes on Birds collected near Hakodadi in Northern Japan. By Henry Whitely, Junior. (Plate III.) .... 193 XII. On the Rufous-tailed Shrikes. By Viscount Walden, F.Z.S. (Plates V. & VI.) 211 XIII. Jottings on Birds from my Amoy Journal. By Robert SwiNHOE, Her Majesty's Consul, F.Z.S., &o. 226 XIV. Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications : — 1. English: — Gould's 'Birds of Great Britain,' parts ix. and x.; Stevenson's ' Birds of Norfolk,' vol. i. ; Colquhoun's ' Sporting Days ; ' Shepherd's ' North-west Peninsula of Iceland ; ' Grant's ' Birds found in Malta and Gozo ' 237 2. French : — Gerbe's edition of Degland's ' Ornithologie Euro- peenne ; ' Alphonse Milne-Edwards's ' Oiseaux Fossiles de la France ; ' Geoffroy on Lophophorus Ihwi/si 240 3. Dutch and Belgian: — Ornithological papers in the ' Ne- derlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkuude ; ' De la Fontaine's ' Faune du Pays de Luxembourg ; ' ' Archives Cosmologiques ' . 243 CONTENTS. IX Page 4. German: — Hartlaub's ' Einleitung zur Ornithologie der Viti-, Samoa- und Tonga-Gruppe ; ' Von Miiller's * Reisen in Mexico ; ' Dieck ' De Stemo Avium ' 245 5. American : — Lawrence on New Birds ; Coues on the Omi- thology of Arizona (second notice) 247 XV. Letters, Announcements, &c. : — Letters from Dr. Cullen, Capt. Orde, Messrs. E. L. Layard, John Hancock, J. H. Gurney, and P. L. Sclater ; Prof. Huxley's Lectures on the Classification of Birds ; The Question of Priority in the Publication of Names ; Announcement of Mr. Robert Gray's ' Birds of the West of Scotland ; ' Deaths of Drs. Leotaud and Bryant, and of Mr. Selby 247 NXTMBKR XI., July. XVI. The Distribution and Migrations of North American Birds. By Spencer F. Baird, Assist. Sec. Smithsonian Insti- tution, For. Mem. Z.S 257 XVII. The Ornithology of Ceylon. — A Supplement to Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' By Edward Blyth, late Curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, Hon. Mem. As. Soc 294 XVIII. The Avifauna of the Andaman Islands. By R. C. Beavan, Capt. Bengal Staff Corps, C.M.Z.S 314 XIX. On the Land-Birds of the Seychelles Archipelago. By Edward Newton, M.A., C.M.Z.S. (Plate IV.) 335 XX. On the Ornithology of Palestine. (Part VI.) By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. (Plate VII.) . 360 XXI. Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications : — 1. English : — Gould's ' Birds of Asia,' part xviii. ; Sclater and Salvin's ' Exotic Ornithology,' parts ii. & iii. ; Lloyd's ' Game Birds and "Wild Fowl of Sweden and Norway ; ' Robert Gray's b X CONTENTS. Page ' Birds of Loch Lomond ; ' Turnbull's ' Birds of East-Lothian ;' A. C. Smith on the Life-History of the Cuckoo 371 2. Dutch : — Schlegel's 'Museum des Pays-Bas,' part 8 ; Crom- melin's Papers in the ' Archives Neerlandaises ' 375 3. American : — Elliot's ' Birds of North America,' parts ii. to iv. ; Cassin's ' Second Study of the Icteridce ; ' Gundlach's * Ca- talogo de las Aves Cubanas ' 376 XXII. Letters, Announcements, &c. : — Letters from Capt. F. "W. Hutton, Messrs. J. E. Harting and J. H. Gurney, Lord Walden, Messrs. A. Hamond and 0. Salvin ; Extract from a letter of Dr. Hartlaub ; The ornithological col- lections of the late Mr. H. E. Strickland and Mr. Arthur Strick- land ; Note on " Tarsiger cucullatus, Gould " ; Death of Prof. De Filippi 378 Number XII., October. XXIII. Jottings on Birds from my Amoy Journal. By Ro- bert SwiKHOE, Her Majesty's Consul, F.Z.S., &c 385 XXIV. Illustrations of Australian Oology. By Edward P. Ramsat, C.M.Z.S. (Plates YIII. and IX.) 413 XXV. Notes on the Birds of Tangier and Eastern Morocco. By C. F. Tyrwhitt Drake 421 XXV. Notes on Various Indian Birds. By R. C. Beavan, Capt. Bengal Staff Corps, C.M.Z.S. (Plate X.) 430 XXVI. Letters, Announcements, &c. : — Letters from Messrs. E. P. Ramsay, E. L. Layard, W. T. Blan- ford, J. H. Gurney and H. B. Tristram, Lord Walden and Messrs. J. E. Harting and A. C. Smith ; Extract from a letter of Mr. Allan Hume, C.B. ; Deaths of Prince Maximilian of Wied and Mr. John Macgillivray 456 Index 473 PLATES IN VOL. IIL NEW SERIES. I. Bessornis albigularis 89 II. Cinclus ardesiacus 121 III. Garrulus brandti 200 IV. Tchitrea corvina 349 V. Fig. 1. Lanius isabellinus 225 Fig. 2. phoeniciirus 216 VI. Lanius magnirostris 221 VII. Passer moabiticus . 371 VIII. I . . J 413 ? Illustrations of Australian Oology 1 417 X. Piprisoma agile 431 ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA. Page Line 4, Transpose to page 5 Nos. 426 and 427. 11, 2, for macrourtis read macrurus. 12, 3 of note, for that gentleman read Captain Beavan. 14, 12, for pt. xxii. read pt. xvii. 16, \, for m& read bOl. 30, 8 of notes, for Kalericsencki read kaleniczenckii. 35, 30, for eorvus read corone. Ill' ^o f ^ 1/orTchithatcheffrearfTchihatcheff. 118, 3 of note, J •' 129, 24,/o»-109rea£;i69. 287, 19, for tyr annus read varius. 307, 34, for E. read 6?. 331, 11, and elsewhere in the same paragraph, for C. read E. 346, 16, /or gun-cartridge read green cartridge. 349, 16, insert Tchitrea before corvina. 359, column 2, zwser^ Grygis Candida before Sterna velox. 373, 2, for London read Sweden. 375, 28, insert 182 in the vacant space. 376, 24, for tretracula read tetracula. 378, 18, for 71 wad/. 383, The paragraph beginning The two species oiLuscinia &c. should be in inverted commas. THE IBIS. NEW SERIES. No. IX. JANUARY 1867. I. — The Ornithology of India. — A Commentary on Dr. Jerdon's * Birds of India.' By Edward Blyth, late Curator of the MuseuDi of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, Hon. Mem. As, Soc. [Continued from ' The Ibis ' for 1866, page 376.] 377. Chleuasicus ruficeps, Blyth; " Paradoxornis sphe- nura, Hodgson," G. R. Gray, Cat. B. Nepal, 2nd edit. p. 60. 382. Grammatoptila striata. This bird builds a compact Jay-like nest ; the eggs are spot- less blue, as shown by one of Mr. Hodgson^s drawings in the British Museum. 384. Gampsorhynchus rufulus. The range of this species extends to the Tenasserim provinces (J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 416). 385. Pyctorhis sinensis (Gmel.) ; Timalia hypoleuca, Frankl.; Mag. de Zool. 1835, pi. 39 [figura mala). 386. Pyctorhis longirostris {of. Appendix, p. 872). Most probably this bird is the Megalurus (?) verreauxi of Colonel Tytler (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1854, xiv. p. 176). 387. Trichostoma abbotti. This differs very little — in the shade of colouring only — from Brackyptei^yx sepiaria, Horsfield, which is identical with Malaco- N. S. — VOL. III. B 2 Mr. Blyth's Commentary pterum olivaceum, Strickland, and probably with the Myiothera grisea of Miiller, in the Derby Museum at Liverpool, from Malacca and Java, and for which I formerly mistook a species of Alcippe received from Java, mentioned by Dr. Jerdon (vol. ii. p. 19) as Brachypteryx sepiaria of Horsfield. This Javan Alcippe re- sembles A. nipalensis, but has a general rufous tinge, with the sincipital lines ferruginous. 388. Alcippe nipalensis. Mr. Hodgson figures a deeply formed nest, with reddish- white eggs, speckled with deep ferruginous, the spots clustered at the large end, as belonging to this species. Mr. Layard describes that of the Cinghalese A. nigrifrons (which is akin to A. atriceps) as " built in a low thorny bush, and composed of grasses woven together in a dome, with the entrance near the lop ; eggs white, slightly freckled with pink spots " (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1853, xi. 397) *. 391. Stachyrhis nigriceps. Inhabits the mountains of Tenasserim as well as the localities mentioned by Dr. Jerdon. 392. Stachyrhis pyrrhops, Hodgs.; Gould, B. As. pt. xv. pi. According to Mr. Gould, this species, and not S. chrysea, is the bird which Dr. A. Leith Adams obtained in Kashmir (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 184). The egg, as figured by Mr. Hodgson, is whitish, a little speckled. That of S. chrysea is pinkish-white, and the nest domed and placed on the summit of a sedge. S. prcpcognitus lays a blue egg (Ibis, 1866, p. 309). 393. Stachyrhis ruficeps. The Timalia pileata of McClelland from Asam (P. Z. S. 1839, p. 160) is this bird, though the true T. pileata is likewise an inhabitant of the Brahmaputra valley. * To the species of Turdinus noticed in ' The Ibis ' for 1865 (p. 47) add Myiothera epilepidota, Teram. (PI. Col. 448. fig. 2), from Sumatra and Java. iVajoo/Aera,Temm., yields to Myiolestes, Miiller (Comptes Rendus, 1854, xxxviii. p. 54). Trichosfoma umbratile (Temm.) and T. celebense, Strick- land (Contrib. Orn. 1849, pp. 126, 127, pi- xxxv.), approach T. abhotti and T. sepiarium. The former only difters from T. abbotti in having " more rufous wings and flanks, and less greyish-white on the lores" (Sclater, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 215). on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 3 395. MiXORNIS RUBRICAPILLUS. Identical with Timalia gularis, Horsfield, founded on a faded specimen, as suggested by Dr. Jerdon. It is common on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, in Arakau, the Teuasserim Provinces, and Malayan Peninsula, and is remarkable for the dis- proportionate loudness of its chirping. A second and finer s])e- cies of Mixornis exists in Timalia dmilis, Temm., from Sumatra. Others are given by Bonaparte (Consp. Av. i. p. 217). Speci- mens of M. gularis received from Malacca are generally much faded in colouring from over-exposure to the sun in drying. 397 and 398. Dumetia hyperythra, Franklin, and D. al- BOGULAiiis (Blyth) ; Gould, B. As. pt. xii. pi. The last-mentioned bird is the Flaxen Warbler, Sylvia sub- flava, var. A. of Latham (Gen. Hist. B. vii. p. 95), as shown by a specimen, so marked, in the Derby Museum at Liverpool. It is common in Ceylon. D. hypenjthra is figured and very ill coloured (even as shown by the accompanying description) in the 'Magasin de Zoologie' for 1835 (pi. 40). 402 and 403. Pomatorhinl's schisticeps and P. leuco- GASTER. These resemble each other in colouring ; but the former is not only larger but has a proportionately larger and coarser bill and feet, with very much stronger and longer claws. P. leuco- gaster is common in the Dacca district of Eastern Bengal. To the genus Pomatorhinus must be added, not only P. PHAYRii, as noticed by Dr. Jerdon (Appendix, p. 872), but also P. HYPOLEUcus, nobis (J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 379, xiv. p. 559, xxiv. p. 273), which is figured as P. alhicollis, Hodgson, by Gray and Mitchell (Gen. B. pi. 57), the range of both species extending from Nipal to the Khasya hills and those of Arakan. P.phayrii differs from P. ferrvginosus not " only in the crown being of the same colour as the back " (ii. p. 29), but also in having the bill of the usual colour, yellow with dusky ridge, instead of bright coral-red in the fresh specimen. The ferruginous colour of the breast is also less deep. A closely allied race to P. phayrii inhabits the Teuasserim provinces, P. albogularis (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. "271). A Teuasserim specimen of P. hypoleucus is re- B 2 4 Mr. Blyth's Commentary markable for having narrow white mesial streaks to the feathers of the nape (of which I could perceive no trace in Arakan speci- mens), and similar well-defined but wider streaks on the dark ash-coloured sides of the breast, which were little more than indicated in the Arakan specimens examined. Perhaps it is a distinct race, but more probably merely a particularly fine adult specimen of P. hypoleucus, as in the figure cited (taken from a Nipalese example) the stripes on the sides of the breast are fairly developed. Col. Tickell, who procured the Tenasserim specimen, demurs to its being classed, as a Pomatorhinus. He says, " Examine narrowly the bill, which will be found softer in texture (this, however, in a dry skin cannot be well perceived) and subcylindrical, whereas Pomatorhinus has the bill exceed- ingly compressed and hard. Then the shape of the head with its flat sinciput, and the fan-like broad tail.'^ Should it be deemed advisable to detach P. hypoleucus from Pomatorhinus, a second and less typical species exists in P. erythrogenys of the Himalaya. 406. XiPHORHAMPHUs suPERCiLiARis, Blyth; Gould, B. As. pt. ix. pi. According to Mr. Hodgson the egg is white. 426 and 427. Trochalopterum lineatum and T. imbrica- TUM. The former (and not the latter) is the Cinclosoma setifer of Mr. Hodgson as sent by him to the Calcutta Museum. I have seen numerous specimens from Sikhim and Nipal, but T. imbri- catum only from Butan, though I have long especially looked for it in Darjeeling collections. Dr. Adams (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 182) refers it to Malacocercus \ The form is proximate to Leucodiophron of China and Formosa *. 408. Garrulax c^rulatus. The egg is bright blue, according to Mr. Hodgson. Mr. Swinhoe has a closely allied species, G. pcecilorhyncha, from * The Malayan genus Lophocitta, referred to by Dr. Jerdon, I now consider to bear a near affinity to Parus, as does also the African form Eurycephalus, and certainly Falcunculus and Orececa of Australia. on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 5 Formosa; and his G. ruficeps, from the same island, is nearly allied to G. albogularis (Gould, B. As. pt. xvi.). 410. Garrulax ruficollis. Mr. Hodgson figures the egg of a fine green colour. 414. Garrulax ocellatus. Surely a Truchalopterum rather than a Garrulax. 415. Trochalopterum erythrocephalum. Mr. Hodgson figures a green egg, spotted much like that of Turdus musicus, as that of the present species. 417. Trochalopterum subunicolor. The eggs are green according to Mr. Hodgson. 422. Trochalopterum phcexiceum. Mr. Hodgson figures a beautiful compact nest, bound round with long lanceolate leaves. 423 and 424. Trochalopterum cachinnans and T. jer- DOXI. In the development of the loral plumes these two species from Southern India resemble the Sumatran Garrulax mitratus. 427. ACTINODURA EGERTONI. Mr. Hodgson figures the nest of this bird like that of an English Redbreast, with pinkish-white eggs. Crocias guttatus, Temm. (PI. Col. 592), of Sumatra and Java, is a species not distantly allied to this. 428. ACTINODURA NIPALENSIS. One of Mr. Hodgson's drawings represents a white egg with ferruginous spots, disposed much as in that of Merula vulgaris. This bird is the type of his genus Hemipterum. 429. SiBIA CAPISTRATA. Mr. Hodgson figures a cup-shaped nest fixed in a branched twig. 432. Malacocercus terricolor. This species is undoubtedly the Turdus canorus of Linnjeus, and the Merula hengalensis of Brisson, founded on Edwards's badly coloured figure (Nat. Hist. B. pi. 184). G Mr. Blyth's Commentary 435. Malacocercus somervillii. To this must be referred Mr. Swinhoe's M. griseus from Bombay (Ibis, 1865, p. 416). I do not find that Dr. Jerdon mentions that any of the true Malacocerci are " fair songsters," but rather that he distinctly intimates the reverse. The true Malacocerci are confined to India with Ceylon ; but the allied genus Chatorhea extends to Northern Burma * and also to North Africa; for I consider the Crateropus fulvus (Desf.) [Ma- lurus numidicus, Lev. jun., Expl. Sc. de PAlgerie, Ois., pi. ix. bis), noticed by Mr. Tristram (Ibis, 1859, p. 420), as also the C. chalybius, Bonap. (Ibis, 1859, p. 30, 1865, p. 79), with C. rubiginosvs, Riippell (Vogel Nord-Ost-Afrika^s, taf. 19), to be three typical species of Chatorhea ; while the Maliirus squamiceps and the M. acacia of Riippell seem referable to the peculiar type exemplified by Malacocercus malcolmi of India. This type I formerly denominated Malcolmia ; but the name is preoccupied in botany. Dr. Riippell has referred the two species last named to Sphenura (Vogel Nord-Ost-Afrika^s) ! 438. Chatorhea caudata. The specimen described as C. huttoni (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 476), from Kandahar, is larger than any that I have seen from India, having the wing 3*5 inches long and the middle tail-feathers exceeding 5 inches. According to Dr. Pucheran, the Bengal bird is equally found in the Philippine Islands (Arch, du Mus. vii. p. 342). 439. Chatorhea earlii (Blyth); Malacocercus geochrous, Hodgson. 440. Megalurus palustris. Occurs in the Philippines. I observed both this species and Pyctorhis sinensis to abound in bush-jungle near Akyab harbour. Mr. Wallace has a very tine species, M. iimoriensis, from Western Timor. 442. Schcenicola platyura. I imposed this generic name in 1844 (J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 374) . Prince Bonaparte afterwards (Consp. Av. 1850, p. 463) applied it to that section of Buntings of which the British Emberiza * For remarks on the climate and productions of the Upper Irawadi, vide J. A. S. B. 1862, xxxi. p. 193. on Dr. Jcrdon^s 'Birds of India.' 7 schcenicliis is the type, and for which Mr. Goukl has adopted it in the 'Birds of Great Britain' (pt. vii.). 443. EURYCERCUS BURNESI. This will have to stand as Laticilla burnesi. The name Eury- cercus was first given ; but I altered it to Laticillo, because the former had been already bestowed on a genus of Entomostraca (J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 596). 445 and 446. Hypsipetes ganeesa and H. nilgiriensis. These are specifically identical (Ibis, 1865, p. 42). 447. Hypsipetes maclellandi. The nest and eggs of this species as figured by Mr. Hodg- son are those of a true Bulbul. H. holti, Swinhoe, of China, is closely allied. 448. Hemixus flavala, Hodgson ; Pycnonotus flavula, Gray and Mitchell, 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 59. Mr. Gray spells the specific name flavula. It is flav-ala of Mr. Hodgson. The range of this species extends to the Tenas- serim provinces (J. A. S.B. xxiv. p. 277). Microscelis, Swains., is nearly allied, founded on the Orpheus (!) amaurotis of the ' Fauna Japonica ' (Aves, pi. xxxi. b). But a second species of Hemixus exists in the lole cinerea, A. Hay (J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 573). Ixus virescens, Temm. (PI. Col. 332), seems refer- able to my lole ; in which case lole virescens, nobis (J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 573), needs renaming, and I therefore here alter the name to lole viridescens. 451. Criniger flaveolus. Found also in the Tenasserim mountains (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 277). Pycnonotus rufi^caudatus, Eyton, is not Trichophorus gularis, Horsfield, but is identical with Criniger cantori, Moore. 452. IxUS LUTEOLUS. Common in the Midnapore jungles, but does not extend on to the plains of Lower Bengal, or but sparingly to its extreme limits. It is common in Ceylon. 454. Kelaartia penicillata. First noticed by Dr. Jerdon as the " Yellow-eared Bulbul " (TMadr. Journ. Lit. Sc. no. xxx. p. 168), and together with it 8 Mr. Blyth^s Commentary a " White-eared Bulbul/' which has not since been identified. Both are from the Mysore country, below the Nilgiris; but the skins were accidentally destroyed before he took descrip- tions of them. The notice of the latter species is as follows : — " Above light green, below greenish-yellow ; head, neck, and breast dusky-grey ; ear-spat white. '^ Rubiyula aherrans, nobis (ii. p. 88), is referred by Lord Wal- den (Ibis, 1866, pp. 321, 423) to Muscicapa melanictera, Gmelin, but is still retained in Rubiyula. A common species in Ceylon (Ibis, 1860, p. 358, note). 457. Brachypodius poiocephalus ; Ixus fisqueti, Eydoux and Souleyet, Voy, de la Bonitc, Atlas, Ois., pi. 15. 460. Otocompsa jocosa. As many as four races have been confounded under this name : — 1, that of China, which is the true Lanius jocosus, L.; — 2, that of Bengal and Nipal, which is Lanius emeria, Shaw, Ixus pyrrhotis, Hodgson ; — 3, that of Southern India, which is O. fuscicaudata, Gould (P. Z. S. 1865, p. 664) ; — 4, that of the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal, its range extending from the hills south of the Brahmaputra valley as far southward as Pinang, which is /. monticolus, Maclelland. The last differs from L. emeria in having a shorter crimson ear-tuft, of a much deeper colour, and the feathers composing it are more rigid and wiry. O. fuscicaudata, of Southern India, has no white spots on the tail-feathers ; and there does not appear to be a repre- sentative of this particular type in Ceylon. Mr. Gould first called my attention to the distinction of the South Indian race. The Chinese race I only presume to be peculiar, for I have had no opportunity of comparing it with the others. According to Mr. Swinhoc, Chinese specimens are " identical with the Calcutta race." It ranges from Canton southward. 462. Pycnonotus HjEMORRHous of India, auctorum. This must now stand as P. pusillus, nobis, the true Musci- capa Ji(Emo7rhousa, Gm., referring to Ixus chrysorrhoides of Mr. Swinhoe's list (P. atricapillus, A. Hay), which is figured as Ixus hcemorrhous in the Ornithological Report accompanying the narrative of Commodore Perry's Expedition. The Tenas- on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 9 serim Pycnonotus nigropileus there noticed is more nearly akin to P. pusillus of Arakan and Southern India^ and differs only from the IMalayan P. crocorrhous, Strickland, by having the lower tail-coverts crimson instead of flame-coloured^ while in tlie Javan P. chrysorrhous, Horsfield, they are orpiment-yellow. It is not unlikely that these four races will prove to grade into each other. From the Deyra Doon I have seen Eulbuls re- sembling P. pusillus in colouring, but as large as P.pygceus, *Ss!^ these being referable to P. intermedius, A. Hay, noticed by Dr. Jerdon, and doubtless identical with P. bengalensis mentioned by Dr. Adams as being common in the ranges near the plains of the Punjab (P. Z. S. 1849, p. 181). Genus Phyllornis (vol. ii. p. 97). There are two types of this genus, — one with a melliphagous bill and verditer-blue shoulder, common to India and the Malay countries ; the other with the bill more resembling that of lora, and peculiar to the Malay countries. To the latter type belong P.javensis (P. sonnerati, Jard. & Selby ; Gould, B. As. pt. xiii.) and P. cyanopugon, T. {ibid.), which, differ only, though consider- ably, in size, the rest appertaining to the melliphagous type. In the former of these subgroups, if not also in the other, 1 sus- pect that adults of both sexes are similar, or very nearly so, the plumage commonly supposed to be feminine being that of im- maturity. In the allied genus lora, however, the sexes are differently coloured. I recognized the affinity of lora to Phyl- lornis immediately upon becoming acquainted with the latter in a state of nature (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1849, xx. p. 384, &c.). The two groups have the same geographical distribution. The two sections of Phyllornis indicated are, I think, sufficiently di- stinct to be separately recognized; and I would restrict the name Phyllornis to the javensis type, and adopt Chloropsis, Jard. & Selby, for the other. The range of the Malayan P.javensis extends to the higher mountains of the Tenasserim provinces (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 277), where it occurs together with C. hard- wickii and C. hodgsoni. The last-named species was obtained by Mr. Blanford seventy miles above Ava (J. A. S. B.xxxii.p.79). C. cochinchinensis, nobis (Jerdon, ii. p. 98), is the P. icteroce- 10 Mr. Blytli^s Conimentary phalus, Temm., which is common throughout the Burmese coun- tries and Malayan Peninsula ; Strickland referred it to P. molac- censis (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1847, xix. p. 130). I suspect that it is the true C. cochinchinensis, rather than the allied Javan species. 463 and 464. Phyllornis jerdoni and P. malabaricus ; Gould, B. As. pt. xiii. pis. The last is common in Ceylon. 465. Phyllornis aurifrons of India, auctorum; P. hodg- soni, Gould, B. As. pt. xiii. pi. P. aurifrons, Temm. (PI. Col. 484. fig. 1), is stated to be from Pallambang in Sumatra, 466. Phyllornis hardwickii (Jard. & Selb.); Gould, B. As. pt. xiii. pi. P.javensis and P. mjaiiopugun are likewise figured by Mr. Gould. 468. lORA typhia. This bird is found without variation of colouring over the Indo-Chinese countries, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. In Lower Bengal the cap and back have rarely some admixture of the black of /. zeylanica ; and Col. Tytler remarks that it "assumes a much blacker appearance" in Dacca than those obtained in the vicinity of Calcutta (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1854, xiv. p. 174). A species peculiar to the Malayan coun- tries (found alike in the Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo) is I. scapularis, Horsf. $ ; and the male is Mr. Wallace's /, vi- ridissima of Borneo, and, I suspect, /. viridis also. The large /, lafresnayi (/. innotata, nobis) ranges at least from Arakan to Malacca. 470. Oriolus kundoo. This only differs from 0. galbula in its larger and differently shaped bill, and in having some black feathers posterior to the eye. It visits Kashmir, and is probably the supposed 0. gal- bula of Irkutsk. 471. Oriolus indicus is identical with O. chinensis, L., but not with " la Couliavan de la Cochin-Chine " (PI. Enl. 570), which is more like 0. acrorhynchus, Vigors, of the Philippines, on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 11 figured by Gray and Mitchell (Gen. Birds, pi. 58), and also 0. macrourus, nobis, of the Nicobar Islands. Another species akin to the two latter is 0. frontalis, Wallace (P. Z. S. 1862, p. 333, Aves, pi. xl.), from the Sula Islands, midway between Celebes and the Moluccas. O. hippocrepis of Java diflPers from 0. chinensis (O. indicus, Briss.) in its smaller size^ having the wing 5 inches long only, and the yellow border to the secon- daries much reduced. 473. Oriolus ceylonensis, Bp. ; 0. melanocephalus, C. W. Habn, Vogel, &c. pt. vi. tab, 5. 474. Oriolus trailli is not the '' only " species of the division Psaropholus, iov^hxch 0. sanguinolentus,T emm. (PI. Col. 499), of Java and likewise Mr. Swinhoe's P. ardens of Formosa (Ibis, 1862, pi. xiii.) appertain. 475. CopsYCHUs SAULARis* (L.) ; .Gould, B. As. pt. xv. pi. "Identically the same in China'' (Swinhoe). In Ceylon the females (so far as I have seen) have the back blackish, like those of the Malayan C. mindanensis; whereas in Bengal and other parts of India, and also in Burmah, the females have the back comparatively pale ashy. The female of the Chinese bird I have not seen ; but Mr. Swinhoe remarks (Ibis, 1864, p. 422, note) that " the female of the Ceylon Copsychus differs as much from the male as ours," i. e. the Chinese bird. The males from China, India^ and Ceylon are undistinguishable. As Dr. Jer- don recognizes the slight distinction between the Dhyals [Co- psychus] and the Shamas [Cittocincla) , and I believe that most ornithologists would do so if familiar with the living birds, he should have referred the Tnrdus luzoniensis of Kittlitz to the latter, and not to the former, in which, however, he has followed Dr. Sclater (P. Z. S. 1861, p. 186). All of the Shamas have more or less of bright ferruginous colouring, more delicately formed pinkish tarsi and toes, and generally a more lengthened * This word is not a misprint for Solaris, as has been suggested, Lin- naeus having evidently latinized Ray's " Saulary," the name under which that naturalist ligured the species. Levaillant's translation of the native word *'Dhyal" or "Dial" into cadran is rather an amusing mistake. 12 Mr. Blyth's Commentary tail. They are, moreover, forest birds in their habits, not affect- ing, like the Dhyals, the vicinity of human abodes, and they are far superior as songsters. The most intermediate species known to me is Cittocincla albiventris, nobis, common in the Andamans ; and the song of this bird is inferior to that of other Shamas — though still not Dhyal-like, being much deeper in tone. Had a solitary specimen been obtained on the mainland, it would probably have been considered a hybrid between Co- psychus saularis and Cittocincla macrura) — C. saularis being also an inhabitant of the Andamans, but not C. macrura, so far as known ; and it is most unlikely to have escaped the eye and ear of Col. Tytler*. 477. Myiomela leucura. Congeneric with, and most closely allied to, Notodela diana, Lesson, as suggested by me in 1847 (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 138), to which the generic name Ajax has been applied, holdmg prece- dence of Myiomela. A, leucurus was obtained by Col. Tickell in the Amherst district, Tenasserim ; and A. diana is described from Pegu, and was procured by Mr. Wallace in Western Java. He refers it to Brachypteryx albifrons, Boie (Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 257). The only distinctions between the two consist in A. diana being brighter-coloured and having the white lunate mark on the forehead. A third species of Ajax is Mr. Swinhoe's M. montium (Ibis, 1864, p. 362). Mr. Hodgson ligures a mossy nest and clay- coloured egg, much pointed at the small end, as those of A. leucurus. 478. Grandala ccelicolor, Hodgs.; Gould, B. As. pt. xiv.pl., is figured also perched upon a twig by Gray and Mitchell (Gen. * In the Report of the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, for May 1865, a communication from Mr. T. F. Peppe, of Gya, is pub- lished, wherein that gentleman remarks : — " An annual 77iela, or fair, is held at Budhpore during- the Churruk Puja festival, to which, amongst other things, are brought, I understand, numbers of young birds for sale, chiefly the Shama {Cittocincla macrura') and young Parrakeets {Palce- ornis rosa). I imagine that it is from these fairs, which appear to be usual in many places in the district at this particular festival, many of those birds are collected which eventually find their way for sale to Calcutta, and are said to come trom the Rajmehal hills." on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 13 Birds, pi. 50) . I doubt if it is ever seen to perch. As noticed on a former occasion, this remarkable bird bears considerable re- semblance in structure to Sialia arctica ; but its habits are gregarious, the flocks, as observed by the late Capt. Speke, keeping to the margin of the snow-line, and seeking their food where the snow melts — a mode of life assuredly most remarkable for a species the males of which exhibit such intense brilliancy of colouring. 479 and 480. Thamnobia fulicata and T. cambaiensis. To judge from skins only, these might well be supposed to be the same species in summer and winter dress ; but such is not the case; each is found at all seasons within its own range of distribution, — that of T. fulicata extending to Ceylon, and that of the other not reaching to Lower Bengal. 481. Pratincola caprata (Linn.); $ " QLnanthe pyrrho- nota, Vieillot " (Pucheran) ; from Timor. I never knew this species to occur wild in Lower Bengal ; but it is kept there as a cage-bird, and known as the Pidha. 482. Pratincola bicolor (Sykes) ; P. atrata, nobis ; $ Saxicola erythropygia, Sykes. 483 and 484. Pratincola indica and P. leucura, Gould, B. As. pts. XV., xviii. pis. The range of P. caprata extends to Timor, Flores, and Lom- bok, and that of P. indica (Gould, B. Asia, pt. xv. pi.) and P. ferrea to China ; the last occurs also in Arakan and the Tenas- serim provinces. The voice of P. indica is notably different from that of the European P. rubicola. 485. Pratincola insignis. Hitherto this fine species has been known only from a single male. I detected a female in Mr. Gould^s collection, which was sent to him by Dr. Jerdon, who must have somehow over- looked it. The female is a very dingy bird, plain brown, with some white at base of tail and a little at the sides of the breast. The fact of Dr. Jerdon^s procuring a specimen shows that it is not exclusively Tibetan. 14 Mr. Hly til's Coininculunj IS7. Rii()i)oi'iiii,A MKi.ANOMoucAj Jcrdon ; Gould, B. As. pt. xviii. |)l. This ^(;tiiis seems to be- identical with Oreicula, 13onap. (Cornpli'H |{,(!tidns, 1854, j). fj, iriisprintcd Orcoica, p. 10*), at Iciist as cxeiiij)lific(l hy (). inrbnioh'iK'a and (). laclaosa, Horiap., of Timor. In this ease it is necessary to n^name the Indian speei(!s, whieh I here desi<^iiate Okkicola .mokooni. In his ' Ap- [XMidix ' (p. H72), Dr. .lerdoii relers Prnlincohi. farrm (no. 480) to the same f^enus; hut I would decidedly retain it as a some- what aberrant J'r'aliiicola '[. ■'188 and 18!). Saxicola r,KU(:iiu,()i diis, fincrin ; Dromolam opislhuleucu (Strickl.), (iould, W. As. pt. xxii. pi., atid S. imcata, dould, li. As. pt. xvii. pi. T rcf^ard both of these as true HdiicoLc, how(;vcr much the fornu'r may resemble Drumolaia leucura in coloration. j\lr. Gould figures brown fenudes to botli of these birds ; but that ot aV. opisiholeuca more (^specially, has so much the appearance of *S'. imnnlke that it might well be occasionally mistaken for (Ik; Hritish species. Hence I suspect (hat Indian specirruTis * Orcincd (potiuH Orcwoa), tioiild, is a wcU-liiiowii AiiHtralian form of TitnioiiHc). t Mr. WalliuM", I*. /. S. lM(;.",, p. 'iHrt^ cmiincnitcs foiu' Hp(H;i(^Hof Snxicoki — thv(u( of wliieli lui iiHwigMiM to 'I'inior, and ori(^ to lioiribok. Now tho true Siuicola! (or Wlicatoars) aro, in India,, pcu^uiiar lo the North-west l*ro- vincoH, and are wholly foroif^n to tlio Indo-Cliiinoso and Malayan countries. I wa.s therefore curioiiH to exaniiiui Mr. WallacH^'s Hpeciniens, and found that his Sd.n'rold (hutiHorio, from lionilK)k, is allied to Xiinlliopi/f/in, nol)iM ; wliile *S'. pi/rrhi»i(>/.(i, IMiillcr (as identilied })y Mr. Wallace), of Timor, is a.liiii in form to tlui last, and also to Hij)hi(i, llodf^son, though peculiar in its coldnilion. N(Mth(!r of these range properly with tho Orcimlfc. Of the hitter, i>. iHcldiiolciiva, Honap., is clearly (J^'riiinthe mclanolettca, yiv\\\iti, from Timor, as tiotieed by J)r. I'ucheran (Arch, du Museum, vii. p. 847). It cannot, therefore, hr. identical with McUcophila ]dr(iti(, Clould, B. Austr. iv. pi. 'in (Lir/niofni/hti picold, Cuh. Mus. Ilein. i. p. IK!), as Dr. Pucheran Hugi,'-estM. (]'!. pyrrhonotd, Vieillot, from Tiuu)r is idi-ntilicd by the same naturalist with Pm/inco/ti c(i/>ytit(i ^, also from Timor and in Mr. Wal- lace's collection from tluit island. Tlie fact that O. jcrdoni {RhoihpJiila mdanohuca, .Terdon) so long eontiinu^d unobserved in Bengal may indi- cate that other species yet remain to be discovered in the intervening countries between Bengal and Timor. uit Dr. Jcidnii's ' liirds n/' liidiu.' 15 refcriccl liitlicrto to *S. u'lniiit/ie niiglit be locxiiiiiincd advanta- geously. S. leucuroides, Guerin, is figured in the Atlas to MM. Ferret and Galenicr's ' Voyage en Abyssinie ' (Zoologie, pi. xi.). I!K). Saxicola CAiMsTKATA, Ciould, H. As. |)t. xvii. Distiiiet from *S'. leucomela (I'allas), which is also figured by Mr. Gould [cf. Ibis, 1H()(), p. 101)). 492. Saxicola atro(;li.akis, nobis; Gould, Hirds of Asia, pt. xvii. pi. Distinct from S. dcserti, llijppeil, as is also a fine new species akin to it, S. montana, received from Tibet [cf. Ibis, ut supra). Both of these also are rejjresented to have brown females*. Genus Cercomela, Bonap. (ii. j). 133). Among the characters of this group, as distinguished from Saxicola, should be noticed the comparative shortiuiss of tin; tarsi. 495. UUTICILLA PHCENICUllA. As Dr. Jerdon remarks in his *A|)pendix' (p. 870), this should probably be erased as distinct from R. phwriicuruidcs. The Phwnkura ruticilln of Mr. Ewei-'s list (P. Z. S. 1812, p. 92) was doubtless /■*. rujiventris. .'">()(). llUTIClLLA AUKOIIKA. Spix'imens of this bird occur, rarely, in collections from Ma- lacca, when; of coin's(; it nnist be a winter visitant ; and it is th(^ only Redstart which 1 have seen from the Malayan penin- sula. 5()l'. RUTICILLA CvElllJLl'XX'Kl'IIAI.A. Tlu! female of this bird is coloured very differently from the male. It is plain brown, with a whitish belly and a little white on the wings ; upper tail-coverts dark ferruginous, and a little of this colour margining the base of the outer tail-feathers. * " At tho Sult-lako in Ladakh, on one occasion a bird evidently of this geiniH was observed, about the size of tho Wliinchat ; upper parts a bluish- bhick ; Ijreast black ; belly and k>\v(!r partswhite. This 1 (;onsider a rare, if not an inidescribed spiscies. A specimen was not procured." (A, Leith Adaiii.s, I'./. S. lHr>!),p. 180.) 16 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 506. RUTICILLA FULIGINOSA. Occurs in China and Formosa according to Mr. Swinhoe. Dr. A. Leith Adams mentions a Raticilla that was often seen in Ladakh in like situations with R. fuliginosa. " It is smaller : colour a leaden-ashy, with several white feathers in the tail. Specimen not procured" (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 179). Henicurus scouleri being likewise mentioned, it could not have been that species, as might otherwise have been plausibly suggested. 507. Larvivora cyana, Hodgs. As Mr. Swinhoe (Ibis, 1866, p. 315) refers the Motacilla cyana of Pallas to this genus, identifying it with his Larvivora gracilis, the name of the Indian species is forestalled, and it must rank as L. super ciliar is (Jerdon), as Mr. Swinhoe suggests. 508. Ianthia rufilata (Hodgson). /. cyanura (Pallas), from China and elsewhere, is distinguished by its white superciliary mark. 510. Tarsiger superciliaris. I quite agree with Mr. Hodgson in referring this species to Tarsiger and not to Ianthia, to which Dr. Jerdon has restored it*. 512. Calliope kamtschatkensis. Received from the Philippines (Ibis, 1865, p. 30). * Mr. Gould has two specimens of a bird whicli can hardly be separated from Tarsiger, although the bill is somewhat broader. In other respects the structm-e is identical. He is not certain whether they are from Africa or India. Tarsiger cucullatus, Gould, sp. n. Dull green above, passing to yel- lowish on the upper tail-coverts ; below bright yellow, with an ash-co- lom'ed hood and wings except the smaller coverts ; middle tail-feathers entirely dusky-black, the next yellow for two-thirds of the outer web, the next three yellow for the basal thi-ee -fourths on both webs, and the outermost feather yellow on the inner web for the basal three-fourths, and the rest of it dusky ; a concealed white spot in front of the neck at the border of the grey hood, indicative of affinity to Cyanecula. Length 5-6 in., wing 3 in., tail 2-5 in., bill to gape -62 in., tarsus 1 in. Both specimens evidently males. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India' 17 514. Cyaneculasuecica* occurs also at Tientsin (Swinhoe). Captain Hutton says (J. A. S. B. xvi. 780) that the race which is a summer visitor at Kandahar has " no red spot on the blue throat." Dr. Bree remarks (B.Eur, ii. p. 12) that I referred the Indian bird "to the white-spotted variety." Surely I never made such a mistake ! In the paper from which he quotes a passage I distinctly assert, of the Indian race, that " its pectoral spot is always rufous instead of white " (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 135). And again (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1843, xii. p. 100) I have stated that " all have the central mark of the breast rufous and not white." These statements should be sufficiently explicit, Mr. Gould assures me that Indian specimens run smaller than those of Europe. They appear to be identical with C. dichrostei nii, Cab. (Mus. Hein. 1850, i. p. 1, note) and C. orientalis, Brehm (J. f. 0. 1854, p. 33). Dr. Jerdoti remarks, with regard to the present species, that I would class the Nightingale with the Robins, while he thinks that it would " associate more naturally " with the Calamoher- * Nearly all ornithologists have taken it for granted that the Motacilla succica of Linnaeus is the form having a white spot in the middle of the blue breast. This is not the case, the true M. suecica being expressly stated (Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i. p. 336) to be ''pectore ferrugineo," a character possessed by all the Swedish examples we have ever seen. It follows therefore that the Motacilla caruUcula of Pallas (Z. R.-A. i. p. 480) is sti'ictly synonymous with M. suecica. The form with the white spot was figm-ed as Sylvia cyanecida, Meyer and AVolf (Tasch. deutsch. "\'ogelk. 1822, i. p. 240), and that with the entirely blue breast as S. icol/l, Brehm (Lehrb. Europ. Yogel, 1823, i. p. 344, pi.). But Meyer and Wolf cer- tainly did not regard the white-spotted bird as distinct from M. suecica, L., and therefore their name " cyanecula " cannot be permitted to stand. The name next in point of date, and solely applicable to the white- spotted form, is <S'. leucocyanea, Brehm (Handb. Nat. Vog. Deutschl. 1831, p. 353) ; and this, accordingly, ought to be adopted for it, as it has been by that author in his latest article on the subject (J. f. O. 1854, pp. 33- 30). In a paper by Dr. Altum on the Bluethroats (Naumannia, 1855, pp. 166-170, pi.) he expresses an opinion that there is only one species, and endeavours to show by figures that the various forms are only phases through which each individual successively passes. He does not, how- ever, accoimt for the fact that in ScandinaA-ia the white-spotted is un- known, except perhaps as a straggler, while that which breeds in Hol- land and Germany as constantly never assumes the red spot. N. S. VOL. III. C 18 Mr. Blyth's Commentary pincE. My opinion has always been that the Nightingales are very closely akin to the small Solitary Thrushes of x\merica. Their speckled nestling-plumage is at variance with Dr. Jerdon's view, as is also their mode of nidification. Audubon's descrip- tion of the song, habits, and nidification of Turdus wilsoni, on the contrary, accords remarkably with what we observe of the British Nightingale*. For some years past (until the time that I left India) a Ger- man speculator annually brought a large supply of European singing-birds to Calcutta, including half-a-dozen or more Night- ingales on each occasion. I possessed one, in fine song, at the time I quitted the country. Some years ago, also, but not lat- terly. Nightingales were brought all the way to Calcutta from Persia, via Afghanistan; but these were of a rather larger species, perhaps Luscinia major [Sylvia philoinela, Temm.), and were scarcely quite equal to the other as songsters. To the natives they are alike known as the Bulbul Bosta. In Dr. Hooker's work on the Sikhim Himalaya, "the Nightingale" is referred to, more than once, as an inhabitant of the interior of Sikhim, and as singing at a time of the year (October) in which the real Nightingales are mute. Of course some other bird is intended, though of what species or genus I am unable to con- jecture. The Shama, which is sometimes called the Indian Nightingale, does not inhabit Sikhim. The importation of Nightingales and other European song-birds should be borne in mind in the event of skins of such birds happening to occur in collections brought from India. Dr. A. Leith Adams justly remarks that Moore, in his ' Lalla Rookh,' might have intro- duced the Swallow in place of the Nightingale. " 'The Nightin- gale's hymn from the Isle of Chunars' is a creation of the poet's imagination. The Luscinia philomela is not found in the West- ern Himalayas" (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175). Nor in the Eastern Himalayas most assuredly ! 515. AcROCEPHALUS BRUNNESCENs, Jerd. ; A. orientalis, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1 860, p. 349 (from Batchian). Also occurs in Java. * Two species of Luscinia from South iyrica are mentioued by Dr. Ilartlaub (Ibis, 1862, p. 145). Surely these are not veritable Nightingales ? on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 19 516. ACROCEPHALUS DUMETORUM. Neither in habits nor in voice does this species accord with A. streperus [Sylvia arundinacea, Lath.) of Europe, with which Mr. Gould identifies it. It does not affect the vicinity of water ; and the same is remarked by the Abbe Caire (Rev. Zool. 1855, p. 65) of the European A. palustris — so misnamed. Its song is a soft and pleasing warble. The S. montana, Horsf., of Java, referred to by Dr. Jerdon, I now assign to Neornis, Hodgson (sinking Horornis altogether). Ceylon specimens of A. dume- torum appear always to have a distinct greenish shade, but do not otherwise differ from continental examples. Dr. Jerdon remarks correctly of A. brunnescens that it differs from the European A. arundinaceus {Sylvia turdoides, Meyer) in the first long primary being ^ inch shorter than the next, whereas in the European analogue the first long primary is, if anything, longer than the second, — and that A. dumetorum has "the same proportions of the quills" as A. brunnescens, the first quill being very minute and pointed, and the second equal to or longer than the sixth. This difference between the Indian and European species of Acrocephalus was first pointed out by myself (J. A. S. B. xv. p. 288). A. brunnescens is of course the Calamoherpe turdoides, from India, of Dr. Jaubert (Rev. Zool. 1855, p. 63). 518. AuuNDiNAX AEDON (Pall.); A. olivaceus, Blyth (olim) ; Motacilla aedon, Pallas ; Von Schrenck, Reise Amurl. i. tab. xii. fig. 1. Common in Eastern Asia, and has been received from the Andaman Islands. Dr. Cabanis erroneously refers Motacilla aedon, Pallas, to Luscinia major, Brehm. » 519. DUMETICOLA AFFINIS. The bird figured as this, by the name Calamodyta affinis, by Gray and Mitchell (111. Gen. Birds, pi. xlix. fig. 2) would seem to be Tribura luteoventi-is (no. 522). I have received from Dr. Jerdon two species of this genus, one of which is the true affinis [Salica- ria affinis, Hodgson j, and the other may be distinguished as DUMETICOLA BRUNNEIPECTUS, Sp. nOV. Size and form of D. affinis, and the upper parts are of the c2 20 Mr. Blyth's Commentary same uniform dark olive-brown colour ; lores, chin and throat, and middle of the belly pure white ; sides of the throat, breast, flanks, and tibial plumes rufescent brown ; lower tail-coverts brown, with broad, pale tips, though considerably less broad than are the white tips to the lower tail-coverts of D. affinis. Hah. Himalaya? A third species exists in Horornis fiaviventris, Hodgson (no. 524). Olive-brown above, with a slight ruddy tinge; below paler ; whitish, with a tinge of yellow, on throat and breast ; lower tail-coverts brown, with dull whitish tips. Wing 2*12 inches ; tail 2*55 in., its outermost feather '5 in. shorter than the middle ones. A fourth very probably exists in Horornis fortipes, Hodgson (no. 526), to judge from my description of a specimen (J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 585) : " Colour uniform dark olive-brown above ; below pale ochraceous-brown, approaching to albescent; flanks and lower tail-coverts dark brown, the latter margined paler; bill dusky above, paler below ; legs also pale. Length about 4| in. ; wing 2 in. ; and tail 1| in., its outermost feather ^ in. shorter; bill to gape | in. ; and tarsi | in." Mr. Hodgson writes, how- ever, "Bill slender, with notch and inclination distinct; rictal hairs distinct. Tail broad, soft, fan-shaped. Legs strong, and frequently smooth. Wing as in Tribura, more or less pointed, and not absolutely rounded as in Horeites." I think that these three (or four) species of Dumeticola might very well be merged in Locustella, L. ncevia has not neces- sarily an aquatic propensity ; for I have observed it in the driest furze-brakes in this country. I suspect that all of this group will be found to have the cartilaginous and stiffened tendons of the muscles of the leg, to which I called attention so long ago as 1834 (Ann. Mag. N. H. vii. p. 341). 520. Locustella NiEviA, Bodd. ; Sylvia locustella, Lath. {vide J. A. S. B. xxiii. p. 216). This is very decidedly not the Motacilla certhiola, Pallas, as figured by Mr. Gould and Dr. Bree. I still think that it is the British species ; perhaps, however, it may be L. hendersoni, Cas- sin (Proc. Acad. Phil. 1858, p. 293) = L. macropus, Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1863, pp. 93,293). It is not L. ochotemis, Middend. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India." 21 (Sib. Reise, tab. xvi. fig. 7), which I have seen at the Bi-itish Museum. Mr. Wallace has two fine large species of Locustella — L. fasciolata [Acrocephalus fasciatus, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 349), from Batchian, and L. insularis, Wallace, from Mati Island, north of Jilolo. 522. Tribura luteoventris, Hodgson; qu. " Calamodyta ojffinis" Gray and Mitchell, ill. Gen. Birds, pi. xlix. fig. 2? Mr. Gould has an Indian specimen, which I think belongs to this species, which he refers to Sphenoeacus, Strickland (as exem- plified by his S. galactodes, B. Austr. iii. pi. 35). Mr. Swinhoe describes a T. squameiceps, from China, as "allied to T. lutei- ve>itris, Hodgson, from Nepal " (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 292). Schoeni- cola platyura, Jerdon (no. 442), should probably rank near it, as also Salicaria (?) cinnamomea, Riippell (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 260). 523. HoRORNis FULviVENTER, Hodgson [nee nobis, Ibis, 1865, p. 33), is identical with P hijlloscopus fuscatus, nobis (Jerdon, no. 555) ! 524. HoRORNIS FLAVIVENTRIS. A true Dumeticola, or Locustella {vide supra sub no. 519). 525. HoRORNlS FULlGIiNlVENTER. A Phylloscopus akin to no. 523 {vide infra sub no. 555). Mr. G. R. Gray has referred both of these species to Regulus (Cut, B. Nepal, p. 64) ! 526. HoRORNIS FORTIPES. Probably a Dumeticola, or Locustella {vide supra sub no. 519). Among the unmounted skins in the British Museum I found specimens sent by Mr. Hodgson as H. fulviveater, H.flaviventris, and H. fuliginiventer, and examples of the first and third at the India Museum, which I do not hesitate to assign as above ; also, in both museums, numerous specimens labelled H. assimi- lis, Hodgson, being the species which I had previously considered to be H. fulviventer (as in Ibis, 1865, p. 33, where I noticed its close affinity with the Javan Sylvia montana, Horsf.). The same bird I formerly described as Drymceca brevicaudata (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 459), and subsequently regarded it as the adult of Neornis flavolivacea (Cat. Mus. As. Soc. p. 144), wherem Dr. Jerdon follows me {cfno. 552). I had only young examples of 22 Mr. Blyth's Commentary N. flavolivacea in nestling plumage, and I riglitly referred them to the same genus as the other ; only the species proves to be different. The matter accordingly resolves itself into this — that Horornis becomes reduced to the Javan H. montanus (Horsf.) and H. assimilis, Hodgson [Drymoeca brevicaudata, nobis), which I do not think can be separated generically from Neornis flavo- livacea, Hodgson. It remains to decide which of the two gene- ric names should be retained ; and I think that Horornis, as the source of so much confusion, had better be abandoned. The following species would then fall under Neornis : — 1 . Sylvia rnontana, Horsf., from Java; 2. N. assimilis, Hodgson; and 3. N. flavolivacea, Hodgson. N. assimilis [Drymoeca brevicaudata, nobis) is rufescent olive-brown above, much paler beneath, more or less whitish on the throat and belly, and tinged with fulvous on the flanks ; fore part of the wing underneath pure yellowish-white. Wing 2 inches ; tail 2*25 in., its outermost feathers half an inch shorter; tarsi "75 in. A specimen from Afghanistan is of a paler general hue, not quite so much inclined to ruddy, and more to greenish ; whilst N. rnontana of Java is darker, and wants the rufous tinge above, but has it on the breast and flanks. N. flavolivacea is dull greenish-olive above, and dull yellowish below. Mr. Hodgson figures the egg of A'. assimilis as uniform dark red, and the nest as cup-shaped. 527 and 528. Horeites brunneifrons and H. pollicaris. Specimens in the British Museum labelled H. brunneifrons and H. schistilata are undistinguishable; others marked H. pol- licaris appear to me to be the same in nestling plumage. H. robustipes, Swinhoe, is described from Formosa (Ibis, 1866, p. 398). 530. Orthotomus longicauda (Gmel.) ; 0. phyllorrhapheus, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1860, p. 49, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 294. O. patia, as figured by Mr. Hodgson, is a small Priniu with twelve rectrices. I have had the common Tailor-bird's nest brought to me within ten or a dozen oleander-leaves drawn to- gether, and have also seen it within a single leaf of Brugmannsia suaveolens, and commonly within the broad leaves of the brinjal [Solanum esculentum). The oleander-leaf nest referred to should un Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 23 be in the Calcutta Museum. Of course the beauty of the nest in the living green leaf is lost in dry specimens. 532. Prinia flaviventris. Delessert does not give this bird from the Nilgiris. P. soni- tans, Swinhoe, of China and Formosa, is nearly allied to it, and lays a similar remarkably coloured egg (bright brick-red, without spots), as P. socialis also does occasionally, — such an e^^, with the nest, of this species being figured by Mr. Fraser, in his 'Zoologia Typica,^ for those oi Drymoipus inornatus. The European Cettia sericea lays a similar egg, and has likewise only ten rectrices ; but the C. africana, Bonap., has twelve rec- trices, and appears to me to be a large Locustella. 537. Prinia cinereocapilla. Mr. Hodgson figures P. stewarti with this name. 539. CisTicoLA scHCENicoLA, Bp.; C.bninneicephala, Temm. and Schl.; C tintinnabulans, Swinhoe (from Japan, China, and Formosa) . Indian specimens in nestling plumage have the cap more or less completely rufous-brown, which is not the case with some stuffed young Cisticolce in the Zoological Society's house, except just at the forehead. 541. CisTicoLA TYTLERi, Blyth ; 'Buff-headed Warbler,' Latham (Ibis, 1865, p. 44). 548. SUYA FULIGINOSA. Probably identical with S. atrogularis. Mr. Hodgson, how- ever, figures the egg of S. fuliginosa as rufous-white, with minute rufous specks, that form a zone at the large end ; and that of S. atrogularis as green, with rufous specks, more nume- rous at the large end. SuYA GANGETiCA, Jcrdou, in. lit., sp. nov. Plain brown above, rufescent on the head ; lower parts much paler; throat whitish. Wing 2'25 inches, tail 3'75 inches. Common along the Upper Ganges. 550. BuRNEsiA LEPiDA, Blyth ; Gould, B. As. pt. vii. pi. Identical with Malurus gracilis, Riippell, of Palestine and North-eastern Africa, which specific name holds precedence. 24 Mr. Blyth's Commentary Dr. A. Leith Adams suggests that it may be the Sylvia textrix of Savigny (Ibis, 1864, p. 17). According to Mr. Tristram, " it builds a very neat domed nest near the ground, with four or five richly coloured pink eggs. It is a very noisy and con- spicuous bird" (P. Z. S. 1861, p. 437). I certainly have no recollection of the Indian bird being noisy; but then I have not observed it in the breeding-season. Skins from India and Egypt are undistinguishable. 551. Franklinia buchanani. Dr. Jerdon has sent a slightly distinguishable race from the district north-west of Delhi by the name F. cleghornice. It merely differs in having the upper parts pale rufescent brown, deepening and becoming more rufescent on the crown. I made over to Mr. Gould the only specimen sent. 552. Neornis flavolivacea {vide supra sub no. 526). 553. Phyllopneuste rama; Sylvia rama, Sykes (1832); S. scita, Eversmann; S. caligata, Licht. ; Salicaria elaica (?), Lindermeyer; Ficedula amhigua (?), Schlegel. I have compared Indian with Siberian specimens marked S. scita in Mr. Gould's collection, and consider them identical, — the latter being in summer aspect of plumage, with abraded feathers that show greyer and much less olivaceous (as, indeed, I have seen in some Indian examples), agreeing with Dr. Bree's figure of Sylvia elaica^. The range of the latter extends to Egypt and Algeria. I have never obtained P. rama in the im- mediate neighbourhood of Calcutta, upon the mud soil ; but higher up the river Hugli, where sand prevails, it is tolerably common in the cold season, frequenting the bush-jungle. Can Dr. Jerdon be correct regarding the nest ? He remarks, " I have found the nest, on one occasion only, at Jaulna, in the Deccan ; it was cup-shaped, and contained four pure white eggs." (For further particulars of P. rama, consult J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 440.) Sylvia ever smanni, Bonap. (Middend. Sib. Reise, tab. xvi. fig. 1), belongs evidently to the same genus, as also * I have not been able to compare a specimen of P. rama with the figure of P. elaica by Des Murs (Icon. Orn. pi. 58. f. 1). But I much suspect the identity, so far as I can judge from that figure. on Dr. Jcrdoii's ' Birds of India.' 25 Phyllupneuste schwarzi, Radde (Reisen, &c., taf. ix. figs. 1 a, b, and c). 554. Phylloscopus TRisTis, Blyth ; Gould^B.As. pt. xvii. pi. In his 'Memoirs of Hugh Edwin Strickland^ (p. clxiii) Sir W. Jardine identified (or rather strongly opined the identity of) this species with P. bretnrostris, Strickland, Mr. Gould con- siders them distinct, though without mentioning wherein the difi"erence consists. 555. Phylloscopus fuscatus^ nobis (1842) ; Horornis fulvi- venter, Hodgson (1845) ; Sylvia sibirica, Middeudorff" (Sib. Reise, tab. xvi. figs. 4-6, 1858) . Common in China, Formosa, and Japan. Horornis fuliginiventer , Hodgson, is nearly allied to P.fusca- tus, but much darker in colouring. Plain dusky brown above, paler and somewhat fulvescent below, with dull yellowish-white chin and superciliary streak. Outermost tail-feather y'g inch shorter than the rest. Wing 2 inches, tail 1*75 inch, "557. Phylloscopus TROCHiLus,^' In his 'Appendix^ (iii. p. 876), Dr. Jerdon doubts the pro- priety of retaining this European species in his list. Mr. Gould remarks (in his ' Birds of Great Britain,' pt. i.) that " in several works lately published, I am made to state that this bird is found in India ; now I do not deny having made such an asser- tion; but if I have, I must have been deceived, for I have no positive evidence of its having been found there," The asser- tion occurs in the Zoological ' Proceedings ' for 1835 (p. 90), " Inhabiting Europe generally, and the western portions of India. '^ For the present it may, therefore, be safely erased. 559. Phylloscopus nitidus. Through some misconception Mr. F. Moore (Cat. Mus. H. E. I. Co. p. 343) placed this as a synonym of Reyiduides super- ciliosus [Regulus niodestus, Gould), as cited [cf. Ibis, 1862, pp. 55 and 386). No two species are more palpably dissimilar. Mr. Layard procured it in Ceylon. 563. Reguloides occipitalis. This species, which is closely alhed to Sylvia coroaata, Temm. 26 Mr. Blyth^s Commentary and Schl. (Faun. Japon. Aves, pi. xviii.), does not rank well as a Reguluides. It has longer and firmer wings than the other Indian species of the group. 564. Reguloides trochiloides. Not uncommon, rather than " very common/^ about Calcutta during the cold season ; and the same remark applies to Phyllo- scopus affinis (no. 561). 565. Reguloides suPERCiLiosus(Gmelin) ; Regulus modestus, Gould; Phyllobasileus superciliosus, Cab. J. f. 0. 1853, taf. 1. 566. Reguloides proregulus (Pallas) ; Abrornis chloro- notus, Hodgson. Mr. Swiuhoe remarks, "In the summer of 1857 I found the pine-groves abounding with numerous families of Reguluides proregulus and Parus minor" (Ibis, 1862, p. 257). I have re- peatedly observed and shot R. superciliosus both in Bengal and Southern Burma, but never met with it otherwise than singly — with the habits of a Phylloscopus, and not those of a Regulus as Mr. Swinhoe's observation of the nearly allied R. proregulus would imply. Mr. Hodgson figures a pendent nest like that of a Dicoium as the nest of R. proregulus *. 570. Cllicipeta cantator (Tickell), Jerdon, is distinctly an Abrornis. I obtained one specimen only of this bird near Cal- cutta, and Col. Tickell obtained one in Central India. This is the only Abrornis I know of which occurs in India southward of the Himalaya. 574. Abrornis flaviventris seems to be identical with A. superciliaris, Tickell (J. A. S. B. xxviii. pp. 414, 453). In this case the latter name holds precedence ; and the Tenasserim pro- vinces would have to be included in the range of this species. 578. Abrornis castaneiceps (Hodgson), Jerdon, is decidedly a Reguloides, and is figured as Regulus castaneiceps by Gray and Mitchell (111. Gen. Birds, pi. 49. f. 1). * The North American Reyidus calendula has not the peculiai* feather impending over each nostril of the normal Goldcrests. on Dr. Jerdoii's * Birds of India.' 27 Abrounis griseifrons, G. R. Gray (Cat. Birds of Nepal, 2nd ed. p. 33). " Upper surface olivaceous-yellow ; front obscure grey ; eye- brows, from nostrils to the hind-head, and throat white ; ear- coverts obscure grey and white; wing-coverts fuscous, margined with olivaceous-yellow; quills fuscous-black, margined exter- nally with olivaceous-yellow, and internally with rufous-white ; tail fuscous-grey, margined externally with olivaceous-yellow, and internally with rufous-white; beneath the body bright yellow ; bill plumbeous, and feet pale. Length 4" 1'", wings 2", tarse 9'", bill from gape 5'"." Abrornis maculipennis, nobis, sp. nov. This is a species allied to A. superciliaris {A. Jlaviventris, no. 574), but with two distinct yellowish-white wing-bands and an oval whitish spot at the tip of the outer web of each tertiary. Crown dusky greyish-olive, with white supercilia and albescent medial streak. Upper parts olive-green ; the throat and breast ashy; belly, flanks, and r\nnp-band dull yellow ; three outer tail-feathers on each side having their inner webs white. Wing 2*75 inches, tail 1*25 inch, tarsi 58 inch. From Nipal or Sikhim. Specimen in the India Museum at Fyfe House. I cannot recognize the " Abrornis '^ noticed by Dr. A. L. Adams (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 182), which he says is common in the woods and thickets of the lesser ranges of the Western Himalayas. " Approximates pretty closely to the Abrornis xanthoschistus, Hodgson, but differs in some respects. Size of Motacilla tro- chilus, Linn. ; bill long, slender, and slightly notched, with a few weak bristles at the gape ; head, neck, and back leaden- ashy^ a white line over the eye; rump and sides tinged with yellow; * * ^ tail pretty long, olive ; wings rounded, first quill very short, second not so long as third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, which are about equal; throat, neck, breast, and lower parts lively yellow ; tarsus long, slender, and light brown ; lateral toes unequal. Call-note loud ; often seen with the Parus me- lanolophus, Vig." A conspectus of the Indian Phylloscopus group may here be acceptable. The numbers are those of Dr. Jerdon's work. 28 Mr. Blyth's Cummentary Tickellia hodgsoni (579). Culicipeta burkii (569). Abrornis cantator (570). schisticeps (571). xanthoschistus (572). (Adams's unnamed species, iit supra). albosuperciliaris (573). superciliaris (flaviventris, 574). poliogenvs (575). affinis (576). albogularis (577). griseifrons {ut supra). maculipennis {ut supra). Reguloides trochiloides (564). Reguloides superciliosus (565). proregulus (566). viridipennis (567). castaneiceps (577). (?) occipitalis (56.3). Phylloscopus tristis (554). fuscatus (523 & 555). fuliginiventer (525). niagnii'ostris (556). lugubris (558). nitidus (559). viridanus (560). affinis (561). indicus (532). Pbyllopneuste rama (553), In China, Mr. Swinhoe refers the following species of Phyllo^ Scopus (as recognized by Dr. Jerdon) to PJujllopneuste : — P.te- nellipes, P. syhicultrix, P. xanthodryas, P. plumheitarsa, and P. coronutus, with Reguloides superciliosus and R. proregulus. From Amuria he gives P. fuscatus and P. borealis, Blasius. From Japan P. coronatus. From Formosa P. fuscatus, P. coro- natus, and P. syhicultrix (P. Z. S. 1863, pp. 295^ 336). From Eastern Siberia M. Gustav Radde gives P. fuscatus [sibiricus), P. schwarzi (taf . ix. fig. 1 a, b, c) , and P. coronatus, with Phyllo- pneuste eversmanni and Reguloides superciliosus. A beautiful Abrornis from Java is figured as Phylloscopus trivirgatus (Temm.) by Strickland (Contrib. Orn. 1849, pi. 34) ; and Dr. Jerdon regards the Pycnosphrys gramrniceps (Verreaux), figured on the same plate, as allied to Reguloides castaneiceps, from which, however, it should differ by possessing the " beak of the Musci- capida." 582. Sylvia affinis is not nearly allied to the European S. cinerea (as is S. conspicillata), but differs only in its larger size from S. curruca. Mr. Gould, therefore, is wrong in sus- pecting its identity with S. cinerea (B. G. B.,pt. vii.). 583. Sylvia curruca. This does not occur near Calcutta, but is numerous during the cold season on the sandy soil at some distance up the river Hugli, where the baubul [Vachelia farnesiana) grows plentifully. Sylvia delicatula, Hartlaub (Ibis, 1859, p. 340, pi. ix. hg. 1). on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 39 Not rare in the desert country north-west of Delhi. A specimen received from Dr. Jerdon I have made over to Mr. Gould. Stoparola deserti, Loche (R. Z. 1858, p. 39 1, pi. xi. tig. 1), Sylvia deserticula, Tristram (Ibis, 1859, p. 58), would seem to be nearly akin. 584. Hextcurus (errore Enicurus) maculatus, Vigors; Gould, B. As. pt. xviii. pi. Two species have been confounded under this, respectively in- habiting the East and West Himalaya. The western bird is H. maculatus, Vigors; and the eastern species (inhabiting Nipal, Sikhim, and Butan) is Henicurus guttatuSj Gould, P. Z. S. 18()5, p. 664; B. As. pt. xviii. pi. Like H.maculatus, but smaller, with shorter and inuch narrower tail-feathers, the white on the forehead considerably reduced in extent, and the white spots on the back fewer and small and round (instead of being broad and lunate); an admixture of brown colouring on the occiput. Wing 4 inches, longest tail- feather 4"5 inches. 586. Henicurus schistaceus extends its range to China (Swinhoe). The relationship of this genus to the Wagtails I consider to be that of analogy rather than of affinity. The form of the wings and tail, the absence of elongated tertiaries, and the character of the nestling-plumage are alike opposed to the association of them with the true Motacilline birds, or Pipits and Wagtails. They have Myiotherine affinities, as more especially shown by the colouring of H. ruficapillus, Temm. (PI. Col. 534). "588. Henicurus nigrifrons" must be erased, it being H. scouleri in immature plumage. The Indian species of Motacilla and Budytes have already been treated of by me in this journal (Ibis, 1865, pp. 48-50). There are six of the one, Motacilla maderaspatana, M. hodgsoni, M. luzoniensis, M. personafa, M. dukhunensis, and M. alba 30 Mr. Blyth's Commentary [vera), and three of the other, Budytes aureocapilla (Vieillot) *, {B. citreoloides, Gould, B. As. pt. xvii. pi.), B. melanocephala, and B. viridis. The last is identical with the European B. cinereocapilla, as remarked by Strickland in 184!4 (Ann. Mag. N. H. xiv. p. 115) ; and its phases of plumage, as observed by myself in Bengal, are precisely those described by Dr. A. Leith Adams (Ibis, 1864, p. 20) as occurring in Egypt. All the males of this race attain the colour assigned to B. cinereocapilla in spring, or just before taking their departure in Lower Bengal. Mr. Swinhoe (Ibis, 1864, p. 422) has designated the Malayan race B. rnelanotis ; but surely this should be the Sumatran Mo- tacilla bistrigata of Raffles, whose description indicates the B. viridis (Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 312). Malayan specimens, in winter dress, which I have recently examined, show no pecu- liarity that I can perceive ; and Messrs. Mottley and Dillwyn describe the Bornean race, which Mr. Sclater (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 214) refers to B. viridis, as, " Above, body olive-green, head grey ; below, chin whitish, and thence to tail bright yellow " f. Mr. Gould has a very large black-headed Budytes (rom Southern India, which appears to be distinct from the ordinary B. mela- nocephala ; and he has recently called my attention to two skins in the British Museum (one of them marked from Behar), pre- sented by Mr. Hodgson, which are remarkable for the extreme paleness of the grey cap^ and exemplify yet another particular race in his opinion. I observe that Dr. Cabanis (Mus. Hein. i. p. 12) gives M. hodgsoni, "Blyth," as a synonym of M. luzoniensis. This is doubly a mistake, for I did not name the species. M. lugubris, Pallas, is given from Kashmir in Mr. Vigne's list of birds from * Cf. Puclieran, Arch, du Mus. vii. p. 377. \ Mr. C. A. Wright (Ibis, 1864, pp. 62, 63) notices an alleged pecu- liarity of voice on the part of B. melanocephala. Strickland, in 1844 (Ann. Mag. N. H. xiv. p. 115), first referred the British race to Matacilla campestris of Pallas, whose description would seem to apply to the young in its first plumage (Z. E..-A. i. p. 504). And a nearly similar race exists in the as yet undescribed B. tairana, Swinhoe, of Formosa (P. Z. S. 1863, pp. 274, 334; Ibis, 1866, p. 138). Motacilla Kalericzencki, Krynicki (Bull. Mosc. 1839, taf. xx.), = ^. melanocephala, Licht. (ibid., xxiii. pt. ii. p. 570, taf. viii. f. 3), respectively from the Taurus and the Sea of Aral. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 31 that province and its vicinity (P. Z. S. 1841, p. 431). It is doubtless a mistake. In the India Museum are specimens of M. maderaspatana from Kemaon and Western Himalaya ; of M. dukhunensis from Shikarpore and Kemaon ; and of M. alba (vera) from Ghuzni, Kemaon, Kashmir, and Sinde ; so that this also has to be included in the list of Indian Motacilla. In the young of M. maderaspatana, the black portion of the plumage is replaced by darkish-ashy : specimen from Nipal. (For figures of M. personata and M. dukhunensis, vide Gould's B. As. pt. xiii.) 595. Nemoricola indica (Gmelin); Gould, B. As. pt. xiv. pi. This species occurs also near Pekin (Swinhoe). Mr. Gould changes the name to Limonidromus. 596. PiPASTES AGiLis (Sykcs), Temm. & Schl. Faun. Japon., Aves, tab. xxiii. ; Gould, B. As. pt. xvii. pi. Doubtless the race obtained by Mr, Wallace in Batchian (P. Z. S. 1860, p. 350). Sykes's type specimen in the India Museum has, however, more the appearance of the European P. irivialis. I have never heard a Tree-Pipit sing in India; but the song and manners ascribed to Anthus rufulus by Sir R. H. Schomburgk (Ibis, 1864, p. 249) are evidently those of a Pipastes. The habits and song of Corydalla rufula are much the same as in Anthus pratensis, as indeed is implied by Dr. Jerdon's description of them. 600. Corydalla rufula (Vieillot) ; Anthus pallescens, Sun- devall. Dr. Pucheran (Arch, du Mus. vii. p. 362) is inclined to iden- tify Anthus rufulus, Vieillot, with C. striolata, nobis. Vieillot's figure (Gal. des Ois. pi. 161) is extravagantly coloured; but his description suits the common Bengal bird, and he gives Bengal as the habitat. 605. Anthus cervinus (Pallas), Middendorff, Sib. Reise, tab. xiv. figs. 1-3 ; Bree, B. Eur. ii. p. 155, pi.; Jaubert, Rich. Orn. Mid. Fr. p. 284, pi. Syn. A. cecilii, Audouin, A. rufogu- laris, Brehm, A. ruficollis, Vieillot. To this bird, in winter plumage, I feel confident that the al- leged Siamese A. pratensis (cf. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 151, and Ibis, 32 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 1864, p. 249) should be referred*. Mr. Gould (B. G. B. pt. iii.) remarks of A. pratensis, " I question whether it is ever found in India^ and I fear I must have misled Mr. Yarrell when I stated that I had seen specimens from thence. Tem- minck," he adds, " includes it in his catalogue of the birds of Japan ; but the Japanese bird is now recognized as distinct, and is called A. japonicus." M. Anatole de Uemidoff, in his ^Voyage dansla Russie Meridionale^ (p. 159), does not consider A. cervinus to be sufficiently distinct from A. pratensis — a course in which he is followed by several Russian and German ornithologists {cf. Eversmann, Bull. Mosc. 1850, ii. p. 570; J. f. 0. 1853, p. 289, and Passler, J. f. 0. 1859, p. 464)! I have recently seen undoubted specimens of Anthus pratensis from North-western Indiaf. Of the genera of Pipits recognized by Dr. Jerdon, Pipastes and Anthus are birds which have a double moult, while Cory- dalla and Agrodroma, if not also Heterura, have but a single moult; and the young of Corydalla, if not also Agrodroma, have pale margins to the upper plumage, like young Larks, but do not, like the latter, shed the primaries and rectrices at the first moult. These are short and of a nestling character in young Larks, not so in the young Corydalla. 608. CocHOA viRJDis, Hodgson ; Gray and Mitchell, 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 68. A Javan species of this genus exists in Pteruthius azureus, Temm. PI. Col. 274. 609. Pteruthius erythropterus. A closely allied species to this was obtained by Col. Tickell upon Moule-yit Mountain, Tenasserim, P. ceralatus, Tickell (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 267). * In Mr. Sperling's notice (Ibis, 1864, p. 279), under the head of A. cervinus the name A. prntemis should surely be substituted for A. arhoreus. f I allow this passage to stand as it was written ; but Mr. Gould has recently shown me that the ordinary Himalayan species A. rosaceics, IIod"-son, with yellow axillaries, is distinct from that commonly referred to A. cervinus, which latter should probably be erased from the Indian list. on Dr. Jcrdon's 'Birds of India.' 33 611. Allotrius melanotis, Hodgson, is quite distinct from its " double/' A. anobarbus, of Java. Mr. Wallace has specimens of both species. Mr. Hodgson figures the egg as white, thickly sprinkled with bright amethystine. 614. LioTHRix LUTEUS IS " oftcn seen alive in cages from Canton ; said to be brought from the interior," according to Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 298; Ibis, 1865, p. 349). 615, 616, 617, 623, and 624. Liothrix argexTxVuris, Siva STRIGULA, S. CYANOUROPTERA, IxULUS FLAVICOLLIS, and I. OC- CIPITALIS, Gould, B. As. pt. XV. pis. L. argentauris and S. cyanouroptera were obtained by Col. Tickell upon Moule-yit Mountain, Tenasserim. Mr. Hodgson figures the nest of Liothrix argentauris sus- pended like that of an Oriole ; and the egg of Siva strigula as blue, with rufous specks (not unlike a Blackbird's) ; of S. cya- nouroptera as green, with large rufous spots (nest in a forked branch) ; of M. castaneiceps white, with rufous specks, tending to form a zone at the large endj and of Proparus chryseus as dull white, with a few dusky spots. 620. MiNLA ciNEREA has the throat and lower parts of a very bright yellow in newly moulted plumage. 625. IxULUS STRIATUS. With regard to Col. Tickell's remarks (Ibis, 1863, p. 113) on the nomenclature of this species, how could I adopt such a name as Pycnonotus nanus for it ? As far as possible, I ad- hered to the MS. names Col. Tickell had imposed. 627. YuHiNA OCCIPITALIS, Hodgson ; Gould, B. As. pt. xv. pi. 629. Myzornis pyrrhoura, Hodgson ; Yuhina pyrrhoura, Gray & Mitch. 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 53. 630. Herpornis (errore Erpornis) xantholeuca. This curious form comes nearest, I think, to Zosterops. The range of the species extends to Formosa (Ibis, 1866, p. 394). 631. Zosterops palpebrosus. The Tenasserim Zosterops is one of three or more closely allied races, which present certain constant differences. Z. flavus, of Java, is black-tailed; that of Borneo (P. Z. S. 1863, N. s. — vol. III. D 34 Mr. Blyth^s Comment arij p. 219) has no black on the lores; and Z. siamensis, nobis, the Tenasserim form, has black lores. Mr. Wallace has speci- mens of the three races. The corresponding races of Sumatra, the Philippines, and perhaps other islands require comparison. 637. LOPHOPHANES DICHROUS. Of the numerous Himalayan Tits, this one approximates most nearly to the European L. cristatus and its American analogue L. wollweberi (Baird, B. Am. pi. 53). 640. LoPHOPHANES RUFONUCHALIS. What is the Titmouse from one of the lesser ranges near the valley of Kashmir, approximated to this by Dr. Adams (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 176)? "Crested; total length 5 in. Iris brick-red; bill bluish-black; forehead and between ear-coverts a dirty white; all upper parts, wings, and tail leaden-ash; breast, belly, and vent ochrey-white ; tail moderate, slightly forked ; legs and claws leaden-blue." 642. Parus ^modius proves to be a true crested Lophophanes ; there is a skin in the British Museum*. 645. Parus cinereus. This species is remarkable for its wide range of distribution, extending even to Lombok and Flores, according to Mr. Wallace. In China, Mr, Swinhoe remarks that it blends with P. minor (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 270). Melaniparus semilarvatus, Salvadori, is a lately described species "from the Himalaya" (c/. Ibis, 1866, p. 415). 654. Accentor strophiatus. Mr. Hodgson figures a greenish-blue egg. 658. CoRVUs TiBETANUs is distiuct from C. corax. Speci- men in British Museum. 660. CoRVUs CULMINATUS, Sykes ; C. levaillanti, Lesson, Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1853, p. 547 f- * Parus elegans, Lesson, from, the Philippines, will fall under 3IacMo- lophus (cf. Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1854, p. G8). It is doubtless identical with P. qiiadrivittatus, Lafresnaye (Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 129). + This species certainly inhabits the Andaman Islands, although C. andamensis, Tytler, may be distinct (Ibis, 1866, p. 428). I sent an Anda- man specimen to Mr. Swinhoe, who has noticed it in P. Z. S. 1863, p. 305. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Biids of India,' 35 662. CoRvus TENuiROSTRis, Moore ; C. enca, HorsSeld. This is, as I have before remarked (Ibis, 1865, p. 32), a Malayan bird, the range of which extends to Lombok, Flores, Ternate, and Timor, according to Mr. Wallace. It is rightly expunged from Dr. Jerdon's list in his ' Appendix '(ii. p. 873). 663. CoRVUS SPLENDENS. Dr. Jerdon's account of the habits of this species is excellent. I have seen several nests composed more or less, and two almost exclusively, of the wires taken from soda-water bottles, which had been purloined from the heaps of these wires commonly set aside by the native servants till they amount to a saleable quantity (J. A. S. B. xxvii. p. 290). At Akyab this Crow abounds, and also (as I was informed by Mr. AV. T. Blanford) at jMandell (high up the Irawadi). At Khyuk Phou a party of seven in- dividuals made their appearance on the 7th of December, 1856, which have since stocked the neighbourhood'^. Elsewhere in Arakan this Crow has still no representative; but across the mountains which divide that province from Pegu, in the valley of the Irawadi, again at Moulmein, Tavai, and as far south as Mergui, as also in Siam, it is replaced by a wholly black race, quite similar both in form and habit, but having a much shriller voice (a sort of shrieking caw), if possible still more inharmo- nious than that of the other. There is just a very faint tinge of ash-colour on the nape and breast, where the common Indian Crow is pure cinereous ; but this must be specially looked for to be remarked. The Crows of Ceylon are also melanoid; but whether they differ in voice from those of continental India I am unaware. Except as regards the difference of voice, the Burmese and Siamese Crows may be said to hold the same re- lationship to the Indian race which C. corvus does to C. comix, or C. spermolegus to C. monedula. The melanite race of C. sj)lendens is erroneously referred to C. culminatus by Schom- burgk (Ibis, 1864, p. 252). According to Temminck, this Crow has a wide distribution over the continent of India and the islands of the Asiatic Ar- chipelago. The latter is a mistake, which is not repeated by * The precise date is given from the diary of my friend Major Ripley. D 2 36 Mr. Blyth's Commentary Prof. Schlegel. Though found so low as Mergui (the black race), I have been assured that it does not occur in the Ma- layan Peninsula, at least at Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. Neither does it rid Vultures and Adjutants of their parasites (as Temminck avers); but T have seen a solitary Gyps bengalensis tearing at a bit of some animal refuse, which was teased and tormented by a party of some twenty of these Crows, some alighting on its back and pecking at it, and trying every device to draw its attention from what it held under one foot. 664. CORVUS FRUGILEGUS. The true British Rook, distinct alike from C agricola of Pa- lestine and C. pastinatoi- of China and Japan. 666. NUCIFRAGA HEMISPILA. Mr. Hodgson gives two coloured figures of a fine allied species of Nutcracker, which is wholly unspotted; I shall term it NUCIFRAGA IMMACULATA, Sp. UOV. Uniform ruddy-brown, with darker cap and blackish wings without markings ; lower tail-coverts white, and all the rectrices but the middle pair tipped with white for two-thirds of the length of the feather on the outermost pair, and successively less on the others. 668. Pica bottanensis, Deless. ; Gould, B. As. pt. xv. pi. This is not P. tihotana, Hodgson; for the latter is figured by that naturalist as having no white on the scapulars. The Af- ghan Magpie, P. bactriana, Bonap., hardly differs from the European race, but is duller in colouring, with the narrow band above the tail white instead of grey. P. bottanensis is consider- ably larger, with proportionally longer wings, shorter tail, and much larger feet. Mr. Swinhoe has made some remarks on the Magpies of China, Amuria, Kamtschatka, Japan, and Formosa (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 303). P. bottanensis is the most distinct from the others of Europe and Asia, next to P. tibetana. The last is carefully figured in one of Mr. Hodgson's drawings in the British Museum, with the remarkable peculiarity before noticed of having no white on the scapulars ; the tail also is on Dr. Jerdoii's ' Birds of India.' 37 shorter than in other Magpies, and quite uniformly glossed, without that steel-blue baud near the end seen in others of the genus. Even another species is figured by Mr. Gould (B. As. pt. xiv.) as P. leucoptera from Eastern Siberia, ^vhich is re- markable for having the inner webs of the primaries white to the end, or with merely an exceedingly slight terminal dark border. The nomenclature of the Urocissa (vol. ii. pp. 309-311) is rectified in the 'Appendix' (p. 873), and the species have been figured by Mr. Gould (B. As. pt. xiii.) ; but the bills of the first three should be represented as deep coral-red, not orange. U. magnirustris of Burma and Siam has a dark, blackish iris, while the specimen of U. sinensis in the Zoological Gardens has a bright reddish hazel iris. (See, however, Swinhoe on this subject, * Jbis,' 1865, p. 349.) A fifth beautiful race exists in Mr. Swinhoe's U. ccerulea of Formosa. Mr. Gould remarks, of the genus Garndus, that " the fauna of India claims the G. bispecularis, the G. lanceulatus, and the G. lidthi" (B. G. B. pt. i.). The habitat of G. lidthi, Bonap. (P. Z S. 1850, p. 80, Aves, pi. xvii.), is still unknown, I be- lieve ; and so remarkable a bird could scarcely have escaped ob- servation in the Himalaya. No doubt it ])robably inhabits some part of Middle Asia ; but Middle Asia is not exactly synonymous with " India." 673. CissA SINENSIS, Bodd. ; Gould, B. As. pt. ix. pi. The nest and eggs, as figured by Mr. Hodgson, are very Jay-like, — the former placed upon the radiating primary branch- lets of a bamboo ; the latter biownish, with thickly-set minute dark brown specks. Urocissa also builds a Jay's nest, as di- stinguished from the covered fabric of a Magpie. 676. Dendrocitta sinensis. Whether this name should be replaced by that of D. hiina- laijensis (Ibis, 1865, p. 45) is still doubtful; for the supposed Chinese species is from Formosa, D, sinensis, var. formosce, Swinhoe (Ibis, 1866, pp. 296, 394). 677. Dendrocitta frontalis, Macclelland; Gray and Mit- chell, 111. Gen. B. pi. 75. 38 Mr. IMyth^s Commentary D. occipitalis, Miiller, and D, rvfigaster, Gould, are identical. D. bayleiji, Tytler (J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 89, and Ibis, 1863, pp. 119—464), is a well-marked small species from the An- damans. 679. Fregilus himalayanus. May not this be Mr. Swinhoe's species from North China (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 303), as also that of Afghanistan, where it is stated by Capt. T. Hutton (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 778) to be abun- dant during the winter months, arriving in November from the hills to the northward, and departing again about March. 681. Sturnus indicus. Starlings occur sufficiently near to Calcutta to be sold by the bird-dealers as no rarity, along with Rose Ousels and diffei'ent Mainas which are taken in the neighbourhood. I have been assured that they occur commonly so near as at Ranigange. The Indian Starling differs very slightly from ;S^. vulgaris, but has a longer and more acuminate bill. A third race, which Mr. Gould has from Erzroom, is identical with the Starling of Afghanistan, and more brilliantly coloured than the others. When series of each are seen together, the difference is suffi- ciently recognizable. The Starling of North-eastern Asia may perhaps constitute a fourth of these closely allied races. 682. Sturnus unicolor. I have considerable misgivings that old specimens of S. in- dicus, with long pointed feathers, having their terminal pale spots obsolete, have been mistaken for S. unicolor-, and I know this to be the case with the supposed S. unicolor from Kan- dahar (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 779), the spotless specimen being, in this instance, the bright-coloured Afghan Starling. Dr. Breeds figure, intended for S. unicolor, appears to me to repre- sent such an example of S. vulgaris. 683. Sturnopastor contra (Linn.); PI. Enl. 281. S.jalla of Java differs in having the abdominal region pure white; and S. superciliaris is the Tenasserim race, with a browner back, extending to Siam, where the white on the fore- head and eyebrows increases in quantity ; or perhaps adequate series from Siam and the Tenasserim provinces would not on Dr. Jerdou's ' Birds of India.' 39 prove to differ. Again, there are three races in Temenuchus melanopterus (Daud.), of Java, which is pure black and white, T. tricolor (Horsf.), of Java, which has a grey back, and T. burmannicus, Jerdon, which has considerably less of white on its plumage ; but the last name will not, I think, stand, as the Pastor peguanus, Lesson (Tr. d^Orn. p. 404), seems to be founded on the young of the same species. Sturnopastor moorei, Tytler (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1854, xiv. p. 176), S. niger, nobis (Ibis, 1859, p. 211), is founded on cage-specimens of S. contra which had assumed a black plumage, the effect probably of some particular kind of diet, as is the case with Bullfinches fed too much upon hempseed. One given to me by Col. Tytler re- assumed the ordinary colouring of S. contra at its next moult (Ibis, 1860, p. 99). Dr. Jerdon only notices incidentally (vol. i. p. 62) that this species commonly builds in society, several of its huge nests near together*. 685. AcRiDOTHERES GiNGiNiANUS (Lath.); " Groculu cinerea, Cuv.," Pucheran. 686. AcRiDOTHERES Fuscus ( Wagler) . A. ater, Vieillot, " totus niger, cauda apice alba," from Pon- dicherry, w^ould seem to denote the Javan Pastor griseus of Horsfield, with an erroneous habitat. A. cinereus of Celebes is another closely allied race. A. fuscus may occasionally be seen in the streets of Calcutta, and is the prevalent species in the neighbourhood of the salt-water lake in the immediate vicinity. Col. Tytler informed me that he had seen A. ginginianus within the ramparts of Fort William ; but its appearance there is rare and quite exceptional. He has also given an interesting ac- count of these birds becoming accustomed to target-practice (Ann. Mag, N. H. 1854, xiv. p. 174). 687. Temenuchus pagodarum (Gmel.) ; Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 148. 688. Temenuchus malabaricus. Dr. Cabanis (Mus. Hein. i. p. 205) erroneously refers T. blythi (no. 689) to this species. Hetcerornis albofrontata, La- * <S'. nigricolUs of Siam aud Southern Cliiua would appear to resemble S. contra in its mode of building (Ibis, 1866, p. 293). 40 Mr, Blyth's Commentary yard (Ann. Mag. N. H. 1854, xiii. p. 217), from Ceylon, is another very distinct species of Temenuchus. 690. Pastor roseus. The young of this species in the first or nestling-plumage was sent to me from Ceylon by Mr. Layard. Dr. Jerdon re- marks that most of the specimens met with in India are young birds in imperfect plumage. He alludes rather to those in winter garb, wherein the colours of the plumage are overlaid with the brown edgings to the feathers ; as the latter disappear, the colouring brightens considerably, and there is hardly any external diflference between the sexes. 693. EuLABES RELiGiosA is morc common in Ceylon than E. ptilogenys. The egg is described by Mr. Day {' Land of the Permauls,' Madras : ] 863, p. 464) as being of " a blue colour, 1 X j^ inch in size," 693. EuLABEs INTERMEDIA (A. Hay); Gracula religiosa, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 95, is the species of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and is therefore the Nicobar bird noticed as Gracula indica in the narrative of the ' Novara ' Expedition, but called G.javana in the special ornithological part of the voyage (Von Pelzeln, Reise 'Novara,' i. p. 88). I once re- ceived a living albino from one of the Nicobar Islands. 695 and 696. Plocbus manyar and P. bengalensis. These two species commonly associate in the same flock. The P. bengalensis of Sundevall is P. bay a. The true P.philip- pinus (L,), Loxia hypoxantha, Dand,, was sent from Siam by the late Sir R. H. Schomburgk. Loxia javanensis, Lesson, is identified with P. philippinus (verus) by Dr. Pucheran (Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 67). 697. The true Munia malacca from Borneo (in Mr. Wal- lace's Collection) is distinct from the Indian race ; and another of the same particular type, M. formosana, is described by Mr. Swinhoe (Ibis, 1865, p. 356). 700. Munia pectoralis. The Ceylon bird described under this name, with a mark of doubt (J. A. S. B. XX. p. 178), I have since designated M. kelaarti. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 41 701. MuNiA STRIATA is common in the Andamans. 702. MuNiA ACUTiCAUDA inhabits China and Formosa^ if not also Japan (Ibis, 1863, p. 379, and 1865, p. 348). 705. EsTRELDA FORMOSA has been taken in the neighbour- hood of Lucknow (where I have procured it), but much less plentifully than E. amandava. At Oinerkantak, near the source of the Nerbudda, it occurs very abundantly. There are three allied red species, E. amandava of India, E. punicea of Java, and E. flavidiventris of Timor. Which is it that is brought to China from the Straits in large numbers as a cage-bird (Ibis, 1865, p. 293) ? 706. Passer indicus. The Nubian Sparrow appears to be identical (Ibis, 1865, p. 44) with the Indian. " When first at Akyab, during the rainy season, I remarked P. montanus to be the common Sparrow about the streets, considerably outnumbering P. indicus ; whereas in the cold season the latter is the prevalent Sparrow about Akyab. Southwards, however, I only on two occasions no- ticed the common Indian Sparrow (once at Moulmein, and once in a Burmese village higher up the Salouin); whereas P. montanus was in extreme abundance everywhere, extending southward to Singapore, and likewise inhabiting Java ; with precisely the same habits as the other. I observed it, nume- rously, as far south as Tavai and Mergui " (but it is unknown in Bengal and the Peninsula of India). " At Thyet Myo, on the Irawadi, Dr. Jerdon observed not only P. indicus and P. mon- tanus common, but also the very pretty little P. flaveolus. When at Pahpoon, in Upper Martaban, in the month of November, three or four pairs of P. montanus appeared for one day only, entering the few human abodes in the most familiar manner, and apparently seeking convenient nooks for nesting-places; but I saw no others in that wild forest region" (J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 77). Mr. Gould quotes a part of the foregoing pas- sage (in his ' Birds of Great Britain,^ pt. iv.), but, confounding Burma with India, leads his readers to suppose that P. mon- tanus inhabits the latter country westward of the Bay of Bengal; whereas it does not occur in India southward of the Sikhim 42 Mr. Blyth's Commentary Himalaya. Dr. Cabanis gives it from Manilla, and Mr. Swinhoe from Formosa (Ibis, 1866, p. 401). 707. Passer salicarius. In a letter lately received from Hansi, Dr. Jerdon remarks that this bird is "abundant, in huge flocks, westward from Delhi." Wherever it occurs, it would appear to be much more highly gregarious than P. domesticus. 708. Passer cinnamomeus only differs from P. rutilans (Temm. PI. Col. 588. fig. 2) of China by the yellow tinge on the cheeks and lower parts. It is therefore, probably, a Tree-, and not a House- Sparrow. 711. Passer flavicollis. The closely allied South African Gymnorhis superciliaris, nobis (J. A. S. B. 1845, xiv. p. 553), Pyrgita petronoides, Lafr., B. (Consp. Av. i. p. 513), P. petronella, B. {ibid.; C. R. xxxvii. p. 916) , and Xanthodina flavigula, Sundevall (CEfvers. K. V. Acad. Forh. 1849, p. 98), is a typical member of Hodgson^s genus Gymnorhis (J. A. S. B. 1844), founded on the Indian P. flavicollis. I have added a third of the same minimum type as P. canicapillus (Ibis, 1865, p. 46), the habitat of which is un- known. These birds arehnked to the ordinary Sparrows by the African Passer (or Pyrgitopsis) simplex (Licht.), which has an intermediate form of bill and wants the yellow pectoral spot. 716. Emberiza huttoni. Mr. Gould has good specimens of this species, which is nearly allied to E. cinerea, Strickl. I suspect that E. hortulana from India (no. 715) needs comparing with E. cernutii, De Fi- lippi, from Armenia and Persia (c/. Ibis, 1864, p. 400). 717. Emberiza spodiocephala, Pallas; Middend. Sib. Beise, ii. tab. xiii. figs. 5-8, cum ovis; E. per sonata, Temm. PI. Col. 580, Faun. Japon., Aves, pi. 59 b.; E. sordida, Hodg- son ; E. hortulana, Gray. 719. Emberiza fucata, Pallas; Temm. & Schl. Faun. Japon., Aves, tab. Ivii. ; also E. rutila in tab. Ivi. 720. Emberiza pusilla, Pallas; Middend. Sib. Raise, ii. tab, xiii. fig. 4 {ova) ; Jaubert, Rich. Oru. Mid. France, p. 163. on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India.' 43 722. EuspiZA LUTEOLA (SpaiTm.) ; Gray and Mitchell, 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 91. 723. EuspiZA AUREOLA (Pall.) ; Emheriza aureola, Middeud. Sib. Reisf, tab. xiii. tig. 9 [ovum) ; Radde, Reisen, taf. iv. fig. 2, a-h. 726. Hesperiphona affinis. The male of this species is tigurcd in one of Mr. Hodgson's drawings as H. iderioides ; and the lower figure in Mr. Gould's plate (B. As. pt. iii.) evidently represents a female of H. affinis, but with an ashy hood ; while the upper figure behind that of the male represents the female of H. iderioides. A second American species of this genus, akin to H, vespertinus, is Cocco- thraustes abeillii, Lesson; C. maculipennis, Sclater (P. Z. S. 1860, p. 251, Aves, pi. clxiii.), from Mexico {cf. Ibis, 1866, p. 206). 727. Mycerobas melanoxanthus (Hodgson) ; Gray and Mitchell, 111. Gen. Birds, pi. Ixxxviii. Of Mr. Gould's two figures (B. As. pt. iii.) with spotted underparts, I believe that the yellower example represents the immature plumage, and the paler that of the mature female. 730. Pyrrhula erythaca, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 459, and Ibis, 1863, pi. x. p. 440. The tail in the figure just cited is wrongly represented, as it exactly resembles in shape that of P. nipalensis. 734. LoXIA HIMALAYAN a. A White- winged Crossbill has also been received from the Himalaya, which Bonaparte and Schlegel (Mon. des Loxiens, pi. 10) refer to the North American L. leucoptera, Gm., and not to the North Asiatic L. hifasciata, Nilsson. Mr. Gould, however (in his ' Birds of Great Britain, pt. v.), assigns it to the latter race, and remarks that it is doubtless the Amurian L. leucoptera of Von Schrenck. The distinctions between the two birds were well pointed out by M. de Selys-Longchamps some five-and-twenty years since (Faune Beige, p. 77). 735. H^matospiza sipahi (Hodgs.) ; Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pi. 26. 44 Mr. Blyth's Conmieatary 736. Propyrrhula subbimachala (Hodgs.) ; Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pi. 13. 737. Carpodacus rubicilla (Guldenst.) ; Bp. et. Schl, Mon. Loxiens, pi. 26. 738. Carpodacus erythrinus (Pall.) ; Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens. pi. 14. The breeding of this bird in the Botanical Gardens at Hel- singfors is mentioned (Ibis, 1861, p. Ill) ; but its alleged "low flute-like voice ^' rather puzzles me. It is a common cage-bn-d in India, where its notes are as I have described them (and as quoted by Dr. Jerdon) . The C. roseus of Dr. A. Leith Adams (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 177) must surely refer to this species; and his second species (no. 68) is probably Propasser rhodochlamys. 739. Propasser rhodopeplus (Vigors) ; Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pi. 21. 740. Propasser thura (Bp.) ; Moore, P. Z. S. 1855, Aves, pis. 113, 114. P. frontalis, nobis (no. 744), is identical with this species. 741. Propasser rhodochlamys (Brandt); Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pis. 24, 25. Dr. Cabanis notes it from Siberia. 742. Propasser rhodochrous (Vigors) ; Bp. et. Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pi. 28. 745. Propasser murrayt, nobis, J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 458. There remains a female specimen in the Asiatic Society^s Museum at Calcutta, which I had considered to be that of P. thura, and which indicates another species yet to be described [cf. Ibis, 1865, p. 44). 746. Procarduelis nipalensis (Hodgs.) ; Pijrrha saturata, Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pi. 29. A second species of Procarduelis is referred to by Dr. F. Stoliczka as inhabiting the eastern parts of Ladakh (J. A. S. B. 1865, xxxiv. p. 111). {Cf. Ibis, 1866, p. 412.) 747. Pyrrhospiza punicea, Hodgs. ; Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pis. 27, 28). on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 45 748. Callacanthis burtoni. This seems to be not distantly allied to Erythrospiza rhodoptera (Licht.) ; Fringilla sanguinea, Gould (Bp. et Schl. Mon. Loxiens, pis. 30, 31) ; type of Rhodopechys, Cabanis, which may be ex- pected to turn up in Kashmir or Ladakh. 751. Metoponia pusilla (Pall.) ; Oreegithus pusillus, Cab. Journ. fiir Ornith. 1854, taf. i. I observe that Mr. Tristram refers this bird to Serinus (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 447), as I did formerly (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 257) ; and he describes a Serinus aurifrons, — the present species being the S. (?) aurifrons (no. 680) of my ' Catalogue of the Birds in the Asiatic Society's Museum ' at Calcutta. 753. Fringillauda nemoricola. Not uncommon in Darjeeling collections. It is a long-winged Ground-Linnet, without any red in its plumage — and is in no respect akin to the Larks, that I can perceive. Dr. A. L. Adams remarks that "its call-note is like the Linnet's'^ (P, Z. S. 1864, p. 184); elsewhere that "the chirp is like the Snow Flake (Nanee), and flight exactly similar '' (P. Z. S. 1858, p. 482). But he does not note the Snowfleckin either of his lists, and may not have here meant Plectrophanes nivalis, but Montifringilla adamsi. He adds that it is strictly an Himalayan bird, plentiful at high elevations at all seasons, and feeding around the margin of the melting snow. Generally seen in large flocks, flitting from place to place like Snow-Buntings. As winter advances, they migrate southward, and are found in the lower regions. 755. MiRAFRA AFFiNis, Jcrdou ; " Alauda coromandeliana, Cuv.," Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 63. 756. MiRAFRA ERYTHROPTERA ocurs at Saharuuporc. 759. Ammomanes lusitanica is not A. pallida as I sug- gested in the 'Appendix ' (p. 874). 760. Pyrrhulauda grisea (Scop.) ; " Fringilla melano- leuca, Lesson," Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 65. Of the genus Melanocorypha (vol. ii. p. 427), two species are inserted by Dr. Jerdon in his Appendix, viz. : — 46 Mr. Blyth's Commentary Melanocorypha tatarica (Pallas) ; and M. TORQUATA, nobis, J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 962, xv. p. 476. This is not Alauda bimaculata, Menetries, which can be only doubtfully separated from Calandrella hrachydactyla (L.). M. torquata resembles M. calandra, but is smaller, with proportion- ally shorter tail, having much less white on its outermost fea- thers. A specimen lately received from Dr. Jerdon has barely a trace of the usual great black mark on each side of the breast, which is sometimes very large, extending across to meet its oppo- site in front, as in the example from which I bestowed the name upon the species. In a letter from Hansi, Dr. Jerdon writes, " I have obtained this species. It is not abundant here, but is said to be more common further west and south. The Asiatic sipecies of Melanocorypha are four in number: — 1. M, tatarica (Pallas). 2. M. mongolica (Pallas); Radde, Reisen, &c. taf. iii. f. 1 ; Alauda sinensis, Waterhouse, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 60. 3. M. calandra (L.) ; Alauda torquata, Gmelin. 4. M. tor- quata, nobis. The Alauda sibirica, Pallas, is a large typical species of Calandrella*. 761. ALAUDULAf RAYTAL. This cannot be the Calandrella pispoletta (Pallas) of Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 271), described as having a more conical bill and larger tail than the European C. hrachydac- tyla. Again, the " Raytal " of Mr. Hodgson^s drawings would seem diiferent — the structure being similar, but the colour- ing much more as in Alauda arvensis. A. raytal is noted by Dr. A. Leith Adams as " common in the wastes of Ladakh " (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 185) . But his " Sand-Lark " (P. Z. S. 1858, p. 485) remains to be identified. " Abundant on the banks of the Indus and Northern Scinde. Size of the Grey Linnet. Colour a sandy brown ; bill short and nearly conical ; hind claw long and curved ; tail moderate and slightly forked, the upper feathers of which are black,^^ but otherwise similarly marked to Galerita cristata. I think that such a bird is figured in one of Dr. Buchanan Hamilton's drawings, now with the * Mr. Gould has received from Afghanistan a large species, with a re- markably slender bill, which he designates Melanocorypha maxima. t Not Alaudakt, as in Horsfield's Catalogue, and copied by Dr. Jerdon. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 4-7 Asiatic Society at Calcutta. Dr. Adams adds {he. cit.), " On the lower Himalayan Range I saw on one occasion a species of Lark or Titlark, of the size of Alauda arvensis ; colour of body was a sandy brown ; but very distinguishing marks were a black throat and streak round the eyes of the same colour. The female was not so distinctly marked." This was, doubt- less, an Otocorys. 764. Otocorys longirostris. I have lately received two pairs from Dr. Jerdon, procured in the desert country north-west of Delhi. This species is distin- guished from 0. penicillata by its larger size, and by the black of the ear-coverts of the male not being continuous with that of the sides of the breast ; the black auricular tufts are also less developed, and the bill decidedly differs in shape. The sexes differ considerably in colouring, and the females are smaller, the closed wings respectively measui'ing 5 inches and 4*5— 4*75 inches. The female has no black except on the breast, where the gorget is very much smaller than in the male ; crown, back, and wings dusky-brown, with pale margins to the feathers ; a narrow white supercilium. 0. penicillata was identified by Mr. Swinhoe with 0. alpestris (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 271) ; but Mr. Tristram remarks that Swinhoe's Tientsin specimen is quite different fi'om 0. penicillata, and is, he supposes, the true O. alpestris, and not O. penicillata (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 435, and Ibis, 1866, p. 289). Mr. Tristram has shown also the distinc- tions of O. bilopha (Ibis, 1859, p. 421. I have compared the four Old-World races, and fully recognized their distinctness. There is at present insufficient authority for including O. pe- nicillata (no. 763) as an Indian bird. 766. Alauda triborhyncha. A specimen lately received from Dr. Jerdon thus marked by him, differs in no respect that I can perceive from the European A. arvensis, not even in the proportions of its primaries ; and the closed wing measures 4*5 inches. Mr. Gould, however, refers it to A. moreatica, Bonap., in which I fail to perceive sufficient distinction. 48 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Eyppt Revisited, 767. Alauda gulgula. A. ccelivox, Swinhoe, comes nearer^ I find, to A. malabarica (no. 768) than to this, and has a pointed though scarcely elon- gated crest, while that of A. gulgula is the same as in A. ar- vensis. 769. Galerita cristata. In my Catalogue of the Birds in the Asiatic Society's Mu- seum at Calcutta (1849), 1 placed G. chendoola as a difi'erent species from G. cristata. This arose from having received an Algerian specimen as G. cristata, which proves to be G. macro- rhyncha, Tristram (Ibis, 1859, p. 57) ; G. randoni, Loche (Rev. Zool. 1860, p. 150, pi. xi. fig. 2). Galerita boysi, nobis, proves to be a good species. Ex- amples from Lahore have the wing 3*5 in., and ihe rest in pro- portion ; otherwise resembling G. cr'istata. [To be continued.] II. — Egypt Revisited. By E. Cavendish Taylor, M.A., F.Z.S. I ARRIVED at Alexandria, in Egypt, on the morning of Decem- ber 15th, 1863, just ten years and one month after my first visit to that country, some ornithological notes on which were published in the first volume of 'The Ibis,' that for 1859. I found Alexandria very much increased, improved, and European- ized during the decade that had elapsed since I had last seen it; but European influences seemed to have afi'ected the climate also, for it rained the greater part of the time I stayed there, and the streets were filled with deep, black mud, such as I have never seen in any other town except Tunis. From Alexandria I went to Cairo by railway in seven hours. On my first visit, before the railway existed, the same journey took me, by boat, seven days. Cairo has resisted European innovations, and did not seem to me in the least changed. During the six weeks that I remained there, I devoted myself to looking up the ornithology of the immediate neighbourhood, and I got a good many birds worth having, especially three specimens of Falco Mr. E. C. Taylor— %///>/ Revisited. 49 lanarius and several species of Saxicolce. I also made an excur- sion to Suez^ and stayed there three or four days. Suez, where there are no trees, or bushes, but desert only, is decidedly the most non-aviferous place I ever was in : even the Hooded Crow {Corvus cornice), which swarms all over the I'est of Egypt, was conspicuous by his absence ; and I saw no Sparrows, nor, indeed, any small passerine bird, except the AVhite Wagtail {Motacilla alba). However, the Raven of Egypt [Corvus umbrinus) , not- withstanding the absence of trees, was not uncommon, and I ishot a fine specimen. From Suez I returned to Cairo, and remained there till January 29th, 1864, when, in company with two other gentlemen, who were going up the Nile to collect birds, 1 took a boat, and started on the voyage up the river to the First Cataract at Assouan. The voyage thither lasted a month, and the return about the same time, so that I was in all two months on the Nile. I returned to Cairo at the end of March, and after staying there a few days went by railway to iMansoura, in the Delta, where I took a small boat, and went down the East- ern branch of the Nile to Damietta, where I remained some days collecting birds. Thence I returned to Alexandria, and departed for Smyrna on the 13th of April, having spent four months in Egypt. The following is a list of the birds shot by myself, or members of my party, or otherwise fully identified by myself during my two visits to Egypt. The remarks refer to my observations on my second visit, except where the contrary is stated. My expe- rience of Egypt extends only from the middle of November to the middle of April, and I never ascended the Nile beyond the First Cataract. Had I remained in the country a month later, I have no doubt but I should have added considerably to my list; for of course many species of birds go to Egypt to breed which are not found there in the winter, or even as early as the middle of April. I found the Picidce and Parida totally unrepresented in the country. My experience does not agree with that of Dr. Adams (Ibis, 1864, pp. 3, 4) that the Date-Palm {Phoenix dacty- lifera) "is by no means a fitting resort for birds," and that you may wander for hours among groves of those trees, "and, except near the villages, not meet with a bird of any description ;" for N. S. VOL. III. E 50 Mr. E. C. Taylor— %?/;)/ Revisited. \, ou tlie contrary, always considered a grove of palm-trees a particularly good place to look for birds, and there is no tree in which I more often found the nest of the Egyptian Kite and Hooded Crow ; and as to Corvus umbrinus I never saw its nest in any other sort of tree. 1. VuLTUR MONACHUs, L. Ciucreous Vulture. On my second trip up the Nile I occasionally saw a solitary individual of this species among a flock of Griffons [Gyps fulvus) . With a good glass it was easily identified when in repose, by its dark-coloured plumage and very differently shaped head. 2. Gyps fulvus (Gmelin). Griffon -Vulture. I found this Vulture very abundant on my second visit to Egypt, much more so indeed than on my first, owing, I suspect, to the cattle murrain, which was then raging, and which, though a dreadful visitation for the cattle and their owners, was a fine time for the Vultures. I suppose that this species breeds in Egypt, but I never detected it in the act, 3. Neophron percnopterus (L.). Egyptian Vulture. I have nothing to add to my former remarks about this bird, which I found as abundant as ever on my return to Egypt. 4. Aquila mogilnik (S. Gmelin). Imperial Eagle. The specimen that I shot on my first visit was in the pale plumage of the second or third year. I did not see this species alive on my second visit, but saw the skins of two adult speci- mens on board a boat I visited. I never saw the Golden Eagle {A. chrysaetus) or the Tawny Eagle [A. navioides) in Egypt. 5. Aquila n^via (Gmelin). Spotted Eagle. Egypt seems to be the favourite winter quarters of this species; it is then so plentiful that I have seen as many as twenty all together in a grove of palm-trees. I do not know whether any individuals remain to breed, but I think probably not. They showed no signs of pairing as late as the end of March. This is an eminently arboreal Eagle, and is seldom seen among rocks. Reptiles and carrion are its usual food. The name Spotted Eagle is applicable only to the immature bird. With the exception perhaps of Circaetus rjallicus, this species is much Mr. E. C, layXov—E'jijpt Revisited. 51 tamer and more easily aj)proached than any other large raptorial bird in Egypt, 6. Aquila pennata (Gmelin). Booted Eagle. This pretty little Eagle, which is by no means common in Egypt, is subject to considerable variation in colour ; for a spe- cimen shot by one of our party, which showed no sign of imma- turity, was of a uniform dark brown. 7. Pan DION hali/eetus (L.). Osprey. This cosmopolitan bird is naturally not absent from the avi- fauna of Egypt ; I often saw it, but never succeeded in shooting a specimen, as it is very shy and wary. 8. CiRCAETUS GALLIC us (Gmclin). Short-toed Eagle. Not by any means abundant. I shot a very fine adult speci- men among some rocks not far above Cairo. The legs and feet are dirty white, and not yellow. 9. BuTEO FERox (S. Gmelin). Long-legged Buzzard. This very fine, handsome Buzzard is pretty common, and generally distributed throughout the country, where I have no doubt it breeds. Specimens from Egypt seem to me to be larger, more rufous in colour, and with the tail-feathers of a brighter red than those I have seen from Syria and Asia Minor. I once saw a very fine example, with a splendid red tail, fiying along with a large bird in its claws; on being fired at, it dropped its prey, which we secured and found to be a Shoveller-Duck, half killed. 10. BuTEG VULGARIS, Bcchstein. Common Buzzard. On several occasions I saw this species during my second visit. It seems to prefer thick groves to the more open country. 11. Falco peregrinus, L. Peregrine Falcon. The Peregrine is not common in Egypt ; but I occasionally saw it, sometimes in pairs, sometimes singly. One of our party shot an old female, decidedly the largest example of the species I ever saw. 12. Falco barbarus, L. Barbary Falcon. I saw a specimen of this Falcon at Cairo in January 1864, in the possession of a gentleman who had shot it the day before .E 2 53 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. near Sakkara. I never met with this species in Egypt on any other occasion. 13. Falco sacer, Gmelin. Saker Falcon. I should say that this very handsome Falcon is rare in Egypt ; for, with the exception of a fine female obtained near Girgeh on my first visit, I never saw it either alive or dead ; nor did I ever hear of any one else having seen it in Egypt. The legs and feet of the adult are pale yellow, and not blue as they are sometimes represented. 14. Falco lanarius, L. Launer Falcon. Decidedly the most abundant of the large Falcons in Egypt, where it breeds and is resident, I believe, all the year round. In the month of January 1864, I shot three specimens within a short walk of Cairo. 15. Falco .esalon, L. Merlin. Common up to the end of March, but I do not know whether it remains to breed. I noticed the same numerical preponde- rance of male birds as on my first visit, but I did shoot one very fine adult female. 16. TiNNUNCULUs ALAUDARius, G. R. Gray. Kestrel. Swarms all over the country. I sometimes shot one in hopes it might be the Lesser Kestrel, which it never was. 17. TiNNUNCULUs CENCHRis (Frisch). Lesser Kestrel. With the exception of one male, killed about the end of March, I never saw this species in Egypt; but I believe it arrives in great numbers later in the spring, and breeds in the country. 18. AcciPiTER Nisus (L.). Sparrow-Hawk. In Egypt, where this bird is not persecuted as it is in Eng- land, it is comparatively tame and familiar ; and I have often seen it in the city of Cairo, flying about, and perching on the house-tops on the look-out for Sparrows or any other small birds that might come within its reach. It is abundant all the way from Cairo to Assouan, especially frequenting thick groves of acacia. Although generally in pairs, I did not succeed in finding a nest up to the end of March. I shot some old females of Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 53 unusually large size ; two that I skinned measured fully sixteen inches in length each. 19. Elanus c^RULEus (Desfontaines). Black-winged Kite. Very abundant all the way from Cairo to Assouan, and ex- tremely tame and easy to shoot. Although the birds were paired all through the month of March, I am sorry to say that I did not succeed in finding a nest. I suspect that this species is rather a late breeder. I think that its food consists princi- pally of lizards, small mammals, insects, and occasionally small birds. 20. MiLVUS ^GYPTius (Gmelin). Egyptian Kite. I certainly cannot agree with Dr. Adams, or Mr. S. Allen (Ibis, 1864, pp. 9 and 234) as to the relative abundance of this species and M. miyrans in Egypt ; for I can most positively assert that I have never once seen an adult individual of the latter in that country. I have often shot Kites in the immediate neigh- bourhood of Cairo, and they have always proved, if adult, to be M. cegyptius; as to immatui'e individuals, I can never feel certain to which species they may belong. Our party on the Nile shot a vast number of Kites, all along the Nile valley from Cairo to Assouan, without once procuring an adult specimen of M. migrans. I admit that we sometimes shot young Kites that differed from the usual immature plumage of M. agyptius in being blacker, spotted, and mottled with white, like an imma- ture Aquila ncevia. These 7nay have been immature individuals of M. migi-ans ; but an adult of that species I never once saw in Egypt. I may mention that there are now in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London three Kites that were taken from the nest by oneof our party,and reared on board our boat; these birds, which to the best of my recollection were from different nests, have all three turned out to be M. agyptius. These birds were breeding in great numbers in February and March ; I took a great many eggs, of which several were quite white, wdthout any spots. In one nest I found the dried- up carcasses of two rats, which formed part of its lining. These Kites feed freely on carrion ; but I never saw them attempt to take young Pigeons or Chickens, or any other living prey. 54 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 21. Circus ^eruginosus (L.). Marsh-Harrier. Egypt is a fine country for Harriers, and I have obtained there all four of the European species, of which this is much the most common, and is extremely abundant all along the Nile valley. We killed examples in all stages of plumage, including several with the wings and tail quite pale grey. This species is much less addicted to perching on trees than the two following ones. I believe it is generally known that it breeds in the dark brown stage of plumage. 22. Circus cyaneus (L.). Hen-Harrier. Not by any means a common species. Near Manfaloot I found a large orange-grove surrounded by a thick band of gum- acacia trees, which seemed a regular colony of Harriers ; for one of our party and myself shot there, in little more than an hour, a male and two females of this species, and a male and three females of Circus swainsoni, all adults. This was in the month of March. 23. Circus swainsoni, A. Smith. Pale Harrier. Decidedly more common than C. cyaneus, and much given to perching on low thick trees. The females of these two species are not very easy to distinguish, unless shot in company with the males. 24. Circus cineraceus (Montagu). Montagu's Harrier. I must confess that I never saw an adult male of this species in Egypt; but we shot a few immature specimens, which, from their small size and the uniform colouring of their under parts, I can refer to no other species. 25. Bubo ascalaphus, Savigny. Egyptian Eagle-Owl. We shot a specimen of this fine bird in February on our way up the Nile. I afterwards saw one near the Pyramids of Ghizeh early in April, but did not succeed in shooting it. On the same day I got two eggs of this species from an Arab who had taken them a few days previously in the Pyramid of Aboroash, about five miles north of Ghizeh ; he had caught the old bird on the nest, and I saw its mangled remains. 26. Asio OTUS (L.). Long-eared Owl. We shot two or three pairs of this Owl. They were always Mr. E. C. Taylur — J^gypt Revisited. 55 found sitting close together, in the thickest part of a dense grove of gum-acacia trees. 27. Asio BRACHYOTUS (L.). Short-carcd Owl. One specimen of this widely distributed species was shot in March, on our way down the Nile. 28. Strix flammea, L. Barn-Owl. Occasionally seen among the ruined temples, and sometimes shot. I found a nest of this Owl, containing one egg, in one of the Pyramids of Ghizeh. 29. Athene persica (Vieillot). Southern Little Owl. Very abundant, and equally at home in town and country. Breeds in March. Flies freely and well in broad day-light. Differs very little from the A. noctua of Europe. 30. Jynx torqcilla, L. Wryneck. Near Thebes, one day in the month of March, I saw a small bird climbing over some rocks. I shot it, and it turned out to be a Wryneck. A month later I shot another near Daniietta. 31. CucuLUs CANORUS, L. Common Cuckoo. One specimen was shot towards the end of March, not far from Cairo. Not seen on any other occasion. 32. OxYLOPHUs GLANDARiDs (L.). Great Spotted Cuckoo. Very abundant, and resident through the winter. Lays its eggs in the nests of Corvus comix. The first eggs of this bird that I found, I took on February 26th, from a nest that contained two eggs of the Cuckoo, and five of its rightful proprietor, the Crow. The eggs of this Cuckoo that I took in Egypt are rather smaller than those taken in Spain by Lord Lilford. I believe that in Egypt it never lays its eggs in the nest of any other bird than Corvus comix. 33. Centropus ^gyptius (Gmelin). Egyptian Coucal. On my first visit to Egypt I shot a specimen of this bird, near Atfeh, the place where the Mahmoudieh canal joins the Nile. I have the specimen still in my possession, but I believe Egyptian examples are scarce in collections. 34. Merops viridis, L. Green Bee-eater. Very abundant, and resident throughout the winter, which 5(j Mr. E. C. Taylor— Eg i/pt Revisited. the two other species of Bee-eaters are not. I do not know when this bird begins to lay ; it had not done so by the begin- ning of April. 35. Merops persicus, Pallas. Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. I shot a pair of these birds at Benisouef, on March 26th, which was the first time I saw the species. From that time they became plentiful. I found them tame, and much given to perching on telegraph-wires. 36. Merops apiaster, L. European Bee-eater. I did not see this species until April ; so I conclude it arrived later than M. persicus. I found it less abundant than that spe- cies, and much wilder and less easy to shoot. 37. Alcedo ispiDA, L. Kingfisher. By no means a common bird. I saw it more frequently near Cairo than anywhere else. 38. Ceryle rudis (L.). Black-and-white Kingfisher. Very abundant. I found it breeding in April, but saw no signs of its doing so even in February, though Dr. Adams says that " it breeds early in December" (Ibis, 1864, p. 15). I agree with that gentleman that the male has a double band of black across the breast, the female a single one. 39. Upupa epops, L. Hoopoe. Very common throughout the winter. Breeds in March, when we procured both eggs and young in Upper Egypt. 40. Caprimulgus isABELLiNUS, Temmiuck. Cream-colonred Nightjar. Specimens procured on my first visit. 41. Cypselus apus (L.). Common Swift. Resident through the winter, and abundant in Upper Egypt. The Swifts in Egypt differ in colour from any that I have seen in Europe; they are much paler, and more grey than black; still I believe they are not considered specifically distinct. 42. HiRUNDO RiocouRii, Audouiu ; H. cahirica, Licht. Cairene Swallow. Resident throughout the winter, and very abundant from Cairo j\Ir. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 57 to Kcuch, above which it is less numerous. I fully agree with Mr. S. Allen (Ibis, 1864, p. 237), that the fact of its being resident throughout the winter, while H. rustica only arrives in the spring, is a strong argument in favour of their being speci- fically distinct ; besides which, the colour of the belly is so dif- ferent in the two birds (that of H. cahirica being deep chestnut) that I really cannot entertain the smallest doubt that the sub- ject of the present note is a good species. 43. HiRUXDo RUSTICA, L. Common Swallow. Began to appear about March 25th, and was common at Cairo and Daraietta in April. 44. CoTYLE RUPESTRis (ScopoH). Crag-Martiu. Abundant in all rocky parts of Egypt. I saw several nests and procured some eggs in March ; both nest and eggs much resemble those of Hirundo rustica. This species is resident throughout the winter. 45. CoTYLE RiPARiA (L.). Saud-Martiu. Large flocks of this species arrived in Upper Egypt early in March, and immediately set to work to make holes in the sandy banks of the Nile. I never saw Hirundo rufula in Egypt, but I found it pretty common near Smyrna in April. 46. MuscTCAPA coLLARis, Bcchsteiu. Collared Fly-catchei*. Common at Damietta in April, when it had probably just arrived. 47. Lanius dealbatus, De Filippi (Rev. Zool. 1853, p. 289). Bleached Shrike. Procured in Upper Egypt in the winter, where, however, it is not common. I never heard of its occurrence in the Delta. It hardly differs from L. excubitor, but has the grey of the upper parts rather paler in tint, and the white of the under jDarts purer. It is a remarkable fact in the distribution of these Shrikes, that in the north and centre of Europe there is a light-coloured species [L. excubitor), in the south of Europe and North Africa a dark-coloured species [L. meridionalis) , while the present form is found in the Sahara, and Upper Egypt, to the south of the regions inhabited by L. meridionalis. 58 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 48. Lanius AURicuLATUs, P. L. S. Miiller ; L. ruf us, T^tmm. Woodchat. Occasionally shot in March, but not common. 49. Lanius nubicus, Lichtensteiu ; L. personatus, Temm. Masked Shrike. I first saw this species in Upper Egypt about the end of February, when it had probably just arrived. It afterward became very abundant, and was generally in pairs, but I do not think it had begun to breed by the end of March. The species is accurately figured by Dr. Bree (Birds of Europe, i. p. 161). At Smyrna and Constantinople, whither I went on leaving Eoypt, I found none of the three above-named Shrikes, but Lanius minor and L. colliirio instead. 50. TuRDUS Musicus, L. Song-Thrush. Shot two or three times in February. 51. Petrocincla cyana (L.). Blue Rock-Thrush. Tolerably common all through the winter, especially frequent- ing rocks and ruins. 52. Petrocincla SAXATiLis' (L.). Rock-Thrush. I suspect that this species is a spring visitant ; for I did not meet with it till about the middle of March, when I saw a fine male in the temple of Karnak. I afterwards found it common at Damietta in the month of April. 53. Saxicola leucocephala (A. E. Brehm). Whiteheaded Chat. Egypt is a fine country for Chats ; and while there I devoted a good deal of attention to that family of birds, and obtained a good many species. I must say that I see no good reason for separating the genus Bromolma from the old-established one of Saxicola. I think it impossible to fix on a line of demarcation as to what constitutes a Dromolaa *. Is it an absence of sexual difi'erence ? If so, Dromolcea monacha should be excluded from that genus, and Saxicola lugens and Saxicola isabellina should be admitted into it. Is it a well-contrasted plumage of black * [The characters of Dromolcea, as given by Dr. Cabanis (Mus. Hein. i. p. 9, note) are structural. — Ed.] Mr. E. C. Taylov— Eg i/pt Revisited. 51) and white ? If so, Saxicola luyens may claim to be a Dromolaa. Is it superiority iu size? If so, then may Saxicola isahelUna, which is fully as large as any of the family. I therefore prefer to retain the old genus Saxicola for all the true Chats. The beau- tiful Whitehcaded Chat is found all over Egypt, wherever the rocks, in which it delights, are to be found. I shot a pair in the desert about a mile south of Cairo, in the month of January. It is particularly abundant among the granite rocks about As- souan and the First Cataract, and is always to be seen among rocks in the desert, and never on cultivated land. The plumage of this species is of the most beautiful jet-black, and not brownish-black like Saxicola leucura, Gm ., which I never saw in Egypt. I consider the white crown to be a mark of advanced age. 54. Saxicola leucopygia (A. E. Brehm). White-rumped Chat. I am decidedly of opinion that this is no good species at all*, but merely the preceding one at a less advanced age. The fol- lowing are my reasons : — With the exception of the colour of the crown of the head, there is absolutely no difference what- ever between the birds. The white-headed birds have often a few black feathers interspersed among the white feathers of the crown. The black-headed birds have generally a few white feathers similarly interspersed. And, more than all, I have sometimes seen a white-headed bird and a black-headed bird paired together. I believe that the white head is not acquired till an advanced age, and that the bird breeds before it does ac- quire it. Sex has nothing to do with the colour of the head. 55. Saxicola monacha, Riippell. A rare species in Egypt. I possess two specimens, male and female, procured there in January. It is the female of this species that is figured by Hiippell {Atl. tab. 34, fig, a) as Saxi- cola pallida. No wonder, then, that Dr. Adams's specimens (Ibis, 1864, p. 19) of Saxicola pallida were both females ! It would be rather difficult to find a male S. pallida. I may state that Dr. Sclater fully agrees with me in what I have stated about the subject of Riippell's plate. * [C/. Tristram ia P. Z. S. 1864, p. 441.— Eu.] 60 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 56. Saxicola lugens, Lichtensteiu. Mourning Chat. This is the most abundant of all the Chats near Cairo in the winter; I procured several there in January, quite close to the city. It becomes less numerous south of Siout. This species affects rocks and deserts, avoiding cultivation. There is no difference in plumage between the sexes, and they are nearly always seen in pairs. 57. Saxicola isabellina, Riippell, Atl. t. 34. fig. h ; S. saltator, Menetr. Menetries's Wheatear. This large, stout species is resident throughout the winter, and abundant all the way from Cairo to near Assouan. It frequents the patches of short burnt-up grass at the edge of the desert. The sexes are alike in plumage. This species is figured by Dr. Bree (Birds of Europe, ii. p. 136). 58. Saxicola homochroa, Tristram, Ibis, 1859, p. 59. In the month of January I came upon a pair of these small Chats in the desert near Cairo, and shot one of them. I never saw the species on any other occasion ; so I suppose it is rare. It is very like S. isabellina in miniature. 59. Saxicola deserti, Riippell. Desert-Chat. Resident through the winter, frequenting the edge of the desert, like S. isabellina. Less common near Cairo than further south. The sexes are alike in plumage, which in distribution of colour reminds one of S. stapazina. The black feathers of the throat are tipped with grey in the beginning of February, but not at the end of March. 60. Saxicola, sp. indet. Among a small collection of bird-skins, on board a boat that I visited on the Nile in March, I saw a Chat that at once struck me as new. A few days afterwards I shot an immature example of evidently the same species, which I am convinced is new to science. As I have only an immature specimen I refrain from attempting a diagnosis. The species very closely resembles S. jMlothamna, Tristram (Ibis, 1859, pp. 58 and 299, pi. ix.), but differs from it in having the tail-feathers v:hite, broadly tipped Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egtjpt Revisited. (H with black; the rump and crissuni bright chestnut-red. I should suggest that S. erythropycjia would be a good name for the bird *. 61. Saxicola (Enanthe (L.). Common Wheatcar. First seen near Thebes in the month of March. Egyptian specimens are rather brighter in colour than is usual in Europe. This and the two following species are spring visitants to Egypt. 62. Saxicola xanthomel^na, Heraprich and Ehrenberg. This species, which may perhaps be considered a local variety of S. stapa::ina, L., differs from that bird in the black of the throat extending much further on the breast (in which z'cspect it resembles S. eurymelcena, Hempr. & Ehr., of Syria). The head and back are also less rufous, and much paler in colour than in specimens of S. stapazina from Europe. This Chat arrives in Upper Egypt about the beginning of March, and is common at Thebes, and indeed all through the country. It is more given to perch on shrubs and low trees than are the other Chats. 63. Saxicola albicollis, Vieillot ; S. aurita, Temm. Eared Chat. Arrives at the same time as the last species, but is rather less abundant. Specimens from Egypt are paler in colour than those from Europe, and are no doubt the S. aurita, var. lihyca, Hempr. & Ehr. 64. Pratincola rubicola (L.). Stone-Chat. Resident throughout the winter, and common in the nei^-h- bourhood of Cairo and elsewhere. 65. Pratincola rubetra (L.). Whin-Chat. Seen near Damietta in April. 66. RuTiciLLA TiTHYs (Scopoli). Black Redstart. Resident in small numbers throughout the winter; frequents ruined buildings. 67. RuTiciLLA PH(ENicuRA (L.). Common Redstart. Arrives in March ; seen but seldom. * [We have not seen Mr. Taylor's specimen ; but from the above state- ment it seems not impossible that it may be the DromolcBa chrysopygia of De Filippi (Viagg. Pers. p. 347) ; but cf. infra p. 93. — Ed.] 62 Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 68. Cyanecula suecica (L.). Bluethroat. The Egyptian race is that with the breast-spot red, as in the Scandinavian form, the type of Linnseus^s Motacilla suecica. Common about Cairo in January. 69. Erythacus rubecula (L.). Red-breast. Occasionally seen, and once shot near Cairo in January. 70. Philomela luscinta (L.). Nightingale. Occasionally shot, but by no means common. 71. Aedon galactodes (Temminck). Rufous Warbler. This bird is not by any means a ^'^ Sedge- Warbler^' in its habits, as it principally frequents thickets of low brush- wood near the edge of the desert. In such localities I found it abun- dant near the end of March. 72. Sylvia cinerea, Latham. Common Whitethroat. 73. Sylvia curruca (Gmelin). Lesser Whitethroat. Both these species were occasionally shot on the Nile in March. 74. Sylvia capistrata, Riippell. Riippell's Warbler.* Not at all uncommon in Upper Egypt, among low bushes in the month of March. 75. Pyrophthalma melanocephala (Gmelin). Sardinian Warbler. Perhaps the most abundant of the Warblers in March. This species, as it creeps among thick herbage and low bushes, always reminds me very much of a Marsh Titmouse {Panis palustris). The naked skin round the eye is bright red. 76. Phyllopneuste trochilus (L.). Willow- Wren. 77. Phyllopneuste rufa (Latham). ChifF-Chaff. Both these species were constantly seen throughout the winter. * [The style of coloration in this species, taken together with the very remarkable appearance of its egg, a characteristic among the Sylviidce of some weight, would almost seem to justify its separation from the grouj) of Warblers in which it is usually placed. But this does not seem to have been done hitherto. — Ed.] Mr. E. C. 'Mor—Egijpt Revisited. 63 78. PuYLLOPNEUSTE SYLvicoLA (Latham). Wood- Wren. Seen at Damietta in April. 79. PsEUDOLUSCiNiA LCTsciNiGiDEs (Savi). Savi's Warbler. Not uncommon among reeds and other aquatic plants. 80. Calamodyta stentoria (Hempr. et Ehr.) ; Ibis, 1864, I found this rare bird near Damietta early in April, in the same lake where it had previously been discovered by Mr. S. Allen. Although it was abundant therCj I only got two speci- mens. 81. Cisticola sch(ENICOla, Bonaparte. Fantail Warbler. This, the smallest of Egyptian birds, is abundant, and gene- rally to be seen flying, with a peculiarly jerking flight, over wheat-fields, incessantly uttering a sharp cry, remarkably loud for the size of the bird. 82. Suva gracilis (Riippell), Atl. t. 2. fig. b. This pretty little bird is resident through the winter, and common throughout Egypt, wherever there are bushes. I found it abundant near Cairo in January. 83. MoTACiLLA ALBA, L. W^hite Wagtail. Perhaps the commonest bird in the country, and the only small bird I saw at Suez. 84. MoTACiLLA LUGUBRis, Tcmminck ; Gould, B. Eur. ii. pi. 142. "M. vidua Sund.," Tristram, Ibis, 1866, p. 291. I saw two or three pairs of this very distinct and well- marked species on the banks of the Nile, at Assouan, but did not observe it elsewhere. 85. MoTACiLLA SULPHUREA, Bcchsteiu. Grey Wagtail. Seen at Cairo in January. 86. BuDYTES FLAVUs (L.), var. cinereo-capillus, Savi. Grey- headed Wagtail. Abundant all along the Nile in February and March. 87. Anthus rufogularis, Brehm. Red-throated Pipit. Common in suitable localities from December to April. I never saw the common Meadow-Pipit [Anthus prat ensis) . 64 Mr. E. C. Tiiyhv—Effi/pt Revisited. 88. Anthus arboreus, Bechstein. Tree-Pipit. One specimen shot. 89. Anthus campestris, Bechstein. Tawny Pipit. Appeared in Upper Egypt in March, and at once became abundant. 90. Certhilauda DESERTORUM (Stanley). Bifasciated Lark. Occasionally procured near the edge of the desert. 91. Galerita CRIST ata (L.). Crested Lark. Extremely abundant. Eggs procured in Upper Egypt early in March, are smaller than those of the common Sky-Lark [Alauda arvensis), though the bird is larger. 92. Calandrella brachydactyla, Leisler. Short-toed Lark. Not seen before Mai'ch ; so I suspect it is a spring-visitant. Generally in small flocks. 93. Calandrella reboudia, Tristram, Ibis, 1859, p. 58. Reboud's Lark. A small dese7't-iovvcv of the preceding species, from which it differs in being resident through the winter. I procured speci- mens near Cairo, in the month of January, out of a small flock that I found in the desert. 94. Ammomanes isabellina (Temminck). Desert-Lark. I found this beautiftd Sand-Lark abundant near Cairo in the month of January. I have shot it close to the walls of the city. Near Assouan it seems to be replaced by the following species, 95. Ammomanes fraterculus, Tristram, P. Z, S,, 1864, p. 434. Tristram's Lark. Seen only in the neighbourhood of Assouan, where it was common, and in pairs at the beginning of March, 96. Emberiza hortulana, L. Ortolan. I shot an individual of this species near Benisouef late in March, This was the only time that I ever saw any species of the genus in Egypt. 97. Passer domesticus (L.), Common Sparrow. In my former list of Egyptian birds (Ibis, 1859, p. 48), I Mr. E. C. Tciylov—Epjpt Revisited. 05 included Passer cisalpinus by mistake lor this species. I have now great pleasure in correcting that error. P. domesticus is very abundant all along the Nile vallejr, and is the only Sparrow that I have seen in the city of Cairo, where it swarms, and is remarkably tame and pert. In the month of March I noticed it breeding in Upper Egypt in holes in the mud-banks of the Nile. 98. Passer salicicola, Vieillot. Spanish Sparrow. More abundant even than the last species, and usually m larger flocks. I consider ^' Spanish^' a very bad epithet for this species; for I never once saw it during a three months' tour in Spain, where P. domesticus was the only Sparrow I found. Tn Algeria and Tunis this is the Sparrow of the country ; and indeed I saw no other there. All over Italy and Sicily P. cis- alpinus is certainly the most common, and, indeed, the only species I ever saw ; nor did I ever meet with P. cisaJpiinis except in those countries. In the South of France, Spain, Smyrna, and Constantinople, P. domesticus is the Sparrow of the country. In these ren)arks on Sparrows I do not include Passer muntaims or Petronia stulta, which are not representa- tive species. 99. LiNOTA CANNABiNA (L.) . Couimou Liuuct. Abundant about Cairo in January. 100. Erythrospizagithagixea, Lichtenstein. Desert-Bull- finch. I never saw this pretty bird near Cairo ; but it is very com- mon in Upper Egypt, where it is generally to be seen in small flocks towards the edge of the desert. The species is satisfac- torily figured by Dr. Brec (B. Eur. iii. p. 81). 101. Sturnus vulgaris, L. Common Starling. Occasionally seen, and sometimes shot. 102. CoRvus FRUGiLEGus, L. Rook. I saw a small flock of Rooks, about twenty in number, in a grove of Palm trees [PJicenix dactylifera) near Ghizeh, January 29th, 1864. I never saw the Rook in Egypt on any other occasion. N. S. VOL. III. F 66 Mr. E. C. Taylor— %//;;/ RevisUed. 103. CoRvus coRNix, L. Hooded Crow. Very abundant wherever there are trees, and consequenlly not at Suez, where there are none. Breeds in February and March. When I was trying to stalk a Buteo ferox, or any other large raptorial bird, these Crows seemed to take a pleasure in attacking and driving it away just before I got within shot. Indeed they persecute and bully all the large birds in the country, except Corvus umbrinus, of which they are afraid. I never saw the Black Crow {Corvus corone) in Egypt. 104. Corvus umbrinus, Hedenborg. Brown-necked Raven. This species is intermediate in size between C. cor ax and C. corone; but the feathers of the throat are lanceolate, and it is in all respects a true Haven. It is tolerably common throughout Egypt, and is one of the few birds I found at that desolate spot Suez. We did not happen to shoot a Raven on my first visit, and I was then unacquainted with C. umbrinus ; so that in my former list (Ibis, 1859, p. 49) I included C corax, which I believe is never found in Egypt. Dr. Adams also falls into the same error (Ibis, 1864, p. 22), as subsequently noticed by Mr. Allen (p. 239). This bird makes its nest sometimes in rocks, some- times in the centre of the crown of a Date-Palm [Phcenix dacty- lifera), in which position I found a nest early in March, near Assouan, containing four eggs. I took another nest of this species, with five eggs, from one of the pyramids of Ghizeh in April. The eggs are larger than those of C. coi-nix, and more brightly coloured. I once saw a Hock of at least a dozen of these Ravens near the pyramids of Dashoor. 105. CoLUMBA scHiMPERi, Bonapartc. Schiraper's Pigeon. Flocks of Pigeons, perfectly wild, frequent the precipitous rocks that here and there border the Nile. I have frequently shot examples from them, and have always found them to pos- sess the characteristics of Columha schiiiiperi, being decidedly and conspicuously distinguishable from C. livia by the absence of the white rump which forms so marked a feature in that species. The Pigeons which, in a semidomesticated state, fre- quent the Arab towns and villages, evidently claim descent from C. schimperi, and not from C. livia, as they too are without the Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 67 white rump. Indeed I never in Egypt saw a single instance of a Pigeon possessing the white rump eharacteristic of C. livia. 1 have seen these pigeons perching in numbers on the horizon- tal fronds of the Date-Palm, but never on any other tree. Du- ring my last visit I again noticed their habit of settling on the river, and remaining on the water for a considerable time in the position of swimming. 106. TuRTUR AURiTus, G. R. Gray. Turtle-Dove. Not found in Egypt in the winter. First seen at Assouan in the beginning of March ; after that, conmion in Upper Egypt. 107. TuRTUR sENEGALENsis (L.). Egyptian Turtle-Dove. Abundant all through the country, and resident through the winter. It breeds in March ; the eggs are very small in pro- portion to the size of the bird; the nest slight and fragile, usually placed in the thickest part of a Gum-acacia tree. I never saw Turtur risorius in Egypt, though it is abundant at Smyrna. 108. Pterocles exustus, Temminck. Singed Sand-Grouse. By far the most abundant species of Sand-Grouse in Egypt. 109. Pterocles senegalensis, Latham. Much less common than P. exustus. Both these species are well figured in Mr. Gould's ' Birds of Asia.' I never saw P. coronatus in Egypt, and I believe that neither P. arenarius nor P. alchata ever occur there. 110. Ammoperdix heyi. Hey's Sand-Partridge. One of my companions started a pair of these birds from among some rocks near Assouan and shot the male. I never saw the species on any other occasion. 111. CoTURNix COMMUNIS, Bonnatcrre. Common Quail. Common in wheat-fields in February and March. 112. CuRSORius GALLicus, Gmeliu. Cream-coloured Coni\ser. Occasionally seen in the desert in small flocks, and once shot. 113. (Edicnemus CREPITANS, Temmiuck. Common Thick- knee. Tolerably abundant, and very good to eat. F 2 68 Mr. E. C. Tay\ov—E(/r/pt Revisited. 114. Charadrius pluvialis, L. Golden Plover. Once seen in the market of Alexandria. 115. ^^GiALiTis CANTiANUs (Latham). Kentish Plover. Abundant in the winter, near Cairo, in muddy places. 116. iEoiALiTis FLUViATiLis (Bcchstein). Little Ringed Plover. Common all through the country, and frequently seen in the Desert, far away from the river, running swiftly along the sand. 117. iEoiALiTis PECUARius (Temmiuck), Pl.^ Col. 183 ; Schl. Mus. P.-B., Cursores, p. 34. I once came upon a flock of this rare Plover on the bank of the Nile, near Girgeh, and shot several of them. 118. Pluvianus jEgyptius (L.). Black-headed Plover. This very beautiful bird is abundant all along the Nile above Cairo, wherever the banks of the river are muddy ; it avoids rocky ground, and is therefore not so plentiful near Assouan. It was generally in pairs during the month of March ; but I know nothing of its nidification. I see no reason to alter my previously ex])ressed opinion (Ibis, 1859, p. 52) that this bird is probably the Trochilos of Herodotus. It has, I think, a better claim to that honour than the Spur-winged Plover {Hojjlopterus spinosus), because it frequents the same localities as the Crocodiles, namely, mud and sand-bands in the middle of the river; whereas the Spur-wing is more generally met with high and dry in the fields, in which it would not be likely to meet with many Crocodiles. 119. HoPLOPTERUs SPINOSUS (L.). Spur-winged Plover. Very common, tame, and noisy. 120. Vanellus cristatus (Meyer). Lapwing. Not unfrequent in small flocks. 121. Ch^tusia gregaria (Pallas). Social Plover. A rare species in Egypt. I once saw several in a field near Girgeh, and shot an immature specimen. Figured by Bona- parte (Icon. Faun. Ital.), and also by Dr. Bree (B. Eur. iii. p. 20). Mr. E. C. 'l\iyhn-—E(/t/j,t Revisited. (j[) 122. Ch.etusialeucuua, Lichtcnstein. White-tailed Plover. On my secoud trip to Egypt I revisited, in the month of Mai'ch, the same marsh near Thebes where I had previously obtained this rare bird in the month of January ; but I was too late ; for the marsh was dried up, and the Plovers were gone. In the following winter, a friend of mine visited the same marsh in January, and obtained at least a dozen specimens, all of which I have seen. I never knew of this species being found in Egypt, except in this one marsh between Thebes and Er- ment. The bird is very well figured in 'The Ibis' for 1865 (pi. X.) J but all the specimens that I have seen from Egypt have the tail-feathers entirely white, and not banded with brown as in that plate. This may be a mark of immaturity. Irides red. 123. H/EMATopus osTRALEGUs, L. Oystcr- catchcr. Seen on the shore of the Red Sea near Suez. 124. HiMANTOPUs CANDiDUs, Bonnatcrre. lilack-vviuged Stilt. Frequently seen, and occasionally shot. 125. ToTANUs GLOTTIS (L.). Grccnshank. Occasionally shot. 126. ToTANUS sTAGNATiLis, Bechstcin. Marsh Sandpiper. Rather a rare species. Once shot on my first visit, and oc- casionally seen on my second. In appearance it much re- sembles the Greenshank in miniature. 127. ToTANUS ocHROPUs (L.). Green Sandpiper. Very common in all suitable localities. 128. ToTANis GLAREOLA (L.). Wood Sandpiper. Rare. One specimen procured. 129. Tringoides hypoleucus (L.). Common Sandpij)er. Tolerably abundant, but less so than T. ochropus. 130. Tringa minuta, Leisler. Little Stint. Occasionally occurs in small flocks. 131. Tringa temmincki, Leisler. Temmiuck's Stint. A few specimens procured. 70 Mr. E. C. Taylor— %///>/ Revisited. 132. Gallinago scolopacinus, Bonaparte. Common Snipe. Abundant in the winter, but becomes scarce in March. 133. Gallinago gallinula (L.). Jack Snipe. Almost as common as the preceding species. 134. Rhynch^a bengalensis (Gmelin). Painted Snipe. I did not see this species ahve on my second visit, but I saw two or three specimens in a small collection of bird-skins on board a boat I visited. 135. NuMENius ARCUATA (L.) . Curlcw. Not uncommon in the winter. 136. Grus cinerea, Bechstein. Common Crane. Not uncommon ; but shy, and difficult to shoot. 137. CicoNiA ALBA, Bechsteiu. White Stork. I do not know whether this bird breeds in Egypt ; but at all events it remains there till the end of March. 138. CicoNiA NIGRA (L.). Black Stork. Occasionally seen in the winter. 139. Ardea cinerea, L. Common Heron. Common, and generally distributed. 140. Ardea purpurea, L. Purple Heron. Seen on several occasions. 141. Egretta garzett.a (L.). Little Egret. One specimen was shot by our party, but the species is de- cidedly rare. 142. BuPHUS COROMANDA (Boddacrt). BufF-backed Heron. These birds began to assume the elongated buff plumes on the back towards the end of March, about which time, I sup- pose, they begin to breed. 143. Nycticorax griseus (L.). Night-Heron. Occurs occasionally in small flocks, and perches much on trees, especially on Palm-trees. 144. Platalea leucorodia, L. Common Spoonbill. Not uncommon in the winter, in flocks. 145. Phcenicopterus roseus, Pallas. Flamingo. I often saw large flocks of Flamingos in Egypt, but never Mr. E. C. Taylor — Egypt Revisited. 71 succeeded in shooting any. On the lake of Tunis they are more abundant, and less wild than in Egypt. 146. FuLicA ATRA, L. Comuion Coot. One individual was shot near Assouan. 147. Anser albifrons (Gmelin). White-fronted Goose. Abundant on the Nile, in large flocks. 148. Chenalopex iEGYPTiACUs (L.). Egyptian Goose. In the month of March these Geese were generally in pairs. They are abundant, but rather wild. 149. Tadorna rutila (Pallas) . Ruddy Shelldrake. One individual of this species was shot by our party on my first visit, but I never met with it on my second. 150. Spatula clypeata (L.). Shoveller Duck. 151. Anas boschas L. Wild Duck. 152. Anas strepera, L. Gadwall. 153. Anas acuta, L. Pintail. 154. Anas crecca, L. Teal. 155. FuLiGULA ferina (L.), Pochard. These six species of Duck are all more or less abundant on the Nile, in flocks ; and we shot some of each, in one or the other of my voyages up the river. I should say that Fuliyula ferina is the most abundant, and Anas strepera the most rare. 156. Podiceps, sp. indet. I once saw a Grebe swimming in the Nile close to our boat ; from its size I should say it was P. cristatus. 157. Phalacrocorax carbo (L.). Common Cormorant. Cormorants are abundant wherever the Nile is overhung by abrupt cliffs, in which they roost, and, I suspect, breed. 158. Pelecanus onocrotalus, L. Pelican. I found Pelicans much less plentiful on my second voyage up the Nile than on my first. This may have been owing either to the ten years' persecution they had in the meantime undcigoue, or to the fact that the second voyage was two months later in the season than the first. 73 Mv. E. C. 'Wyhv— E;yi/j)t Revisited. 159. Larus fuscescens, Lichteustein. I have seen this Gull flying about the harbour of Alexandria, It is apparently intermediate between Larus fuscus, and Lm-us argeiitatus, as it resembles the former in having the legs and feet yellow, while the grey of the mantle is not much darker than in L. argentatus. It is the common Gull of the Bos- ])horus. There is a Gull of this species now alive in the Gardens of the London Zoological Society ; until lately it was named Larus michahellesi ; the label is now altered correctly. 160. Larus audouini, Payraudeau. Audouin's Gull. To the best of my belief, I saw this Gull during my first voyage up the Nile. 161. Gelastes tenuirostris (Temminck). Slender-billed Gull. A specimen of this Gull was shot by one of our party out of a small flock, near Keneh in Upper Egypt. This species differs fi'om the other small Gulls with red bills and legs in never, at any time of the year, assuming a black head. It is not well- named Slender-hilled Gidl, as its bill is certainly stouter and stronger than that of the common L. ridibundus. It is figured by Bonaparte (Icon. Faun. Ital.), also by Dr. Bree (B. Eur. iv. p. 98). 162. Chroicocephalus ridibundus (L.). Black-headed Gull. The most common species of Gull on the Nile in March. 163. Chroicocephalus melanocephalus, Natterer. Nat- terer's Gull. I saw this Gull flying about the harbour of Alexandria in April. It is easily distinguished, even on the wing, from C. ridibundus, by its deep black head and its pure white wings un tipped with black. 16]'. Sterna caspia, Pallas. Caspian Tern. I saw several of these fine Terns flying over a lake near Da- mietta. 165. Sterna velox, Riippell. Swift Tern. I bought some Tern^s eggs at Damietta, that had been taken Rev. II. 15. Ti'istrain on the Ondthulogij of Palestine. 73 near that town : these have every appearance of belonging to this species; they arc decidedly larger than the eggs of <S. cantiaca. 16G. Sterna cantiaca, Gmelin. Sandwich Tern. Seen near Daraietta. 167. Sterna anglica, Montagu. Gull-billed Tern. The most common species of Tern in the interior of Egypt, frequenting marshy places. 168. Hydrochelidon fissipes (L.). Black Tern. Seen near Damietta in April. III. — On the Ornitholoyy of Palestine. Part V. By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. (Plate I.) [Continued from ' The Ibis ' for 1866, page 292.] No families of birds are more largely represented in Palestine than the Warblers, the Sylviina and Lusciniince, including especially the Saxicolina, almost as varied and as perplexing as the Larks. If we cast our eye down the catalogue, we find sixty-one species of the Sylviads enumerated, — a list which we can hardly believe to be nearly complete ; for the occurrence of many of the species we met with is a pretty sure indication of the presence, occasional at least, of many others. It cannot be assumed that Luscinia philomela, for instance, will not be found, or that Salicaria aquatica, Locustella ncBvia, and other species of wide range are not represented. I do not know of a more admirable post of observation for the British ornithologist who wishes to study the habits of the Warblers in our lists, actual or reputed, than the Holy Land. He will have the double advan- tage of familiar association during the winter months with nearly all our summer migrants ; while in spring he may watch from day to day the nidification of all those species which either an erratic spirit of ornithic adventure, or the ingenuity of dealers have added to our array of occasional visitants. 74 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. There are two very distinct tides of Sylviad immigration in Palestine. In October and November thousands of the hardier species pour down into the lowlands and wadys, where they remain till February or March. Then for a month the land is left almost deserted^ till in April and May the spring arrivals commence, and every thicket is tenanted by species either strange to our shores or known only by the occasional capture of a straggler. Such are S. orphea, Aedon galactodes, Hypolais elaica, and H. upcheri. We were especially fortunate in our op- portunities of watching the nidification of the less-known species ; and I believe there is no class of birds in which the style of architecture, with the coloration and form of the egg, casts more light on the true grouping of species and the arrangement of genera. Possessed of a good series of the eggs of the Lusci- niidcB, we might classify the species accordingly, and find that we had scaicely in one instance diverged from the recognized order of our best systematists. Thus the unique egg of Cettia sericea separates it at once from all our other Palsearctic Warblers, and points out its affinities to the long-tailed Prinio group of the Indian region. Then the eggs of Savi's and the Grasshopper- Warbler group them apart, and link them to the very similar eggs of the Australian Megalurus and Calamanthus. Cisticola and Drymoeca, varying as they do, still vary within the same limits as the Oriental Prinia and Orthotomus, to which we must admit their affinities. The egg of Aedon stands out alone, steadily demanding a distinct and isolated position, which all who are familiar with its manners and note will readily grant, but ap- proaching in habit, as in its eggs, the Indian Thamnohice. The great group of Calamoherpe, from whatever part of the world they come, have but one unmistakeable character of egg, sharply defined from all the other groups. The beau- tiful and fragile eggs of every member of the genus Hypolais, though each distinct in markings and in ground-colour, from the richest salmon hue to pale ashy white, but all of a peculiar rough texture, are a group almost as isolated and peculiar as Pycnonotus, with no affinities approaching Phyllopneuste. These again, though infinitely varying within themselves, disclaim alliance with any of the other Sylviads. We then have the Rev. II. B. Tristram on the Ornithulofjij of Palestine. 75 genus Sylvia as restricted by Bonaparte, of which our White- throat is the type, with its greenish ground-colour and the spotting ditierent in each species; while Melizophilus and Pijroph- ihalmus are evidently aberrant members of the same family. Next we may take the Curruca as restricted by Bonaparte, with the eggs always of a whitish or brownish -white ground, and the markings set each in a nimbus of fainter colour, as in our Black- cap and Garden Warblers ; while Nisuria undata, a good genus, comes next them by its ground-colour, but wants the spots. The Redbreast, pugnacious as he always is, stands aloof from any entangling alliances, and asserts an independent posi- tion as Ei-ythacus, which introduces us to Mr. Gray's subfamily of Lusciniince, comprising all the remaining Sylviads. Here we find a character pervading almost the whole subfamily in the coloration of the eggs, which is never found in the first subfamily Sylviina, viz. the blue or bluish-white ground-colour. Co- psychus, Myiomela, Saxicola, Ruticilla, Thamnobia, and all their subdivisions have this common feature. The most aberrant are the genera Luscinia and Cyanecula, with their uniform olive- green coloration. But, as we well know, the Nightingale's egg is not unfrequently blue, and the identity of the colour in the eggs of the Bluethroats attests their affinity to the Nightingale. All the innumerable species of Saxicolina lay blue eggs, either plain or spotted ; and frequently, as in the Turdince, we find two closely affined species laying one a plain, the other a spotted egg ; while occasionally the eggs of comparatively distant members of the family are identical, as in the case of Saxicola cenanthe and S. isahellina. Of the five species of the subgenus Dromolcea, of which I have taken the eggs, four are of the faintest bluish- white, with ruddy spots, and the fifth a rich blue ground with similar spots. From these we are led on to Ruticilla, the eggs of which are never spotted, though the ground-colour varies from pure white in the single instance of R. tithys to the most delicate white with the faintest bluish tinge in R. moussieri, up to the very dark blue of R. semirufa, a bird most closely allied to R. tithys. Finally, we have the spotless blue of Sialia and Accentor, with which last I find much difficulty in grouping Mr. Gray's Acunthiza, or the Siicrus of the New World. 7G Rev. II. B. Tristram un the (Jrniiholocjy of Palestine. But this digression on eggs in general is scarcely in place among notes on the birds of Palestine. To proceed to the spe- cies in detail. Of the Malurime, so abundantly represented in the Ethiopian and Indian fauna, Palestine possesses but three species, Dr-ymceca gracilis (Licht.), already described (Ibis, 1865, p. 82), a second Drymceca, and Cisticula schcenicola, Bp. I can- not find this second Drymceca described by Riippell or any other author ; and as it is very distinct from any other species I have seen, I venture to describe it as new. Drymceca eremita, Tristram. Suprk fuscescenti-cinerea, pileo, occipite et nucha nigro strio- latis, superciliis pure albis, linea inter rictum et oculum et ab oculo ad aurem nigra ; remigibus cinereis ; cauda fuscescenti-nigra et obsolete transverse xxv. striis nigris fasciata ; rectricis extinije pogonio exteriore et apice albo lirabatis : subtiis alba, mento et pectore nigro striatis ; hypochondriis et ventre castaneo tinctis; rostro et pedibus pallide aurantiacis ; iridibus pallide fuscis. Long. tot. 4<'4<5, alse 2"75, caudse 2'1, tarsi 0'75, rostri a rictu 0'5. Hab. in deserto Judaico et Arabia Petrsea. Its nearest congener seems to be Drymceca striaticeps, de- scribed by me from the Sahara in ' The Ibis' for 1859 ( p. 58),from which it may be at once distinguished by the broader dark striae on the head and neck extending further down, by the distinct white eyebrow, the throat and breast striated with black instead of the dull uniform white of the African bird, and the deeper russet of the flanks. We met with it only in the desolate wadys opening on the west side of the Dead Sea, where it flitted rest- lessly from one little desert shrub to another, differing iu this respect from D. striaticeps, which I found in moist oases among tamarisks. In its note and flight it differs much from D. gra- cilis, and is very difficult of approach. We found one or two in each wady, but never two together; and it inhabited ravines where the Rock-Chats were the only other birds that could find sustenance. So wild and wary was it, that the first specimen observed, which we at once recognized as a species new to us, cost Mr. Upcher and myself two hours' pursuit in the Wady Areyeh, and eleven shots, before we secured it. We rarely could get a glimpse of it, as it restlessly flitted about eighty yards Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithologij uf Palestine. 77 ahead, secreting itself in the line of brown bushes which fringed the ravine. We afterwards found it in more exposed situations. The Rev. F. W. Holland has since brought home a specimen from Wady Fciran, near ]\Iount Sinai. Riippell has named another Arabian species " D. inquieta" an epithet which none can so well deserve as this little solitary hermit. We did not obtain its eggs; but those of D. striaticeps, which have not been de- scribed, are white, thickly powdered with pink spots. The note of D. eremita, by which we were at first attracted to it, and by the sound of which alone we were able to pursue it, has five syllables, much softer and mellifluous than the cheery and almost startling tones of D. (jracilis. I sliould mention that all these species of Drymoeca have the obsolete barring of the tail, so characteristic of Pseudoluscinia lusciniuides and P. jluviatilis. Cisticola schoenicola, a bird of wide range, extending from North-west Africa to India, China, and Formosa, rejoices in the moist maritime plains of Palestine, where we found it all the year round, starting up from the long grass in front of our horses, jerking up in the air for a few seconds as it rapidly repeated its single note '^ pink, pink," and then dropping suddenly again, when it was very difficult to put it up a second time. Its nest is a beautiful cabinet edition of the Reed- Warbler's transferred to terra firma, and formed of the finest cotton and spiders' webs among grass-stems. In this respect it differs much from the architecture of Drymceca. The localities suitable for the Marsh-Warblers are few and far between in the Holy Land; and consequently, though the number of species is very large, they are for the most part but scantily represented in individuals. Without exception, so far as we could discover, they are all migrants, returning earlier or later in spring. On most of them we had not many opportunities of making observations. Calamoherpe j}alustris, Calumodyta mela- nopogon, and Pseudoluscinia luscinioides we identified but by single specimens, though the latter we often heard. It is not the first time that I have found " heard not seen " to be the motto both of Savi's and Cetti's Warblers. Pseudoluscinia fiu- viatilis was not much more abundant ; yet we several times met with a pair evidently engaged in domestic duties, but searched in 78 Rev. II. 13. Tristram on the Orrdthology of Palestine. vain for its nest^ one of my special desiderata. Calamoherpe strepera and Calamodyta phragmitis were very common from the last week in March in every locality where the herbage and moisture gave them the slightest cover. All the species re- turned about the same time, with the exception of Calamoherpe arundinacea and C. strepera, which preceded the others by about a fortnight in the beginning of March ; and I see, on reference to my note-book, that we obtained a specimen of every Marsh- Warbler on our list between the 28th March and the 4th April. C arundinacea was, next to the Reed- and Sedge- Warblers, the most abundant species ; and its harsh dissonant note, or rather screech, which some one has imposed upon Dr. Jerdon by calling a "charming" song (!), might be heard at sunrise from every tuft of tall canebrake. Truly I can wish the flatterer who called its note "charming" no greater punishment than to have to camp, as we had, near a reed-bed when half a dozen of these noisy birds made the moonlight night hideous with their jarring- scream. There is one species which we could not obtain, which I saw repeatedly among the papyrus-swamps of the waters of Merom (Lake Huleh), a region which is an impregnable refuge for every sort of marsh- and water-fowl. It looked just like the common C. arundinacea, perhaps smaller ; but its note, though quite as harsh, was far more powerful than any I had ever heard. At the time I supposed the bird, which it was hopeless to attempt to secure, to be C. hrunnescens of India ; but on reading Mr.AUen's notice of Acrocephalus stentorius (Ibis, 1 864, p. 97), I have not the smallest doubt of the identity of the Hulch bird with his Damietta specimen. But besides this there are, so far as I can judge, two distinct forms of C. arundinacea in Palestine, the one decidedly darker and larger than the other, — the wings being in the one 3"6 inches, in the other 4'1 from the carpal joint, and the tail respectively 3 and 3*75 inches in length. There is also a very slight difference in the relative length of the second and third primaries. But, with a large series before me from every part of the Mediterranean countries noi'th and south, I am unable to discover any difference sufficiently clear on which to found a specific diagnosis, unless it be the disproportionate length of the tail, which does not occur in any of my French, Spanish, Algerian, or Egyptian specimens. llcv. II. 15. Tristraiu on the Ornitholuyy uf Palestine. 79 Cetti's Warbler is by no means among the rarest of the Sali- carians of the Holy Land. I say Cetti's Warbler generically ', for, though I should not wish to be included by critics among the species-manufacturers like Brehm, yet I must claim some distinctness for the Oriental Cettia. The plumage is de- cidedly more chocolate-colour, and the bill both longer and much broader at the base. I can see no difference between Spanish, Algerian, and Italian specimens, which are perfectly identical. The diagnosis of what 1 will venture to call Cettia (POTAMODUS) ORIENTALIS is this Statura simillima C sericea, dorso quoqne concolor, sed pcctore et ventro olivaceo nee cincrco fuscata : rostrum 0*7 a rictu et 0"2 in latitudine ad basim ; quod in C sericea 0*5 a rictu, et 0"15 in latitudine ad basim. The olive hue of the white of the lower parts at once distin- guishes it. It is a very late arrival from the south : at least it was not till May that we heard its unmistakeable note; for it was rarely to be seen, and possibly might have been skulking in silence before the nuptial season evoked its song. It seems to prefer the margins of very narrow streams and ditches, so long as they arc well fringed with thicket, to larger pieces of swamp ; and most tantalizing was it time after time to hear the sudden burst of a resounding song like the first part of a Nightingale's suddenly cut short, from the centre of some impenetrable tangle of prickly bramble, into which we might pitch stones in vain until we were startled by the same note issuing from the next thicket. Often as I expended time, eyes, and powder, I only secured three specimens, after killing perhaps a score ; for to retrieve them was almost hopeless. They start up, and dart down the moment they have cut short their abrupt distrain. A snap shot, and, unless the bird fell impaled on a thorn, search was useless, with a bottom six feet deep in tangle. I once had a double shot, which cost me dear. Wading up a tributary of the Barada in pursuit, I at length got a good momentary view of the prize ; but while securing him some of the shot had gone further, and on the other side of the bramble-thicket had struck a peasant of Zebdany in the face and eye. The Syrians are not so amiable as Lord Lilford's pretty Spaniard promised to be had he bagged 80 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. her along with his Cettia (Ibis, 1866,p.383) : and as we were sit- ting in our tents at dinner, quite unconscious of harm inflicted, we were invaded by a posse of villagers under arms, who im- peratively demanded damages ; and, though we carefully ex- tracted all the shot corns, and satisfied my quarry that neither eye was at all injured, the shot proved dear enough, and that Cettia orientalis is one of the most costly specimens in my cabinet. The most conspicuous and attractive of all the Warblers of Palestine is Aedon gaJactodes (Temm.), and it is perhaps the most abundant in summer. But it returns very late. On the 14th April this species appeared in great numbers, aud over- spread every part of the country, wet or dry, where there were bushes or reeds. The return was simultaneous, and from that time its bright chestnut plumage, with its black-and-white-tipped tail expanded like a fan, enlivened every thicket and thorn-bush. In no way whatever does it resemble the Marsh- Warblers in action or note. Its song is low, soft, and mellifluous. It is constantly seen, and, instead of skulking in thickets, hops here and there, perching on the outmost bough of any bush or on the stem of a tall cane, expanding and jerking its tail like a Wren. It is curious that a bird which remains all the winter in the Sahara should be so late a migrant in the warm regions of the Holy Land. The species there is identical with that of South Europe and North Africa ; and out of the innumerable birds we saw, of which we preserved over thirty specimens, I never met with an individual oi Aedun familiaris (Menetr.), said to be the common species in Asia Minor, and also given by Dr. von Heuglin in the list of birds from the Red Sea (Ibis, 1859, p. 341) to the exclusion of our bird. Can there be some error here ? After examining Mr. Gould^s specimens from Smyrna, I can have no hesitation in assenting to the marked difference be- tween the two. The nests of Aedon are very easy to find, and our old African experience assisted us ; for the tamarisk is its favourite tree, and without more attempt at concealment than an English Mistletoe-Thrush, it piles its large nest in a low fork. As in Algeria, so here, we found the serpent's skin an invariable ingredient in the lining of the nest, and the green lizards our Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithologii of Palestine. 81 provoking rivals in egg-collecting. The Palestine eggs, of which I have a large series, are very much more delicately and sparsely spotted than those of Africa, and, arranged together with them, would at first sight be pronounced to be distinct. Yet we took perhaps twenty nests in each country, all of them indis- putably identified, and the distinction holds uniformly true. The skins are precisely alike. Lindermayer gives April 27th as the date of return to Greece, where the species is identical with the Palestine bird, and not A. familiar is. I found it breeding in canebrakes by the shores of the Dead Sea the last day of April, and in June on Lebanon at a height of 7000 feet. The section Hypolais is well represented by three species. Of these the largest, H olivetorum, is confined to the olive-groves and the oak-coppice in the north of Palestine, generally near the coast. Further inland its place is taken by the nearly allied //. upcheri, nob. (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 438), which has probably been confounded with its congener. The lesser spe- cies, H. elaica, abounds everywhere, and, returning in the end of March (our first specimen was shot March 23rd), takes the place of the Willow-Wren, Phyllopneuste trochilus, which has by that time moved its camp northwards. I conceive that H. upcheri and H. elaica are the eastern representative species of H. icterina or italica and H. polyglotta. They correspond pre- cisely in measurements to these species respectively, but difier similarly in the entire absence of the green and yellow hues in the coloration, which is ashen on the back and ashy-white below. Yet they difi'er very decidedly in their eggs from their western representatives. The key to the specific distinctions of all the species of Hypo- lais is in the relative length of the bastard primary. In H. olivetorum, the largest of the genus, it is extremely small, only reaching half the length of the outer tectrices. In H, icterina, H. upcheri, and H. ohscura of South Africa it is the same length as the tectrices. In the smaller species H. polyglotta, H. elaica, and H. pallida of North Africa it is considerably longer. I may here mention that I can discover no distinction whatever, after the most careful comparison, between H. icterina of Italy and H. ohscura from Damaraland : their coloration and measurements N. S. VOL. III. G 82 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. precisely correspond. It has been already mentioned that the eggs of all the species bear a very strong family likeness, though each is distinct at a glance. H. elaica is the most common species in Palestine, frequenting, however, chiefly the warmer valleys and the plains of Jordan. It commences its nest immediately on its return. This is a very neat, compact structure, of a deep cup-shape, its depth equalling its diameter, formed of fine grass and strips of bark, and tightly lined with thistle-down and vegetable cotton. It is placed two or three feet from the ground, in a fork of the small Solanum sanctum, or on the twigs of a tamarisk or oleander, containing four or five eggs, of salmon-tinted white ground, with purplish spots and streaks like those of H. pallida and H. olivetorum. In markings they resemble those of H. polyglotta, but have not their rich pink ground-colour. Its note is soft and melodious, something like our Lesser Whitethroat ; and the male often in- dicated the nest by singing continuously, concealed in a tree close by. Our first recognition of Upcher's Warbler was from finding a nest in an orchard under Mount Hermon, from which a bird stole off, which I took to be H. elaica, till I noticed the eggs to be of a rich salmon ground and almost as large as those of the Olive-tree Warbler. I waited till the bird returned, and then secured both parents, when I ascertained that I had got hold of an exactly intermediate species. Its note is unlike that of H. elaica ; and it frequents very different locali- ties, the uplands of Hermon and Lebanon, in the vineyards and oak-coppices. The nest was usually placed in a bush of Vitex agnus-castus, or Linden tree, never more than a yard or two from the ground, neat and conspicuous. We found this bird very abundant in its restricted localities. Its eggs most resem- ble those of i7. po/yy/o^/« in ground-colour, but are twice the size, I think that for beauty they are unrivalled among the whole family of Sylviads. The bird has been described by me, as above mentioned. With the genus Phyllopneuste for the most part we could only make acquaintance in winter, when our Willow- Wren, Chiff-Chaff, and others positively swarmed in every part of the counti'y, and especially in the Jordan valley. With P. trochilus Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 83 and P. rufa were mingled a few of other species. I take Ehren- berg's Curruca viridula to be only our P. trochilus ; but we shot a few specimens of a bird which I took at the time for P. mfa, but which is larger and corresponds with Mr. Strickland's de- scription of his P. hrevirostris, obtained at Smyrna in winter. We also got one or two specimens of the Yellow-browed Warbler, or so-called Dalmatian Regulus {Beguloides super- ciliosus) at Jericho, creeping among the thickctsby the water- side, but never saw it again elsewhere. It appears to be only a scarce straggler in winter. The earliest of these species to depart was the Chiff-ChaflF, true to its character as the earliest arrival in England ; and by the end of February the whole of them had disappeared. The Willow- Wren remained a fortnight later. It was curious that we never met with a specimen of P. sibi- latrix in winter ; but on the 26th April they suddenly appeared, on which day Mr. Bartlett shot more than a dozen, and until the second week in May they were very common, after which we saw them no more ; nor did we ever find a nest. The species seems merely to be of passage on its way to the north. In Algiers I have noticed them in the beginning of April. Before their return, about the 1st of April, P. bonellii arrived and rapidly dispersed to its various haunts, remaining to breed, which no other member of the group did. Its habits are like those of P. trochilus, its voice very weak, and its nest on the ground, with eggs closely resembling our Wood-Wren^s, but with the spots red rather than chocolate-colour. Bonelli's War- bler seems to affect the wooded hills, as Carmel, Tabor, and the lower slopes of Hermon, in preference to the low grounds, where we did not meet with it. Of the other Sylviads, the Common Redbreast {Erythacus ruhecula) was scattered everywhere by ones and twos throughout the country in winter, singing lustily when all else was silent, and as bold and familiar as at home; but not one remained after February. The common Whitethroat and the Blackcap are very abundant everywhere, and remain throughout the year ; but the numbers of the former appeared to be inereased, and of the latter considerably diminished, in spring. The nests cf the Whitethroat became a perfect nuisance when out searching with G 2 84 Rev. H. B Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. the Arabs, Every second nest discovered was sure to be Sylvia cinerea ; but with our Bedouin one nest was as good as another, and off one had to trudge, perhaps from watching some rare Bunting or Redstart, to inspect our familiar friend, whom we scorned to disturb. The Palestine specimens are much clearer in plumage than our own, and slightly larger ; the tail, how- ever, is too long to suit Mr. Blyth's diagnosis of Sylvia affinis. It is curious that, while this bird and S. curruca are alike cold- weather visitants to India, S. cinerea is a permanent resident, but S. curruca only a spring migrant in Palestine. It returned in March, and was very common in the hill-country, breeding everywhere. We found its eggs high up on Lebanon the second week in June, elsewhere in May. Sylvia hortensis we only found in spring, and it remained to breed ; while S. atricapilla was far more abundant in winter than afterwards, though still common enough. In winter it was gregarious, and all the males we shot were in the same livery as the females, the black cap not being assumed till March. On the bare highlands of the wilderness of Judsea, and on the desolate plains of Jordan, a few individuals of S. con- spicillata might constantly be seen, flitting briskly from one little tuft of salsola to another, and, as in Malta and the Sahara, permanent residents. In the salt-plain, at the south end of the Dead Sea, I shot in January a single specimen of Sylvia dorice, a species which I took to be new, but which I find very accurately defined by Dr. De Filippi ( Viaggio in Persia, p. 348). He found it very abundant in salt-deserts. The Rev. F. W. Holland has also brought it from the Sinaitic peninsula. Riip- pell's Warbler, Sylvia capistrata, is another permanent resident, but scarce, and only found in similar localities to S.melanocephala, which is very generally distributed, and remains throughout the year in the scrub on the sides of the upland wadys, secreting itself, after the manner of our Wood-Wren, in the bushes of Poterium and Lentisk. We met with twenty specimens of the Sardinian for one of RiippelFs Warbler. We were unable to make any observations on the habits and nidification of this rave and little-known species. In Algeria both birds are like- wise resident ; but while I there obtained many nests of S. Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithologij of Palestine. 85 melanocephala, we were not fortunate enough to discover one in Palestine. There was one curious contrast between its habits in Algiers and Palestine. In the former it resorts to the gardens and hedgerows close to the city, like our Hedge- Spar- row, and is not found in the open country or in the Sahara. In Palestine we repeatedly took it in the winter in the wadys abutting on the Dead Sea, and even at Jebel Usdum, the salt- mountain, wherever there was a little fresh vegetation. A large series of these specimens exactly corresponds with those of Al- geria. But at the same time we found in the more luxuriantly wooded districts, as at Jericho, another very closely affined species, distinct in its coloration at first sight and rather smaller, which I do not find noticed by any writer. I venture, therefore, to describe it, and dedicate it to my friend and com- panion Mr. H.T. Bowman, who shot the first specimen. Sylvia bowmani, Tristram, sp. n. -Si. melanocephalcB simillima, at paullo inferior statura et gra- cilior. Pileo nigro distinctiore, et abrupte definito, ne- que ultra occiput descendente. Suprk tota pallide cinerca, nee grisea nee nigro-olivacea ut in S. melanocephala. Subtus pure alba, abdomine infimo pallidissime vineo tincto. Long, tota 5, alar. 2*15, caudse 2*2, tarsi 0'75, rostr. a rictu 0'5 poll. Hab, in valle Jordani. Had we not found these two species in the same district I should have hesitated to discriminate them ; but the difference in coloration can scarcely be an individual variation, Vt^hile the habitats, of the one m the open scrub, of the other int he tropical wood, are very distinct. Sylvia orphea is another summer visitant, returning in the beginning of April, and afifectiug chiefly the groves and olive- yards of the northern part of the country. Near Banias, under Mount Hermon, it is especially abundant ; and its note, with greater compass, but not more sweetness, than the Blackcap, resounds in the early morning, and is continued at intervals through the day. The nests were loose open structures, rather shallow, and placed in low bushes near the ground. The eggs were generally laid the first week in June, though we found some earlier. Ehrenberg makes the Palestine species distinct 86 Rev, H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. from the western, under the name ^S^. helena, on account of the difference in the length of bill ; but though the average run of specimens have certainly longer and stouter bills than European individuals, yet we obtained both forms, and in one instance found the male bird long-billed, and the female, shot from the nest at the same time, of the ordinary European type. The beautiful Nisoria undata we only saw for two days in April. Our party was separated. I was at Jericho, and on the 27th saw numbers of these birds scattered up and down the wadys, generally skulking among the bushes, very shy and restless ; Mr. Cochrane and I shot and preserved several ; but in two days they had all disappeared. Mr. Bartlett was at the time on Mount Tabor. On the 28th he there secured half a dozen specimens in the Wady Bireh and on the Plain of Gen- nesaret, but never saw one again, though we believed we de- tected it once or twice on Lebanon in June, but were unable to secure or identify it. No other passing migrant, except the Wagtails, appeared to hasten so rapidly through the country. The Greater Nightingale [Philomela major), though an Eastern form, we never recognized; but the common Nightingale, P. luscinia, returned in tolerable numbers about the middle of April, frequenting especially the fringe of trees by the banks of the Jor- dan. We also found it on Tabor and in various wooded wadys. Cyanecula leucocyanea and C. suecica are both of them winter visitants, resorting to the marshy lowlands and the banks of small streams, frequently in consort with Pipits. We found the two species sometimes together, though the former was the more common. They remained up to the middle of April, after which we saw them no more. They are very quiet ; and we never observed them to perch, or leave the marshy grounds, being at this time of the year decidedy aquatic in their habits. Of the Redstarts we obtained three species, the most common and conspicuous being Ruticilla tithys, which finds a congenial home throughout the year in the rocky hills of the Holy Land. During winter it is the most common and conspicuous bird on those dreary ranges, and especially affects the sea-coast, as near the Ladder of Tyre. It is partially migratory, ascending in spring to the spurs of Lebanon and the sides of Hermon, very Kev. H. B. Tristram on the Oi-nithology of Palestine. 87 few remaining further south to breed. Whether the so-called i?. cairii be a species or not I cannot say, or whether, perhaps, it is only an imperfect state of plumage; but we shot males in that sombre livery in winter at the same time that we obtained a far greater proportion in the full rich plumage, with the white on the wing-coverts very distinct. We had few opportunities of noting it when the season advanced, and did not then obtain any males in the garb of R. cairii. The common Redstart, R. phoenicura, was strictly a summer migrant, arriving simulta- neously all over the country about the 12th March, but only in the more wooded localities and the neighbourhood of gardens. The third species, R. semirufa, H. & Ehrenb., is most restricted in its range, occurring only on the higher slopes of Hermon and Lebanon. On the former mountain it is scarce, and though we saw two specimens we were unable to secure them, and our first captures were in June on ascending to Ainat from the plain of Coele Syria, where it was plentiful in the stunted oak-groves. While shy and wary, the male bird is too striking in appear- ance easily to elude observation, and its restlessness, cheerful and varied note, and habit of perching on an exposed bough or stone, expanding and jerking its bright cinnamon tail, soon betray its presence. Though its range is so extremely limited, yet in the Lebanon district it frequents all kind of ground alike, both the naked cliffs and summits of the range, the woods, and especially cedar-groves, and not less the mulberry-plantations of the villages. At the famous Cedars it was very abundant, and we saw at least fifty scattered about there. Its song resounded from the lower boughs of the old patriarchs; but after expand- ing its tail for a few seconds, it always changed its perch and flitted on, sometimes going into the open, perchmg like a Rock- Chat on a boulder, and then dropping out of sight on the other side. The back, wing-coverts, throat, and breast are glossy black, with an iron-grey cap ; the rest of the lower part of the body, with the rump and tail, bright cinnamon, the two middle rectrices alone being for two-thirds of their length a darker russet. There is no trace of white about it anywhere. The female is very like that of the Indian R. aurorea, wanting only the white wing-spot, of a uniform russet, except the tail, which 88 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. is like the male's. I have never seen any other member of the genus which can be confounded with it. R, rufiventris ap- proaches nearest to it, but is very different both in the colour of the back and in the proportion of the red. It is strange that so peculiar a form should not have been elsewhere noticed, not even in Asia Minor or in Persia by Dr. De Filippi. Most birds of restricted geographical range are sedentary. Whether R. semirufa be so we have not ascertained; but if it be not merely a summer visitor, it is remarkably late in nesting ; for on the 26th June, on going down from the Cedars to Meiruba, we took a nest with four eggs not very hard-set, having caught the bird with the hand, as she remained under the little crevice in the rock where the eggs were deposited in a slightly built nest. It was on the ground, on the side of a precipitous hill. On the preceding day we had obtained two nests of Emberiza cia — not a bad capture so late in the year; and the final close of our nesting-season was on the 26th June, when descending the Le- banon, with the glorious view of the Mediterranean, on which we were soon to embark, just opening before us. The colo- phon of my egg-book for 1864 is, " Nest of 4 eggs, Ruticilla semirufa, $ caught on nest. Eggs not before known.'* I may add that they are like those of our common Redstart, but of a more delicate and paler blue. Of the Rock-Thrushes, Petrocincla saxatilis, whose red tail and Redstart-like habits link it most closely with the Ruticil- lince, is in most parts of Palestine merely a passing traveller, and tarries but a night. On the 8th April the whole of Mount Gerizim was covered by a restless flock of these birds, which, at a distance, we took for the Black Redstart, so exactly did they resemble that bird in their actions. They hopped restlessly from rock to rock, never taking a flight of more than a few yards ; and in this fashion, in loose order, ranging for perhaps a mile in breadth, they appeared to be steadily proceeding northwards. When the foremost line had reached the valley, they took a flight across to the foot of Mount Ebal, over the gardens, and then more leisurely mounted the hill. We shot about a dozen, but, being at the time without the assistance of Mr. Bartlett's nimble fingers, I only saved a pair. Afterwards Ibis, 1867, PI, I ■J.Wolf lielS-hUi i£Sc N . Hjxibax-l imp BESSORNIS ALBIGULARIS Rev, H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 89 we occasionally met with this bird in the Upper Lebanon in the month of June, where, no doubt, it was breeding. Very different in its manners, though not in its home, was Petrocincia cyanea, the well-known Blue Thrush. All the year round it is to be found wherever stones crop above the surface, whether by the shore, on the hills, or especially among ruins, but always solitary. Rarely ever were a male and female to be seen together. I had scarcely expected to find it as I did, along with the Black-and-white Kingfisher on the coast, sitting among the surf-beaten rocks and feeding on saudhce and shrimps. On two occasions I killed it from the shore, and had to wade into the sea to secure my specimen. Unsociable as it is, it yet frequents the dwellings of man, a taste for stonework evidently overcoming all other prejudices; but nowhere is it more thoroughly at home than among the ruins of a deserted and untrodden Roman city, like Gerash, Rabbah, or Gadara. The " vomitoria" of the amphitheatres are exactly to its liking; and in the recesses of these it has its nest, the male meanwhile perched on the top of an old column and uttering his dolorous ditty. Mr. Cochrane and I took a nest with four fresh eggs on April 2ud, in one of the robbers' caves in the Wady Hamam, near the Sea of Galilee. The nest was conveniently placed on a shelf far in, without any attempt at concealment, and was like the nest of our Blackbird, with mud mingled with the straw, instead of a shell of cow-dung. This bird is with good reason believed to be the " sparrow that sitteth alone upon the house- top " of the Psalmist. The young birds were fledged at the be- ginning of May. The eggs are a very pale blue, sntaller than those of the Tbrush. A link also between Ruticilla and Saxicola is to be found in Bessornis albigularis (Plate I.). This bird was first described by Herr von Pelzeln at Vienna in October 1863, under the name of Saxicola albigularis, from Smyrna specimens of Dr. Kriiper's. My reasons for changing the genus I shall give. De Filippi (Viagg. in Persia, p. 347) has set forth a new genus, Irunia, and described under it a bird as Irania finoti, which, so far as I can make out, is nothing else than the female of the B. albigularis. It is impossible, I think, for any one, on observing this beau- 90 llev. II. B. Tristram on the Oi-nithology of Palestine. tiful form, whether in life or as a cabinet specimen, not to admit that, though Saxicohue in its affinities, it is a very aber- rant member of the group. It corresponds in all generic fea- tures with Sir A. Smith's genus Bessonornis (recte Bessornis), which was formed for the reception of more than a dozen Afri- can species, differing from Saxicola in the length of tarsus, elongated tail, and having the rufous coloration of Ruticilla. To this type our present species undoubtedly belongs, in pro- portions, anatomy, coloration, and habits; and De Filippi's genus Irania appears to me a mere repetition of the older Bessornis. On the afternoon of June 4, 1864, I was rambling alone among the vineyards and pear-orchards which stretch about three miles above Rasheiya to the very verge of the naked sides of Hermon, and the icy water from the melting snows was trickling even then, in refreshing rivulets, through the channels which intersect the primitive enclosures. It had already been a day cretd notanda in my collecting journal. I had just taken my first nest of Hi/polais upcheri, shot the birds, and ascer- tained I had a new species in my bag. I had secured four or five specimens of a Serin unknown, with a nest of hard-set eggs; and this, too, proved to be new, my Serinus aurifrons. Two new species on the highway of ordinary travel were pretty well for a day's work ; and I sat down, and was employed in blowing the eggs of Upcher's Warbler, when from a pear-tree overhead burst forth a song equal to that of the Thrush, but shorter ; it was new to me ; but I could not see the musician. He began again, and I caught sight of a jerking red tail in a pear-tree at a little distance. I took it for Petrocincla saxatilis, as he perched with his back to me, and the sun glanced upon him. Soon the eggs were hurried into my case, and T was up in pursuit. Off he went out of the vineyards to the bare moraine beyond, and sat. Chat-like, on a boulder. I kept him in sight as he popped from rock to rock, and at length, as he was re- turning towards his first perch among the fruit-trees, I had a fair shot at him, and he fell just outside the crumbling wall, not a feather lost or soiled. "African again !" said I to myself, as I fondly examined my prize. I soon heard another male of the Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 91 same, but had only a distant glimpse of him, and it was too late in the day to remain longer in pursuit. The females were, no doubt, sitting not far off; but I never saw them, and a more hopeless labyrinth in which to search for the nests of ground- builders like the Chats cannot be conceived. The very vine- yards are merely long rows of parallel ridges of loose stones, six feet wide and four feet high, raised at intervals of twelve paces, and on which the vines are trailed. One might have to remove a whole ton-weight of stones on the chance of finding a nest, even when the bird had been exactly marked in. The few nests of Rock-Chats that are in my cabinet I hold to be among my hardest-earned treasures. No Chat or Redstart I ever heard has so clear or bell-like a note as B. albigularis ; and if it were more prolonged, it might rival the Bulbul's. My female specimen was procured a week or two later, among oak- coppice on the eastern shoulder of Lebanon, where she was incubating. Again we heard her mate among the thick foliage of the evergreen oaks, but did not obtain him. The eggs are very pale blue, thickly studded with brown spots, and larger than those of the Wheatear. In the SaxicolincB, Palestine is richer than in any other sub- family. No less than nineteen species enriched my collection ; yet not one of these was new. Nearly the whole of the species were obtained in the very narrow limits of Southern Judsea, a district admirably adapted for these birds, which are in rocky and saline deserts the representatives of the Sylviads of our woods and glades. Many of the species are closely allied in form and plumage ; yet often amongst the nearest there is some very marked distinction. Thus few birds can be closer than Saxi- cola lugens, Licht., and S. libanotica, H. & Ehrenb., the only differences being that in the former the black extends right across the back, and the feathers of the vent are faintly rufous, while in the latter the black is interrupted in the centre of the back, and the vent is like the belly, white. But the one is a summer migrant, the other a resident. In S. lugens the sexes are precisely alike in plumage ; the female of S. libanotica is an ashy-brown bird, which might without comparison be easily taken for S. isabellina, from which it differs only in size and in the greater extent of white on the rump. 92 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithologrj of Palestine. Again, in the case of the resident Chats, their extremely restricted habitat is remarkable. Often within very narrow limits they are numerous, yet do not occur beyond these in districts apparently as well suited for their development. This is especially the case with respect to the genus Dromolcea, D. monacha, Riipp., a Nubian bird, which I never found in the Sahara (though it is erroneously given by Loche, who mistook for it the next species, as I ascertained by examination of his specimens), we only met with at the south end of the Dead Sea, about the salt-mountain of Jebel Usdum. Nor has it yet been noticed from Arabia. When in full plumage it is the most elegant of the group. It is the type of Dromolcea, and is more slender and graceful than any other species. The bill is very long and slender, and the tail longer than in any of its congeners. The adult male has not only the head, nape, and belly, but also the whole tail, with the exception of the two median rectrices, spotless white, the rest of the plumage glossy black. In the young male the plumage is more dusky and the white less pure. The female is ashy-brown instead of black. We obtained it in all stages of plumage. In the same region, but extending much further into the rocky wilderness and higher up the western shores of the Dead Sea, is D. leucocejjhala, Brehm, a much stouter and more robust though shorter bird, and with a very strong bill. The sexes are identical in plumage; and the whole under surface is glossy black, while the white does not extend nearly so far on the rump as in the last species. With reference to the contrast between their bills, we may remark that while D. monacha lives on the sand and on the salt-hills, this one seeks its food among the rocks above. It was an old acquaintance of mine in the Algerian Sahara, as was also D. leucopygio, Br., of which we procured a few in the rocks above Engedi. The only distinction between these two is the snow-white cap of the former; but in many of my specimens, both African and Asiatic, a white feather or two peeps out on the head of D. leuco-pygia. It is possible the cap is acquired by age ; but certainly both forms breed, and I never found them interbreed. They may do so, yet we generally saw a few of the one type in one locality and Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 93 a few miles off would meet with two or three of the other. I believe that in Nubia they are said to intermingle. There is not the slightest difference between the sexes*. While riding across the southern wilderness from the south end of the Dead Sea, we came upon a rolling plain to the south of Moladah, a day's journey east of Beersheba, covered with stunted scrub, chiefly of Passerina hirsuta, on a loose sandy soil. All exactly resembled what is called the Forest of the Chambaa in the Sahara. Larks were flocked in thousands ; Sand-Grouse of three or four species ran on in the distance or rose in clouds with a whirr and a scream ; the Common Dotterels mingled with Charadrius asiaticus were feeding in myriads, unconcerned at our presence. Bird nature was indeed alive, in glad contrast to the lifeless rocks over which we had recently scrambled. Here we renewed acquaintance with two species which I first described from specimens shot in the Chambaa wilderness (Ibis, 1859, p. 58), Calandrella reboudia and Saxicola philothamna. For the moment I seemed transported to the Sahara. Almost every bird, every plant around was identical. S. philothamna was most abundant. I believe we secured about a dozen in an hour; and the birds were not in flocks, but in scattered pairs. Yet it has nowhere been discovered in the intervening 1500 miles between its two known habitats. We never saw it afterwards; and the scrub where it resided cannot be more than ten miles in extent. It has been subjected to a divorcing process in its nomenclature. The female used to stand alone in the Berlin Museum, marked Saxicola ruficeps ; and again, unless I mistake, Sig. De Filippi has renamed a female specimen Dromol(Ea chrij- sopygia f. The Common Wheatear, S. cenanthe, we never saw in winter or till 19th March, when Carmel was covered with them. They only remained a few days, and then passed northwards. Most of them were of the large-billed variety named S. rostrata by Ehrenb., but we got others with bills no larger than English spe- cimens. On the top of Hermon and Lebanon, close to the snow, * Of most of these Claats T liave given fiill descriptions in * The Ibis,' 1859p, p. 296-301, which render a more lengthened account unnecessary, t {_Cf. supra, pr. 61.— Ed.] 94 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. we found the Wheatear breeding in great numbers at the begin- ning of June. All we examined there were <S. rostrata. I never saw any specimens so bright in plumage. The proportions of the bill in the two varieties are 2 to 2"25 inches in width at the nostrils, and 7 to 9 inches in length. While our own Wheat- ear only appears on migration, a very closely allied form belong- ing to the hotter regions of Northern Africa, S. isahellina, re- mains all the year, and breeds on Hermon, only two hours' walk lower down than S. rostrata. Mr. Sclater pointed out to me the identity of S. saltatrix, Menet., with S. isabellina, Riipp. ; and I fully agree with him, excepting that there seems to be a slight constant difference in size between the two, — the species which breeds in mountains being rather the larger, and that which is so numerous in the Judsean desert in winter, which I take to be the typical S. saltatrix, having a black line from the gape to the eye, wanting in all the northern specimens, and which I can scarcely take to be merely a seasonal distinction. The nest and eggs of S. isabellina, which have not before been described, are exactly like those of our common Wheatear. We found them in the beginning of June hard-set. The only Chat which is a permanent resident and generally distributed, though not in large numbers, over the whole of Northern and Central Palestine, i. e. the Hill-country, is S. liba- notica, H. & Ehrenb., which has been already mentioned, and the differences between it and the S. lugens of Lichtensteiu pointed out. It differs similarly in its back plumage from S. leucomela, Gould, while the vent of both is white. It is a very conspicuous bird on the rocky hills by the coast, but does not come so far inland as the next species, nor is it ever found in the Dead-Sea region. It was not till the breeding-season that we ascer- tained the remarkable difference between the sexes, having taken the female for a distinct species. She has a uniform cinereous back, dark brown wings, white rump ; tail white, with broad black termination like the male ; throat pale ashy brown, rest of the lower parts dull white. They breed under stones, laying four or five eggs of a delicate bluish white, with pink freckles sparsely scattered over the whole surface, and which are not to be distinguished from those of S. philothamna or S. lugens. Rev. H. B. Tristram on the OrnithuJogy of Palestine. 95 The S. leucomela, Pall., with the black back and white vent- coverts, we only obtained once, but may often have overlooked it J but the S. lugens, Licht. {S. leucomela, Temminck), with the russet vent-coverts, was very common throughout the year in the rocky regions overhanging the Jordan valley and in the Judsean wilderness. If S. libanotica were Israelite, /S. lugens was of Judah ; for never out of Rchoboam's kingdom did we find it. There it remained, its plumage varying neither from sex nor season, always at once to be identified by its ruddy vent. While we shot it by the shores of the Dead Sea, it also resorted to the fallow fields of the uplands ; and on one occasion I found a nest (with young instead of eggs, fortunately or unfortunately as the case might be) in the stone wall of a barley-field. We once took the eggs exactly like those of S. libanotica. Of what we may term the Stapazine subdivision of the section, five species occurred to us. Of my Saxicola halophila I obtained but one specimen, under Jebel Usdum, the salt-mountain, where also alone S. monacha occurred. My type specimen I also pro- cured at a salt-mountain in the Sahara. Another species, similar in its habitat but much more widely diffused, S. deserti, Riipp., frequents the shores of the Dead Sea, north and south. It is frequently found in Africa, east and west, in Arabia, and is stated by Jerdon to be also common in suitable localities in Northern India. It differs from S. stapazina of Europe in its head and back being sand-coloured instead of rufous, and the black of the throat extending down the breast and on to the shoulder. It is also a permanent resident. In its winter dress the black portions of the plumage are powdered and mottled with white on the borders of the feathers. But the exact analogue of the Western >S^. stapazina is S. eurymelcena, H. & Ehrenb. It is a spring migrant, returning in great numbers in March. The first we obtained was on the 16th. On all the hills and cultivated plains, north and south, it was then found very plentifully, scattered everywhere like the Lark. There seems to be a curious change of plumage after its migration. The specimens we shot at first were all russet-colour like the Stapazine ; but this rapidly became silvery-white and of a lustre unrivalled in any other species. The white appeared 96 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Oraithologij of Palestine. to grow over the ruddy colour, especially on the head, which gives some of my skins a peculiar light iron-grey hue. The female has the whole of the upper parts and the throat a russet- brown, and the rest of the lower parts a reddish-white. This Chat has habits intermediate between those of the Wheatear and the Stonechat, often perching on bushes, and not dropping behind a stone so invariably as the Rock-Chats. In every state of plumage it can at once be discriminated from the Stapazine by the greater extent of black on the throat, and a corresponding extent of brown in the female. The eggs are exactly like those of its congener — blue, with red spots over the whole surface ; and the nest is on the ground, generally in a crevice under a rock, sometimes at the root of a bush on the hill-sides. We obtained but one specimen of S. xanthomela, H. & Ehrenb., at Shiloh in December. I was attracted to it by its flight and manner, very different from that of S. libanotica, which it closely resembles in the upper plumage ; but, unlike any other member of the family, the black in front extends over the whole breast and down the flanks. The white of the head and back was tawny ; but as the same feature appears in S. eurymelana before it assumes the full nuptial dress, Ehrenberg's name is probably ill-chosen. It is, however, a most distinct species ; and not the least curious fact in its history is its being found in winter where all those closely allied to it are summer visitants only. A very few days after the return of S. eurymelana, appeared the eastern representative of ;S^, aurita, S. amphileuca, H. & Ehrenb. It varies in plumage exactly like S. eurymelana, from the tawny to the iron-grey. The females also are exactly like the others, with the invariable exception that the throat, which is white in the male, is in the female of the same rufous tint as the rest of the under parts. Thus both male and female difi'er in the colour of the throat from the allied S. eurymelana. This seems suflScient to decide the species; for in habits, note, nest, and eggs they are precisely alike. They inhabit, too, the same districts, even the same fields; but I can discover no trace of their interbreeding. The difference between the two species appears to be analogous to that between the Whinchat and Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. 97 the Stonechat — which no one ever dreams of confounding, any more than an observer of the living birds would confound the Palestine species, or the Stapazine and Eared Chats. There are few more interesting birds in the Holy Land than the Blackstart, Pratincola melanura, Riipp. {Cercomela asthenia, Bp). It was first described from Abyssinia and Arabia, but is also mentioned by Dr. Jerdon as apparently extending to Sindh. Its Palestine range is most limited — the mouths of the wadys opening on the Dead Sea, up which it extends sometimes a few miles, so that it may be found sparsely up the whole ravine of the Kedron. It is a Uvely and fearless bird, perching rather more frequently on a bare twig than on a stone, and recalling the Stonechat much more than the Wheatear. Its note is only heard during the breeding-season, and is loud and not varied as it sits for some time motionless but for the jerking of its tail. The nest is placed in a chink among the boulders ; and the eggs are like those of the Stapazine, but smaller, clear blue, with russet spots sparsely scattered over the surface. We first met with it not very far from Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho, and found it most abundant at Engedi, where we might have shot fifty in a morning. It is also common about the salt-mountain, but eschews the fertile oases, while it hangs about their out- skirts. There is no difference whatever between the sexes. The only other members of the genus Pratincola are the Whinchat and Stonechat. The former (P. ruhetra) we only observed on passage in spring passing to the northward, but never remain- ing to breed. P. rubicola was extremely abundant in every part of the country, from the Mediterranean shores to the Dead Sea, in winter, but took its departure in the beginning of March, not remaining even in the highlands of Lebanon. Accentor mo- dularis only just makes good its claim as a bird of Palestine by residing in the Lebanon throughout the year, where, however, it is very scarce. IV.— ^ Month in Tripoli. By W, T. H. Chambers. Believing that the ornithology of Tripoli is a subject about which little has hitherto been known, I am induced to hope N. S. — VOL. III. H 98 Mr. W. T. H. ChatnbeiVs Month in Tripoli. that the following short account of a month's sojourn in that country may not be unacceptable, especially as I devoted twenty-four days to a journey in the interior, chiefly with the intention of obtaining specimens, and at the same time of re- cording whatever birds I was able to recognize en route. My sanguine expectations of meeting with rarities, however, were not destined to be fully realized, as will be seen from the names of the birds mentioned in these remarks as having been actually obtained or identified with certainty by me. Many of the readers of * The Ibis ' are well aware that in camp-life one has little time for the preparation of specimens ; and I avoided, in consequence, uselessly destroying birds with which I had been familiar in other parts of the East. I took advantage of the English steamer connected with the telegraph, and leaving Malta on the 10th of March, 1866, ar- rived in Tripoli harbour the evening of the following day, but too late to disembark. I was informed, however, that, as travellers seldom find their way to Tripoli, facilities for a journey into the interior were simply nil, and the prospect of carrying out my intention seemed extremely small. The next morning I received a kind welcome from my friend Mr. F. E. Drummond- Hay, Her Majesty's Consul-General, who solved my difficulties for me at once, by introducing me to Mr. F. Warrington, a gentleman long resident in Tripoli, and thoroughly acquainted with the country; and to the united kindness of these two friends 1 am indebted for one of the pleasantest trips I ever made. Mr. Warrington most obligingly agreed to accompany me ; but, owing to the necessity of sending into the country for camels, the preparation for the journey occupied two days and a half, which time I employed in exploring the environs of the town. Tripoli is built, facing the east, on a tongue of land which, extending northward, terminates in a reef of rocks curving to the east, and forming an effectual breakwater against the north-west gales so prevalent in the Mediterranean. The town itself ap- pears cleaner and more prosperous than many others under Turkish sway, and, with the considerable exception of a number of Maltese, contains very few European residents. Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. 99 Passing through the Bab-el-Bahr, or gate near the sea, the traveller finds himself on the so-called " Pianora/' a sandy expanse about a mile and a half long and half a mile in width, whereon is held a weekly market attended by Arabs, who, from a distance of even a hundred miles, bring the few native pro- ductions to exchange for cheap European wares both useful and ornamental. Crossing this plain, one enters a forest of date- palms interspersed with gardens, which extend eastwards along the sea-coast for about eight miles. It is but a narrow strip, however ; for a ten minutes^ ride southwards brings one to the borders of the desert which nearly surrounds Tripoli. Beyond this desert, at a distance of twenty miles, is a fertile plain some five-and-twenty miles in width, terminating at the foot of the Ghrian hills, the continuation of the great Atlas range. These hills, describing a semicircle round the plains and desert of Tripoli, strike the sea about sixty miles to the eastward of the town ; and, though regarded by the Arabs as high mountains, they attain at most but an elevation of one thousand feet, ex- panding into a vast undulating plateau, which becomes more desolate and waterless as the traveller advances further south- ward, till it joins the confines of the Great Sahara, at the dis- tance of about twelve days' journey from Tripoli. With the exception of occasional fertile spots, these hills are but thinly cultivated by the Arabs, whose prosperity has sadly diminished since the forced occupation of the country by the Turks. Nothing could exceed the hospitality and kindness I experienced at the hands of the Tripolitan Arabs, who hold Englishmen in such high esteem that the fact of being one is the best passport in the country. The evenings of the two days I spent in preparing for my jour- ney I strolled to the Pianora, where I observed Cypselus apiis and Hirundo rustica to be very plentiful, and sporting around the ruins of the old castle. There is a tree growing in the court- yard of the British Consulate which forms the winter roosting- place of hundreds of Passer salicicola. Every branch and twig of it is thickly covered with them ; and the noise they make is perfectly deafening. Towards spring their numbers gradually diminish, probably owing to the greater attractions the harvest- H 2 100 Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. fields then present. Upupa epops and Motacilla alba are also common ; the former, by its frequently uttered call-note, ap- peared to be breeding. At last the arrival of the camels from the country enabled us to make a start. Our party consisted of Mr. Warrington and myself, on horseback, with a cook, groom, and two camel- drivers. The camels carried our tents and baggage; and a stout jackass, with a pair of capacious panniers, served also to mount the cook. Besides my double-barrel and a rifle, I car- ried an "elevator" gun; and I cannot speak too highly of its utility for travelling on horseback. The first day we journeyed eastward through narrow lanes among groves of palms, intermixed with fig-, olive-, carob-, orange-, and mulberry-trees, which afford a temporary resting- place to the migratory birds, for whose passage, however, I was unfortunately too early. These palm-groves terminate in a series of salt-lakes, at the edge of which we encamped for the first night ; and as I set off with my gun through marshes overgrown with rushes the spot seemed to realize one's beau ideal of "happy hunting-grounds," especially as I had heard of the large bags of wildfowl "made by Tripolitan sportsmen. I saw nothing, however, but a few Snipe and a flock of Plover, and in the far distance the snowy white plumage of a pair of Flamingos. The nextday, skirting the Tajoura lakes, we entered the desert, following a track close to the sea. Here Aluuda cristata was very common, and I once or twice distinguished an Ammomanes, probably A. deserti ; Corvus corax and what appeared to be a Hen-Harrier passed by out of range. I shot a fine male speci- men of Lanius dealbatus, the stomach of which contained the remains of a large desert-beetle. We crossed several deep gullies or " wadys, " at the bottom of which were usually small streams, supporting a luxuriant vegetation on either side. I shot ^gialites minor, but feathered inhabitants were very scarce. After three days in the desert we began to ascend towards the liills ; and patches of cultivation appeared here and there, while Quails and Wheatears [Saxicola cenanthe) suddenly became numerous. Finding a pleasant shady spot among the hills, I Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Mo7it/i in Tripoli. 101 determined to encamp for a couple of days and rest ; for the hot south wind, which raised the thermometer to 90° or more in the shade, made travelling anything but agreeable. I shot here several Barbary Partridges {Caccabis petrosa), which abounded among the steep rocky hills covered with low scrub. These birds rise well to the sportsman approaching from above, but woe to him who seeks to follow them up the steep side of a hill ; for they run on in advance till, disappearing over the crest before their pursuer reaches it, they take wing to the other side of the valley. An Arab brought me the eggs of this bird, seven in number, which he had just taken. I also found a nest oi Alauda cristata placed close to the ground and containing three eggs. I here observed Crateropus acacia, but unfortunately could not procure a specimen, though, as I was familiar with this bird in Nubia, I feel sure I was not mistaken as to its identity. CEdi- cnemus crepitans I twice saw ; and among the olive-trees which encircled our camp Sylvia melanucephala and S. mbalpina were very pleniful. I sent off an Arab to Tripoli laden with a basket of hares and Partridges for my friend ; and, in spite of the suffo- cating hot wind, he accomplished the distance of sixty-six miles on foot in twenty hours, and, after one night's rest, returned eighty miles to our next encampment in forty-four hours, and, so far from appearing fatigued, immediately set out to accom- pany me shooting for another twenty miles ! Another day's journey brought us to Lebdah, the site of the ancient Leptis, the ruins of which, now half-buried in sand, cover a large area. Even the sea itself has united with the sand and the wind in the work of destruction, and has made great inroads into what was once a flourishing city, and gold orna- ments are often found by the natives on the beach after a storm. I passed two days amid this scene of desolation under the guidance of good Sheyk Omar, one of the most intelligent and hospitable of Arab chiefs I ever met with. Columba livia, Athene persica, Tinnunculns alaudariiis, Corvus corax and Saxicola stapazina were the feathered inhabitants of the ruins, while on the banks of the stream which intersects the ancient citv, the Green Sandpiper appeared to be the sole representative of the class which I had hoped to find more numerous. In a thornv 102 Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. tree I found a nest of Lanius dealbatus, placed about ten feet from the ground, composed of sticks roughly put together, and con- taining one egg. I subsequently found two more nests of this bird, containing eggs nearly ready to hatch. Leaving Lebdah, we struck due south across the hills, and two days' journey brought us to Umsalahta, a large village with a Turkish governor, who received us in due form. On a neighbouring hill are the remains of a Roman castle, command- ing a magnificent prospect over the hills stretching far away southward into the Great Sahara and bounded on the north by the distant line of the Mediterranean, while immediately below lay rich fertile valleys, covered with olive-trees that are cele- brated for their great age and size. Among these groves I found Lanius auriculatus, Petronia stulta, Ruticilla phcenicura, and Dromulcea leucura. From Umsalahta, a long day's march brought us to a wild rocky gorge called El Dou-oun, the rugged sides of which abounded with jackals and foxes ; and hyaenas are not uncommon. This valley also shelters a predatory Arab chief and his myrmidons, who paid us a friendly visit, and brought a present of fodder for our animals, as a token of the esteem in which Mr. Warrington is universally held among all classes of Arabs. I made an excursion with my gun, following the course of a small streamlet, the sides of which abounded with Partridges and Pigeons, whilst from the rushes I flushed Scolopax gallinago and Tetanus ochropus. I shot Philomela luscinia and Ruticilla phcenicura, and observed Dromolaa leucura, as well as, I think, D. lugens. The former were evidently breed- ing, though I was not able to discover a nest. Emerging from this valley, we entered on a vast undulating and treeless plateau; and two days' march brought us to Turhona, the headquarters of a powerful tribe, whose sheyk gave us a warm welcome. I had been looking forward to our arrival on these plains as the reputed home of numerous Bus- tards ; but, to my disappointment, I was assured that during the winter these birds migrate southward into the desert, and only reappear when compelled by the scorching heat of summer. This account was confirmed by an American gentleman resident in Tripoli. Mr. W. T. H. Chambers's Month in Tripoli. 103 Not far from our camp flowed a clear rivulet, forming what is a rare sight in that country, an extremely pretty cascade ; and near this spot, for the first and only time during my journey, I recognized an old Nile acquaintance in Cotyle rupestris ; for, so far as my observation went, this charming Rock-Martin appeared to confine its flight to this one little stream. On a neighbouring hill the common Wheatear and Saxicola stapazina were equally abundant ; and I here observed Petrocincla saxatilis for the first time. P. cyanea I was surprised never to meet with. Turdus pilaris I think I once saw. While wandering near the water- fall just after sunset, I was delighted at hearing the unmistake- able clucking of Sand-Grouse, and soon perceived large quan- tities flying high overhead due south. An Arab informed me they constantly came to drink at this spot early. Next morning at break of day I was on the look-out. No Sand-Grouse, how- ever, made their appearance ; and my Arab, ever ready with an excuse, assured me that it was too cold ; but the next day, on leaving Turhona, and travelling over a sandy plain covered with rough grass, I fell in with them in great numbers, though they were so wild that I could not once get within range. Their size and black breasts showed them to be Pterocles arenaria ; but the Arabs asserted that two other species are also found there. I shot Alauda brachydactyla, and saw a large Eagle, which I took to be Aquila imperialis ; but he was too wary to allow me to make certain of the fact. With the exception of two, or perhaps three, species of Circus, birds of prey seemed scarce in Tripoli ; and Vultures I never met with. Two long days' march over a wild country brought us to Ghrian ; and en route I shot a pair of Jynx torquilla, and saw a pair of Erythrospiza githaginea in beautiful plumage. Ghrian boasts a Turkish governor; and its strong castle, built on the brink of a precipitous ravine, has stood many a siege. Its garrison are armed with English " Enfields." The great peculiarity of this district lies in the subterraneous habitations used by the Arabs. An enormous pit, some thirty feet wide and deep, is dug in the ground, and the earth thus excavated is piled round the edge, while the bottom of the pit forms the court-yard of the dwelling. On either side 104 Mr. P. L. Sclater's Remarks on are excavated large and spacious rooms, stable, kitchen, and so forth, which are at all seasons deliciously cool. The entrance to this Robinson Crusoe^s habitation is formed by a subterraneous passage from the surface of the ground some fifty yards distant, and sloping gradually downwards till it emerges in the court- yard just described. Our homeward route now lay due north, towards Tripoli ; and a long day's march brought us to the foot of the hills. I heard for the first time the clear song of the Orphean Warbler, Sylvia orphea ; and the Woodchat-Shrike, Lanius auriculatus, seemed very abundant among the olive-groves. Crossing the plain, I met with a large flock of Bee-eaters, Merops apiaster, and I also saw Saxicola ruhetra, Budytes flava, and several more Bush- Babblers, Crateropus acacice. A pair of large Doves crossed our path, but of what species they were I do not feel sure. On the 17th April I found myself once more under the hospitable roof of our Consul-General, and on the 18th the Turkish steamer * Tralulus Garb ' afforded me an opportunity of returning to Malta. I afterwards travelled through Tunis and Algeria ; but of no part of my trip do I entertain such pleasing recollections as of my month's sojourn in Tripoli. V. — Remarks on Dr. Leotaud's ' Birds of Trinidad' *. By P. L. SCLATER, M.A., F.R.S. &c. When we consider the easy communication so long established between Trinidad and this country, and the facilities afforded by the presence in that colony of professional bird-collectors, it is certainly strange that the magnificent forests of that island should have been so little visited by naturalists, and that up to the present time no connected account has ever been published of its rich avifauna. Except the interesting article contributed by our colleague Mr. E. C. Taylor to this * Oiseaux de I'ile de la Trinidad (Antilles), par A. Leotaud, Docteur en Medecine de la Faculte de Paris ; Membre Correspondant de la Societe (le Medecine de Gand. Port d'Espagne : Chronicle Publishing Office, 1866. I vol. 8vo, pp. 560. Dr. L^otaud's 'Birds of Trinidad.' 105 periodical in 1864 *, I am not aware of any work having yet appeared relating specially to the ornithology of this island. It was with very great pleasure therefore that I received intelligence, some time since, that a resident in that favoured region was engaged upon a special study of its birds ; and ornithologists have now to return their best thanks to Dr. Leotaud for the valuable addition he has made to their know- ledge. It is not, of course, to be expected that any one residing so far from the great civilized centres of scientific activity should be able to compile a work upon a subject so novel without making many mistakes. And it must at once be acjcnowledged that the present work is by no means free from errors. But, besides his distant residence, Dr. Leotaud has had other difficulties to encounter. There is as yet no general work upon South Ameri- can ornithology for the student of any particular portion of its varied area to refer to ; and until such a work appears, no sort of uniformity in the writings of the various authors who treat of its different constituent parts can be expected. In the ab- sence of any such efficient guide no one can complain that Dr. Leotaud has thought it best to adopt the arrangement pro- posed by Mr. G. R. Gray in his ' Genera of Birds.' This, how- ever, has led him, particularly in the order Passeres, to associate together many species of birds which are now nearly universally allowed to belong to very different families, besides involving the adoption of a somewhat antiquated style of nomenclature. It would have been better, perhaps, to have taken as an outline the arrangement put forward by Professor Baird in his ' Birds of North America,' or that adopted by Dr. Cabanis in the third volume of Schomburgk's ' Beise nach Guiana.' Besides Mr. Gray's ' Genera of Birds,' Dr. Leotaud only cites, except in special cases, five other works — namely, Bona- parte's ' Conspectus,' Vieillot's ' Nouveau Dictionnaire,' D'Or- bigny's 'Birds of Cuba,' Gosse's 'Birds of Jamaica,' and Wilson's 'American Ornithology.' Very few particulars as to the rf.nge and distribution of the species are given j and the * Ibis, 1864, p. 73. 106 Mr. P. L. Sclater's Remarks on details as to habits are somewhat scanty, except in some of the more noticeable cases. In the determination of the species. Dr. Leotaud acknowledges the great assistance he has received from Dr. Pucheran of Paris, but he does not state in each individual case, as it would have been advisable to do, whether examples have been submitted to Dr. Pucheran or not. The specific descriptions (in French) are tolerably full and complete ; but on characters are given whereby the genera and higher groups may be recognized. Dr. Leotaud commences his volume by some general remarks on the ornithology of Trinidad, alluding, in the first place, to its richness in species, 294 being the number of birds recog- nized in the present work, while Jamaica is stated to possess only 185, and Cuba 129 *. This is justly attributed to the close proximity of Trinidad to the American mainland. Trinidad is, in fact, nothing more or less than a bit of Venezuela, sepa- rated from the adjoining main at a very recent epoch, just as the British Islands have been divided from Europe. As Mr. Taylor has observed, there is probably no species of bird to be met with in Trinidad that is not also found in Venezuela, though many, doubtless, occur in Venezuela which do not extend their range into Trinidad. This is just as is the case with England and the Continent. Dr. Leotaud seems to I'ecognize this fact to a certain extent, though he is still hampered by the notion that Trinidad has something in common with the Antilles (which form a very distinct and isolated province of the Neotropical Region) and North America. He talks of there being twenty species common to the United States and Trinidad ; but when these cases are rightly investigated it will, no doubt, be found that the greater number of these twenty species find their way to Trinidad by Venezuela, and not by direct immigration. Granted that they are all direct winter-visitants to that island from the north, their number is insignificant when compared with that of the purely Neotropical forms, which make up the mass of the ♦ These estimates are certainly too small, and appear to have been based on the works of Gosse and La Sagra, which have of late years been sup- plemented in each case by the observations of several more recent autho- rities. Dr. Leotaud's 'Birds of Trinidad.' 107 Trinidadian avifauna, and show its complete identity with that of Venezuela. Having said thus much upon Dr. Leotaud's work, I will conclude with a few notes upon such points as seem to require special notice on turning over the pages of his " partie descrip- tive." Cymindis pucherani (p. 40) is a supposed new species of this genus, founded upon a single specimen. Can it possibly be Urubitinga anthracina or U. schistacea ? Caprimulgus albicollis (p. 72) is evidently a Nyciidromus, and should be placed in that genus — although nothing is said of the long naked tarsi, which render this form so easily distinguish- able from Caprimulgus. Chordiles ininur (p. 76) is no doubt the South American C. acutipennis, not the C. minor of Jamaica. {Cf. P. Z. S, 1866, pp. 133-134.) Hirnndo rutila (p. 87) is a Chcetura or Acanthylis (according to Dr. Leotaud^s nomenclature) belonging to the family Cypse- lidce. Has Dr. Leotaud ever obtained authentic examples of this species in Trinidad (he does not say so positively) ? or does he put it into his list upon the authority of Robin and older writers ? More recent authorities doubt its occurrence in this locality. {Cf. P. Z. S. 1865, p. 613.) Cotyle uropyijialis, Lawrence (p. 94), ought probably to be C. ruficollis (Vieill.), the former being the western local form, and the latter the eastern representative of the species. Dendrocolaptes altirostris (p. 166) is a new species of this dif- ficult group, near to D. picus, but was considered by the late naturalist Lafresnaye, to whom it was submitted, to be specifi- cally distinct. Trichas velatus (p. 183) should be Trichas or rather Geo- thlypis cequinoctialis, G. velata being the Brazilian form of the species. {Cf. Cat. Am. B. p. 27.) The Tyrannus verticalis sive vociferans of Dr. Leotaud (p. 213) is, no doubt, the common T. melanchoUcus, or its barely distin- guishable northern representative T. satrapa. Neither T. verti- calis nor T. vociferans (which are quite different species) range so far south. 108 Mr. Sclater on Dr. Leotaud^s ' Birds of Trinidad.' Tyrannus magnirostris, so called (p. 215), is quite distinct from the Cuban bird of that name, and should be called T. rostratus, nobis. I have compared specimens of these two species; and there can be doubt of the propriety of their separation. The TyrannidcB of Trinidad, as given by Dr. Leotaud, require a tho- rough revision. I much doubt the occurrence of Myiobius stolidus, M. nigriceps, Elainea fallax, and Platyrhynchus aqui- noctialis in Trinidad. The supposed new species Empidonax cahanisi (p. 232) is also very dubious. Procnias nivea, i. e. Chasmorhynchus niveus — the White Bell- bird of Cayenne — is given by Dr. Leotaud (p. 261) besides C. variegatus, which has been pointed out (Ibis, 1866, p. i07) to be the true representative of this genus in this region. This is, in all probability, an error, as the occurrence of these two re- presentative species in the same area would be an extraordinary phenomenon. Saltator icterophrys (p. 285) should stand as S. olivascens, S. icterophrys of Lafresnaye being merely the female or young of the Central American S. grandis. Pyranga liepatica is a purely Mexican species. The bird so designated (p. 291) is no doubt Pyranga saira (Spix). [Cf, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 124-, and Cat. Am. B. p. 81.) Tachyphonus albispecularis, sp. nov. (p. 300), is T. luctuosus, Lafres. et d'Orb., as I know from the examination of a typical example of this supposed new species kindly forwarded to me by Dr. Leotaud. Psittacus agilis (p. 327) is a purely Jamaican species, which certainly does not occur in Trinidad. No doubt Mr. Finsch could tell us what species is described under this name. The 294 birds recognized by Dr. Leotaud as found in Trini- dad belong to the following orders : — I. Passeres .... .. 119 V. Gallinae 2 II. Picarise . . . . .. 46 VI. Struthiones . . 0 III. Accipitres . . .. 30 VII. Grallai ..... . 60 IV. Columbae . . 8 VIII. Anseres . 29 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus, lO'J VI. — On the Genus Cinclus. By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. (Plate II.) When proper attention is given to all the slightly varied forms under which many species present themselves, the difficulty of classifying such forms increases with the attention bestowed upon them, — that is, if the relationship which each bears to another be reduced to its proper value and yet brought into systematic arrangement. The definition of species founded on the presumed inability of hybrids to produce ofiFspring is one that is not, and never has been, applied in practice : the fact is as- sumed from differences of form and colour, and the supposed absence of individuals intermediate in character between two distinct forms. What we really have to consider is, not that two allied species cannot interbreed, but that they do not — sometimes, perhaps, because they are never brought in contact in nature, at others because they will not, even when occupying the same country. That closely allied species do not interbreed is inferred from observation of facts of greater or less value, which, in the aggregate, tend to show that they keep themselves distinct. Differences of apparent character and their supposed constancy form the actual basis upon which species are differentiated ; and it seems unreasonable, as the fact of constancy becomes more certain from the examination of a number of individuals, to reject a difference, however slight, that may exist between two supposed species and to refuse them specific rank. The Common, the Ring-necked, and Japanese Pheasants are known to produce perfectly fertile crosses, and are good in- stances of easily recognizable forms interbreeding when arti- ficially brought into contact. A scheme of nomenclature must assign such well-marked forms a place in any system of nature, and that by giving each a name. Our method, then, if it is to take cognizance of every constant form, must do so by naming each such form ; and the only practical guide we have to deter- mine our judgment in defining species is that of the stability of recognizable characters ; and it is to the fact of the existence of such characters, rather than to their amount, that we have to 110 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. look. At the same time it must ever be borne iu mind that a certain amount of individual variation exists in all species, and that the history of every one is distinct from that of every other. Taking this view, it follows that, instead of species having one minimum standard of value which would exclude constant forms of slight difference, the standard must be lowered to the point where constancy of differential character begins, thus taking a closer view of the varied degrees of the relationship which exists between species. The genus Cinclus may well be made to illustrate the dif- ferent degrees of affinity which subsist between the component specieso f many genera. Thus the relations of C. aquaticus to C melanogaster, of the same to C. leucogaster, of the same to C. pallasi, and of the same to C leucocephalus are all of markedly dif- ferent values ; and I have endeavoured, after assigning a name to every constant form, to show in the subjoined list the degree of difference each possesses. To do so, I have used the term " local race'' for slightly modified forms inhabiting separate but com- paratively adjacent districts, and that of " representative species'' where the affinity is still clearly shown, but the difference more decidedly marked. I have not yet noticed the co-ex- istence of closely allied forms in the same area in this genus; but the range of C. melanogaster doubtles^ sometimes overlaps that of C. aquaticus in the winter months, the return of the former to its own ground in summer restoring the separation of the two races in the breeding- season. The distribution of Cinclus extends over the whole Palaearctic region where suitable mountain-streams occur. In the Indian region it is confined to the Western Himalaya and the island of Formosa. It also extends throughout the Rocky Mountains of the Nearctic region, and continues thence along the same chain into Southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Veragua, the northern pro- vince of the Neotropical region. In the Neotropical region it is again found along the streams of the Andes, from New Granada to Bolivia. No species are recorded from any portion of either the Ethiopian or Australian region. The following is a list of the species of Cinclus, geogra- phically considered : — Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. Ill A. Species inhabiting the Nortliern Hemisphere. a. Parti-coloured species of the Palsearctic Region. 1. Cinclus aquaticus. Local races. C. aquaticus. Central Europe and British Islands. 2. C. albicollis. S. Europe and Lebanon. 3. C. melanogaster. N. Europe, E. Europe (?), N.E. Asia Minor (Erzeroora). Representative species. 4. C. CASHMiRiENSis, Silikim and Cashmere. 5. C. LEucoGASTER. Central A^ia, Altai Mountains. b. Whole-coloured species. a'. Belonging to the Palsearctic Region. 6. Cinclus sordidus. Cashmere. 7. Cinclus paUasi. Local races. C. pallasi. N.E. Asia and Japan. 8. C. marila. Formosa. 9. C. asiaticus. Himalaya. b'. Belonging to the Nearctic Region and as far south as Veragua. 10. Cinclus mexicanus. Rocky Mountains to Mexico and Guate- mala. Representative species. 11. C. ARDESiAcus, Vcragua. B. Species inhabiting the Southern Hemisphere. 12. Cinclus leucocephalus. Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Representative species. 13. C. LEUCONOTUs. Andes of New Granada and Ecuador.. We thus have five well-marked forms of Cinclus : — 1. Cinclus aquaticus, which consists of three constant but nearly allied local races and two more distinct representative species, all occupying different geographical areas ; 2. Cinclics sordidus, which seems to stand alone; 3. Cinclus pallasi, re- presented by three distinguishable races occupying distinct 112 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. districts ; 4. Cinclus mexicanus, wiiich is represented by two forms ; and 5. Cinclus leucocephalus, also represented in different localities by two members, — the total number of recognizable species being thirteen. As all Dippers frequent subalpine streams, their general dis- tribution is necessarily divided into isolated districts correspond- ing to the position of mountain-chains where such streams exist. Theii iion-migratory habit, in the wide sense of the term, maintains this isolation ; and if the scanty materials at my disposal indicate any facts concerning their geographical dis- tribution, they show that each race or representative species is isolated and restricted to its subarctic or subalpine region, ac- cording as each belongs to a northern latitude or to a corre- sponding climate found in a southern mountain-chain. The distribution of the several members of groups inhabiting the northern hemisphere seems fairly traceable to the same cause which so satisfactorily accounts for the distribution of arctic plants — namely, the glacial period, when the supervening cold drove the then existing species before it into wove southern latitudes, and afterwards, as it receded, left individuals stranded, as it were, on every available mountainous region, where isola- tion under slightly different external influences brought about the various modifications that are now found. The British Dipper is only a partial migrant; it leaves the higher streams in winter, and seems to follow them down, keeping to the same watershed. In the lower and stiller waters of rivers having mountainous sources fewer suitable feeding-grounds for the Dipper are found; hence the wider dispersal of individuals. In the case of the northern species, it would seem that cold winters drive individuals beyond the southern extremity of the Scandinavian peninsula ; hence the occasional occurrence of C. melanogaster in Norfolk, Holland, and the southern shores of the Baltic*. * If, as I suspect, C. peregrinus, Brehm, is the same as C. melanogaster, it shows that this race perfonns a more lengthened migration than any other, and that when once beyond the southern extremity of the Scan- dinavian peninsula it passes the low lands bordering the Baltic, and reaches the mountain-streams of Central Germany. Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. 113 The following list gives a tolerably complete synonymy of each species, to which I have added a short description and list of such localities as I have been able to ascertain with certainty*: — Family CINCLIDiE. Genus Cinclus. Cinclus, Bechsteiu, Naturg. Deutschl. iii. p. 808 (1802). Hydrobata, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. i. p. 219 (1816). A. Species inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere. a. Particoloured species of the Palsearctic Region. 1. Cinclus aquaticus. Cinclus aquaticus, Bechst., Naturg. Deutschl. iii. p. 808. Stur- nus cincltis, Gra., S. N. p. 803 (partim) ; Le Merle d'eau, Buff., viii. p. 134; PI. Eul. 940; Briss., v. p. 252. Tur(his cinclus, Lath., Ind. Orn. ii. p. 343. T. gularis, Lath., Ind. Orn. Suppl. pi. xl. (av. juv.). Cinclus aquaticus, Naum., Vog. Deutschl. iii. p. 935 ; Gould, B. Eur. pi. 83, and B. Gt. Brit. pi. ; Yarr., Br. B. i. p. 173 ; Thomps., B. Ircl. i. p. 116 ; Temm., Man. d'Orn. i. p. 178, and iii. p. 107. Hydrobata cinclus, Gray, Gen. B. H. al~ bicollis, Vieill. (partim). Cinclus europcBus, Steph. in Shaw's Zool X. p. 313. C. supra pileo toto, capitis lateribus cum coUo postico obscure brunneis : interscapulio et uropygio cinereis nigro di- stincte squamatis : alis et cauda fusco-nigris, alarum tectri- cibus ciuereo indistiucte marginatis : subtus gula tota et pectore cum macula supra et infra oculos pure albis : ventre superiore saturate ferrugineo, ventre imo fere nigro : hypochondriis et crisso obscure cinereis : rostro nigro, pedibus obscure corylinis : long, tota 8'0, alse 3"5, caudse 2*0, tarsi 1*15, rostri a rictu 1*0 poll. Angl. ^ , Pen- noyre. South Wales, November, 1859 (Mus. J. Gould). Hab. British Islands and Central Europe. The only specimens of this race which I have as yet seen are British ; but as all the figures of the various German authors seem to agree with these, I believe the bird from Central Europe * For the propriety of using Beclistein's genus Cinchis, see Professor Baird's remarks in his ' Eeview of American Birds,' p. .59, note. N. S. VOL. III. I 114 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. will be found identical with our Dipper. All the authors I have quoted refer to the ferruginous colour of the under plumage. Linnseus, on the other hand, in his concise description in the 'Fauna Suecica/ repeated in the ' Systema Naturae ^ (1766), makes no mention of this character. Naumann states (iii. p. 937) that Boie observed numerous Cincli in northern Norway without finding them different from ours — and goes on to say, " we cannot assume that such a difference {i. e. that between C. melanogaster and C. aquaticus) could have escaped the notice of so excellent an observer as Boie." Naumann had not seen specimens of C melanogaster, and I hardly feel satisfied that it was not that bird which Boie really observed*. 2. Cinclus albicollis. Htjdrobata albicollis, Vieill., N. D. i. p. 219, and Enc. Meth. p. 686 (partim). Cinclus aquaticus, var. rufiventris et albiventris, Hempr. & Ehr., Symb. Phys. Aves, fol. bb (Ibis, 1859, p. 38). C. aquaticus, Tristram, Ibis, 1864, p. 436, and 1866, p. 291 f- * 111 a paper by Brelim, publislied in ' Naumannia ' for 1856 (p. 178), a number of races or varieties of the European Dipper are described. Not having by any means an extensive series of skins of this bird from the different parts of Europe which it inhabits, I feel that it is not possible from descriptions only to determine whether or not they are entitled to rank as local races. I must, however, say that it appears to me that too much stress is placed upon insignificant characters, and that these " sub- species," as Brelim calls them, are many of them little better than va- rieties selected from the races I am able to recognize ; nor is any satis- foctory law limiting their geographical distribution traceable. The so-called species and subspecies appear to me to arrange themselves as follows : — C. medius (p. 185) is a variety of C. aquaticus. C. meridionalis, C. mfipcctoralis (p. 186), and perhaps C. rupestris belong probably to the race I call C. albicollis. I should have preferred using the name C. me- ridionalis, did I really know it belonged here. C. peregrinus (p. 187) and C. septentrionalis (p. 188) belong to the race C. melan or/aster, which doubtless has, as all the specimens I have considered to belong here, twelve and not ten tail-feathers. Nothing can be satisfactorily made of these birds without an examination of Brehm's types. t The follomng references also probably apply to this race : — Savi, Orn, Tosc. (1827) i. p. 200 (Tuscany); Benoit, Orn. Sicil. (1840) p. 49, and Malherbe, Faun. Orn. Sicile (1843), p. 58 (Sicily) ; Orespon, Orn. ("tard (1840), p. 108, and Jaubert, Rich. Orn. Mid. Fr. p. 272 (Southern Prance); Cara,Orn. Sard. (1842) p. 42 (Sardinia) ; Powys, Ibis, 1860, p. 233 (Albania and Fpirus) : I.ilford. Ibis, 1866, p. 390 (San Ildefonso, Spain). Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Ciuclua. 115 C. similis C. nquatico scd supra valdc pallidior marginibus pluniarum dorsi et uropygii brunncsccutioribus : subtiis abdomine toto pallidiorc, hypochondriis brumiescentioribus. Hab. Switzerland, Lebanon, and also probably all the moun- tainous districts of the south of Europe. Mus. Brit., J. Gould et H. B. Tristram. The white coloui'ing of the under surface seems to extend lower down the body than iu the English ; the brown colour of the head and neck, which is decidedly paler, also extends further down the back; but these points are difficult to de- termine in skins. This race, which has already been twice mentioned by Mr. Tristram, is easily distinguishable from the more northern bird. Mr. Tristram has kindly lent me one of his Lebanon skins, which has enabled me to compare it with Swiss specimens in the Bri- tish Museum and in Mr. J. Gould's collection. Scarcely any dif- ference is perceptible between them. The ferruginous colour of the under plumage is rather brighter in the Swiss bird, which more nearly, as regards the extent of white of the breast, ap- proaches the northern race ; but these are distinctions too insig- nificant to form a basis of separation, and, from so few speci- mens, cannot be proved to be constant. Though Vieillot, in redescribing the Dipper of Europe, certainly did not mean to restrict the application of the name, C. albicollis to this race only, have, to avoid giving a fresh designation, taken advantage of his placing the Pyrenees and Alps at the head of his list of local- ities to adopt his name. The Alps and the Lebanon are the only two localities which I can actually assign to this race ; but it ought certainly to frequent suitable intermediate localities, and probably also the Pyrenees and Spain. Specimens are required to prove this, and also to ascertain the northern limits of its range, which may include the mountains of Central France. 3. CiNCLUS MELANOGASTER, Sturnus cinclus, Linn., Fauna Suecica, no. 214, and Syst. Nat. p. 290 (1766); Nozemann, Nederl. Vog. tab. xiv. (1770). C. melanogaster, Brehm, Lehrb. Eur. Vog. i. p. 289 (1823) ; Temra., Man. d'Orn. iii. p. 106 ; Gould, B. Eur. pi. 84, and B. Gt. Brit, (sub C. aquatic.) ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 180. 6'. sep- i2 IIG Mr. 0. Salviu on the Genua Ciuclus. tentriunalis, Biehm, Lehrb. i. p. 287, and Naumannia, 1856, p. 188. C. peregrinus, Brehm, Naumannia, 1856, p. 187 (?). C. aquaticus, Kjaerb., Danmarks Fugle, p. 135, tab. xv. ; Nilsson, Sk. Faun. Fogl. i. p. 371 (1858) ; Von Wright, Finlands Fogl. p. 165 (1859) j Zander, Uebers. Vog. Meklenbui-g's, p. 66 ; Gould, P. Z. S. 1834, p. 51 (Trebizond) ; Fraser, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 120 (Erzeroom) ; Godinan, Ibis, 1861, p. 80 (Bodo, Norway) Stevenson, B. Norf. i. p. 69 (Norfolk). C. siniilis C. aquatico, capitis et colli postici coloribus saturatio- ribus et abdoaiine medio fere omnino nigro distinguendus. Hab. Scandinavian Peninsula — Lapland [Wolley), Carlstad, Sweden [Wheelwright), Gottenburg {Mus. Brit.); Denmark [Kjferhdlling) ; Asia Minor, Erzeroom [Robson); England — Nor- folk occasionally (Stevenson) ; Holland occasionally (Nozemann) . Six specimens of this race (two from Carlstad, two from Northern Lapland, one from Norway, and one from Erzeroom) exhibit the constant differences from C. aquaticus I have pointed out above. They vary a little in size; the largest specimen, one from the Muonio River, exceeds the male from South Wales described above. In a collection of birds from Asia Minor re- cently sent to Prof. Newton by Mr. Robson is a single specimen of a Dipper which differs in no way from Scandinavian speci- mens, though the second and third primaries not being fully grown show a rounder wing. Dr. Adams mentions a specimen from Russia in Sir W. Jardine^s collection. This locality is a step towards filling up the wide distance between the two extreme limits of the range of this race, which may possibly extend along tiie Ural Mountains and also be found in the Caucasian range. The ferruginous colour of the under plumage is not entirely absent, but is very dark and limited in extent. There can be little doubt but this is the true Sturnus cin- clus of Linnseus, first described in the ' Fauna Suecica,' and afterwards again in the edition of 1766 of the ' Systema Naturre,' where no mention is made of the rufous colouring*. Nearly all subsequent writers had the Central European form before them. The occasional appearance of Dippers in Holland is mentioned * Those ornithologists tlierefore who prefer to use the generic terra Uydrobata shouhl restrict the name H. cinckis (h.) to this race. Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. 117 by Temminck; that these are of the black-breasted race seems likely, from the fact of one of these birds being figured in the old work of Nozemann. Their occurrence in Holland is probably due to the same cause which drives them to the Norfolk coast, namely the severity of winter in the Scandinavian peninsula. 4. Cinclus cashmiriensis. Cinclus cashmiriensis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 494, and B. As, pi. Hydrobata cinclus, L. Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 489, and 1859, p. 180. H. cashmiriensis, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 374. C. supra capite toto cum collo postico et dorso obscure brunneis, hoc saturatiore : uropygio, alis et Cauda fusco-nigris, phxmis obscure cinereo marginatis : subtus gula et pectore albis, abdomine fuliginoso, versus pectus rufescentiore : long, tota 8*0, al« 4*0, caudse 2*3, tarsi I'l, rostri a rictu 1*0. Obs. — C. aquatico similis, sed abdomine fuliginoso, dorso brunneo, et statura majore distinguendus. Hab. Ladakh, Thibet ; Duchinpara, Cashmere {L. Adams)'} Sikkim [fide Blyth); Persia {Mus. Brit.). Mus. Brit, et J. Gould (spec. typ.). The above description is taken from the type specimen kindly lent me by Mr. Gould. The feathers of the lower back and uropygium are somewhat worn ; but the coloration appears to be the reverse of what is found in C. aquaticus, being black with grey margins, instead of grey with black margins *; the margin, too, of the white breast is not so clearly defined as it is in C. aquaticus. The spurious primary also is longer than that of any specimens of the European races, which seem to vary some- what in this respect. 5. Cinclus leucogaster. Sturnus cinclus (var.). Pall. Zoogr. R.-As. i. p. 426. Cinclus aquaticus, var. leucogaster, Radde, Reis. S. O. Sib. p. 218. " C. leucogaster, Eversm.," Middend. Sib. Reis. i. p. 163 ; " Brandt in TchithatchefF's Voy. Sc. Altai, p. 418," Gould, B. As. pi. ; Bp., Consp. i. p. 252. * The bird described by Pallas (Zoogi'. R.-As. i. pp. 425, 426} as Sturnus cinclus may be tbis species ; lie says, " Caput cervix obsolete fuliginoso nigra, dorsum nigrius, opacum, plumis singulis litura lunulata cauescente notatis," &c. 118 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. C. supra fuscus, pileo cinereo-brunueo, capitis lateribus et nu- cha dilutioribus : subtus albus, ventre imo et hypochondriis fuscis : crisso cinereo. Hah. "Ad Jeniseam et in orientali Sibiria" {Pallas) ; Udskoi- Ostrog [Middendorff) ; Semipalatinsk {Hartlaub, fide Gould). Mus. Derb. et Brem. I have not seen this species, which, though closely allied to C. aquaticus, is easily distinguishable by its almost entirely white under plumage. I have nothing to add to Mr. Gould's remarks in his ' Birds of Asia/ except to state that the bird called Cinclus aquaticus by Radde from South-east Siberia is this spe- cies, and not C. cashmiriensis as Mr. Blyth supposes (Ibis, 1866, p. 374), as will be seen by reference to Radde's work *. Its geographical range seems to be confined to streams of the northern slopes of the Altai chain, the sources of the great rivers of Northern Asia. b. Whole-coloured species. a'. Species of the Palsearctic Region. 6. Cinclus sordidus. Cinclus sordidus, Gould, P.Z.S. 1859, p. 494, and B. As. pi. C. obscure brunneo-niger, pileo, nucha, gula et pectore dilu- tioribus. Hab. Ladakh, Thibet (Adams) . Mus. Brit. This species seems to stand alone, corresponding in its sombre colour with C. pallasi and its allies, but having otherwise the " facies " of C. aquaticus and the white-breasted group. It forms one of the three species inhabiting the Western Hi- malayas. 7. Cinclus pallasi. Sturnus cinclus, var., Pallas, Zoogr. R.-As. i. p. 426. Cinclus * Radde (J. c.) says that he could find no description of C. hncogaster in Eversmann's ' Addenda ad celeberrimi Pallasii Zoogiaphiam Eosso- Asiaticani.' 1 have not been able to find Tchithatcheft's ' Voyage Scien- tifique dans I'Altai,' where, Mr. Gould says, is a notice of this bird. If it is there described under this name, the synonymy must stand as above ; if not, the specific name must be ascribed to Bonaparte, who gives a short diagnosis in the 'Conspectus.' Mr. 0. Salviu on the Genus Cinclus. 119 pallasi, Teinm., Man. tVOru. i. p. 177^ and iii. p. 107; Temm. & Schl., Faun. Jap. p. 68, tab. xxxi. b ; Von Schreuck, Amur- land, p. 331 ; Radde, S. Ost. Sib. p. 220; Gatke, J. f. O. 1856, p. 71, and Blasius, Ibis, 1862, p. 66 (Heligoland) ; Blakiston, Ibis, 1862, p. 320; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1863, pp. 277, 331; Gould, B. As. pi., and B. Eur. pi. 85. C. obscure brunneus, unicolor : ventre medio nigricantiore, dorso et uropygio nigro squamatis : alis et cauda fusco-nigris : long, tota 8"0, ala3 -I'O, caudse 2'5, tarsi 1*25, i-ostri a rictu 11. Hab. Baikal to Kamschatka {Pallas) ; Amoorland {v. Schrenck) ; S.E. Siberia [Radde] ; Japan [Blakiston et al.). Mas. J. Gould (Nagasaki). There can be little doubt that Temminck's conjecture, that the specimen he originally described came from the Crimea, was erroneous, and that the true habitat of this species is Japan, Amoorland, and adjacent parts. It still has a claim to a place in the European fauna, from the fact of a specimen having been killed in Heligoland (Giitke, J. f. O. 1856, p. 71). The three races of this dark-coloured group are very similar, but yet di- stinguishable by apparently constant characters ; they all occupy distinct isolated districts, and hence must be separated. The syno- nymy of this species as given by Von Schrenck is entirely wrong. • 8. Cinclus marila. Cinclus marila, Swinhoe, J. R. As. Soc. (Shanghai), 1859 ; Ibis, 1860, p. 187. C. pallasi, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1863, p. 272; Gould, B. As. (sub C. pallasi). C. pallasi vero similis, sed paulo pallidior : subtus omnino fuligi- noso-brunneus et supra plumarum marginibus nigris, dorsi et uropygii absentibus. Juv. fusco-niger, supra nigro squamato : subtus gula et abdomine albo, pectore badio, variegatis. Hab. Formosa [Swinhoe). Mr. Swinhoe has, I think, been somewhat hasty in uniting the Formosan bird he described under this name with C. pallasi of Japan, as it does not appear he ever compared specimens from the two localities. In the absence of the black edgings of the feathers of the back, it more nearly resembles C. asiaticus, but 120 i\ii'. 0. Salvia on the Genus Ciiiclus. is rnucli darker than the Himalayan race. It is another instance of the peculiarity to be found in almost all Formosan birds. 9. CiNCLUS ASIATICUS. Cinclus asiaticus, Sw., Faun, Bor.-Am. ii. p. 174; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 489, and 1859, p. 180; Gould, B. As. pi. " C. tenuirostris, Gould," Bp., Consp, i. p. 252. Hydrohata asiatica, Gray, Gen. B. ; Blyth, Cat. Mus. As. Soc. p. 158 ; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 185. Cinclus pal- lasi, Gould, Cent. B. pi. xxiv. ; Gray, Cat. Hodgs. Coll. B. M. p. 78; Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830-31, p. 54. C. maculatus, Hodgs. Zool. Misc. 1844, pp. 83, 173 (av. juv.). G. brunueus, unicolor : C. pallasi similis sed valde dilutior, rostro tenuiore. Juv. cinereus, albo variegatus, gula alba. Hab. Lower and middle streams of the Western Himalayas, and also Ladakh, ranging northwards as far as Chinese Tartary [Adams] . Mus. Brit. h'. Species of the Nearctic Region with Mexico and Central America. 10. Cinclus mexicanus. Cinclus mexicanus, Sw., Phil. Mag. 1827, i. p. 368; Sclater, Cat. Am. B. p. 10; Baird, Rev. Am. B. i. p. 60; Salvin, Ibis,, 1866, p. 190. Hydrohata mexicana, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 229. C. pallasi, Bp., Zool. Journ. ii. p. 52, and Am. Orn. ii. p. 173, pi. 16. fig. 1. C. americaims, Sw., F. B.-Am. ii. p. 173. C. uni- color, Bp., Comp. List, p. 19, and Consp. i. p. 252. t. mortoni, Towns. Narr. p. 337. C. townsendi, Aud. in Towns. Narr. p. 340. C. obscure cinereus, capite undique fuscescente : long, tota 7-2, alse 3*7, caudse 2-0. Hab. Rocky Mountains of North America, Mexico, and Guatemala (?) Mu^. Salvin & Godman. Mexican specimens of this Dipper, as Prof. Baird has pointed out, are somewhat darker than northern examples, and the colour of the head and neck more distinctly defined and darker. These differences are very slight and seem hardly sufficient to warrant Ibis, 1867, PLII M&N.Hanhart imp J Wolf, del Sc lith . CINGLUS ARDESIACUS Mr. 0. Salvia on the Genus Cinclus. 121 separating tlicin into races ; nor have I enough specimens satis- factorily to establish the constancy of these characters. I only saw specimens of Dipper in Guatemala which seemed to be the same as the Mexican bird; but, as we find that in almost every in- stance where these birds occupy isolated districts, a slight modi- fication of colour is also observable, I should not be surprised to find that the Guatemalan bird is no exception to the rule, fre- quenting as it does the streams of the highest ridges, 10,000 feet above the sea. 11. Cinclus ardesiacus, sp. n. (Plate II.) C cinereus, subtus dilutior, capite toto fuscescente, gula albi- cantiore, alis et cauda fusco-nigris, alarum tectricibus et secundariis cinereo marginatis : ciliis ut in fere omnibus hujus generis speciebus, albis, rostro nigro, pedibus flavis : long, tota 5'5, alse 3*2, caudse 16, rostri a rictu 0*9 poll. Angl. $. Juv. c? • Corpore subtus albido, alarum tectricibus albo terminatis. Hab. Veragua, Cordillera de Tole [Arce). Mus. Salvin & Godman. The primaries are proportioned as in C. mexicanus ; namely, the third and fourth are nearly equal and longest, the second equalling the fifth, and the spurious first primary being about the same length as that of the northern bird. It is at once distinguishable from its ally by its smaller size, pale cinereous colour, its long bill (equalling that of C. mexicanus), and long yellow tarsi and feet. In its pale colour it more nearly resembles a specimen we have from Nebraska than our Mexican example. Two specimens of this interesting addition to our knowledge of this genus were lately forwarded, in a collection of birds, from Veragua, where it was collected by M. Enrique Arce in a district he calls the Cordillera de Tole, situated between Chi- riqui and the town of Santiago de Vei'agua. Unfortunately he sent no note of the altitude at which he met with these two specimens, nor any information respecting them, except marking the sexes. B. Species inhabiting the Southern Hemisphere. 12. Cinclus leucocephalus. Cinclus leucocephalus, Tsch., A v. Consp., and Faun. Per. Av. p. 180, pi. 15. f. 1 ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 252 ; Baird,Rev. A.B. i. p. 61. 123 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Cinclus. C fuscuSj capite et pectore albis : rostro nigro, pedibus plumbeis. Hab. Peru, province of Jauja {Tschudi) ; Bolivia {Mus. Smithson.). 13. Cinclus leuconotus. Cinclus leuconotus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1857, p. 274, and Am. Cat. p. 10, pi. 2, " Cinclus leucocephalus, Tsch.," Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1847, p. 68. C. fusco-nigricans, dorso medio et capita toto cum corpore subtus ad ventrem medium albis : pileo dorsoque fusco variegatis : rostro nigro, pedibus obscure corneis : long, tota 5'5, alae 3'8, caudse 1'6. Hab. Andes of New Granada, Pasto [Delattre) ; Ecuador, near Quito {Mus. Jar dine). Mus. Brit, et P. L. Sclater. These two Andean species, as will be seen, differ widely from any inhabiting the northern hemisphere. Though long known, they are still quite rare in collections. It will be seen that I have in the above remarks considered the geographical distribution and range of each race and species of the greatest importance ; indeed, as ornithological or any other biological science advances, it becomes more and more apparent that accurate knowledge on this point is abso- lutely necessary for the satisfactory establishment of species. A difiFerence of habitat has almost come to be equivalent to a distinctive character when accompanied with an actual slight con- stant difference of form or colour. I believe that there is more evidence to be obtained towards elucidating the problem of the origin of species from close study of facts of geographical distri- bution than from any other source. The attractions of such study are manifest, and I would especially recommend it to British ornithologists. Let them follow up the range of almost any one of our common English birds, and they will be doing good service. Even the House-Sparrow {Passer domesticus), followed through all its local forms, would be most instructive; but to do this they must extend their observations beyond the limits of these islands. This, under all circumstances, is neces- sary for attaining an accurate knowledge of our bird-fauna. Recent Ornithological Publications. 123 VII. — Notices of Recent Ornithological Publications. 1. English. The expectations of ornithologists throughout the world by our late announcement of Messrs. Sclater and Salvin's projected work* will not, we are sure, be disappointed by its appearance. The readers of ' The Ibis ' know well the thorough manner in which these gentlemen are accustomed to deal with any subject they take up ; and the letterpress of the first pai-t of ' Exotic Or- nithology' is as much superior to that which accompanies any of the 'Planches Enluminees ' or 'Planches Coloriees' as the pro- gress of science would warrant. The species represented in this part are : — Lipaugus unirufus, Scl. subalaris, Scl. rufescens, Scl. Furnarius torridus, Scl. Sf Salv. Xipholena atropurpurea {Max.). Ptilogonys caudatus, Cab. Vireolanius melitophrys, Bp. pulchellus, Scl. Sf- Salv. all from that New World on which the affections of our friends the authors are so fixedly set. The figures are the best we have seen of Mr. Smit's drawing since be has been in this country ; and though to an eye accustomed to the masterpieces of our great artist they may be deficient in life and picturesqueness, yet the structiu-al peculiarities and details of plumage, the im- portance of which cannot be overrated, are well preserved ; and we must also add that the copies we have seen do great credit to the colourer. The monographic character of the work is already shown, by the introduction of a synopsis of the known species of several of the genera illustrated. We trust that the authors and their enterprising publisher will receive ample en- couragement from the public in their undertaking. The first impressions of the "intelligent stranger," whose advent to London is the ever-recurring theme of so many news- paper-articles, might lead him to suppose, if he were an ornitho- logist, that in the vicinity of England's capital no birds but Sparrows are to be found ; and certainly such busy scenes as * Exotic Ornithology, by Philip Lutley Sclatek, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the Zoological Society of London, and Osbert Sal- viN, M.A., F.Z.S., &c. Part 1. October 1st, 1866. London. Imp. 4to. 124 Recent Ornithological Publications. are presented by rail way- stations^ like Camden Town and Clap- ham Junction, would fortify him in that belief. Nevertheless the unpretending and agreeable little book which Mr. Harting has just published"^ shows that the metropolitan county is far from being wanting in localities of ornithological interest. One, at least, of the chief requirements of modern civilization provides haunts for species which other " improvements" might tend to banish. Water cannot be supplied to large towns without re- servoirs ; and such natural or artificial receptacles are often goodly lakes, as witness the one at Kingsbury, which, with its extent of many acres, offers attractions that few passing migrants of aquatic propensities seem able to resist. Of the 225 species which, according to Mr. Harting, have been observed in Mid- dlesex, a very large proportion have occurred in this locality, and a view of it forms an appropriate frontispiece to the volume. Mr. Harting, we must say, seems to have admitted a few spe- cies on rather slight evidence — among them the first he men- tions, Aquila cknjsaetus. The anonymous gentleman who recog- nized this species on the wing must indeed be " well acquainted with the bird " to have distinguished it from the White-tailed Eagle. Mr. Harting, on the testimony of Edwards and Mon- tagu, includes Anthus ludovicianus ; but we would venture to suggest the far greater probability of the ^' Red Lark " of those two authors being the European A. spinoletta, which has been so long confounded with it, and which is recorded as having several times occurred in this country [Cf. Ibis, 1865, pp. 114- 116). So also the Swallows with light chestnut underparts, which the author states that he has several times seen, are much more likely to have been examples of Hirundo riocouri s. cahirica {Cf. Ibis, 1866, p. 423) than the American H. rufa, or rather H. horreoruin. We are glad to see that he disclaims Progne purpurea as Middlesaxon ; for we have long thought that Mr. Yarrell had been rather too credulous as to the story he was told of that species occurring in England. We heartily con- * The Birds of Middlesex. A Contribution to the Natural History of the County. By James Edmund Harting, F.Z.S. London: MDCCCLXVi. Post 8vo., pp.284. Recent Ornithuluf/ical Publicaiions. 125 gratulate Mr. Harting on his publication, which shows that he is a most pains-taking and careful ornithologist. The Ornithological Ramble of our recently elected colleague Mr. Arthur Crichton* will no doubt be received with much pleasure by a large circle of readers, though we must complain that the influence of the Destroying Angel seems rather to pre- dominate over that of the Genius of Ornithology in his pages ; but as it is some time since we have had any account of the Orkneys from a naturalist's point of view, we are the less in- clined to be hard to please in this respect. We may, however, remark that our worthy friend the author is mistaken in sup- posing that he has "strictly adhered to ]\Ir. YaiTcll's nomencla- ture;" for wherever that differs from the very irregular List in common use, the latter is followed. The handsome volume recently brought out by Major Kingf contains an account of some of the birds of Canada, drawn up with more regard to scientific accuracy than is usual among sporting writers. Especially we must congratulate the gallant author on being aware that Wilson is not the latest or only authority on American ornithology — a piece of information cer- tainly not possessed by several persons in this country who occa- sionally essay " to teach the young idea how to shoot.'' We have, however, to notice that Major King does not seem quite clearly to comprehend the grounds on which some ornithologists suppose that the Domestic Turkey has not been derived from the wild bird of Canada and the United States, but from that of Mexico (the Meleagris mexicana of Mr. Gould) — an opinion which may be correct or not, but one that is not influenced by the evidence adduced by the author, who is also, we think, somewhat premature in pronouncing the American Anser gam- beli to be identical with the European A. albifrons, since he does * A Naturalist's Ramble to the Orcades. By A. W. Crichton, B.A., F.L.S.,etc. London: 18(56. Fcp. 8vo., pp. 132. t The Sportsman and Naturalist in Canada. By Major W. Ross King, &c. &c., Illustrated with Coloured Plates and Woodcuts. London : 1866. Roy.Svo. pj). .'^■^4. 126 Recent Ornithological Publications. not state that he has compared any series of examples from the two continents*. Mr. Lord's two volumes f contain a good deal that is inter- esting respecting the habits of many of the birds of Western North America^ which have hitherto been merely known to us as names and nothing else ; at the same time it is clear that the author's sympathies are rather with the furry and finny than the feathered portion of creation, and the last consequently comes off second or even third best. Mr. Lord has small rea- son to be grateful to his printer or wood-cutter ; but his book will, we think, please many of our readers, as it has pleased our- selves. \\\ the list of species observed by him, which were u])- wards of 220 in number, perhaps Aphriza virgata is the most worthy of note. He greatly doubts the supposed provident habits of Melanerpes formicivorus which have been mentioned by former writers ; but his observations on the point are not alto- gether satisfactory. 2. French. The * Memoires de la Societe Lnperiale des Sciences Natu- relles de Cherbourg ' for last year contain an essay on tbe clas- sification of the Trochilida by Prof. Mulsant, with the assistance of MM. Jules and Edouard Verreaux. This paper, which has for its object to supply the want of an analytical arrangement of this numerous and difficult family, and to assign generic characters * We take this opportunity of sayinj:^, while remarking on the game- birds and wild fowl of North America (and the more so since an inquiry has been addressed to us on the subject by a correspondent in India), that the " Booming Swallow " mentioned by Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle in their entertaining ' North-West Passage by Land,' is probably OalUnago wilsoni, or at least some Scolopacine species. The rapid and erratic flight of a cock Sni[)e in the breeding-season might naturally be ascribed by un- ornithological observers to a Swallow ; and the drumming sound produced, as well, we believe, by the American as by the European species, might well give rise to the epithet by which these adventurous travellers di- stinguished it. t The Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columbia. By John Keast Lord, F.Z.S., Naturalist to the British North American Boundary Commission. London : 1S66. 2 vols, small Svo. Recent Ornithological Publications. 127 to each of the groups which compose it, has also been separately published*. The idea is indeed a sufficiently laudable one; for, much as these birds have been studied, scarcely any author has given more than a list of species grouped under a vast number of genera, a great many of which are merely nominal. Mr. Gould, it is true, in his 'Introduction to the Trochilida' {Cf. Ibis, 1863, p. 73), gave characters to the genera which he was the first to introduce ; but there he stopped short, and left un- defined a large number separated by other naturalists, many of which stand upon no firmer ground than the bestowal of a name and the indication of a type. As the authors of the present publication state that it is the precursor of a more extended work on the Humming-birds, we trust they will pardon our pointing out what appear to be several blemishes in it, our only object in so doing being the hope that the forthcoming work may thereby be rendered more perfect. We must first of all complain of what seems to us to be an extremely unnecessary innovation proposed by the authors. This is the inversion of the well-known and universally accepted meaning of the words maxilla and mandihula for the upper and lower portions of the bill respectively (p. 8, note 2). His fond- ness for entomological studies, in which he has achieved so great a reputation, has, no doubt, persuaded M. Mulsant to propose this alteration ; but in reality it is very doubtful if there is any analogy, much less any homology, between the laterally-moving jaws of an insect and the vertically-moving mandibles of a bird, though even if sueh were the case it would hardly be sufficient reason for subverting what has been the practice of ornitholo- gists for a century. It is also incumbent upon us, we think, to protest against the principle of changing the spelling of a name without regard being had to its derivation, but merely " pour en adoucir la prononciation,^^ of which we have an example (p. 18, note) in the author^s dropping the "m" from Pygmornis, and thereby entirely perverting the meaning of the term. What would M. Mulsant say if a similar liberty were taken with his * Essai d'lme Classification Methodique des Trochilidees ou Oiseaux- Mouches. Par E, Mulsant et Jules Verreaux, Edouard Verreaux. Paris. 8vo, pp. 9S. 1 28 Recent Ornithological Publications. own name, and the letter " 1/' for instance, suppressed to render its utterance easier to English lips ? The value of a system is in its application ; we will therefore examine a few of the genera adopted in this work, and we will take first Leucolia, Muls. & Verr. (p. 31). This genus con- tains Doleriscd, Cab., Cijanomyia (nee Cyanomya), Gould, Leu- cippus, Bp., and Pldoyophilus, Gould, besides several species of Thaumatias, placed as if Mr. Gould had included them under Cynnomyia. The types of all these genera are included in the list of sj)ccies forming Leucolia ; surely, then, there was no need of inventing this additional name ? The localities, too, of many of the species are wrongly assigned. Dolerisca fallax and Cya- nomyia quadricolor are said to be from New Granada instead of from "Venezuela and Mexico respectively ; while C. guatemalensis (the patria, we should have thought, was sufficiently indicated by its name) is put down as coming from Mexico ! Thai/matias candidus, too, is said to be from New Granada, which it certainly is not. We have also to inquire what has befallen the Peruvian Cyanonnjia cyanicollis and the Doleriscacervina, Gould (Introduc- tion, p. 50) ? Does M. Mulsant deny them specific rank, or have they accidentally escaped his notice ? As a further instance of the propriety of M. Mulsant^s arrange- ment, we must mention that the two very closely allied birds Erythronota edwardsi and E. niveiventris are j)laced in different genera — the first in Anwzilia (p. 35), the second in Ariana (p. 36), another new genus, the name of which should probably be correctly spelt Ariadne. Again, the very natural group Pan- oplitcs, Gould, is scattered to the winds; of the three species composing it, P. jardinii is placed in a subgenus (Galenia) of Florisuga (p. 47) ; P. matthewsi is included, with a host of other genera, in Clytolanna (p. 59) ; while P. flavescens — the type of the genus — constitutes by itself a genus upon which a new name, Callidice (p. 65), is bestowed ! Besides the two we have already mentioned, a considerable number of species seem to be wholly omitted. We have been unable to find Heliomaster longirostris and its allies. On the other hand, we have here and there new species inserted without any descriptions at all. Docs not M. Mulsant know that, what- Recent Ornithological Publications. 129 ever may be the practice in entomology, the publication of MS. names without descriptions has always been regarded by orni- thologists as the one unpardonable offence ? We have to notice the ^ Memoires Scientifiques' of M. Fran9ois Pollen — a series of papers contributed to the ' Bulletin de la Societe d'Acclimatation et d'llistoire Naturelle de Pile de la Reunion ' and the ' Bulletin de la Societe des Sciences et Arts ' of the same island, one of which contains the description of a new Sparrow-Hawk from Madagascar, to which the author assigns the name Nisuoides (rectius Nisoides) moreli, founding a new genus for its reception. As, however, we understand that M. Pollen is preparing a detailed work on the ornithology of Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands, we forbear at present to say more on the subject, knowing that we shall have to return to it. 3. American. The * Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History ' for the past year contain a list of birds from Porto Rico, presented to the Smithsonian Institution by Messrs. Swift and Latimer, drawn up by Dr. Bryant, in which three species, Tyrannus anfil- larum, Todus hypochondrincus, and Tanagra {Spindulis) portori- censis, appear to be described as new. The first is presumed to be the Myiarchus sp. ? of Mr. E. C. Taylor's list (Ibis, 1864, p. 109), "and not unlikely the same as the Tobago Bird in Jar- dine's catalogue of the birds of that Island -," but our good friend is very chary of his references, and does not specify which of the three Tyrants mentioned by Sir William (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XX. pp. 329, 330) it is that he means, if, indeed, he means them at all, — a fact much to be regretted, as the circumstance of a species ranging from Tobago to Porto Rico, though not, we believe, unexampled, is w^orthy of note. Besides these three species. Dr. Bryant describes local varieties of several others, Mimus polyglottus, Certhiula flaveola, Fringilla {Phonipara) zena> Icterus dominicensis, and Saurothera vieil/oti, each of which, except the last, distinguished as " var. rufescens," he designates as " var. portoricensis." These we believe to be the chief objects of N. S. VOL. III. K 130 Recent Ornithological Publications. interest in this paper ; but we are by no means sure of it, as the author, having apparently no pity for reviewers or recorders, omits to lighten their labours by the usual and simple mode of indicating the novelties he introduces. The same Journal contains also " A List of Vertebrates ob- served at Okkak, Labrador/' by Mr. Weiz, with annotations by Mr. A. S. Packard. Unfortunately the latter do not extend to the Birds, of which consequently we have but a bare list of names of the species, which are confounded in many cases with their European representatives, though, as the editor justly re- marks, " experts in American zoology will readily correct " such mistakes. The list shows the Ornis of Labrador to be much as might have been expected. Its most useful part is perhaps the information it gives as to the native (Eskimaux) names. Mr. Lawrence continues his unwearied labours in elucida- ting the Central and South American avifauna, and, in a paper read to the Lyceum of Natural History of New York in June last and printed in their ' Annals,' describes seven more new species of birds from that region. These are Campylorhynchus brevipennis fromVenezuela, Automolus rufescens, Grallaricula cos- taricensis, and Euphei'usa cupreiceps from Costa Rica, Grallaria gigantea from Ecuador, Phaethornis cassini from New Granada, and Geotrygon veraguensis from Veragua. From a paper of some considerable length in the ' Proceed- ings of the Philadelphia Academy ' we are very glad to learn that our contributor Dr. Cones intends publishing a full account of the birds of the remote region whei'e he was lately quartered, and of his journey to and from which he gave such an interest- ing description in the pages of this Magazine. " The Prodrome of a work on the Ornithology of Arizona Territory," as the sepa- rately printed copies of this paper are headed, is, however, in itself a very elaborate performance, and one which is entitled to the highest praise. But we must here be brief, and content ourselves with mentioning that Dr. Coues's notes refer to no Recent Ornithological Publications. 131 less than 244 species*, of which four {Mitrephorus pallescens, Vireo plumbeus, V. vicinior, and V. pusillus) are now described as new, and a variety of Chrysomitris mexicana distinguished by the agnomen arizona. The first of these is the bird which the author in this Journal (Ibis, 1865, p. 537) provisionally called Empidonax pygmcms ; and we must say we wish he had not thought it expedient to change its specific name, since his notice of it seems to us to have been sufficiently diagnostic. Dr. Coues also founds three new genera — Micrathene with Athene whitneyi as its type, Asyndesmus with Piciis torquatus, and Podas- ocys with Charadrius montanus. If the paper last noticed gives the result of Dr. Coues's labours in the field, the continuation of his " Review of the Family Pro- cellariida" furnishes a renewed proof of the value of his studies in the closet. The first and second parts of this carefully worked-up paper, which by some mischance escaped notice in our pages, appeared in the Philadelphia ' Proceedings ' for 1864 ; the third, fourth, and fifth portions are contained in the same publication for last year, and exhibit the same amount of patient investigation of this difficult family. The whole essay almost defies a reviewer to give within reasonable limits any satisfactory account of it. Perhaps for ornithologists in this country it may be most useful to mention that one of the results at which the author has arrived is, that the generic name Thalassidroma must be entirely suppressed, as being synonymous with Procellaria proper ; and in its stead he proposes to use the term Cymochoren. Several new species of the group are described, and a great many rectifications in the synonymy of those that are known are sug- gested. No person writing on the Petrels should fail to make himself acquainted with this paper. 4. Australasian. It is with extreme pleasure that in these our notices of recent publications we have for the first time to appropriate a section * 245 species are actually enumerated ; but one, Certhiola fiaveola, is, as we are kindly informed by Professor Baird, included 1)y mistake. k2 132 Recent Ornithological Publications. to the works of our fellow labourers at the antipodes. No doubt iu a few years we shall have a fine crop of ornithological papers springing from the seed sown throughout those flourish- ing communities; but at present the firstfruits are offered to us by Mr. Walter Buller, a gentleman whose name is indeed com- paratively unknown among ornithologists, but whose * Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand'* obtained a Silver Medal at the Exhibition held in that colony two years ago. In this paper, apart from its general merits, of which we will not now speak, no less than nine new species belonging to one or other of the islands are indicated, and seven of them duly named and described by the author. These are as follows : — Anthornis auriocula from the Chatham Islands; Gerygone assimilis, Mi- mus (?) carunculatus, Creadion cinereus, Nestor superbus from ''the alpine heights of the South Island ;" Rallus featherstonii and Podiceps hectori. We have placed a mark of doubt after the generic name of the new so-called Mimus, because we deem it highly improbable that a member of that American form should be found in New Zealand ; and the species will no doubt eventually be referred elsewhere. The discovery of a new Nestor is extremely interesting, and several specimens of it are said to have been obtained. One of the two birds not described in the paper before us is a large Strix, an inhabitant of the subalpine parts of the Canterbury province, where it appears to have been discovered, though not obtained, by Dr. Haast, in honour of whom it has been provisionally named S. haasti. The remaining unde- scribed bird is a Lestris, considerably larger than L. antarcticus, found by Dr. Hector in Dusky Bay. Mr. Buller gives, as might be expected, some interesting particulars of the different species oi Apteryx; but no specimen oi A. maxima seems yet to have gladdened the eyes of a colonist f. The number of New Zealand birds at present known to him is 133 ; " and there is every reason * New Zealand Exhibition, 1865. Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand. By Walter Duller, Esq., F.L.S. Printed for the Commis- sioners. Dunedin, Oiago, N. Z. : 1865, 8vo. pp. 20. t Mr. Buller's letter to Archdeacon Iladfield, printed in the ' Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 9197, should not be overlooked by any one interested iu the subject of the brevipennate birds of New Zealand. Recent Ornithological Publications. 133 to believe that, as the country becomes more thoroughly explored, the list will be considerably augmented;" meanwhile, consider- ing the rage for acclimatization, we fear the number will be con- siderably diminished. Even now Mr. Buller tells us that Cotur- nix novcE-zelandia is " fast disappearing," and is only met with in the unfrequented parts of the South Island, having become almost, if not quite, extinct in the North. The * Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Sydney ' contain a paper, read on the 5th of July, 1865, by our contri- butor Mr. E. P. Ramsay, " On Australian Oology,'^ which is illustrated by a plate admirably drawn by Miss Helena Scott, well known to entomologists as one of the artists of the ' Austra- lian Lepidoptera,' and as admirably coloured. The species treated of are Pomatorhinus temporalis, P. super ciliosus, Xantho- mtjza phrygia, Ptilotis fiisca, P. avricomis, Sisura inquieta, Eo- psaltria australis, and Micrceca macroptera, respecting the breed- ing-habits of all of which very full details, and figures of one or two specimens of their eggs, are given. Egg-seekers may wish that many more species would take the one last named as their model; for Mr. Ramsay says, "anyone accustomed to birds* nesting can tell in a very short time whether the birds have a nest or not ; and when this fact is settled, nothing is easier than to watch the birds until they go to it." The author gives, in the case of Xanthomyza phrygia, another instance of the peculiarity possessed by many Australian birds of occasionally absenting themselves for a time from a particular locality where they had before been abundant, and then visiting it again in immense numbers. It may be a tolerably safe conjectui-e to suppose that such irregular movements have relation to the plenty or scarcity of food ; but the subject is one that would bear a good deal of investigation, and we doubt not Mr. Ramsay will give it his best attention whenever the opportunity offers itself again. 134 Letters, Announcements, ^c. VIII. — Letters, Announcements, ^c. We have received the following letters^ addressed "To the Editor of ' The Ibis : ' "— Dobroyde, New Soutli Wales. Sir, — After reading the paper on the supposed gular pouch of a male European Bustard (Ibis, 1862, pp. 107-127), I natu- rally felt a desire to investigate the subject with regard to the Australian species {^Otis australiana) , and I now send you the result of my inquiries. In 1863 I took a trip for about a hundred miles inland, but, not being in the right locality, I did not meet with any birds myself. Mr. Griffin, of Braidwood, however, who has without doubt slain more Bustards than any one else in the district, in- formed me that he had purposely shot and examined numerous male birds without finding a trace of any pouch or water-bag. It was not until January 1865 that, having taken another journey expressly to ascertain the fact for myself, I had the oppor- tunity of examining a bird. This specimen I procured in the neighbourhood of Goulburn. There was no sign of a pouch ; but as the bird was not so large as many others I had seen in that locality, I did not consider it a fair trial, and set about procuring older and larger examples. In this I was disap- pointed, for I did not get another chance until during my last trip inland. Passing by Lake George, I was delighted to hear that some fine large birds were to be found on its borders. I consequently remained there a week, and on the first day, of course, I went after the Bustards. I found a pair among the tall reedy grass with which the upper portion of the basin is covered. They were very wary ; but I succeeded in getting the largest, a male weighing 12 lb. and standing more than 3 feet high. This bird I carefully examined, but no pouch was to be found. Not being satisfied, however, I resolved to continue my researches still further, and I examined another specimen, one shot by my brother, Mr. James Ramsay, with a revolver; but as the ball had seriously injured the specimen, the result was unsatisfactory. Nor was it until my second visit to the lake, where I was determined to stay till I was quite satisfied, that I Letters, Announcements, ^c. 135 came to the conclusiou that our Australian Bustard did not possess a gular pouch of any kind, having merely the power of greatly extending the gullet at pleasure. Having for several days chased a fine old male without getting a shot at him, I at last procured him, and found him to be by far the largest I had ever examined, weighing 20 lb. and standing 4 feet high. I carefully looked underneath and all round the tongue before separating the membrane from the sides of the lower mandible, and next morning began to skin him, carefully turning back the skin when I came to the neck, and afterwards separating the trachea, gullet, and so on from the body and head, taking in the tongue. I then washed and carefully examined it, in- flating every part of the gullet with air, to see if there was any distention in any part of it, and I found nothing whatever approaching to a pouch. I remain, &c., Edward P. Ramsay. In continuation of my letter of last year (Ibis, 1866, p. 222), I may mention that there were again this spring two Hoopoes' {Upupa epops) nests in my verandah, and in the same place. I find that the hens do leave the nest once or twice a day ; but I have never seen them stay out longer than to give time to get rid of their droppings, and I have never seen either of them on the ground when out. Generally speaking they perch on a tree near at hand, and, after sitting a few moments for the purpose mentioned, fly back to the nest. Two or three times (once when Dr. Jerdon was sitting in my verandah) one of the hens flew out, passed her dropping whilst on the wing, and returned to the nest without having settled anywhere. They are fed most indefatigably by the cocks, and the number of grubs, small worms and so forth, destroyed by them is very great. Curious to say, I saw a Hoopoe killing a locust, which I hardly thought its bill capable of doing. Unfortunately it was disturbed, and flew away, leaving the insect dead on the ground, so that I had no opportunity of ascertaining how it would have managed to swallow such a large morsel. Three young ones from one nest and two from the other 136 Letters, Announcements, ^c. made their appearance in due course, and I repeatedly saw the nine feeding together of an evening. But in the evening of the 11th inst. I saw no less than twenty-one Hoopoes feeding, within a space of thirty yards by ten, in the soft ground where the grass was still green, the whole of the rest of the soil in the neighbourhood being parched by the drought. Whilst the young ones were newly out of the nest they very often sat in the verandah, and I was struck by the shortness of their bills. The birds themselves are not very much smaller than the parents, whilst their bills appeared to me not above half the length. To the best of my belief the female during the time of sitting is entirely fed by the male, and is only off the eggs for a minute or two, and frequently not so long, once or twice a day for the purpose mentioned before. There is a curious circumstance with regard to the King- Crow {Dicrurus macrocercus) which may be worth noting. I was returning from my morning ride on April 23rd, when I saw two King-Crows on the ground attacking something. Before getting near enough to see what it was, one flew up carrying what appeared to be a very large moth or butterfly, and, flying about a hundred yards, again settled on the ground. Before I got to it, it again flew ; and as it had some difficulty in carrying its burden, I cantered up, and it then went off leaving its prey on the ground, which proved to be a fully fledged young one of one of the small Wren-Warblers. It was quite insensible, but did not seem particularly injured, and by the time I reached home was perfectly well ; so I let it loose in my garden. What did the King-Crows intend doing with it ? They kill and eat, I know, insects of almost all sizes, but certainly I never heard of their killing young birds. Umballali, June 18th, 1866. D. ScoTT. Simla, June 22nd, 1866. Sir, — Very little seems to be known about the Choughs of the Himalayas. Dr. Jerdon admits two species — First, Fregilus himalayanus, Gould, which is closely allied to the Cornish Chough and has a red bill and legs. Letters, Announcements, ^c. 137 His dimensions of this species are as follows : — Long. tot. alae. caud. tars. rostr. a £r. IS^in. 12| 6| 2i 2\ A couple of fresh skins just sent in from the neigbourhood of Kotgurh give A. 15|in. Ill 6f 1| 2 B. 15 IH 6| 1| 2 According to Col. Gott, a very good observer, this species is found near Simla on the range called the Tullowrie Tote on the further side of the Sutledge River; and the specimens I have just received are most likely from that locality. The second species, Pijrrhocorax alpinus, Vieill., or Alpine Chough, is apparently identical with the European bird. I am not aware that Dr. Jerdon ever saw the Himalayan bird, at any rate before the ' Birds of India ' was written, although perhaps he has since ; but the description he gives seems applicable only to the European bird. He describes the legs as bright red, although the bill is yellow, and states that it feeds on the mul- berry; but Col. Gott, who has shot several, thinks he is mis- taken, and says his impression has always been that the legs are also yellow ; and the testimony of his head man, a respect- able native, who has seen numbers, is to the same effect. Although in a matter of this kind recollection is very apt to be deceitful, yet I think this is worth recording, so that it may be left an open question to direct future investigation. Pyrrhocorax alpinus, Col. Gott states, is found near the snows, in particular spots, at a very much higher elevation than Fregilus himalayanus, and most certainly does not feed on the mulberry, , since the tree does not occur in that part of the hills, nor could it flourish at the elevation at which these birds are found. He once only saw this species driven down by very severe weather as low as 10,000 feet. I have examined a European specimen of P. alpinus in Col, Tytler's collection, in which the bill has apparently been light yellow and the legs dark red ; but I have not been able yet to get hold of a specimen of the Himalayan bird, although I hope to do so befoi'e leaving Simla. I have not done very much amongst the birds here yet. Simla seems to bear no comparison to Darjeeliug in the number of 138 Letters, Announcements, 6fc. species of birds — I fancy, owing to the comparative want of vege- tation here. The common species of the plains, unknown at Darjeeling, frequently occur here, such as Neophron percnojjterus, Milvus govinda, Acridotheres tristis, and Passer indicus. At Darjeeling P. montanus is the only species; here it apparently does not occur, the only Garden-Sparrow I have hitherto seen being Passer cinnamomeus. The pretty Himalayan Siskin, Chrijsomitr'is spinoides, is not rare; and earlier in the season a Rose Finch, Carpodacus erythrinus, was abundant, but it seems to have migrated since the weather became warm. Picus himalayanus, P. hrunneifrons, and Gecinus squamafus are the only Woodpeckers I have yet seen : the first is rare, but the second and third species are tolerably abundant. The Titmice are well represented by Parus monticolus (common), Machlolo- phus xanthogenys, Vig. (rarer), Lophophanes melanolophus (which breeds here), and that beautiful little red-headed Titmouse jEgithaliscus erythrocephalus. Corvus intermedius is the only Crow we have here, as far as I know ; yet Dr. Jerdon's informa- tion regarding this species is very scanty ; he does not even give its dimensions. I hasten to supply the deficiency from speci- mens shot by myself : — Long. tot. alae. caud. tars. rostr. a fr. A. 19 in. Ill 8 2 21 B. 19 12 8 2| 2i Irides dark brown, bill and legs black. This species has the habits of C. culminatus, but is decidedly smaller, with a proportionately longer tail. It has a peculiar habit, which I have not noticed in any other species of Crow, of soaring high in the air (generally of an evening) in circles, like the Kites and Vultures, frequently to an immense height. Yours, &c., R. C. Beavan. Simla, August 14tli, 1866. Sir, — It does not appear generally known that we possess a beautiful little cage-bird up here, which sings beautifully and is abundant, our Himalayan Siskin, Chrysomitris spinoides, Vigors. It puts me forcibly in mind of the English Greenfinch, Fringilla Letters, Announcements, S^c. 139 chloris, and in size is intermediate between it and the English Siskin ; but its habits and notes generally are very similar to the Greenfinch's during its breeding-season. It has much the same kind of call, both in flight and when seated on the top of a tree, uttering in the latter instance the peculiar " bzee-ee " so characteristic a part of the Greenfinch's song. Both Col. Tytler and myself are very anxious to get some live specimens; and doubtless we shall succeed later in the year, as I hear that the soldiers at Subathoo manage to catch them in the winter months, at which time they probably descend to the lower elevation (about 4500 feet) of that station, driven down by snow. The song of our Siskin is a very sweet one; and I can only describe it by comparing it to that of the Greenfinch, interspersed with many of the notes of the Goldfinch — ^judging, that is, as well as I can from recollection. It is of course peculiar of its kind, and is continued for some length of time without intermission. I am inclined to think that this species breeds about the beginning of this month ; for during a two days' trip to a staging bungalow called Fagoo, distant some fifteen miles on the Hima- laya and Thibet road, I came across large numbers, all, however, in pairs, frequenting the umbrageous pine {Pinus excelsa) and holly [Ilex] trees, which, except where partially cleared away for the cultivation of the potato, form a high and thick forest, and I shot a female in the act of collecting moss in its bill. At the same place I procured several other interesting birds, which, though at such a short distance off, I had not previously obtained in the vicinity of Simla. Two species of Trochalopterum not previously seen here were abundant, T. ei-ythrocephalum and T. variegatum, but, like all the rest of their tribe, such intense skulkers amongst the low brushwood that I had some difficulty in procuring specimens. Several were seen of that rare Nutcracker, Nucifraya hemispila, which also were in pairs, and so excessively wary that I only succeeded in securing one, which I came upon suddenly. I fancy they are not nearly so rare on these hills, from what Col. Tytler tells me, as on the Darjeeling ranges, where in 186.2 I only saw a single example of the species. It has a harsh, un- pleasant, grating scream, which may be heard a long way off", 140 Letters, Announcements, ^c. and the bird occasionally seen flying from tree to tree, or soar- ing for a short distance in the air, and then alighting. A fine Black Eagle, Neopus malaiensis, fell to my gun, with a charge of No. 8 shot in it, as he suddenly swept round a hillside on which I was busily engaged looking for some Black Pheasants, GaUophasis albocristatus. I have previously seen this fine raptor in Sikkim, but never had the good fortune to get within gunshot of one before. Two distinct species of Grosbeak formed an interesting addi- tion to my bag. One was the large blue-billed Mycerobas melanoxanthus, and the other, of which I got fine specimens of both sexes, was Hesperiphona icteroides. Neither of them appear well known to science ; I hope, therefore, at a future period to give a more detailed statement regarding them, merely noting en passant that the latter species is apparently far from un- common, and feeds, I presume, on the cones of the pines. The stomach of a male which I examined had it full of the white kernels of some seed. They have a loud, plaintive, trolling call, uttered generally from a high pine tree, the female being appa- rently more wary than the male, and wanting his conspicuous black and yellow plumage. Yours, &c., R. C. Beavan. Simla, September 18th, 1866, Sir, — Dr. Stoliczka, a Polish gentleman, attached to the Geological Survey of India, has lately arrived here with a fine collection of some 300 specimens of birds collected in Spiti, Ladak, and the neighbouring hill states. Perhaps the best thing he has, or at least the greatest novelty to me, is a young Neopus malaiensis, Reinwardt, in a phase of plumage never before, I believe, recorded : — Beneath, entirely dark brown, like the under parts of Milvus govinda, each feather black-shafted ; the top of the head rufous (the feathers also black-shafted) ; a conspicuous shoulder-spot of a pure white ; primaries of wings black ; secondaries and tertiaries dark brown, their coverts being broadly margined with ashy-grey; tail the same. The upper back is dark brown, with here and there a purplish gloss Letters, Announcements, &;c. 141 legs dark yellow, with black claws ; bill horny ; cere yellow. This specimen cannot have long left the nest, judging from the but partial development of the tail. The other good things in his collection were : — both sexes of Metoponia pusilla, Pallas ; Em- beriza da vera (as distinguishable, according to Col. Tytler, from that common about Simla), and agreeing with the European type ; Emberiza fucata and E. pusilla, both sexes of each. May not the Simla Emberiza be the E. cioides of Temminck men- tioned by Dr. Jerdon (B. Ind, ii. p. 372) as " recorded by Adams to be common in the lower ranges of the N.W. Himalayas " ? Propasser rhodochrous, only a pair. I have observed several flocks of these birds about Simla lately, probably on their autumnal migration ; they are called " Tooti ^' by the natives ; but that name more properly applies to the Carpodacus erythrinus of the plains, which I do not now think ever occurs so high up as this. I have endeavoured to snare specimens, but hitherto without success. Chrysomitris spinoides. Dr. Stoliczka tells me that this beautiful Siskin is found in great abundance all over the hills of the intorior. I have been successful in capturing some twenty here with the view of caging them to take to England, where they will doubtless be much prized. I see that, in Dr. Hoffmeister's ' Travels,^ published in 1848, they are mentioned as the " Himalayan Canary. ^^ They are soon reconciled to captivity, and are exceedingly lively and sprightly in all their movements, resembling the Goldfinch in this respect. The young bird, by the way, of which Dr. Stoliczka has specimens, though none have yet turned up here, is somewhat dully coloured, like the female, but has the breast longitudinally striated with dark brown. (I write this from memory, and subject to correction.) Dr. Stoliczka has also several specimens of the female and young of that elegant little blue Flycatcher Muscicapula super ciiiaris. Though the species is abundant about Simla, and I had myself found a nest with young ones in it in the hole of an old oak tree on the 10th of May, and at that time seen the female, I had not previously had the oppor- tunity of examining a specimen of that sex closely, owing to the strictly enforced rule which prevails here preventing any 142 Letters, Announcements, ^c. shooting withiu the limits of the station (the boundaries of which, owing to the scattered nature of the houses, extend several miles), and thus effectually putting a stop to my personal bird-collecting propensities. Of Bullfinches he had only a pair of Pyrrhula erythrocephala. Several examples of Alsocomus hodgsoni, which I had previously only obtained at Darjeeling, and which does not apparently occur in the immediate vicinity of Simla, though common in the interior. The other Gemitores are Turtur rupicolus, T. humilis, and Columba rupestris. Dr. Stoliczka has observed Phyrrhocorax alpinus, and thinks it has a yellow bill with red legs, like the European bird ; but this is a point which requires further evidence to settle satisfac- torily, as well as other opinions relative to this rare bird. He had a few specimens of Fregilus himalayanus. Of Nucifraya hemispila several specimens occur in the collec- tion ; but of the rarer N. multimaculata it appears the Doctor has only procured one, and that last year in Cashmere. Of the former I have occasionally seen a pair, within the last few days only, in this neighbourhood (Simla) above Annandale. They probably visit the woods here in the winter months only in any numbers, although a few may venture about this month, at- tracted to the neighbourhood by the half-ripe walnuts, of which they are very fond, and the kernels of which they scientifically extract, after boring a good-sized hole through both skin and shell with their powerful beaks. Hypo trior chis severus and several young of Tinnunculus alau- darius are the only Hawks; of Owls, Glaucidium hrodiei; of Swallows, only one species, which is common here in the summer, Hirundo daurica. Palaornis schisticeps is the only Parakeet. Cuculus himalayanus and C. poliocephalus, the Cuckoos ; of the true identification of the latter I am not, however, quite satisfied without comparison. A Honeysucker is jEthopyga gouldice; of Myzanthe ignipectus fine specimens of both sexes. The female is very like the females of Dictsum. A creeper is the common Cei'thia himalayana — a very abundant species in these hills, which breeds in the vicinity of Simla in May and June. Letters, Announcements, b^c. 143 Upupa epops is apparently not. uncommon in the interior, although rare about Simla ; and Col. Gott tells me it extends upwards of two hundred miles from this in the hills, and up to an elevation of 14,000 feet. Of Thrushes, Oreocates erythroyastra, O. cinclorkynchus, Myio- phonus temmincki, of course, and several examples of our Hima- layan INIistletoe Thrush, Turdus hodysoni. About Simla the first of these is found only on Jacko, whilst its congener (the second) only lives apparently some 2000 feet lower down. M. temmincki is very abundant here ; but I have not seen the Mis- tletoe Thrush nearer than Fagoo (fifteen miles). The Black- birds in the collection are Merula houlboul and M. albocincta (?). Of Timaliina, Trochalopterum varieyntum and T. erythroce- phalum, the A^ariegated and Red-headed Laughing Thrushes, both of which occur within sixteen miles of Simla, although neither appears to frequent the immediate vicinity. Space for- bids me to say more ; but there are many other interesting species in Dr. Stoliczka's gatherings, which I am not now able to mention. Yours, &c., II. C. Beavan. 41 Portman Square, London, November 27tli, 1866. Sir, — While staying in Rosshire lately an occurrence hap- pened which I imagine to be very unusual and sufficiently inter- esting to be recorded. My friend Mr. John Bateson was in the forest one misty day in October and found a freshly killed Falcon {Faico pereyrinus) , and all round it were quantities of Grousers feathers. The Falcon had a bad wound on its back like the mark of an Eaglets talon ; and the forester, who has lived all his life among Eagles and Deer, said he was sure that it was so, there being no other animal but an Eagle that could have made such a mark. He added, however, that he had never seen or heard of such a thing before. Golden Eagles {Aquila chrysaetus) constantly frequent the place, and I myself saw them at different times. I conclude that the Falcon had killed the Grouse and was intent upon eating it, when the 144 Letters, Announcements, ^c. Eagle seized her from behind, killed her, and went oflf with the game. I am, sir, your obedient servant, H. J. Elwes. Maxton, Dover, January 5 th, 1867. Sir, — Notornis mantelli, which some years ago, when the first live specimens were introduced to public notice, was supposed to be nearly extinct, is still numerous in some districts on the west coast of the Middle Island of New Zealand. The dis- covery in 1865 in that region of rich gold-diggings has brought about an indefatigable rummaging of hundreds of miles of wild solitudes, chiefly mountains, densely covered with timber, the echoes of which never before awoke to the human voice ; and parties of wandering " prospectors " have not unfrequently had to subsist for days on their captures of the great " Ground- Parrot," as Notornis mantelli is called in that quarter by those who came upon it without having any previous notice of its existence. The district forms a break-weather against the im- petuous deluging gales (chiefly south-westerly) which are pre- valent in that latitude a great part of the year, and is the stormiest and dampest in New Zealand ; but, the country being very much broken and wooded, shelter is abundant. Living examples of Notornis have only been found on the western side of the Alpine range which divides the Middle Island, and, so far as 1 can learn, only in the southern half of that region. Although the whole of the North Island, except some mountain and forest tracts, became occupied by the Mao- ries, only the north and east parts of the Middle Island were peopled, and the mountains and forests of the west coast re- mained generally a solitude. There is abundant evidence to show that extensive tracts of the pasture-land on the east coast were formerly covered with heavy timber, which was burnt off. The circumstance that the region in which Notornis mantelli still occurs was not subjected to the ravages of bush-fires or to the occupation of man may partly account for its continued existence there. Prospectors who had been exploring in the district men- Letters, Announcements, cVc. 145 tioned informed me that Notornis is very easily caught by dogs. But dogs which run wild in the neighbourhood of the Maori habitations do not appear to have extended their range to the south-west portion of the island, where Notornis is found. Its immunity hitherto from the attacks of the wild dog in its local habitat seems, in connexion with the causes of repression spe- cified, to explain its rather peculiarly limited range at the pre- sent time. Strigops (the " Ground-Parrot '' proper), though incapable of taking wing, has, in its climbing-powers, the means of pre- serving itself from extermination by dogs, and is still found nearer than Notornis to the haunts of the wild dog. The "Weka" {Ocydromus) , another of the New Zealand " gmund- birds," is still nearly universal there ; but by means of its agility and speed of foot and its comparatively small size, which favours it in eluding pursuit in dense jungle, it can suc- cessfully defy dogs in scrubby and flax-covered country, although it cannot climb. Its large size, slow speed, and incapacity for flying or climbing render Notornis peculiarly liable to exter- mination by dogs in districts occupied by them. If the gold- diggings be found to extend over the soc;;h- western portion of the island, the diggers, and especially the dogs, will be likely very soon to increase the rarity of Notornis, if not to exterminate it altogether. I am, &c., D. Mackav. Museum, Ilaslar, January 3rd, 1867. Sir,— In 'The Ibis' for October 1866, in Mr. Blyth's Com- mentary on Dr. Jerdou's ' Birds of India,' it is stated (p. 343) that " all the various forms of Cuculidce " have cseca. Now in Ckryscoccyx cupreus I find them absent, and the sketch I eneIo.se (which is a copy of an original one I made some years since) will show there is no vestige of them. I found the gizzard to contain the hairs of caterpillars, as in our common Cuckoo. I wish also to remark on a statement or two in Prof. Owen's second volume of ' Comparative Anatomy,' which is briefly noticed in the same Number. At p. 170 of his book the author N, S. VOL, III. L 146 Letters, Anrioiinceiiients, 6^c. states caeca are deficient in the Ijark ; now in the Sky-Lark [Alauda arvensis) I find them well developed and measuring a good eighth of inch in length. At p. 171 he also states that the cseca in the Peacock " measure each about one foot in length;'^ I find them to measure 5i inches in length. I have repeatedly found discrepancies between the measurements taken by myself and those given by others, and there are many in- stances in which Prof. Owen^s measurements do not agree with my own ; yet I have not selected these examples to show that Prof. Owen and Mr. Blyth are wrong, for I am not unmindful of the case of the travellers and the Chamgeleon. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Charles Barron. Mr. Edward Newton informs us that, having been unable to obtain the assistance of labourers in Rodriguez, he sent thither from Mauritius a party of men to dig in the caverns where the Solitaires' bones had been found {cf. Ibis, 1865, p. 551). The expedition proved successful, the result being that he has ob- tained a very large number of the bones of Pezophaps soUtarius, including all the most important parts of the skeleton, so that we hope naturalists will soon be as well acquainted with the osteology of this species as they now are with that of its ally Didus ineptus. At a recent sale in London, by public auction, an unbound copy of the First volume of the old series of 'The Ibis' fetched upwards of Three Pounds. Our readers are aware that this volume has long been out of print ; perhaps a knowledge of the fact just mentioned may induce possessors of copies to offer them for sale, and so enable some of our newer subscribers to com- plete their sets. END OF NO. IX. THE IBIS. NEW SERIES. No. X. APRIL 1867. IX. — The Ornithology of India. — A Commentary on Dr. Jerdon's ^ Birds of India.' By Edward Blyth, late Curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, Hon. Mem. As. Soc. [Concluded from p. 48.] To one of the characters of the order Gemitores, or Pigeons, as given by Dr. Jerdon (vol. iii. p. 443), " bare portion [of the tarsus] is covered with scutellse in front," the genus Goiira con- stitutes a prominent exception. 771. Treron nipalensis (Hodgs.)j Bonap. Icon, Pig. pi. viii. Very common in Borneo, as identified by Dr. Sclater (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 220). 772. CrOCOPUS PHffiNICOPTERUS. The Siamese race referred to this by Schomburgk (Ibis, 1864, p. 249) is the nearly allied C. viridifrons, nobis. 775. OSMOTRERON MALABARICA. The male of this bird is figured by Bonaparte (Icon. Pig. pi. xii.) ; but his supposed female (pi. xi. fig. 2) is that of the next species. • 776. OsMOTRERON PHAYRii bears a nearer resemblance in colouring to Treron nipalensis, as the male has the same ochreous patch on the breast, which does not occur in O. malabarica. N. S. VOL. III. M 148 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 777. OsMOTRERON FLAVOGULARis ; O. pompadortt, Bonap. Icon. Pig. pi. xi. fig. \, $ . Perhaps this is the true Columba pomj)adora of Gmelin from Ceylon, founded on plates 19 and 20 of Brown's ' Illustrations of Zoology' (1776), copied from native drawings. Both figure and description, however, represent the back of the male as being green instead of maroon like the rest of the mantle ; and it is also described as "smaller than the Turtle- Dove;" so that a Cingalese species of the same diminutive size as O. olax of the Malay countries may yet remain to be rediscovered. The late H. E. Strickland was disposed to identify O. malabarica with O. pumpadora before either O. phayrii or 0. flavogularis had been discriminated. In like manner, Mr. Layard identified O. flavogularis with 0. pompadora when he first obtained it ; and he remarks that its voice " is very like that of T. bicincta " (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xi. p. 303). It may be remarked that Brown represents the crown of both sexes of his bird to be " blue " {i. e. slate-coloured, as in 0. phayrii), the cheeks vv^hite, and the lower tail-coverts of the male to resemble those of the female (as in O. flavogularis and O. chloroptera) , not cinnamon- coloured as in the males of most species of the genus (including O. phayrii and 0, malabarica) . 778. Sphenocercus sphenurus (Vigors); " S. cantillans, Blyth ;" Bonap. Icon. Pig. pi. v. 779. Sphenocercus apicaudus (Hodgs.); Bonap. Icon. Pig. pi. iv. Bonaparte (Comptes Rendus, xliii. p. 833) refers to a "S.pha- sianellus, Blyth." I know of no such species. 780. Carpopsaga sylvatica. Mr. Gould gives this species as C. cenea from Tavai (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 150). C. pusilla, nobis, from Malabar proves to be a good species, or race of constantly smaller size. 781. Carpophaga insignis (Hodgson). The Columba badia of RafHes from Sumatra is a well-distin- guished race. on Dr. Jerdon's * Birds of India.* 149 782. Alsocomus phceniceus. To the same miuimum division must be assigned Columba {Carpophaga !) ianthina of the * Fauna Japonica' {Aves, tab.lx. c). 784. Palumbus casiotis, Bonap. ; Columba palumbus, Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187. The figure of P. casiotis by Pr. Bonap. (Icon, des Pigeons, pi. Iviii.) represents a much darker-coloured bird than that of the North-western Himalaya. 785 and 786. Palumbus pulchricollis and P. elphin- STONII. The Siamese Pigeon indicated by the late Sir R. H. Schom- burgk (Ibis, 1864, p. 250) would seem to be an unnamed spe- cies of this form. P. pulchricollis is found eastward as far as Formosa (Ibis, 1866, p. 396). 788. Columba intermedia, Strickl. ; C. oenas, Burgess, P. Z. S. 1855, p. 34; a livia, Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187. " In the usual localities all over the Cashmere ranges^' (Adams, ut supra). Frequently seen associating with C leuconota. 789. Columba rupestris, Pallas; Bonap. Icon. Pig. pi. 75; C. livia, var., A. L. Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187; C. leuco- zonura, Swinhoe. "Abundant on the rocky banks of the Dras river, Ladakh. I saw this bird nowhere else" (Adams). North China and Man- tchuria (Swinhoe). 790. Columba leuconota. " Gregarious ; common in certain sequestered mountain-valleys on the northern Cashmere ranges. Seen often with C. livia [inter- media'], feeding in fields in the Wurdwan Valley ; it was met with in Ladakh on one occasion." (A. L. Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187.) 792. TURTUR RUPICOLA. The Himalayan bird resembles T. auriius except in being much larger ; and it is doubtless the T. auriius from the Alpine Punjab of Mr. Vigne's list (P. Z. S. 1841, p. 6). The more eastern form [Columba gelastes, Temm. Faun. Japon. Aves, tab. Ix. b) has the lower tail-coverts greyer. In T. meena the latter M 2 150 Mr. Blyth's Commentary are dark ash-colour. This last species I obtained in the inte- rior of Martaban, near the Shan frontier. T. rupicola must be the species (no. 155) described by Dr. Adams (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187) as " common in certain localities on the Cashmere ranges and Ladakh ; plentiful likewise to the east towards Simla. Fre- quents grassy mountain-sides or valleys in the lesser ranges." It is certainly common near Simla ; and it is the T. orientalis of Capt. T. Hutton, who states that it is " a mere summer visitant at Mussooree, where it arrives early in April, when every wood resounds with its deep-toned cooing. It is not found lower than 6000 feet with us, and departs in October" (J. A. S. B. xvii. pt. 2. p. 13). But what is Dr. Adams's T. orientalis (Lath.), no. 153, which occurs "in fields and cultivated districts in Cashmere and Ladakh " ? 794. TURTUR CAMBAYENSIS. This Dove, in India, assuredly does not evince the partiality for date-palms manifested by the barely separable T. cegyptiacus in North Africa, as observed by Mr. Tristram (Ibis, 1860, p. 69). 795. TURTUR SURATENSIS. Dr. Jerdon erroneously identifies T. chinensis {Columha chi- nensis, Scopoli; C. risoria, var. l3, Latham), founded on the " Tourterelle de la Chine " of Sonnerat, by whom it is correctly figured, with T. tigrinus (Temra.) of the Indo-Chinese and Ma- layan countries. The former is distinguished by its consider- ably larger size (having the wing and tail respectively 6 inches long), by the deep ash-colour, instead of white, of its lower tail-coverts, and especially by having the back and wings plain unspotted dark brown, with merely a slight tinge of grey at the bend of the wing, the spotting of the nape being precisely similar. T. tigrinus differs from T. suratensis only in wanting the two conspicuous pale spots at the extremity of each feather of the mantle ; and I have seen no intermediate specimens. T. chinensis has a distinguishable note ; but I remarked no differ- ence of voice in the Indian and Burmese races. I have had the T. chinensis in captivity, sent me by Mr. Swinhoe*. * 111 ' Ibis,' 1864, p. 252, for suratensis read tigrinus. on Dr. Jerdou^s 'Birds of India.' 151 796. TURTUR RTSORIUS. The note of the wild Hinged Dove (or " Collared Turtle- Dove'^) of India is very different from that of the common caged race, which is also smaller, contrary to what is usually seen in domestic races. In captivity the two interbreed readily, and pi'oduce a fertile race, which is intermediate in note as well as ia size and colouring. At least it is not constantly true that the hybrids between the domestic Ringed Dove and T. auritus are infertile inter se, as stated by Degland (Orn. Eur. ii. p. 11)- Mr. Bartlett informs me that a man in London formerly bred numbers of them. Of several kindred wild races, I do not know one that can be satisfactorily assigned as the true origin of the common cage-bird. How about that inhabiting Asia Minor (Ibis, 1864, p. 410), which is said to be identical with the wild Indian race ? There are several wild races (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 261), to which should perhaps be added Streptopelia harhara of Antinori (Cata- logo &c. p. 89), if different from T. semitorquatus, Swaiuson. The voice should assist in the determination. 797. TuRTUR HUMiLis ranges to China and Formosa. It is remarkable among the Doves for the sexual difference of coloui*- ing, the female being doubtless the supposed smaller race of T. risorius referred to by Major Franklin (P. Z. S. 1832, p. 122). 798. Chalcophaps indica. No. 156 of Dr. Adams's list (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 187) is doubt- less this species. It was obtained by the late M. Mouhot in Cam- bogia. 800 and 802. Pterocles fasciatus and P. exustus. The eggs of both these species are figured in P. Z. S. 1855, Aves, pi. 78. 801. Pterocles alchata has bred in the Zoological Gar- dens. Two eggs were produced, from one only of which the chick was excluded alive. When first hatched it is very Plover- like— pracox, of course, but inactive, on account of its short legs. It has been figured (P. Z. S. 1866, pi. ix.). 803. Pavo cristatus. This species, and not P. nigripennis, is the Peafowl of Ceylon, also that of Asam, and of Chittagong. The range of the Green- 153 Mr. Blyth's Commentary necked Peafowl (P. muticus) begins with Arakan, and the dark Arakan race extends southwards through the Tenasserim pro- vinces. In Penang (and^ I presume, also in Java) it is much more vividly coloured. In the opinion of Mr. Wallace, P. muticus does not inhabit the Malayan peninsula; and he thinks that the Malays have no name for it. The late Dr. Cantor, however, had skins which he told me were from Pro- vince Wellesley ; and Sir. T. S, Raffles (mistaking the species) remarks that "the common Peacock {M'ra or Marak) is a native of the Malayan peninsula and Java, but is not common near Bencoolen^^ (Tr, Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 319). In the list of the animals of Sumatra, prepared by Vigors and appended to Lady Raffles's memoir of her husband, P. muticus is assigned both to Sumatra and Java, and P. cristatus to the former only. It may be that Raffles saw both species in a state of semi- domestication, the Indian Peafowl being unquestionably an im- portation, like the Axis-Deer, which he also mentions. With reference to the affinity of Menura (vol. iii. p. 494), putting aside its truly passerine anatomy, habits, and song-notes (with highly imitative propensity), the nest ofM. alberti figured by Mr. Gould (P. Z. S. 1853, Aves, pi. 53) might suffice to decide the question. 804. LOPHOPHORUS IMPEYANUS. Egg figured in P. Z. S. 1858 [Aves, pi. 149. fig. 5), and chick {ibid. pi. 148. fig. 2). 808. PUCRASIA MACROLOPHA. Egg figured in 'Contributions to Ornithology,' 1850, pi. 57. The Tragopan duvauceli, Temm. (PI. Col. 545), represents P. castanea, Gould ; and the specific name holds precedence. P. nipalensis, Gould, is less satisfactorily distinguished, and may prove to be a hybrid race between P. duvauceli and P. macro- lopha. A good third species, however, has been sent from North China, the P. xanthospila, G. R. Gray (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 259, pi. 20). A supposed female of P. macrolopha in the Calcutta Museum is in perfect male attire, the sex being presumed from its size and the absence of spurs ; there is a similar specimen in the India Museum ; and I have seen others. Numerous examples on Dr. Jcrdon's 'Birds of India* 153 sent by Mr. Hodgson from Nipal differ in no respect from the race of the North-western Himalaya; and the occurrence of the presumed hybrid (P. nipalensis of Gould) would indicate that the habitat of P. duvauceli is contiguous, the alleged habitat, Katiristiin, being, of course, quite out of the question*. It is more likely the " species very common in the jungles and woods of Cashmere, which," remarks Dr. Adams, " I have not examined and am inclined to consider different from P. macro- lopha. Its crow is like that of the domestic cock, but not so prolonged \i. e. that of Gallus ferrugineus ferus] . The valley of the Duchinpara and surrounding ranges of the Northern Pinjal are its favourite and particular localities " (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 186). I have already (Ibis, 1865, p. 28, note) mentioned the true form of crest in this genus, so utterly misrepresented in Mr. Gould's and other published figures ; but when the sinci- pital tufts are not erected (as also in Phasianus colchicus), they lie recumbent, as in Hardwicke's pubUshed figure (Ill.Ind.Zool.), which, no doubt, was taken from the living bird. 809. Gallophasis albocristatus. Eggs of this bird and of G. melanonotus and G. horsfieldi are figured in P. Z. S. 1858, Aves, pi. 149, and chicks of the first two in the preceding plate. The Lophophorus cuvier'i, Temm. (PI. Col. V. pi. 1), represents one of the hybrid race referred to, between G. lineatus and G. horsfieldi. These completely pass one into the other in the province of Arakan, whence some living specimens have been received by the Zoological Society. In like manner G. albocristatus and G, melanonotus interbreed in the intermediate province of Nipal, G. melanonotus being the species inhabiting Sikhim and Butan, where most assuredly G. lineatus is unknown, the latter inhabiting southward of the range of G. horsfieldi, i. e. in Pegu and the Tenasserim pro- vinces, whex-e I have personally observed it in the forests f. Ac- cording to Dr. A. L. Adams, G. albocristatus is " rare on the Cashmere ranges ; more plentiful on those near the Punjab. This * For what exceedingly little is known of the fauna of Kafiristan, if that be not much too strong an expression, vide J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 332. t Specimens of G. lineatus in the British Museum are labelled from Butan, as also several Tenasserim species of Sciurus, as S. atrodorsalis &c. 154 Mr. Blyth^s Commentary and Pucrasia m^acrolopha are not seen in the same localities. Both are common on certain ranges about Simla, — the G. albo- cristatus low down, while the P. macrolojjha inhabits the oak and pine forests at higher elevations on the same ranges^^ (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 186). 812. Gallus ferrugineus. Of the wild Common Fowl Dr. Jcrdon remarks, " ear-coverts white." He means the white cheek-lappets, which are all but constant in the Indian bird, and much improve its appearance. In the Burmese race the ear-lappets are crimson, like the comb and wattles ; and these, by the way, are small in the hen, not " wanting," as Dr. Jerdon strangely asserts. The Jungle-fowl mostly droops the tail, and has quite a different bearing from that of the domestic races — more Pheasant-like. The outline of Mr. Gould^s figure of Euplocamus vieilloti (B. As. pt. iv.), copied from life, is exactly that of the wild Common Fowl. I have seen the cock strut forth most proudly and majestically, with remarkable grace of action ; and the rapidity of movements of those in the Zoological Gardens must have struck the attention of many observers. A not very good figure of the cock G. sunnerati is given in illustration of a paper by M. Sacc (Rev. Zool. 1863, p. 11, pi. 3) : and the cock G. stanleyi is figured by M. O. des Murs (Icon. Orn. pi. 18) ; but the comb and wattles are represented red and shrunken, instead of yellow with a red edge ! Otherwise the figure is tolerably good ; and both of these plates give the true Pheasant-like contour of the different wild Jungle-fowl. The hens of G. ferrugineus, G. stanleyi, and G. varius are figured together in one plate by Gen. Hard- wicke (111. Ind. Zool.)*. The Indian G. ferrugineus I have found most difficult to tame if captured when adult — far more so than G.sonnerati and G. stanleyi, or, indeed, than any other game- bird that I have had experience of; not so the Burmese race, which is more Bantam-like in appearance, and has a somew^hat coarser leg. This coarseness of the leg is greater in all the domestic races ; but it is not observable in domestic Peafowl, Turkeys, and Guinea-fowl, as compared with the wild birds of * lu the hen G. xtanleyi the small comb and wattles are wholly yellow. on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 155 the same species*. In localities where the Bengal Jungle-fowl is common, I have sought in vain for any traces of intermixture of its blood among the domestic poultry bred abundantly in the neighbouring villages, and which are left pretty much to find their own food in the adjacent jungle. In Burma, on the con- trary, such intermixture is commonly observable, so that the wild and tame poultry fairly grade into each other ; but I never saw the wild bird with legs more or less greenish or even yel- low, as are or were some of the birds in the Zoological Gardens. Among the Karens I have come upon tame Jungle-fowl hatched and reared by domestic hens j and the difference of their manner from those of ordinary fowls, their companions, was strikingly conspicuous : they would rapidly creep under cover at sight of a stranger ; and I observed that they preferred roosting upon trees to taking shelter with the other poultry. The Malayan race resembles the Burmese; but the cocks are considerably deeper and redder in colouring : and the range of this race is noticed by Mr. Wallace to extend to Lombok and Timor ; it is said also to inhabit the Philippines. In Irwin's " Memoir on Afghanistan " (J. A. S. B. viii. p. 1007) it is stated that " the common fowl is found in its wild state in the whole of Turkestan, especially Balkh.^' Surely this is a mistake ! In the Asiatic Society's Museum at Calcutta there is a Bengal Jungle-hen with well-developed spurs. The very extensive distribution of the Common Fowl in its wild state contrasts remarkably with the limited range of G. stanleyi, which is confined to Ceylon, as G. sonnerati is to the peninsular portion of India. The G. sonnerati of the list of hill- birds given in Royle's ' Himalayan Botany ' refers, of course, to G.ferrugineus, which occurs up to about 4000 feet elevation, the name "jungle-fowl" (doubtless supplied by Royle) having been translated as G. sonnerati ! However the voice may vary in the multitudinous races of domestic fowls, it is only by modifications of the same note, being essentially different from that of G. sonnerati or the dissyllabic note of G. stanleyi. I have remarked the shedding of the nuchal ruff after the breed- * For remarks on the domestication of the Turkey and the Guinea-fowl, vide J. A. S. B. xxix. p. 387 et seq. 156 Mr. Blyth^s Commentary ing-season, and its replacement by short blackish feathers, both in G.ferrugineus and G. sonnerati, as also in some domestic chan- ticleers. G. temmincki, Gray {P. Z. S. 1849, pi. 7 & 8), I consider to be most decidedly a hybrid between G.varius and the Domestic Fowl, as is likewise the G. ceneus, Temminck, the hybrid vary- ing according to the breed or colouring of its domestic parent. There surely is no fact more encouraging to the promoters of ac(!limatization than that the Common Fowl, which is indigenous to some of the hottest parts of Asia and its islands, should now be so generally diffused (in its domestic state) over the world, being reared even within the Arctic circle. The same remark applies almost as strongly to the Indian Peafowl. Indeed it would seem that all of the typical Gallinacea are disposed to thrive in temperate climates, requiring little or no protection from the weather (unless at night) so long as they are adequately supplied with food. But the Himalayan Pheasants do not live long in captivity in the warm plains of India. I suspect that the different Jungle-fowls would prove as hardy as the common Pheasant if turned loose into English woods. They have a vi- gorous flight when they do rise, and show to much advantage on the wing*. " Fowls are found wild in the unfrequented parts of the island of Tahiti, which appear to be specilically the same with \i. e. similar to] those held in a state of domestication by the natives at the time of their discovery by Europeans, and continued to the present day" (T. R. Peale). ''The cock domesticated in the Philippine Islands, and (as was ascertained by the naturalists of the Exploring Expedition in the ' Vincennes ' and ' Peacock ') in the island of Tahiti also, is the nearest approach to the Jungle- cock of India (G. hankiva) of any of the numerous domestic varieties that have come under our notice. It appears, in fact, to be quite unmixed with any other species [domestic race], and differs only from the parent bird in being of larger size, and in having the comb larger and more deeply serrated. All the * The Burmese Jungle-fowls loose about the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park have withstood the past sevei'e winter (1866-67) remarkably well, without any special protection being accorded to them. I am told they always roost high upon the trees at night. Sonnerat's Jungle-fowl proves to be less hardy, though a few have survived without shelter. on Dr. Jerdon^s 'Birds of India.' J 57 colours are very nearly completely identical " (Cassin, in ' Orni- thology of Wilkes's U. S. Exploring Expedition/ p. 190). Figures are given by Mr. Cassin of the heads of the Tahitiau bird and G. ferrugineus {ferus), respecting which I have to re- mark that the true form of comb in the wild bird is that of the figure of the Tahitian ! The comb and wattles assigned to G. feri'ugineus are dry and shrivelled, and the former is not of the usual form behind, I never saw a Jungle-fowl's comb like it. The Tahitian bird is probably, like many domestic fowls which I saw in difierent parts of Burma, hardly removed from the wild type. It is curious that the red English game-cock is bred back nearly to the aboriginal form, though considerably larger ; while the Indian game-fowls have a coarse leg and a distin- guishing " pearl-eye.'' Lastly, I would call attention to the fact that the fowls sculptured on the Lycian Marbles in the British Museum are true Jungle-fowl in appearance, like those domestic races of Burma, the Philippines, and Tahiti which I have been considering. 814. Galloperdix spadicea. I have seen this species from the Oudh and Gorrukpore tarai. The genus appears to me to be the Indian representative of Polyplectrum, and by no means to be so nearly akin to Galltis as Dr. Jerdon considers it. Compare more especially the females of Polyj)lectrwn and Galloperdise — and, again, that of Ithaginis, which assuredly comes nearer to Galloperdix than aught else (it being the Himalayan or mountain form of the same group). Or compare the living Polyplectrum and Galloperdix in the Zoolo- gical Gardens. The new P. germaini, D. G. Elliot (Ibis, 1866, p. 56), of Cochin China, appears even to have the cheeks crimson, like the species of Galloperdix. Polyplectrum (like the Gibbons or long- armed Apes) belongs to the Indo-Chinese and Malayan provinces of the Indian region, and is foreign to the Indian pro- vince of that region. 818. Francolinus vulgaris. With regard to the respective ranges of this and F. picttis, Captain Beavan writes word that " F. vulgaris is tolerably com- mon in Maunbhoom ; no F. pictus met with : Jerdon is mis- taken as regards this part of the country." Dr. Adams re- 158 Mr. Blyth's Commentary marks that F. vulgaris is common in cultivated localities on the lesser ranges^ never in the valley of Kashmir or Ladakh. " The bird of the hills differs in size from that found in the plains of India, and its plumage is more brilliant. I have not compared the two. Many sportsmen consider them distinct ; I think the differences are merely locaP' (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 186). For the western range of this species, past and present, see Lord Lilford's paper in '^ The Ibis' for 1862 (p. 352). F. yemensis, Nicholson (figured in P. Z. S. 1851, Aves, pi. 40), is obviously a Caccabis. 819. Francolinus pictus. Among the generic characters assigned by Dr. Jerdon we read (vol. iii. p. 558), " tarsi of the male with strong but blunt spurs." F. pictus, however, is spurless. The spurs consist of blunt knobs in F. vulgaris; and in F. p/iay7-ii (J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 1001, xxiv. p. 480) they are considerably more developed — more so than I have ever seen in F. sinensis (which is naturalized in the Mauritius), though not more so than in Vieillot's figure (Gal. des Ois. pi. 213). The last two resemble each other in plumage ; but F. phayrii is smaller, with the bill and legs con- spicuously less robust. To this bird must be referred the Sia- mese F. pictus noixcQdi by Schomburgk (Ibis, 1864, p. 263). 821, Ammoperdix bonhami (Gray) ; 0. des Murs, Icon. Orn. pi. 29, 6 . 822. Ortygornis ponticeriana. Dr. Adams states that this species is abundant on the low hills of the lesser ranges bordering the Punjab, but not near the val- ley of Kashmir or northward (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 186). It is common in the low northern half of Ceylon. A specimen in the Derby Museum at Liverpool has the entire throat feiTuginous, this colour filling up the space which is usually indicated by a peripheral line. The species is thus figured by Temminck (PI. Col. 213). 825. Arboricola rufogularis was met with by Colonel Tickell in the mountainous interior of the Tenasserim provinces (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 276), together with a very distinct new species, A. brunneipectus. Subsequently he obtained a third species in the same tract of country, which he named A. chloropus. The on Dr. Jerclon*s 'Birds of India.' 159 Partridges of this group are best obtained from natives of the country, who understand netting them. Comparatively few fall to the gun. They rise singly in such difficult places, in steep bamboo-clad hills, that even if occasionally hit by a snap shot they are ofteuer lost than picked up in localities where a trained dog is an unattainable desideratum: but there are ways of netting or snaring them; for I have received from Sylhet several dozens at a time of live A. atrogularis ; and a lot of A. tor- queola is similarly now and then obtainable at Almoreh and other Himalayan stations. This group of Pmra-Partridges, with long (or moderately long) straight claws and spurless, is greatly developed in the jungle-clad hills of South-eastern Asia and its islands, where pro- bably several species yet remain to be discovered. I think we can already enumerate : — (A. With the throat well feathered.) 1. A. torqueola (Temm. PI. Col. 462, 463). The only spe- cies known to me in which the sexes present a marked difference of plumage, and a pair of which are now living in the Regent's Park Gardens. Himalaya. 2. A. rufogularis, nobis, J. A. S. B. xviii. p. 819, from the South-eastern Himalaya, at a lower altitude than the preceding race, and also the Tenasserim Mountains. 3. A. brunneipectus, Tickell (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 276). Te- nasserim Mountains. 4. A. javanica (Brown, 111. Zool. pi. 17; Temm. PI. Col. 148; but qucere the red surrounding the eye?). Java. 5. A. (?) ceruginosa (Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 106) . Malayan Peninsula. (B. With the throat thinly clad with feathers, showing the crimson beneath.) 6. A. personata (Horsf. Zool. Res. pi. ; Perdix orientalis, Horsf., Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 184). Sumatra (?) and Java. 7. A. atrogularis, nobis (J. A. S. B. xviii. p. 819; Perdix olivacea of Buchanan Hamilton's Drawings, not of Hardwicke's 111. Ind. Zool.). Hills bordering the valley of the Brahmaputra River southward. 8. A. intermedia, nobis (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 277). Probably fi'oin Arakan. 160 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 9. A. charltoni (Eyton, Ann.& Mag. N. H. 1845, xvi. p. 230). Malayan Peninsula^ in Pinang, and Province Wellesley. (Type of Tropicoperdix, nobis, passim) . Tenasserim Mountains. 10. A. chloropus, Tickell (J. A. S. B. xxviii. pp. 415, 453). Tenasserim Mountains. (C. With a large bare space in front of neck.) 11. A. punctulata (Hardw. 111. Ind. ZooL). Hab. ? 12. A. crudigularis {Oreuperdix crudigularis, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1864, p. 426) . Formosa *. The Perdix oculea, Temm. (Pig. et Gall. iii. p. 408; Tetrao ocellatus, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 322 ; Hardw. Ill, Ind. Zool.), of Mergui province and Sumatra, is the type of my Ca- loperdix ; and P. thoracica, Temm. (Pig. et Gall. iii. p. 335, Perdix and Arhoricola sphenura, Gray), is the type of Bambusi- cola, Gould, to which a second species has been added by Mr. Swinhoe from Formosa, B. sonorivox, Gould (B. As. pt. xvi.). 826. Perdicula cambaiensis (Latham) ; Temm. PI. Col. 447. The peculiar quivering whistle, which this species almost con- stantly utters continuously, should be noticed. It is the only species in Bengal. In a letter received from Capt. Beavan he states that this species is tolerably common in Maunbhoom. " I have got," he adds, '' a female (by dissection) exactly like the male, with black bars across the breast, and a male without any bars at all (simply pale rufous with white shafts to the breast- feathers); and a young female (half-grown) is the same." I have asked Capt. Beavan to procure a good series ; for the varia- tion of plumage is certainly not yet sufficiently understood. Perdix raalteni, Temm., of Flores and Timor, appears to me to be a Perdicula] but I should like to see more examples of it. If the male wants the blunt tubercle in place of the spur, so also does that of Francolinus pictus as compared with F. vulgaris. 828. Perdicula erythrorhyncha (Sykes) ; Microperdix ei-ythrorhyncha, Gould, B. As. pt. xiv. pi. This certainly is not a Perdicula, but appears to me more nearly allied to Excalfactoria. In other words, it is a Quail, and not a diminutive Partridge as the name Microperdix implies. * There would also seem to be a species in the Philippines (Martens, J. f. O. 1866, p. 25). on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.* 161 830. CoTURNix coROMANDELiANA is noticed from China in the Report accompanying the narrative of Commodore Perry's expedition ; but it is not included in Mr. Swinhoe's list. 831. ExcALFACTORiA CHiNENSis (Linn.) [vide P. Z. S. 1863, p. 221). E. minima, Gould (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 128), from Celebes does not appear to me to be particularly well distinguished. 832 and 833. Turnix tatgoor and T. ocellata. Onolus[\) ocellatus of Scopoli [Tetrao luzoniensis, Gm.),of the Philippines, China, and Formosa, is quite distinct ; and Dr. Jer- don's No. 833isT'.j9w</nfla7(Temm.) ofthe Indo-Chinese and Ma- layan countries, insufficiently distinguishable (as I think) from T. taigoor of India, unless by the fact that some Malayan females {Hemipodius atrogularis,l^y ton) have a greater development of the black in front of the neck. A female from Ceylon, in the posses- sion of Mr. Wallace, has the abdominal region of a much deeper rufous colouring than I have seen in any other; and Mr. Layard discriminates this as a different variety from that inhabiting the low northern half of the island, which latter does not differ from the Indian race. I would bring all together under T. pugnax (Temm.), subject to a certain amount of local variation. 834 and 835. Turnix dussumieri (apud Jerdon) and T. SYKESI. Referring to the original figure of T. dussumieri (PI. Col. 454. f. 2) from Bengal, I find it to represent No. 835, the di- mensions assigned being, length 5 inches, and the wing measur- ing (in the figure) 2' 75 in. Dr. Jerdon gives the same length of wing to both species ; but that must be a mistake. The wing of the allied T. maculosa measxives. 4 inches; and that of No. 834 is about intermediate. The latter should now rank as T. TANKi (B. Ham.) as described by me in J. A. S. B. xii. p. 181 (bis) {= T. joudera, Hodgson, by which name it is figured by Gray and Mitchell, 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 131,. No. 835 is T. dussumieri {vera) {=T. sykesi, A. Smith). I had identi- fied (Ibis, 1865, p. 33) the Ortygis luzoniensis of Horsfield's Javan list with No. 834; but Mr. Wallace has described a nearly allied race from Timor as T. rufescens (P. Z. S. 1863, 162 Mr, BlytVs Commentary p. 497), and the Javan specimen referred to is decidedly identical with the latter. Had Mr. Wallace's specimen been Indian, I should not have hesitated to regard it as a small male of T. tanki, as I formerly long considered a unique specimen of T. maculosa from Arakan to be an unusually large female of T. tanki. It would now seem that T. tanki is peculiar to the special Indian province of the Indian region, T. maculosa to the Indo-Chinese province (with China), and T. rufescens to the Malayan province. T. maculosa is figured by Vieillot (Gal. des Ois. pi. 217) with the rufous extending round the front of the neck, evidently a fine female — which compare with the figure of T. tanki by Gray and Mitchell. Mr. Wallace has noted the legs of T. rufescens to be "pale yellow;" whereas those of T. tanki could scarcely be described as pale yellow ; they are tolerably deep and bright garaboge-yellow, while those of T. dussumiei'i are pinkish-white or flesh-coloured, and those of T. pugnax are plumbeous. T. pugnax and T. tanki are more or less common in most parts of India, the latter being rarer south- ward ; but T. dussumieri is so rare in Lower Bengal that I only obtained one specimen of it a few weeks before my departure, which was taken in a garden in Calcutta. Mr. Wallace has a very distinct new Turnip from Macassar, with a remarkably stout bill, as yet undescribed. 836. EUPODOTIS EDWARDSI. The Chinese Bustard referred to (iii. p. 611) was identified, from the sternum only, by Mr. A. Newton with the European and Asiatic Otis tarda, as I am informed by him. 837. HouBARAMACQUEENi (Gray); Journal fiir Ornithologie, 1856, taf. iii. 838. Sypheotides bengalensis. A number of these birds, turned loose into the garden of my late friend R. W. G. Frith, Esq., having their wings clipped, would eagerly pluck at and swallow the large double flowers of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (the " shoe-flower " of Anglo-Indians) . A fine male has lived since 1857 in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, and has regularly undergone its seasonal changes, as I have likewise observed of others living in captivity. An egg of the species is figured (Coatrib. Orn. pi. 47). on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 163 839. SypHEOTiDEs AURiTus (Latham); Temm. PL Col. 533. Otis tetrax (iii. p. 625) has been intelligibly described to me as an inhabitant of the Peshawar valley, where, on account of its small size, it is commonly given to the trained Falcons when struck down by them. It is known to be common in Mesopo- tamia; and my informant was well acquainted with the Likh {S. auritus.) 840. CuRsoRius coROMANDELicus (Gmel.) ; Vieillot, Gal. des Ois. pi. 232 [figura mala) ; Gould, B. As. pt. viii. pi. 840, bis. CuRSORius gallicus ; Appendix, p. 874. In a letter lately received. Dr. Jerdon mentions that this bird is " tolerably common " in the desert country westward of Delhi; whence he has sent a specimen. The egg is figured (Ibis, 1859, pi. ii.). 842. Glareola orientalis extends its range to China. It breeds sometimes in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, where I have seen two or three brought to the provision-bazar too young to fly. A specimen with the feathers half-grown is mounted in the Calcutta Museum, and another which must have been bred at no great distance. Mr. Gould now considers the Aus- tralian Pratincole to be distinct from this. He has received the true G, pratincola from both the Bombay and Madras Pre- sidencies By a slip of the pen Dr. Jerdon assigns Oreophilus totanirostris to Austraha (iii. p. 629) instead of South America. 845. Charadrius longipes. Mr. Gould gives the range of the European C. pluvialis as extending to Afghanistan (B. Gt. Brit. pt. v.). C pluvialis from China, noticed in the Ornithological Report accompanying the narrative of Commodore Perry^s Expedition, is of course C. longipes. 846. ^GIALITES LESCHENAULTI (LcSSOu) . To this species belongs the Charadrius asiaticus of Horsfield and of Mr. Tristram (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 450), but not of Pallas, which is quite a difi'erent bird, and identified by Mr. Gould (Handb. B. Austral, ii. p. 229) with his C. veredus (the Cursorius isabellinus of Horsfield !), the latter being the young. The true C. asiaticus will N. S. VOL. III. N 164 Mr. Blyth's Commentary probably yet turn up in India. Amongst the abundance of small waders which are brought daily to the Calcutta provision-bazar during the cold season, and for some time afterwards, JE. lesche- naulti is by no means common ; whereas jE. mo7igolicus is very plentifully supplied. The former has been received from Aden. 847. iEoiALiTEs MONGOLicus (Pallas) {cf. Ibis, 1865, p. 34); Middendorff, Sib. Reise, taf. xix. Charadrius pyrrhothorax, Temminck, should be erased from the list of synonyms, the North-African species in summer dress having no white on the forehead and less rufous on the breast. These birds, with JE. leschenaulti, are akin to ^. wilsoni of North America and JE. inornatus of Australia. 849. This is ^Egialites curonicus (Beseke) {Charadrius minor, Meyer; Gould, B, E. pi. 297) is distinct from JS. philip- pensis (Scop.) {C.peroni, Temm.?), which is a species interme- diate between it and JE. cantianus, obtained by Mr. Wallace in Borneo. ^. philippensis in nuptial dress has the usual white forehead surmounted by a black band, also a black loral streak and auriculars in part, crown rufescent-brown with a more rufous periphery, some black behind the white nuchal collar above, the black pectoral streak narrow or interrupted in front, and the tail unhanded, with the outermost three feathers white; legs pale in the dry specimens. Length of wing 4 inches, of tarsi 1*12 inch, JE. curonicus was observed breeding in Central India by Capt. Beavan (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 376). 850. iEaiALiTES MiNUTUs (Pallas), apud Jerdon. Two spe- cimens are in the East-India Museum, one of which is the C philippensis of Sykes's list (P. Z. S. 1832, p. 166). After learn- ing the distinctness of j^. philippensis and ^. curonicus, I reexamined the type-specimen of Horsfield's Hiaticula pusilla; and though in bad condition, especially about the nape, I now recognize it as distinct and identical with Hiaticula mificapilla (Gould, B. Austr. vi. pi. xvii.) . It is in winter dress, and has not the white collar seen at all seasons in others of the present group. As compared with ^. curonicus, the tail is more cuneate, with the dark band considerably less developed, showing only as a slight narrow cross stripe on the outermost feathers. on Dr. Jcrdou's 'Birds of India.' ]G5 ^GiALiTES NiGRiFRONs (Cuv.) [Chavadrius melanops, Vieillot, Gal. des Ois. pi. 235 ; Gould, B. Austr. vi. pi. 20 ; C. russatus, Jerdon, Madr. Jouru. Lit. Sc. 1840, p. 213) is omitted by Dr. Jerdon, though he obtained a single specimen near Madras in the month of June {i. e. during the southern winter), which is now in the Calcutta Museum. Of course it is an exceedingly rare and accidental straggler. ^GiALiTEs HiATicuLA (L.); Charadrius placidus, G.^. Gray, B. M. Cat. Hodgson's Coll. 2nd ed. p. 70. Two examples of what I consider to be the common British Ring-Plover are among the skins sent by Mr. Hodgson to the British Museum. Both Mr. G. R. Gray and I have in vain sought to identify the C indicus of Latham [nee Riipp.). 853. Ch^tusia leucura (Licht.); Ibis, 1865, pi. x. ; Cha- radrius grallarius, Lesson, C. villotai, Audouin ; Vanellus ara- lensis, Eversm. Bull. Mosc. xxvi. pt. 2. p. 497; V. flavipes, Savigny ; the last specific name holds precedence. Dr. Jerdon has sent a specimen from Hansi. 854. Ch^tusia cinerea (Blyth) ; Pluvianus and Lohivanellus cinereus, nobis (J. A. S. B. 1842, xi. p. 587); L. inornaf.us, Temm. and Schl. Fauna Japon. Aves, tab. Ixiii., 1850. The black of the lower part of the breast is characteristic of the breeding-season. Pluvianus cinereus, nobis, is erroneously given as a synonym of C. gregaria by Dr. Bree. 856. Sarciophorus bilobus can scarcely be said to be " rare in Bengal." Two or three dozen specimens, at least, might be procured every season in the Calcutta provision-bazar; and I have repeatedly observed flocks upon arable land in the course of excursions which I have made up the river Hugli. 857. HoPLOPTERUS MALABARicus (Bodd.); "Charadriusmyops, Lesson," Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1851, p. 570. Dr. Bree identifies this bird with the African H. spinosus, but, as I think, wrongly. It is common along the Burmese rivers, together with 858. EsACus RECURViROSTRis (Gray and Mitch, 111. Gen. B. N 2 166 Mr. Blyth's, Commentarij iii. p. 142), which latter I have obtained^ rarely, in the Calcutta bazar ; the former never. 859. CEdicnemus crepitans; (E. indicus, Salvadori, Atti Soc. Ital. Sc. Nat. 1866, torn. viii. [Cf. ' Ibis/ 1866, p. 415.) Not very uncommon. 861. Dromas ardeola. It was not only from the consideration of the plumage of im- maturity that I concluded this remarkable bird to be akin to the Terns (J. A. S. B. xxi. p. 352). Prof. Schlegel, it appears, holds to the same opinion ; as does also Mr. E. L. Layard, who was familiar with the living bird (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1854, xiv. p. 270). It seems to me to bear that relationship to the Terns which Phcenicopterus does to the Geese, and to be allied neither to Esacus nor Anastomus. An egg sent to me as that of this species by Mr.E.L. Layard was very Tern-like; but, according to Dr. Heuglin, the Dromas " breeds socially, in June and July, in deep holes, made by itself, on sandy islands " (Ibis, 1859, p. 346) . 862. H^MATOPUs osTREALEGUS, accordiug to Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 310), should be Hamatopus longirostris, Gray. Among the characters assigned to the Gniidce, Dr. Jerdon re- marks (vol. iii. p. 661) that "the tracheae are elongated, enter the lidge of the sternum, and are convoluted within it." This is true of Grus and of the scarcely separable Anthropoides, but not of Balearica. In the latter form the usual " sterno-tracheal " muscles are attached to the first pair of true ribs, and the trachea does not enter the keel of the sternum. 864. Grus leucogeranus. Dr. Jerdon lately wrote from Hansi, "A first-rate bird-catcher has assured me that a large white Crane came here every year, which he called the Chini Kulong [Chinese Crane], evidently G. leucogeranus J' I have since heard of one obtained in Oude, which is now in the Museum at Lucknow. 868. Gallinago nemoricola was only once obtained by me in the Calcutta provision-bazar. The same remark applies to Chatusia flavipes, Phalaropusfulicarius, and Pseuduscolopax semi- pahnatus. One of the large eastern species of Gallinago is errone- on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India. ^ 167 ously figured by Gustav Radde as Scolopax {Spilura) stenura, Temm. (Reisen &c. ii. taf. xiii.). 871. Gallixago scolopacinus. Mr. Gould (B. Gt. Brit. pt. iv.) considers the common fan- tailed Snipe of India and China identical with the British species. 873. Rhynch^a bengalensis (L.) ; R. variegata, Vieillot, Gal. des Ois. pi. 240. The egg and chick have been figured (Contrib. Orn. 1852, pi. 89) ; and Mr. Layard (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xi. p. 228) says, " nest, a slight depression of the soil, lined with a few tufts of grass ; eggs four in number, of a brownish-yellow, washed all over with dark blotches, rather more frequent at the obtuse end, apparently at times taking an annular form." The young, with feathers half grown, spread the wings and tail, displaying their beautiful markings as in Eurypyga, and try to look fierce at the beholder. I have occasionally obtained broods of four each in the Calcutta bazar, but could never get them to live ; nor could I manage to keep the old birds in captivity as I have succeeded in doing with Snipes. 874. PSEUDOSCOLOPAX semipalmatus. Mr. Swinhoe well remarks of this species, " In its bright summer garb, and in almost every particular, this bird is a per- fect Godwit. You have only to cut off the bill, and it is almost undistinguishable from Limosa uropygialis. It forms the same connecting link between Limosa and Scolopax that MacrorJiam- phus griseus appears to form between Tutanus and Scolopax." (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 313). Why not Limosa, rather than Totanus, in both instances ? Limosa lapponica (L.), as a species occurring rarely in the Himalaya (Ibis, 1865, p. 36), must be added to the Indian list. 876. Terbkia ciNEREA (Gmcl.), Scolopax sumatrana, B^af^es. S77. NuMENius LiNEATUs, Cuv. Rcguc An. 2nd ed. i. p. 52, note 2 (" Courlis h taches etroites de Tlnde ") (A^. major, Temm. and Schl. Faun. Japon. ^?'e5, pi. Ixvi.), is the Indian Curlew, and not iV. arcuatus (L.) as stated by Dr. Jerdon. The difference 168 Mr. Blyth^s Commentanj struck me at once upon my return to England and again seeing numbers of the latter hanging up in the poulterers^ shops. British Curlews are far more uniform in size, and have the breast and flanks much more conspicuously spotted, the spots being broader and more developed. Both species, however, are noted by Mr. Swinhoe from China, N. lineatus as a more southern bird than the other*. Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1863, pp. 317, 318) gives as many as nine species of Curlew (one or two perhaps insufficiently distinguished) from China, Formosa, and Japan ; and his no. 314 is perhaps the supposed A^. tenuirostris " stated to have been met with in Burmah,'^ according to Dr. Jerdon. I have consider- able doubt, however, of the latter having been other than a small-sized individual of N. lineatus, a species which varies re- markably in size, quite as much so as Limusa (pgocephala ; and I believe that the A^. arcuatulus, Hodgson (Gray, Misc. p. 86 ; B. M. Cat. Hodgson's Coll. 2nd ed. p. 137), is founded on a small-sized N. Imeatus. I long habitually sought for the sup- posed N. tenuirostris among the considerable numbers of N. li- neatus brought to the Calcutta bazar ; and once only I obtained N. phaopus, which, it may be remarked, is not the " Wood- cock" of Bengal tables, as Dr. Jerdon strangely asserts (p. 685), Limosa eegocephala being the species so called. 879. Ibidorhynchus struthersi, Vigors ; Gould, B. As. pt. viii, pi. 884. Tringa damacensis, Horsf. ; T. subminuta, Middend., is quite distinct from T. minuta, L., which has a broader bill and shorter toes. T. albescens, Temm., has been obtained in Ceylon (Ibis, 1864, p. 420) : it is identified by Prof. Schlegel with T. minuta. 886. Tringa pygm^ea is not often brought to the Calcutta bazar. Amongst the great numbers of T. subarcuata it rarely happens that two or three may be selected of T. cinclus or this species, which is the supposed Eurhinorhynchus pygmcms of Mr. Swinhoe on a former occasion (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 317), an error which he afterwards corrected (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 272). * Pi'of. Schlegel gives N. major from Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and South Africa, and N. arcuata from Nepal (!), Sumatra, and Java (Mus. P.-B. Scolopaces, p. 8.9). on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' 169 887. EURHINORHYNCHUS PYGM^US. In summer dress this bird has the head, neck, and breast bright rufous, as shown by a specimen in Mr. Barrow's collec- tion obtained in one of the Arctic voyages (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 201). 890. LOBIPES HYPERBOKEUS. A specimen in winter dress was obtained in one of the Aru Islands by Mr. Wallace ! (P. Z. S. 1858, p. 188). 891. AcTiTis GLAEEOLA is brought in extraordinary num- bers to the bazar ; but amongst them I could never detect the Totanus ajffinis as figured by Hardwicke and described by Swin- hoe. The Totanus affinis of Horsfield, as shown by the type specimen in the India Museum, and formerly mentioned by Strickland (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1844, xi v. p. 120), is identical with the Tringa glareola of Gmelin. The name affinis, how- ever, may perhaps be retained for Mr. Swinhoe's species, but in that case as affinis of Hardwicke and Gray {nee Horsfield). In Borneo it is said to be " a true freshwater species, frequenting rivers, and perching on the batangs or large logs of drift timber, being frequently seen in small packs, probably families, and flying close under the banks of the river, with a jerking, uneasy flight " (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 222). The T. leueurus of Hardwicke and Gray, represented on the same plate, remains to be identified. 893. AcTiTis HYPOLEUCA is Certainly very common in Lower Bengal during the cold season. 894. Totanus glottis. Dr. Jerdon omits to describe the summer dress. I have not found it to diff'er from that of T. stagnatilis, varying much in intensity of development in both species. Both of them are brought in considerable numbers to the bazar. How familiar to my recollection at this moment, in imagination, sounds the ringing tung-tung of the Greenshank, in association with remem- brance of the scenery of its haunts ! It is even a more charac- teristic accompaniment than is the whistle of Numenius lineatus, which is similar to that of the British Curlew. 898. Himantopus candidus. I have lately seen Australian specimens with the black nape. 170 Mr. Blyth's Commentary quite similar to certain Bengal examples* {cf. Ibis, 1865, p. 35). 900. Metopidius indicus (Lath.); Parra melanochloris et P. melanoviridis, Vieill., Gal. des Ois. pi. 264. Adults of this species are similar at all seasons, unlike those of Hydrophasianus sinensis. This I can assert positively from long-continued observation of the numbers of both species which are brought almost daily during the greater part of the year (more or less) to the bazar. I am unable to perceive any affi- nity to the Rallida, on the part of the Parrida, in structure or in habits, plumage, or the character of the eggs or chickf ; and the Palamedeidce appear to me to approach rather the Spur- winged Geese, and especially Anseranas. The anatomy and also the eggs and young of the ParridcB indicate considerable rela- tionship to the Snipes and Plovers, but most assuredly not to the RallidcE. They stand, however, very much per se as an isolated and strongly marked group. The eggs of both of the Indian species of Jacana have been figured (Contrib. Orn. 1852, pi. 89). 901. Hydrophasianus sinensis (Gmel.) ; Vieill., Gal. des Ois. pi. 265. This bird carries the back horizontally, the head sunk between the shoulders (so that the crown is commonly on a level with the back), and the long arched middle tail-feathers are well raised, often more so than in Mr. Gould's figure (B. As. pt. vii.), as may be seen in a stufied specimen which I sent to the Indian Museum. * The whole of the Scolopacidoi enumerated by Riippell as occiu'ring in North-eastern Africa, twenty-two in number (Syst. Uebers. p. 125), are likewise met with in Lower Bengal, excepting J\%?«e/M«s arcuafus (replaced by N. Kneati(s), Trim/a miiiuta (replaced by T. damacemis) , Calidris are- narin, Gallinar/o major, and G. (equinoctialis ; of his twenty-four species of Charadriadce, only GLdicnemus crepitans (?), jEgudites lescheiiaidti, JE. indica (?), JE. cantiana, and ^. curonica, — Hcematopus being presumedly different ; but the genera and subgenera are the same, excepting only that of the Dottrel. ^. indica, Rlipp. (nee Charadrius indicus, Lath.), is C. tricollaris, Vieill. (cf. Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Cursores, p. 24). t Cf. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 613 : Ibis, 1864, p. 3G0. on Dr. Jei'don's 'Birds of India.' 171 902. PoRPHYRio POLiocEPHALUs (Lath.); " P. smaragnotus, Teram./' Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 165. On the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal the range of this species extends to the South Tenasserira provinces ; while that either of P. smaragdinus, Temm. (the Sumatran species), or of P. indicus (the Javau race, which diflfers slightly) begins with the Malayan Peninsula. 904. Gallicrex cristata. The range of this bird extends to China. After the breeding- season the caruncle of the male shrinks into a mere pointed frontal shield, and the colouring of the plumage changes by moulting to that of the female. The hue of the breeding-season is assumed by a change of colouring in the same feathers as the caruncle again rises. Judging from Mr. Wolf's figures of the Weka- Rail of New Zealand, I should infer that the plumage of the male of that species undergoes a similar change. 906. Gallinula burnesi. This presumed species was discriminated from the fragments of a specimen (which should still be in a stoppered bottle in the Calcutta Museum) compared with one of Sir A. Burnes's drawings, and not from a specimen sent by him. 907. PoRZANA PHOENicuRA ranges as far as Timor, and is also found in China. The blood of this species is accounted a valuable remedy by the natives of Bengal, as is also that of Casarca rutila ; hence in the bazar the dealers want a higher price for P. phoenicura than for other birds of its size. 908. PoRZANA AKOOL (Sykes); Ortygometra griseopedus, G. R. Gray, B. M. Cat. Hodgson's Coll. p. 75. 911. PoRZANA FUSCA inhabits also China, Formosa, and Japan. Ortijgometra flammiceps, G. R. Gray, B. M. Cat. Hodg- son's Coll. p. 75 ? 912. PoRZANAZEYLANiCA (Gmcl.) ; Ortygometra superciHaris, G. R. Gray, B. M. Cat. Hodgson's Coll. {nee Eyton). This species is not, to my knowledge, an inhabitant of Lower Bengal. An allied species exists in the Rallina minahasa, Wal- lace (P. Z. S. 1862, p. 346), from Celebes. 172 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 913. E.ALLUS STRiATUs inhabits also Formosa and Southern China. 914. Rallus indtcus is probably Mr. Swinhoe's R. aquaticus from China and Japan. The Crrx pratensis is stated by the well-known Indian sport- ing writer "Purdey " to have been once shot by him in Oudh. I know of no other authority for it as an Indian bird, but have seen specimens from Afghanistan. 917. MyCTERIA AUSTRALIS. Mr. Gurney has remarked (Ibis, 1865, p. 276) that in both this and the African M. ephippiurhijncha the irides are dark brown in the male sex, and bright yellow in the female. 919. CiCONIA ALBA. Dr. Jerdon asserts that the White Stork is " unknown in Bengal.^' Two or three, or more, may be obtained almost every season in the Calcutta bazar ; and I have been assured that this species occurs in large flocks not far in the interior. For several years I kept two live specimens which I obtained in the bazar, and which had been only slightly winged. 920. Melanopelargus episcopus (Bodd.) ; C. microscelis, Gray & Mitch. 111. Gen. Birds, pi. 151. Its range extends to the Malayan province and also to Africa, where likewise occurs the M. pruijssenaeri, Hartl. (Ibis, 1864, p. 430), if it be really distinct. This is a particular type of Stork, distinguished by its peculiar downy neck-feathers, and by the remarkable form of tail noticed by Dr. Hartlaub, which also occurs in the South American Ciconia maguari. For remarks on various Indian Herons, vide ' Ibis,' 1865, p. 36 et seq. ; also Swinhoe, in P. Z. S. 1863, p. 319. 926. Herodias egrettoides (Temm.) {" Ardea nivea, Cuv., Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1851, p. 576) is ''very common '' in Mace- donia, according to Col. Drummond-Hay (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1846, xviii. p. 14). 930. Ardeola leucoptera. The species described under this specific name by Boddaert is not likely to be the Indian bird; and ^. (jrayi will probably on Dr. Jerdon's 'Birds of India* 173 have to be adopted for the latter. A. malaccensis is a distinct race (Ibis, 1865, p. 38). 931. BuTORiDEs JAVANicus is Icss noctumal in its habits than the Ardetta and Botauri. I have many times come upon it watching for fish in the day-time, generally in muddy places nearly of its own colour. It prefers shade, and occurs nume- rously in swampy localities *. 934. Ardetta sinensis (Gmelin) ; " Ardea melanophis et A. mclanotis, Cuv.,^* Pucheran, Eev. Zool. 1851, p. 375. 938. Tantalus leucocephalus, Gmel. ; Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 247 ; Gould, B. As. pt. xiv. pi. On the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal I observed a flock of nine or ten of this species, associating with a large herd of tame white Buffalos, on the banks of the Tavai River, Tenas- serim ; but it appears to be replaced by T. ladeus, Temm. (PL Col. 352) in the Malayan Peninsula. The late M. Mouhot procured it in Siam. The curious habit it has, in common with its congeners, of putting forth its foot to feel in the mud for anything there moving, must be familiar to those who have had opportunities of observing it tame. 939. Platalea leucgrgbia. The convolution of the trachea is not of constant occurrence in this species. According to my experience, the Spoonbill is less common in Lower Bengal than Ciconia alba. 940. Anastgmus oscitans (Bodd.) ; A. coromandelianus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 251 (white adult). The white birds mentioned by Dr. Jerdon are, for certain, adults in breeding-plumage, which reassume, by moulting, the colouring of the young. At the time the latter leave the nest there is no indication of the future opening betweeu the man- dibles ; and the bill long continues to increase in size. More than one young specimen, showing the non-emarginated tomia * With reference to my remarks on Gorsachms (Ibis, 1865, p. 38), Mr, Swinhoe's observations on the seasonal changes of the crest-feathers (Ibis, 1866, p. 403) seem to indicate that there is only one species, which should stand as G. melanolophus (Raffles), with Ardea c/oisagi, Temm., as a synonym. 174 Mr, Blyth's Commentary of the bill^ is mounted in the Calcutta Museum. I have unsuc- cessfully tried to rear the young on AmjmllaricB and Uniones, having had dozens of them brought to me at a time, which sur- vived only for a few weeks. (In confirmation of what I state of the young, cf. Tytler, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1854, xiii. p. 374.) 941. Thresciornis melanocephalus (Linn.); Ibis leucon, Temm. PI. Col. 481. Generally diffused over the Asiatic Archipelago. The young, as in T. religiosa, have the head and that portion of the neck which is bare in the adult clad with short blackish feathers. Occasionally the bare neck is coloured behind as that of T. strictipennis is figured in Mr. Gould's ' Birds of Australia.' 942. Geronticus papillosus does not occur on the alluvium of Lower Bengal. Prof. Schlegel notes it from Ceylon and from Borneo. 944. Phcenicopterus roseus. There are two distinct Indian Flamingoes, one of which is smaller and has proportionally shorter legs than the other. Bonaparte, in 1855, named the smaller one P. blythi (Consp. Av. ii. p. 146), but almost at the same time (C. R. xl. 274) marked it as doubtful; however, in 1856 (C. R. xliii. 992) he suggested its identity with the true P. roseus of Pallas. To me it appears identical with the African P. minor ; but Vieillot's figure of his P. minor (Gal. des Ois. pi. 273), from Senegal, is hardly good enough to assist in the determination ; Mr. C. J. Andersson's note on the two Flamingoes of South Africa (Ibis, 1865, p. 64) gives some moi-e details on the subject. 945. Anser cinereus. Adults of this species, as may occasionally be seen in British specimens, have very commonly the lower parts much mottled with black, but not in such large blotches as adults of A. albi- frons. This I do not remember to have seen in the domestic race. While mentioning that this bird is " the origin of the domestic Geese of Europe, not of China," Dr. Jerdon should have added the curious circumstance that the domestic Geese of India are of a prolific hybrid race between A. cinereus {domes- iicus) and A. cyynoides {domesticus) , as manifested alike by form, on Dr. Jerdon's ' Birth of India.' 175 colouring, and voice — an obvious fact he only mentions subse- quently (p. 784), and then solely on my authority. The only wild Geese that visit Lower Bengal are A. cinerev^ and A. indi- cus, which are brought in about equal numbers to the Calcutta bazar. 950. Sarcidiornis melanonotus (Gmel.); Penn. Ind. Zool. pi. xiii.; Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 285. The young of this species, in its first feathers, is very like a DendTOcygna ; and this indicates the true affinity of the genus. The rosti'al protuberance of the male becomes immensely more developed during the breeding-season. Signor Antinori recog- nizes S. africana, Eytou, as distinct, but gives S. melanonotus, auct., as a doubtful synonym — " SarkidiorncB regicR similis, sed caruncula rostri basi incumbente, et turgidiore," the South American Anas regia of Molina being referred to, and the sup- posed distinction being, I suspect, merely seasonal. 951. Nettapus coromandelianus. The black collar round the neck of the male is peculiar to the breeding-season. The published figures of the species of this group, representing them as standing on the ground like ordi- nary Ducks, are erroneous. They squat, creep, and are only able to shuffle forward a few paces. The '' Cotton Teal " is brought in tolerable abundance to the Calcutta bazar. 952. Dendrocygna arcuata {Jj.)-j D.javanica,Yiox'&L {partim). Common in Malacca, Java, and Borneo (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 224) . It is distinct from D. vagans, Eyton, D. gouldi, Bp. [of. Ibis, 1865, p. 38), of the Philippines, Java, and North Australia. 953. Dendrocygna major inhabits also Madagascar (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 300). This species is assuredly much less common than the former in Lower Bengal, where many dozens of D. ar- cuata may be obtained to one of the otlier. These birds build in trees, and fly round and round their favourite pond like a flock of Pigeons, allowing themselves to be shot at again and again as they wheel round. They are very easily tamed. This Asiatic form of Dendrocygna has a very decided American representa- tive in D. fulva (Baird's ' Birds of North America,^ pi. 63. f. 1). 176 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 955. Casarca scutulata (S. Miiller) ; Wolf, Zool. Sketches, ii. pi. My designation of C leucoptera must yield to the one above given. Two mostly white specimens in the British Museum look very like a domesticated race of this species. 958. Anas boschas occurs, as I have been assured, so near Calcutta as at Ranigunge ; but I never knew of its being brought to the Calcutta bazar. 959. Anas poecilorhyncha is included in Mr. Swinhoe's list of the birds of China (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 324) ; but he has since considered the Chinese form to be distinct, and named it A. zonorhyncJia (Ibis, 1866, p. 394). It is probably the A. pceciloj'hyncha of the ' Fauna Japonica' (tab. Ixxxii.). An African species, received with this name, I described as A. rueppelli (J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 265) ; but it is A. flavirostris, A. Smith ; and A. leucostigma, E.iippell, is A. sparsa, A. Smith. 965. QuERQUEDULA ciRCiA breeds sparingly, no doubt, in India as well as in Burma and Tenasserim (Ibis, 1859, p. 464). Clangula glaucion was obtained by Sir. A. Burnes on the Indus, and is figured among his drawings in the possession of the Asiatic Society. It should therefore be added to the birds of India. 972. Mergus castor I have seen in the Calcutta bazar on one occasion only, when two females were brought thither. 973. Mebgellus albellus. The adult female has the loral region black : this is not usually figured or described, as young females (similar in colouring to young males) are mistaken for adults. It is remarkable that this bird has constantly only a single minute ccecum, as in the Herons ; whereas the true Mergansers have the usual two caeca considerably more developed. 978. Larus fuscus, Linn. Dr. Jerdon's notice of this species as an Indian bird conveys the impression that he only obtained one specimen, in immature plumage ; many years ago he sent an adult from the Coro- on Dr. Jcrdon's 'Birds of India.' 177 mandel coast to the Museum at Calcutta. It also occurs in the Arabian and Red Seas, though perhaps confounded there with L. fuscescens, Licht. 979. Chroicocephalus ichthyaetus. The young was sent by Col. Tickell to the Asiatic Society from Central India (Chaibasa) . I have procured adults in fine sum- mer dress, with intensely black hood and finely coloured bill, from the mouth of the Hugh. Prof. Schlegel designates the Bengal race Larus ichthyaetus minor, and gives the length of closed wing as "16 pouces 4 lignes;" while Dr. Jerdon gives the length of wing as 19 to 20 inches (English measure). 980. Xema brunneicephala (Jerdon); Larus hrunneiceps, Cabanis; "L. lach-ymosus, hicht.'' (nee Brehm), Schlegel; "L. ridibundus, var. major, IMiddendorfi"," Swinhoe. 984. Hydrochelidon indica (Steph.); H.fluviatilis, Gould, B. Austr. vii. pi. 30. 985. Seena aurantia. I do not perceive the affinity of this bird to the Marsh -Terns. It is a true River-Tern with a thick bill, and, except Sterna me- lanogaster, is the only River-Tern I have observed in Bengal, where, of the Marsh-Terns, Gelochelidon anglica and Hydroche- lidon indica are common. I have met with no other. Sterna paradisea, Briinn,; S. dougalli, Mont, (vol.iii. p. 840) . Prof. Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. Sternce, p. 24) notices a specimen of this bird, in summer dress, from Bengal, obtained by M. Dussumier. 988. Sternula minuta. I am not well satisfied with the determination of this species [cf. Swinhoe, ^bis,' 1863, p. 429). 989 and 990. Thalasseus cristatus and T. bengalensis. Eggs have been figured in ' The Ibis ' (1860, pi. v.) under the synonymous names Ste^ma velox and S. affinis, Riippell. The first is also identical with Sterna bergii, Lichtenstein, according to Schlegel, who distinguishes it from S. pelecanoides, King ; Dr. Pucheran has treated of S. bengalensis. Lesson (Rev. Zool. 1850, p. 342) . {Cf. also ' Ibis,' 1865, p. 39.) 178 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 994. Anous tenuirostris of my Catalogue is, according to Prof. Blasius (J. f. 0. 1866, p. 83), A. stolidus\ This is a strange mistake. I had both species from the Bay of Bengal, far too distinct to be confounded one with the other {cf. Ibis, 1864, p. 393). 995. Rhynchops albicollis. I found the remains of small fishes in the stomach of one which I examined a little before my departure from Calcutta, Dr. Jerdon having drawn my attention to the circumstance that he could never make out what these birds had fed on. I exa- mined three specimens, in one of which small fish-bones were distinctly traceable. It is not often brought to the Calcutta bazar. 996. Phaeton ^ethereus, Linn.; Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 279. I kept a bird of this species for some time