the etl mae Par Ie: FB IS. QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A., PHD, PRS. SECRETARY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, VOL. VI. 1894. SIXTH SERIES. Cognovi omnia volatilia cceli. LONDON: GURNEY AND JACKSON, 1 PATERNOSTER ROW. (Succrssors to J, VAN VOORST.) 1894. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCTS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. PREFACE. It was not without some misgivings, both for public and private reasons, as I stated in 1889, that I con- sented, at the earnest request of some of my most valued friends, to undertake the sole Editorship of the Sixth Series of ‘The Ibis.’ I am now, it need hardly be said, much pleased to have brought the final volume of the series to a conclusion, which I may be pardoned in designating as not unsuccessful. The thirty-sixth volume of our Journal is not quite so bulky as the thirty-fifth, but contains the same number of plates, and many articles, I think, of equal interest. In undertaking a share in the Editorship of the Seventh Series, as I have now, perhaps somewhat rashly, promised to do, it is a great satisfaction to me that I shall have the assistance of my former colleague, Mr. Howard Saunders. Without his valuable aid I could not have ventured to incur such a serious responsibility. As regards communications to this Journal in many branches of our Science, I have received most 1V PREFACE. efficient support during the past six years. In the departments of Anatomy and Pterylosis, however, there is still much work to be done; and I hope that some of our younger Members may be induced to devote their energies to these special subjects. It is from such researches that we may hope to find a key to the great question of the correct arrangement of the Acromyodian Passeres. ‘The new scheme pro- pounded by Mr. Oates in the ‘Fauna of British India, though it mects certain difficulties, cannot, I think, be deemed altogether satisfactory. It is possible that an attentive study of the pterylosis of these birds, especially of the structure and modifi- cations of the wing-feathers, may lead to a more generally acceptable result. In the Anatomy of Birds there are also numerous points still open for future investigation, although the studies of Garrod, Forbes, Fiirbringer, and Gadow have of late years materially advanced our knowledge of this branch of our Science. P.-L 3 Hanover Square, London, W. Sept. 5th, 1894. | Ke) r5 BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 1894. [An asterisk indicates an Original Member. It is particularly requested that Members will give notice to the Secretary of the Union, 10 Chandos Street, London, W.., of any error in their addresses or descriptions in this List, in order that it may be immediately corrected. | Date of Election. 1893. Eryest L. 8. Anne, Major; Blenkinsopp Castle, Greenhead, Carlisle. 1887. Freprerick Cuartes Artin ; Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon. 1888. Otrver Vernon Artin; Bloxham, Banbury, Oxon. 1885. James Backuovuss, Jun., F.Z.S.; Renoso, Victoria Avenue, Harrogate. 1892. E. C. Srevarr Baker; District Superintendent of Police, Gunjong, Cachar, Assam, India, and The Hermitage, Broadstairs, Kent. 1879. Dr. Vatentine Batt, C.B., F.R.S.; Director, Science and Art Museum, Dublin. 1889. Ricwarp Jamzs Barston, F.Z.8.; Springfield, Maidstone. 1890. Francis Husert Barcray; Knott’s Green, Leyton. 1872. Hansury Barctay, Colonel, F.Z.8.; Tingrith Manor, Woburn, Bedfordshire. 1885. Huen G. Barcray ; Colney Hall, Norwich. 1884. Henry E. Barnes, Lieut., F.Z.S.; Commissariat Officer, Ahmednagar, Deccan, India. 1889. Geratp Barrerr-Haminton; Kilmannock House, New Ross, Wexford. 1881. Ricaarp Mantirre Barrineton, LL.B.; Fassaroe, Bray, co. Wicklow. 1893. Ausyn B. R. Trevor-Bartye, F.Z.S., St. Margaret’s Mansions, 51 Victoria Street, S.W. 1884. Franz E. Bepparp, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.8., Prosector to the Zoological Society of London ; Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, N.W. 1880. Epwarp Brpwert; 1 Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street, E.C. 1884. Cuartes T. Bryenam, Major (Indian Staff Corps), F.Z.S. ; Deputy Conservator of Forests, Moulmein, Burma. 20 25 30 35 40 Date of Election. 1892. 1891. 1893. 1873. 1893. 1894. 1878. 1885. 1890. 1892. 1868. vi The Rev. Maurice C. H. Brrp, M.A.; Brunstead Rectory, Stalham, Norfolk. F. E. Braauw, C.M.Z.S.; s’Graveland, Hilversum, Holland. Ernest W. H. Braee; Greenhill, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Wit14m T,. Branrorp, F.R.S., F.Z.8. ; 72 Bedford Gardens, Kensington, W. GrorceE Botan, F.Z.S. ; Castlegate, Berwick-on-Tweed. Joun Lewis Bonnorr; 68 Lexham Gardens, Kensington, W. WitriAm Borrer, M.A., F.L.S.; Cowfold, Horsham. Wittiam F. Brocknorrs; Claughton-on-Brock, Garstang, Lancashire. Harry Briysiey Brooxe; 33 Egerton Gardens, Kensington, W. Witii1am E. Brooxs ; Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada. Tuomas Epwarp Bucxtey, B.A., F.Z.8. ; Rossal, Inverness, N.B. . Sir Watrer Lawry Butter, K.C.M.G., Sc.D., F.R.S.,C.M.Z.8. ; Wellington, New Zealand. . E.A.Burter, Lieut.-Col.; Brettenham Park, Bildeston, Suffolk. . Georrrey Fowrit Buxton; Sunny Hill, Thorpe, Norwich. . Ewen SomertepD Cameron, F.Z.8.; care of Mrs. Cameron, Belmont, Tunbridge Wells. . JouN Duncan Cameron ; Low Wood, Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent. . Coartes WriiitramM CampsBett, C.M.Z.S.; H.B.M. Consular Service, China, British Legation, Peking. . Sir Taomas Davin Grsson-CarmicHazL, Bart., F:Z.S8.; Castle Craig, Dolphinton, N.B. . JAMES Carter; Burton House, Masham, Yorkshire. . Cuartes Joun Purrip Cave, F.Z.S.; Ditcham Park, Petersfield. . Watrer CuamBertain, F.Z.8.; Harborne Hall, Harborne, near Birmingham. . A. Macoms Cuanosz, Jun., B.A.; Lawnside, Edgbaston, Birmingham. . Apri Caapman; 14 Thornhill Gardens, Sunderland. . Epwarp Heyry Cuapman; 17 St. Hilda’s Terrace, Whitby. . Rosert Wiiriam Cuase; Southville, Priory Road, Edgbas- ton, Birmingham. . SrepHeNson Rogpert Crarxe, F.Z.S.; 25 Chesham Street, S.W., and Croydon Lodge, Croydon, Surrey. . Wiitram Eaerte Crarxs, F.L.S.; Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. Date of vii Election. 45 1880. 1874. 1888. 1882. 1892, 59° 1894. 1882. 1877. 1874. 1883. 55 1893. 1889. 1883. 1880. 1865. 60 65 1866. . ArntHuR Humes Evans, M.A., F.Z.S.; 9 Harvey Road, Cam- E. H. Coorrr, Lieut.-Col., F.Z.S.; 42 Portman Square, London, W. Joun Corpraux; Great Cotes, R.S.0., Lincoln. Wittram Witrrip Cordeaux ; Queen’s Bays, India. Cuartes B. Cory, F.Z.S.; 8 Arlington Street, Boston, Mass., USA: Harotp Mrrcewent Covracy; Snowdenham, Bramley, Guild- ford, Sir Vauncry Harpur Crewe, Bt.; Calke Abbey, Derbyshire. Pri Crowtey, F.Z.8.; Waddon House, Waddon, Croydon. Joun J. Daterersn; Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Stirling, N.B. Cuartus G. Danrorp, F.Z.8.; Hatszeg, Siebenbiirgen, Hungary. and Conservative Club, St. James’s Street, London, 8.W. James Davipson; 32 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh. W. E. De Winton; Graftonbury, Hereford, and 38 Great Russell Street, W.C. WittiAm Henry Dosis, M.R.C.S.; 22 Upper Northgate Street, Chester. Scrove B. Dota; Public Works Department, Bombay. Arraur Dowserr, F.Z.S.; Castle Hill House, Reading. Henry Eres Dresser, F.LS., F.Z.8.; Topclyffe Grange, Farnborough, Beckenham, Kent. *Henry Maurice Drummonp-Hay, C.M.Z.S., Lieut.-Col., Royal Perth Rifles; Seggieden, Perth. . JAmes. A. G. Drummonp-Hay (Coldstream Guards) ; Guards’ Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 78. W. Artuur Durnrorp, J.P.; Elsecar, Barnsley. . Danret Grravp Exxiot, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.; American Museum of Natural History, New York. . Atcernon Extiorr, Deputy Commissioner, Yeotmahl, Berar, H.A.D., India. Henry Joun Etwes, F.Z.S.; Colesborne Park, Cheltenham. bridge. . WitiiaM Evans, F.R.S.E. ; 184 Morningside Park, Edinburgh. . Atrrep Hart Everert, C.M.Z.8S.; Labuan, Borneo: . Wittiam Grorcze Farrprinee; 133 Long Market Street, Capetown. . Arrpur M. Faraunar, Commander R.N.; Drumnayesk, Aboyne, N.B. 75 SO 85 go Date of Election, 1873. 1886. 1881. 1886. 1885. 1892. 1879. vill Heryry Wemyss Fritpen, Col., C.M.Z.8.; West House, Wells, Norfolk, and Junior United Service Club, St. James’s, S.W. Harorp Sruarr Frerevson, Lieut. Nair Brigade ; Trevandrum, Travancore. . Lzopotp Firxp, F.Z.8.; St. Stephen’s Club, Bridge Street, Westminster, S.W. Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.8.; Mote House, Mote Road, Maid- stone. Lionet Fisuer; Kandy, Ceylon. Henry Oe Forses, F.Z.8.; Free Public Museum, Liverpool. Wuttam Foster; The Hill, Witley, Surrey. Witrram Worexes Fowrrr, M.A.; Lincoln College, Oxford. Rey. Henry Exriiorr Fox, M.A.; 12 South Bailey, Durham. . Percy Evans Frexe; 9 Sydenham Road, Dundrum, co. Dublin. Hans Gavow, Ph.D., F.Z.8.; University Zoological Museum, Cambridge. Caartes Wittram Francis, Earn or Garnsporoucn; Exton Park, Oakham. Sir Raten Payne Gatiwey, Bart. ; Thirkleby Park, Thirsk. Joun Gerrarp; Government Inspector of Mines, Worsley, Manchester. Ernest Grason ; care of Thos. Gibson, Esq., 1 Eglinton Court, Edinburgh. *Freperick DuCanr Gopman, F.R.S., F.Z.S.; 10 Chandos Street, Cavendish Square, W. * Percy SanpEN GopMan, B.A., C.M.Z.S. ; Muntham, Horsham. 1874. 1884. 1886. 1890. 1885. 1876. Henry Haversuim Gopwiy-Avsren, Lieut.-Col., F.R.S., F.Z.8.; Shalford House, Guildford. Joun G. Gooncuttp, F.Z.S.; Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. Wirr1am Granam, F.Z.8.; Manor House, Crayford, Kent. Witttam R. Ocitvin Grant; 26 Hereford Square, 8.W. F. H. H. Gurtemarp, M.A., M.D., F.Z.8.; Eltham, Kent. Apert C. L. G. Gutnrnmr, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.ZS.; Keeper of the Zoological Department, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, 8.W. . Joun Henry Gurney, F.Z.8.; Keswick Hall, Norwich, and Athenzeum Club, Pall Mall, S.W. o5 100 105 IIo rts Date of Election. 1890. Josaua Rrynotps Gascoren GwatkIn ; Manor House, 1891. 1887. 1886. 1883. 1876. Potterne, Devizes. Grorce Huyry Caron Haten; Grainsby Hall, Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Joun Preypett Wivron Hatnes; The Lodge, Gloucester. Epwarp Hamitron, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.8.; 16 Cromwell Place, Sb: W. Lewis Vernon Harcourt; Malwood, Lyndhurst, Hants. Henry Cuartes Harrorp, Major 2nd Wilts Regt.; Glen Froome, Nelson Crescent, Southsea. . Epwarp Harerrr, F.Z.8.; 1 Northanger Road, Streatham Common, S.W. . Ernst Harrert; The Museum, Tring, Herts. . James Epmunp Hartine, F.LS., F.Z.8.; Linnean Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W. . Wittram Hartmann; Tangley Mere, Chilworth, Surrey. . Joun A. Harvin-Brown, F.Z.8.; Dunipace House, Larbert, N.B. . Rev. Hurzert 8. Hawerns, M.A.; Beyton Rectory, Suffolk. . Caartes T. Huppert, F.Z.S.; The Rhodrons, Hook, Kingston- on-Thames. . C. J. Horpswortn ; Hill Top, near Kendal, Westmoreland. . Epmunp W. H. Horpsworrn, F.Z.S.; South Town, Dart- mouth, Devon. . Arruur H. Horranp; Sta. Elena, Soler, F. C. al Pacifico, Buenos Ayres. . Hersert Kyienr Horsrrerp; Ivy Lodge, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. . Cuartes Hose, F.Z.S.; Resident, Baram, Sarawak, Borneo. . Roserr James Howarp; Hawkhurst, Blackburn, Lancashire. *Witrrip Hupiesron Hupieston, M.A., F.R.S., F.ZS. ; 8 Stanhope Gardens, 8.W. . Witr1am Henry Hopson, C.M.Z.8.; Tower House, St. Luke’s Road, Westbourne Park, W. . Attan Octavian Home, C.B., C.S.1., F.Z.8.; The Chalet, Kingswood Road, Upper Norwood, 8.E. . Henry Cuartrs Vicars Hunter; Mawley Hall, Cleobury Mortimer, Salop. . Hepworru Hytron, Lord Hytron, F.Z.8.; Merstham House, Red Hill, Surrey. . Leonard Howarp L. Irsy, Lieut.-Col., F.Z.S.; 14 Corn- wall Terrace, Regent’s Park, N.W. 120 135 140 Date of Election. 1888. Freperick J. Jackson, F.Z.8.; 13 Westbourne Square, W. 1892. Henry AsuwortH James; 11 Oxford Square, Hyde Park, W. 1889. Freperick Ponsonsy Jounson; Castlesteads, Brampton, Cumberland. 1891. Henry Hamitton Jounston, C.B., F.Z.S.; The Residency, Zomba, British Central Africa, vid Zanzibar and Chindi. 1880. Henry Roserr Keruam, Major, 2nd Bn. Highland Light Infantry ; Fyzabad, India. 1894. Henry Josepn Ketsatt, R.A.; Woolwich, 8.E. 1882. Puirre M.C. Kermopvg; Hillside, Ramsay, Isle of Man. 1891. J. Granam Kerr; Christ’s College, Cambridge. 1882. Rev. Epw. Ponsonsy Knusiry, M.A.; Staveley Rectory, Leeds. 1892. Tuomas Geppres Laiwraw; Bank of Scotland, Morningside Branch, Edinburgh, and 8 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, 1884. Hersert Laneron; 11 Marlborough Place, Brighton. 1881. Hon. Grranp Lascettes; Queen’s House, Lyndhurst. 1892. Jonn Davin Dievrs ps La Toucuz; Chinese Imperial Mari- time Customs, Amoy, China. 1892. Artruur Moore Laws; Little Clacton Lodge, near Colchester. 1885. GroreE Lawson, C.B.; 36 Craven Hill Gardens, Hyde Park, We 1876. Witt1aM Vincent Luces, Col. late R.A., F.Z.S.; Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania. 1868. Hamon Le Srranen, F.Z.8.; Hunstanton Hall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. 1875. Pager Watrer Le Srranen, Col. R.A.; Dol-lan, Llandyssil, South Wales. 1893. Freperick Lewis; Assistant Conservator of Forests, Ratna- pura, Ceylon. 1889. CuristopneR Joun Leyrtanp; Haggerston Castle, Beal, Northumberland. *THomas Lytrieron, Lord Litrorp, F.L.S., F.Z.8.; Lilford Hall, Oundle. 1874. Joun Hayes Luoyp, Col., F.Z.S.; 95 Adelaide Road, N.W. 1889. ArrHur Purvis Loyp, F.Z.S. (late Major 21st Hussars) ; 3 Queen’s Mansions, Victoria Street, S.W. 1877. James Lumspen, F.Z.S.; Arden House, Alexandria, N.B. 1894. Arraur Hotre Macruerson ; 51 Gloucester Place, Hyde Park, W. 145 150 155 160 165 xi Date of Election. 1886. Rev. Hue ALEXANDER Macpuerson, M.A.; 11 Victoria Place, Carlisle. 1875. Joun Winerretp Matcorm, F.Z.8S. ; 7 Great Stanhope Street, Mayfair, W. 1878. Henry Sracy Marns, R.A., F.Z.S.; 17 Hamilton Terrace, St. John’s Wood, N.W. 1894, Arcuipatp McLean Marsuatt; 29 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. 1894. James McLean Marsnatt; 29 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. 1878. Rev. Murray A. Maruew, M.A., F.L.S.; Buckland Dinham, Frome, Somersetshire. 1883. Epmunp Gustavus Broomrretp Muapr-Watpo, F.Z.8.; Rope Hill, Lymington, Hants. 1886. Jonn Guitte Mitts, F.Z.S.; 2 Palace Gate, Kensington, W. 1879. Freperick SHaw Mircuert; Edmonton, Alberta, N. W. T., Canada. 1892. Sr. Grorce Mivart, Ph.D., M.D., F.R.S.; Oriental Club, Hanover Square, W. 1890. Tuomas James Monk; St. Anne’s, Lewes, Sussex. 1864. ALExanDER Goopman Morg, F.L.S.; 74 Leinster Road, Rathmines, Dublin. 1886. Grorcr Murruean, F.Z.S.; Mains of Haddo, Aberdeen. 1893. Wittiam H. Moutuens, M.A., F.Z.S.; Westfield Place, near Battle, Sussex. 1892. Pure WincuesterR Munn; Laverstoke, Whitchurch, Hants. 1885. Epwarp Neate; 43 Charlotte Street, Portland Place, W. 1882. Tuomas Hupson Netson; Sandringham House, Redcar, York- shire. 1876. Hue Nevitt; Newton Villa, Godalming. 1872. Francis D’Arcy Witi1am Crouch Newcome; Feltwell Hall, Brandon, Suffolk. *AtrreD Newton, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.8., Professor of Zoology in the University of Cambridge ; Magdalene College, Cam- bridge. *Sir Epwarp Newron, K.C.M.G., M.A., F.L.S., C.M.ZS. ; 23 Wellington Esplanade, Lowestoft. 1891. Diesy Servs Warritock Nicnott, F.LS., F.Z.S.; The Ham, Cowbridge, Glamorganshire. 1886. Howarp Hitt Jonn Nicnorts, M.R.C.S.; The Moat, East- bourne. 1876. Francis Nicnoxson, F.Z.8.; Oakfield, Ashley Rd., Altrincham. 170 180 185 Igo xi Date of Election. 1887. 1882. 1892. 1889. ikea 1893. Grorcr Cameron Norman, F.Z.S.; 68 Lombard Street, E.C. Evernse Witx1am Oars, F.Z.8.; Toungho, Burma, Frerevs Menteira Oeinvir, M.A., F.Z.8.; Sizewell House, Leiston, Suffolk. Bertram Savitz Oate; Hill House, Steeple Aston, Oxford. *Sir Joun W. P. Camesert-Orpe, Bart., F.2Z.8., late Captain 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment; Kilmory House, Lochgilphead, Argyllshire, N.B. . Henry Parker, C.E., F.Z.S., Irrigation Officer, P.W.D.; Kurunegala, Ceylon. Tuomas Parkin, M.A., F.Z.S.; Fairseat, High Wickham, Hastings. Roserr Parrerson ; Tilecote, Malone Park, Belfast. R. Lioyp Parrerson, F.L.S.; Croft House, Holywood, co. Down. Caries Epwarp Prarson ; Chilwell House, near Nottingham. Henry J. Pearson; Bramcote, Beeston, Notts. Frank Penrose; 4 Harley Street, W. E. Lorr Putriies, F.Z.8.; 79 Cadogan Square, S.W. Gerorce THorneé Purtiies; Wokingham, Berkshire. Tuomas Diesy Pieorr, C.B.; 5 Ovington Gardens, S.W. Tuomas Mayer Pree, M.A.; care of R. H. Porter, 18 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. Mervyn Owen Wayne Powys, B.A., F.Z.8.; 2 Tenterden Street, Hanover Square, W., and Oriental Club, Hanover Square, W. Wittram Prange Pycrart; Department of Comparative Anatomy, University Museum, Oxford. Cuartes Rosert Evsracr Rapctyrre; Ist Life Guards, and Hyde, Wareham, Dorset. . R. G. Warptaw Ramsay, Major, F.Z.S.; Tuillicoultry House, Tillicoultry, N.B. Hersert Evetyn Rawson, F.Z.8.; Fallbarrow, Windermere. Ricuarp Henry Reap, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S.; Church Street, Hanley. . Rozert H. Reap; care of Sir John Fowler, 2 Queen Square Place, Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W., and 80 The Grove, Ealing, W. Savite G. Ren, late Capt. R.E., F.Z.8.; Thornhaugh, Swanage, Dorset. Percy Renpatt, M.D., F.Z.S.; Eureka City, Barberton, South African Republic. 195 200 205 210 Xili Date of Election. 1893. The Hon. L. Watrer Roruscurrp, F.Z.8.; Tring Park, Tring, Herts. 1894, The Hon. Narwaniet Cuartes Rotuscuirp; Tring Park, Tring. 1883. Wirtram Herserr Sr. Quintin, F.Z.8.; Scampston Hall, Rillington, Yorkshire. *Ospert Satvin, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.8.; 10 Chandos Street, W., and Hawksfold, Fernhurst, Haslemere. 1870. Howarp Saunpers, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; 7 Radnor Place, Hyde Park, W. *Puitip Louriey Scrater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.; Secretary to the Zoological Society of London, 3 Hanover Square, W., and Odiham Priory, Winchfield. 1891. Wittram Luruey Scrarer, M.A., F.Z.8.; Eton College, Windsor, 1881. Joun Scutty, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Surgeon-Lt.-Col.; care of Messrs. H. 8. King & Co., 65 Cornhill, E.C. 1873. Henry Szezoum, F.Z.S.; 22 Courtfield Gardens, S.W. 1889. Humpnrey Parricrus Sennousr, B.A.; The Fitz, Cocker- mouth, Cumberland. 1871. Ricwarp Bowpter Swarpr, LL.D., F.LS., F.Z.S. ; Senior Assistant, Zoological Department, British Museum (Natural History), South Kensington, 8.W. 1886, Wittram Carstairs SHaw; Bank of Madras, Madras. 1870. G. Ernest Suettey, F.Z.S., late Captain, Grenadier Guards; 10 Thurloe Square, S.W. 1865. Rev. Cuartes Witiiam Suepuerd, M.A., F.Z.8.; Trotters- clitfe Rectory, Maidstone, Kent. 1894. Sewattis Evetyn Surrtey; Ettington Park, Stratford-on- Avon, 1881. F. B. Smrson, F.Z.S.; Broom Hill, Spratton, Northampton. 1882. Rev. Henry H. Starer, M.A., F.Z.8.; Thornhaugh Rectory, Wansford, Northants. 1864. Rev. Atrrep CHartes Smita, M.A.; Old Park, Devizes, Wilts. 1881. Tuomas Sournwett, F.Z.S.; 10 The Crescent, Chapel Field, Norwich. 1893. Samuet 8. Srantey; 3 Regent Grove, Leamington, Warwick- shire. 1875. A. C. Srarx. 1889. Wittt1am Sroarr; Belmont, Burnham, Somerset. 235 Date of XiV Election. 1893. 1881. 1887. 1887. 1882. 1873. 1889. 1886. 1891. 1893. 1894. 1864. 1894. 1890. 1884. 1881. 1891. 1886. 1881. CHagtEs Srongam, F.R.C.8., F.Z.S.; 4 Harley Street, Cavendish Square, W. Rozsert Wrieut Sruppy, Col. (late Manchester Regiment) ; Waddeton Court, Brixham, Devon. Freperick Wriit1AMm Sryay, F.Z.S.; Ben Craig, Bayham Road, Sevenoaks, and Shanghai, China. JoHn SwinpurnE; Beauregard, Hauteville, Guernsey. Cuartes Swinuor, Col. Bombay Staff Corps, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S.; Avenue House, Cowley Road, Oxford. . Wiotram Caaster Tarr, C.M.Z.8.; Entre Quintas 155, Oporto, Portugal. *Epwarp Cavenpisu Taytor, M.A., F.Z.S.; 74 Jermyn Street, S.W. Wittiam Bernaarp Tercermerer, F.Z.S.; 16 Alexandra Grove, North Finchley, N. Epwarp Prravtx Tennant; 40 Grosvenor Square, W., and The Glen, Innerleithen, N.B. Horace A. Terry, Captain (Oxfordshire Light Infantry) ; Burvale, Walton-on-Thames. Witt1aM Brunpert THornuitt ; Castle Cosey, Castie Belling- ham, Ireland. Dixon L. Toorrz; 41 Aglionby Street, Carlisle. Norman Freprric Ticknursr; Winstowe, St. Leonards-on-Sea. *Rev. Henry Baxer Tristram, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., C.M.Z.8., Canon of Durham; The College, Durham. Henry Morris Urcuer, F.Z.S.; Sheringham Hall, Norfolk, and Feltwell Hall, Brandon. Ricwarp Joun Ussnur; Cappagh House, Cappagh, R.8.0., Lismore, Ireland. Srrpuen Venour; Fern Bank, Altrincham, Cheshire. A. S. Verzy; Heronsgate, near Rickmansworth. Wrtiram Wittoversy Core Verner, Major (Rifle Brigade) ; Junior United Service Club, S8.W. C. W. ver Vis, Queensland Museum, Brisbane; care of Williams and Norgate, 14 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, W.C. H. D. Wanr-Datron, Col.; Hauxwell Hall, Finghall, R.8.0., Yorkshire. Tuomas, Lord Watstneuam, F.R.S., F.Z.S.; Merton Hall, Thetford, Norfolk. 245 259 Date of Election 1874. 1878. 1891. 188-4. 1891. 1887. 1894. 1888. 1887. 1391, 1894. 1875. 1871. 1891. 1876. 1889. 1878. 1877. 1860. 1886. 1890. 1860. 1870. 1880. 1894. 1860. xv CHartes Byerave Wuarton, F.Z.S.; Hounsdown, Totton, Hants. Henry Tuornron Wuarton, M.A., F.Z.S.; Madresfield, Acol Road, Priory Road, West Hampstead, N.W. Bensamrn Inenam Wuitaker; Hesley Hall, Tickhill, Rother- ham. JosepH Wurraker, F.Z.S.; Rainworth Lodge, Mansfield, Notts. JosepH J. 8S. Warraker; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily. JEFFERY WuHITEHEAD ; Southwood, Bickley, Kent. Jounson Witkrnson ; Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Cures Josepa Witson; 16 Gordon Square, W.C. Scorr Barcuarp Wutson, F.Z.S.; Heatherbank, Weybridge Heath, Surrey. Frank Wirutneron; care of Messrs. Read and Campbell, No. 4 San Juan de Letran, Mexico City, Mexico. Witi1am Vincent Woop; 8 Castelbain Road, Maida Hill, W. Cuartes A. Wricut, F.L.S., F.Z.S. (Knight of the Crown of Italy); Kayhough, Kew-Gardens Road, Kew, 8.W. K. Percevat Wrient, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.8., Professor of Botany in the University of Dublin. Tuomas Wrieut, M.D.; Castle Place, Nottingham. Craupe W. Wyarr; Adderbury, Banbury. James B. Youne, Commander R.N.; Rodwell, Weymouth. Joun Youne, F.L.S., F.Z.8.; 64 Hereford Road, Bayswater, W. James Herpert Yue, Lt.-Col. (2nd Bn. Devonshire Regi- ment); 41 Eaton Rise, Ealing, W. Extra-Ordinary Member. Atrrep Russet Wattace, F.Z.8.; Corfe View, Parkstone, Dorset. Honorary Members. Tuomas Ayres; Potchefstroom, Transvaal. Graf von Brertepscu, C.M.Z.8.; Miinden, Hanover. Dr. Jean Capants, C.M.Z.S., Friedrichshagen, bei Berlin. Dr. Orro Finscu, C.M.Z.S.; Delmenhorst, near Bremen, Hervricu Girke, C.M.Z.8., Heligoland. Dr. Henry Hittyer Grertorr, F.M.Z.S.; Reale Istituto di Studi Superiori, Florence. Dr. Gustav Hartravs, F.M.Z.S8., Bremen. Xv1 Date of Election. 1860 1893 Io 1890. ry Ler2. 1872. 1880. 20 1894. . Enear Leopotp Layarp, C.M.G., F.Z.8., Budleigh Salterton, Devonshire. . Dr. Anton ReicHenow, C.M.Z.S.; Museum fiir Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse, Berlin. Count Tommaso Satvaport, M.D., F.M.Z.S.; Royal Zoological Museum, T7wrin. Foreign Members. . dort AsapH Axzuen, O.M.Z.S.; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York. . Prof. J. V. Barsoza pu Bocaez, C.M.Z.8.; Royal Museum, LInsbon. . Louis Burzav, M.D.; Ecole de Médecine, Nantes. . Prof. Roserr Cottert, F.M.Z.8.; Zoological Museum, Christi- ania. 2. Dr. Exxiorr Covss, C.M.Z.8.; Smithsonian Institution, Wash- ington, D.C. 75. Marchese Gracomo Dorta, F.M.Z.S., Genoa. 2. Dr. Vicror Fatto, C.M.Z.8., Geneva. 2. Georcr N. Lawrence, C.M.Z.8.; 45 East 21st Street, Vew York. 2. Baron Dz Setys Lonecuampes, Lrége. 10 1866. Dr. Juzius von Maparisz; National Museum, Buda-Pesth. . Dr. A. J. Matmeren, Helsingfors, Finland. . Prof. Orunret Coartes Marsu, C.M.Z.S8.; Yale College, New- haven, U.S.A. . Prof. Dr. Micnart Menzstnr, C.M.Z.S8.; Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow. . Dr. Apotpu Berwuarp Meyer, C.M.Z.S., Director of the Royal Museum, Dresden. Prof, AtpHonss Mitne-Epwarps, F.M.Z.8.; Jardin des Plantes, Paris. . M. Eniee Ovsrater, C.M.Z.S.; Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Jardin des Plantes, Paris. . Dr. THEopor Pieske, F.M.Z.S.; Imperial Zoological Museum, St. Petersburgh. Prof. Gustav Rappz, C.M.Z.8., Tiflis. Roserr Rmeway, 0.M.Z.S.; Smithsonian Institution, Wash- ington, D.C. Herman Scuatow; 105 Rathenowerstrasse, Berlin, N.W. CONTENTS or VOL. VIL.—SIXTH SERIES. (1894.) Number XXI., January. I. Second List of Birds collected by Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.8., in Nyasaland. By Captain G. E. Saetiny, F.ZS. Page o (Plates I. & IT.) I II. On some Birds from Bugotu, Solomon Islands, and Santa Cruz. By H. B. Tristram, D.D., F.R.S. (Plate IIT.). 28 III. On the Taxonomy of the Swifts and Humming-birds : a Rejoinder. By Dr. R. W. Suurenpr, C.M.ZS. . : 32 IV. On the Birds of the Calcutta District. By Puinir W. Munn, M.B.O.U. : ; * jars eee om eee POG V. Notes on some Tunisian Birds. By J. I. 8. Warraxer, F.ZS8. 78 VI. On the Interbreeding of Rhipidura — ginosa With R., flabellifera. By J.C. McLean. ; ie en oe VII. On the Chrysotis canifrons of Lawrence. By Ernst HaARreErr . ee eee hohe ay al at 3) esa de oe ae eS VIII. Ornithology at Munich, Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Frank- fort, and Cassel. By Tue Enrror. ras . 106 IX. Description of a new Species of Grebe from Central Peru. By Hans, Graf yon Brrterscn, and Jean Srorzmann. (Plate IV.) . . 109 SER, VI.—VOL. VI. i XVill CONTENTS. Page X. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. Nos. XL., xT... is XI. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— 1. Allen on the Birds of Matto Grosso . 22 2. Blaauw’s Comparative List of the Birds of Holland and England . : 123 3. Gadow’s “ Aves ” in Bronn’s ‘ Thier-Reich ha 124 4, Gurney on an Immigration of the Lapland Bunting . 125 5. Hasbrouck on Dichromatism in Megascops . 125 6. Lewis on the Birds of Hertfordshire . 126 7. Meyer’s Illustrations of Birds’ Skeletons 126 8. Meyer on the Birds of German New Guinea 126 9. Nehrling’s North-American Birds . 127 10. Newton and Gadow’s Dictionary of Birds 128 11. Oustalet on Birds from India, Tibet, and China 129 12. Pavesi’s Ornithological Calendar of Pavia 130 13. Reichenow’s List of German Birds 130 14, Ridgway on two new Swifts 132 15. Ridgway on a new Odontophorus . 132 16. Rothschild on the Avifauna of Laysan 132 17. Ryder on the Form of the Fowl’s Egg 134 18. Selous on Mashunaland and its Birds 134 19. Shufeldt on a Hybrid Grouse : 135 20. Trimen on the Vertebrates of the Cape Colony 135 21. Winge on Birds observed at the Danish Light-stations 135 XII. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. :— Letters from Heer F. E. Blaauw and Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant. Report of the British Museum for 1892; Otocorys pemcellata in Europe; Collectors in South America; The Systematic Position of pyornis; The Manus of <Archco- pteryx. Baldamus Obituary: Emin Pasha, Dr. George Bennett, Pastor . 136 CONTENTS. Number XXII., April. XIII. On the Birds of Uruguay. ByO. V. Artin. With an Introduction and Notes by P. L. Sctarzr. (Plate V.) . XIV. On some Birds collected in the Vicinity of Foochow. By C. B. Rickert, F.Z.S8. With Notes by Henry H. Srarer . XV. On a Birds’-nesting Excursion to the North of Norway in 1893. By Heyry J. Pearson and Enpwarp Bmwett XVI. On a Collection of Birds sent by Mr. Alfred H. Everett from the Sulu Archipelago. By R. Bowprer Suarre, LL.D., F.L.S., &c. (Plates VI. & VII.) . iia ths We XVII. Descriptions of the Eggs of three Species of South Australian Parrakeets. By Atrrep J. Norru, Assistant in Ornithology, Australian Museum, Sydney . . XVIII. A few Observations on some Species of Ph eae By W. Epwin Brooxs irre a a) toe : : XIX. Note on the Aquatic Habits of the Chaji (Chauna chavaria). By R. Lyprexxer, F.Z.8. . ome XX. On the Occurrence of Colymbus adamsi in Norway. By Prof. R. Cotterr, F.M.Z.8. (Plate VIII.). XXI. On the Scientific Names of the Imperial and Spotted Eagles and on the Generic Names of Bonelli’s Eagle and the Black Eagle. By W. T. Branrorp, F.R.S. . XXII. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. Nos. XITII-XV. . ae oF ae eT ae a at aa XXIII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :-— 22. Andrews on a new dipyornis . : : 23. Bittikofer on two new Birds from Sout cence : 24, Biittikefer on a new Pac/ yeephala 25. Biittikofer on two new Stoparole . 26. Biittikofer on a new Gerygone . 27. Bittikofer on new Birds trom Java and Gelenes xix Pago . 149 215 . 238 XX CONTENTS. Page 28. Biittikofer on two new Species of Gerygone . . 304 29. Dresser’s ‘ Monograph of the Rollers’ . 304 30. Elliot’s ‘ Monograph of the Pittide’ . 305 31. Fowler on the Marsh-Warbler . . 305 32. Hartert’s Remarks on German Birds . . 306 30. Hutton on the so-called Dinornis nae hee - o06 34, Kaiser on the Birds of Sinai : . 307 35. Milne-Edwards and Grandidier on Hp yornis . . 307 36. North on the Occurrence of the Corn-Crake in Aus- PRAlaee” 4 soy. <2 oe . 308 37. North on a new Teas ee . 808 38. ‘ Novitates Zoologice.’—No. I. . . 308 39. Ogilvie-Grant on the Game Birds . . 309 40. Pycraft on the Barbs of Feathers . . ole 41. Reichenow on the Birds of Adeliland . al2 42. Rhoads on Parus hudsonicus andits Alles . . 313 43. Richmond on Birds from Nicaragua and Costa Rica . 313 44, Ridgway on new Birds from Aldabra and the adjoin- ing Islands ‘ . 314 45. Ridgway on some Gagteieat Birds . . 314 46. Ridgway on the Genus Myiarchus . . . .-. . 314 47. Rothschild on the Avifauna of Laysan . 315 48. Sharpe and Wyatt on the Hirundinide . . 315 49. Stejneger on Japanese Birds ... . . 316 XXIV. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &¢.:— Letters from Mr. John Whitehead, Mr. A. Everett, Heer F. E. Blaauw, Mr. L. W. Wiglesworth, the Rev. Canon Tristram, Dr. W. '. Blanford, Mr. E. Hartert, and Mr. W. P. Pycraft. The Structure and Variations of the Bird’s-Egg; Dates of Publication of Jardine and Selby’s ‘ Illustrations of Ornitho- logy’; An extinct Apterygine Bird in Australia; Sale of a Great Auk’s Eeg; The Black Crow of Somaliland; Supposed new extinct Gigantic Bird in Australia; Mr. R. C. L. Perkins in the Sandwich Islands . . 316 CONTENTS. XXl Nomserr XXIII., July. XXYV. Notes on the Ornithology of China. By F. W.Sryay, eereen (late deka ec ot PR EIN ae ts ghee) 2) eve XXVI. On the Chinese Species of the Genus Suthora. By naw SEEBOHM, U.A.0. « « © @ Se © © «© « « # ©, sade XXVII. A Contribution towards the Me of West Jutland. By Atrrep CRAwHALL CHAPMAN. . . 339 XXVIII. On a Collection arranged to illustrate the General Characters of the Eggs of Birds. By Sir Wirt1am H. Frower, MEE Oot a ae hae a, ae Ce aI as Fake oak XXIX. On cases of Complete Fibule in existing Birds. By Pepkeew. saurnmnt COMLZ.5... 5 s « «> = 1 «9 otde boul XXX. List of Birds observed in Dras and Suru. By Lieut. W. Wire Corpravx, M.B.O.U. (Queen’s Bays). . . . . 367 XXXI. On the Crimson-headed Wood-Partridge (Hamat- ortyx sanguiniceps). By W. R. Oa1tviz Grant. (Plate X.) . 374 XXXII. On some new or little-known Shrikes from Central Asia. By M. Menzprer, Professor of Zoology and Compara- tive Anatomy in the University of Moscow . ... . . 378 XXXIII. Remarks on some Specimens. of Central-Asiatic Shrikes. By H. E. Dressur, F.L8.,F.Z8. . . . . . . 384 XXXIV. Descriptions de quelques Espéces nouvelles d’Oi- seaux du Pérou central. Par le Comre Hans pr Berterscy et Juan SrOnzMANN. (Plate XI). 35 6 3 a os 6 © 3 4/388 XXXY. On the Birds of the Philippine Islands.—Part I. Mount Arajat, Central Luzon. By W. R. Ocinvir Granz. With Field-Notes by Jonn WuitEHEAD . . . .. .. . 406 XXXVI. On the Distribution of Genera and Species of Non- migratory Land-Birds in the Philippines. By J. B. Sruerr, Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in the Univer- Siete WELCH EEy 5 wy np os ok Sed Col iP amy ee nee “org shy eee XXll CONTENTS. XXXVII. Bornean Notes: No. II. By R. Bowpter Suarre, LE.D., E.L-S., &... : ee vy ee tee XXXVIII. Note on some newly-discovered Eggs of the Great Auk. By Epwarp Bipwetr hac Op ghee XXXIX. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. Nos. Page XVI-XVIII. 424 XL. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— 50. Biittikofer on Birds from Celebes, Saleyer, and Flores 435 51. Chapman on the Birds of Trinidad : 436 52. Clarke on the Persecution of the Great Skua 437 53. Collett’s Contributions to the Norwegian Avifauna . 437 54. Elliot’s ‘ Monograph of the Pittidw’ 438 55. Lansdell on Birds from Central Asia . 439 56. Mathew on the Birds of Somerset . 439 57. Meyer on new East-Indian Birds . : . 440 58. Milne-Edwards on the extinct Birds of the Maseavene Islands and Madagascar : . 440 59. Milne-Edwards and Oustalet on rousntl nae Birds, 440 60. Nelson and Palmer on new Birds from Mexico 44] 61. Oustalet on Drepanornis bruijna : 441 62. Oustalet on new Birds in the Paris Gallasun : 441 63. Ridgway on the Genus Formecarius . 442 64. Ridgway on a new Storm-Petrel 442 65. Sharpe’s ‘ Monograph of the Paradiseide’ 4492 66. Sharpe on the FPulicariw and Alectorides . 443 67. Stuhlmann on Emin Pasha’s last Journey . 445 68. Wilson and Evans’s ‘Aves Hawaiienses’ . 446 69. Wyatt’s ‘ British Birds’ . . 447 'XLI. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. :— Letters from Mr. Henry J. Pearson, Mr. William E. De Winton, Mr. J. Backhouse, Mr. Knud Andersen, Mr. C. C. Trowbridge, Mr. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton, and Mr. Robert Patterson. Great Bustard Breeding in Captivity ; Hirundo gut- turalis at Brighton; the Nectarinia of Mount Kenia; Marbled Duck in Bavaria; Pelecanus crispus in Italy; Tinamous as CONTENTS. XXili Page Food; New Monograph of the Cranes; Patria of Cacatua : gymmnopis ; Ornithologists on their Travels; Anniversary Meet- ing of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 1894; Rare Birds in the Museo Civico, Milan; Meeting of the German Ornitho- logical Society. Obituary—Dr. A. v. Middendorff, Dr. L. v. Schrenck, and Herr Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine. . . . 447 NumBer XXIV., October. XLII. Third List of the Birds collected by Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S., in Nyasaland. By Captain G. E. Settey, ERZeso = (Plate: X11.) oe em oe a OR XLIII. On some Birds collected on Byingyi Mountain, Shan States, Burma. By Everne W. Oars, F.Z.S. (Plate XIII.). 478 XLIV. On the Nesting of Phibalura flavirostris and Lochmias pongura. By Or Bur A. Gomrmr . 2... « +4 «+ 40 XLV. Remarks on the Birds of Antarctica. By P. L. Nena) MA Phe OMeRase i 3. ata A a ee ~ er AO XLVI. On the Birds of the Philippine Islands.—Part IT. The Highlands of North Luzon, 5000 feet. By W. R. Oatrvie Grant. With Field-Notes by Joun Wurirennap. (Plates XIV. & XV.) el: 4 xn? On SS. 4 tee eae OE XLVII. On a new Species of Fern-bird (Sphenwacus) from the Snares Islands. By Sir Watrer L. Buirer, K.C.M.G., emi te ay oe Ue Bie (arg en ee Ea) ah can ayy, ewes XLVIII. Notes on the Indian Owls. By W. T. Branrorp . 524 XLIX. On some Birds from the Island of Negros, Philip- pies. By Wm. Haare Crarkr, F.LS. . . . . « « « « OSL L. On a new Species of Guinea-fowl. By W. R. Oartvie SGReAUMI A Poss: yw ule ade Sopa te to, cei ae oe en ere) LI. Bornean Notes: No. III. By R. Bowpter Smarr, Re Benen rely he >. ae a aL RT ee ae ome ve he. oS XXiV CONTENTS. LII. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. No. XIX. LITT. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— Page 546 70. Adair on the Short-eared Owl and Kestrel in the Vole-plague Districts of Scotland . 5d2 71. Andersen on the Occurrence of Ligurinus sinicus in Denmark 552 72. ‘Aquila,’ a new Haveuuan J narra of Ornithology 553 73. Bower on the Birds of Tibet . 553 74. Butler on the Distribution of Geant. in Nout America . : 554 75. Collett on Bird-life in Aree 2 Norway . 554 76. Dobie on the Birds of Cheshire, Vgabsehane and Flintshire 509 77. Elliot on the Life “al Spee of Reanton 556 78. Finsch on a rare Rail . 556 79. Flower on the Arrangement of essa : » « 896 80. Hartert on the Mode of Flight of the Accipitres. . 557 81. Hudson on Lost British Birds . . 558 82. Jouy on Birds from Central Mexico . - 058 83. Lataste on Chilian Birds 559 84, Leverkiihn on the Breeding of the Cr ae qin 560 85. Meyer and Wiglesworth on new Birds from Celebes and its neighbourhood 560 86. Oustalet on a new Cassowary . 560 87. Oustalet on new Birds from Conaclind 560 88, Oustalet on Birds from the Algerian Sahara . 5961 89. Oustalet on the Birds of Turkestan, Tibet, and Western China . 561 90. Parrot on the Size of the tee in Bias 562 91. Pycraft on the Wing of Archwopteryx 563 92. Ridgway on Birds from Alaska 563 93. Ridgway on a new Geothlypis ee 563 94. Salvadori on new Birds from New Guinea . 563 95, Salvadori on Birds from Somali-land 564 96, Seebohm on the Distribution of British Birds . 564 97. Sharpe’s Handbook to the Birds of Great Britain 565 98. Stone on the Genus Anous. 567 99. Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen’s List of fie Meri 568 100. Wickmann on the Colour of Birds’-Eggs . 568 CONTENTS. XXV LIV. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. :— Letters from Mr. W. L. Distant; Herr A. Nehrkorn ; Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant; Dr. W. T. Blanford; and Mr. Howard Saunders. The new extinct Gigantic Bird of Australia ; The Birds of Damma Island; The Jackson-Harmsworth Polar Ex- pedition ; The Destruction of Small Birds; Mr. Cory’s Collec- tion of Birds. Obituary—-Mr. Brian H. Hodgson, Dr. L. Conlon and Mr; Po Ledouy~ 20%.) se sa vs et a 68 index ot ocienvilie Names << . . <« 2 “ “a sees esaeo tidexsofContents... ss 1): wa sac as Ok ee OUR Titlepage, Preface, List of Members, and Contents. General Index to the Sixth Series. SER. VI.—VOL. VI. C 1 2 ify j Ub sof ¥ j 6 ety As oo a — . ———— t a, - : 3 i ‘ = . ’ * . i ® ~ we * ¥ a . = = ’ ay i ‘ * e % ; ve 7 1 - _ J ~ j) = 7 UF A He Bie ae pies SIXTH SERIES. No. XXI. JANUARY 1894. I.—Second List of Birds collected by Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.8.,in Nyasaland. By Captain G. E. Saeuiey, F.Z.8. (Plates I. & If.) My first list of the birds of Nyasaland, which was published in this Journal last year (see Ibis, 1893, p. 1), contains the names of 134 species, 12 of which were described as new. One of these, Hirundo astigma (Ibis, 1893, p. 19), is the same as H. emini, Reichen. (J. f. O. 1892, pp. 30, 215), as I have ascertained by the examination of a typical specimen of that species lately received by the British Museum. I also find that no. 75 of my first list (p. 20) is not Dryoscopus sticturus, Finsch & Hartl., but D. mossambicus, Fischer & Reichen., and that no. 78 (p. 20) is not Nilaus capensis, but its more northern representative, N. nigritemporalis, Reichen. My present list, which is based on two collections (of about 1030 specimens together) lately received by Mr. Sclater from Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., having been made under his superintendence by Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S., con- tains the names of 205 species, of which 102 were not repre- sented in Mr. Whyte’s previous collections. Of these 102 SER. VI.—VOL. VI. B 2 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds species, no less than nine, which I have characterized as follows, appear to me to be new to science, namely :— 1. Prodotiscus zambesiz, p. 8. 2. Xenocichla milanjensis, p. 9. 3. Phyllostrephus cerviniventris, p- 10. 4, Andropadus zombensis, p. 10. 5. Sylviella whytii, p. 15. 6. Laniarius bertrandi, p. 15. 7. Hyphantornis nyasse, p. 20. 8, Pyrenestes minor, p. 20. 9. Francolinus johnstoni, p. 24. Besides these novelties I find in the series one species hitherto known only from West Africa ; six which as yet have been found only in more northern portions of Eastern Africa ; while two are southern species which are now recorded for the first time from the country north of the Zambesi. 1. MeLieRAx GABAR. Melierax gabar (Daud.) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1893, p. 6. Zomba, Oct. An immature specimen. 2. AsTUR POLYZONOIDES. Astur polyzonoides (Smith) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 22, 796; id. Cat.1.3p. 113. Zomba, Nov. Both adult and immature specimens. 3. BuTEO DESERTORUM. Buteo desertorum (Daud.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 30, 797 ; ide@at- 2. p. 179. Zomba, July. One fine adult bird. 4, ASTURINULA MONOGRAMMICA. Asturinula monogrammica, 'Temm.; Shelley, |. c. p. 6. Zomba, Nov. Adult and young. It is curious that the young bird does not appear to have been hitherto described. The one sent by Mr. Whyte had been kept in a cage, and is nearly of the size and plumage of the adult, but has a good deal of brown on the chest and brown margins to many of the wing-coverts and scapulars; it has also two white bands on the tail instead of one. 5. LopHoabtus occiPiratis. Lophoaétus occipitalis (Daud.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 6. Zomba, Feb. and Nov. The former is an adult, the latter a young bird. collected in Nyasaland. 3 6. HaLiabrus vocirer. Hahaétus vocifer (Daud.) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 46, 798 ; id. Cat. i. p. 310. Fort Johnston and Upper Shiré River, Nov. In adult and immature plumages. 7. Mitvus aeyrrivs. Milvus egyptius (Gm.) ; Shelley, l.c. p. 7. Zomba, Nov. An adult. 8. Baza, sp. inc. Zomba, Nov. ‘The specimen is immature, and I am unable to say whether it should be referred to B. verreausxi or to B. cuculoides. 9. ELANUS CERULEUS. Elanus ceruleus (Desf.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 52, 798 ; id. Cat. 1. p. 336. Zomba, Oct.; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 10. Panpion HALIA‘TUS. Pandion haliaétus (.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 68, 801 ; id. Cat. i. p. 449. Upper Shiré River, Nov. 11. Buso macutosus. Bubo maculosus (Vieill.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 73, 801; id. Cat. i. p. 30. Zomba, July and Jan. Mr. Whyte has now sent four examples of this Eagle-Owl, every one of them differing in plumage from dark grey to tawny buff in general tint. Even the grey phase, as illustrated by this series, has in some cases a more or less rufous tinge ; and at present there is no evidence of the existence of absolute grey or rufous phases in this species. 12. SyrRNIUM WoopFroRDI. Syrnium woodfordi (Smith); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 76, 801; id. Cat. 1. p. 267. Zomba, Nov., Dec. ‘These two specimens are both im- mature. B2 4 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 13. GLAUCIDIUM CAPENSE. Glaucidium capense (Smith) ; Shelley, 1. ec. p. 7. Upper Shiré River, Nov. An adult bird. 14, GrLaucIDIUM PERLATUM. Glaucidium perlatum (Vieill.) ; Sharpe, Cat. ii. p. 209. Carine perlata, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 77, 802. Zomba. The two specimens were reared from nestlings, and lived with Mr. Whyte for about five months. They have nearly uniform brown heads, like other young birds in the British Museum collection. 15. Srrrx FLAMMEA. Strix flammea, Linn. ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 82, 802; id. Cat. i. p. 291. Zomba, Nov. 16. CosMETORNIS VEXILLARIUS. Cosmetornis vexillarius (Gould) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 7. Zomba and Milanji Plain, Aug. 17. CypsELUS TOULSONI. Micropus toulsont (Bocage) ; Hartert, Cat. xvi. p. 453. Zomba, Oct. <A single immature specimen. This species was formerly only known from West Africa, from the Loango Coast and Angola. 18. Mprops APiASTER. Merops apiaster, Linn. ; Shelley, |. c. p. 7. Zomba, Aug., Dec., Feb. Two specimens collected in August are in full moult, while two others procured in December and February are in full plumage. 19. Merops sUPERCILIOSUS. Merops superciliosus, Linn.; Shelley, l.c. p. 7. Milanji Plains, Aug. 20. MERops NATALENSIS. Merops nubicoides, Smith; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 99, 804, pl. 4. fig. 2. Merops natalensis, Reichenb. ; Sharpe, Cat. xvii. p. 84. Tshiromo, Sept. collected in Nyasaland. 5 21. MELITTOPHAGUS ALBIFRONS. Merops bullockoides, Smith; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 99, pl. 4. fiz. I. Melittophagus albifrons (Finsch & Hartl.); Sharpe, Cat. XVil. p. 53. Zowba, July ; Tshiromo, Sept. 22. MELITTOPHAGUS MERIDIONALIS. Melittophagus meridionalis, Sharpe ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 7. Zomba, July, Aug.; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 23. DicroceRcUs HIRUNDINACEUS. Dicrocercus hirundinaceus, Vieill.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp- 101, 805 ; id. Cat. xvi. p. 43, pl. 1. fig. 1. Zomba, July, Oct. 24. CORACIAS GARRULA. Coracias garrula, Linn.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 102, 805; idpiCat. xvii. p. 15. Lake Shirwa, Dec. An immature bird. 25. EurystTomMus AFER. Eurystomus afer (Lath.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 8. Zomba, Aug. An adult bird. 26. HaPALODERMA NARINA. Hapaloderma narina (Steph.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 106, 806; Grant, Cat. xvii. p. 477. Zomba, Nov. An adult bird. 27. ALCEDO SEMITORQUATA. Alcedo semitorquata (Swains.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 107, 806; id. Cat. xvi. p. 153. Zomba, Aug. An adult bird. 28. CorYTHORNIS CYANOSTIGMA. Corythornis cyanostigma (Riipp.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 108, 806; id. Cat. xvii. p. 163. Zomba, Aug., Nov. Adult birds. 29. CERYLE MAXIMA. Ceryle maxima (Pall.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 111, 807; id. Cat. xvii. p. 118. Milanji Plain, Aug. An adult bird. 6 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 30. CERYLE RUDIS. Ceryle rudis (Linn.); Shelley, |. c. p. 8. Lake Shirwa, Dec. An adult male. 31. IspIDINA NATALENSIS. Ispidina natalensis (Smith) ; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 113, 8075 1d. Cat. xvu. p. 193. Zomba, Aug., Nov. The August specimen is young; the November bird is adult. 32. HALCYON SEMICERULEA. Halcyon semicerulea (Forsk.) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 114, 807 ; id. Cat. xvi. p. 232. Zomba, Aug., Nov., Dec. Two are adults; the December bird is immature. 33. HALCYON ORIENTALIs. Halcyon orientalis, Peters; Shelley, 1. c. p. 8. Zomba, August. A young bird. 34. HaLcyon CHELICUTENSIS. Halcyon chelicutensis (Stanl.) ; Shelley, l.c. p. 8. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov. Adults. Mr. Whyte has also sent two eggs of this Kingfisher, taken along with a female bird. They are shining white, and measure—axis 0°95, diam. 0°85 inch. 359. BYCANISTES BUCCINATOR. Buceros buccinator, Temm.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 125. Bycanistes buccinator, Grant, Cat. xvii. p. 421. Lake Shirwa. Four specimens. 36. LopHocEROS MELANOLEUCUS. Tockus melanoleucus, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 127. Lophoceros melanoleucus (Licht.) ; Grant, Cat. xvii. p. 399. Zomba, Nov. 37. UPUPA AFRICANA. Upupa africana, Bechst.; Shelley, |. c. p. 8. Tshiromo, Sept. 38. RuiNopoMASTES CYANOMELAS. Rhinopomastes cyanomelas (Vieill.); Shelley, l.c. p. 8. Zomba, Dec., Jan. The January bird is in immature plumage. collected in Nyasaland. 7 39. GALLIREX CHLOROCHLAMYS. Gallirex chlorochlamys, Shelley ; Shelley, l.c. p. 9. Zomba, July, Nov. 40. 'TuRACUS LIVINGSTONII. Turacus livingstonii (Gray); Shelley, 1. c. p. 9. Zomba, July, Sept., Nov. ; Milanji Hills, Sept. 41. ScHIZORHIS CONCOLOR. Schizorhis concolor (Smith); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 144, 809; Shelley, Cat. xix. p. 453. Upper Shiré River, Nov. ‘Two adults. 42. CoLius ERYTHROMELON. Colius erythromelon, Vieill.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 551, 853 ; id. Cat. xvii. p. 344. Tshiromo, Sept. An adult. 43. CoLIus STRIATUS. Colius striatus, Gm.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 555, 853 ; id. Cat. xvii. p. 339. Zomba, Aug. An adult. 44, CUCULUS SOLITARIUS. Juculus solitarius, Steph.; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 149, 809 ; Shelley, Cat. xix. p. 258. Zomba, Dec., Jan. Three adult specimens. 45. CucULUS CLAMOSUS. Cuculus clamosus, Lath. ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 9. Zomba, July, Nov., Feb. The specimen shot in February still bears traces of the immature plumage. 46. CHRYSOCOCCYX CUPREUS. Chrysococcyx cupreus (Bodd.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 9. Zomba, Aug., Dec. One of the specimens shot in December is young. 47, CHRYSOcOcCYX KLAASI. Chrysococcyx klaasi (Steph.); Shelley, l.c. p. 9. Zomba, Aug. 48. CoccysTES CAFER. Coccystes cafer (Licht.) ; Shelley, ].c. p. 10. Zomba, Dec. 8 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Bards 49. CoccystEs HYPOPINARIUS. Coccystes hypopinarius, Cab. ; Shelley, |. c. p. 10. Zomba, Dec. to Feb. In all there are five specimens, which vary slightly in the dusky colouring of the throat, but there can be no doubt that they all belong to C. hypopinarius, which is a very well-marked race. 50. CENTROPUS NATALENSIS. Centropus natalensis, Shelley ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 10. Zomba, Dec. Two adult birds. 51. InpicaTor INDICATOR. Indicator sparrmanni, Steph. ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 166, 810. Indicator indicator (Gm.) ; Shelley, Cat. xix. p. 5. Zomba, Nov. Adult. 52. [INDICATOR VARIEGATUS. Indicator variegatus, Less. ; Shelley, Ibis, 1893, p. 10. Zomba, July. Adult. 53. PRoporiscUS ZAMBESIA, Sp. U. Zomba, Dec. Only one specimen. Sunilis P. insigni, sed facie laterali et gutture pallidé cinereis, et abdomine, hypochondriis, et subcaudalibus albis dis- tinguendus. Long. tot. 5:0 poll., ale 2-8. The type specimen is apparently not mature, but it differs from P. insignis in its ashy-grey throat and breast, this colour also prevailing on the head. These might be characters of immaturity only, but the whole of the abdomen and under tail-coverts are white instead of being dingy olive-brown, and this, I think, is a character which would hardly change with age and must consequently be specific. 54. MELANOBUCCO ZOMB. Melunobucco zombe, Shelley, |. c. p. 10. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov. In the series of the species are two specimeus which have faded red throats almost intermediate in colouring between typical specimens of M. zombe and M. torquatus. The curious fact remains that the majority of the Zomba birds collected in Nyasaland. S) are pale-spotted, and that no similar specimens have been seen from the countries south of the Zambesi. 55. SMILORHIS WHYTII. Smilorhis whytii, Shelley, |. c. p. 11, pl. 1. Zomba, Aug. to Nov. 56. CAMPOTHERA ABINGDONI. Campothera abingdont (Smith) ; Hargitt, Cat. xvii. p. 98. Campothera abingtoni, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 182. Zomba, Feb. Two adult females. 57. CAMPOTHERA CAILLIAUDI. Campothera cailliaudt (Malh.) ; Hargitt, Cat. xvi. p. 102. Zomba, Nov., Jan., Feb. The specimens procured in November and January are both immature, while one obtained in February is an adult male. 58. DENDROPICUS ZANZIBARI. Dendropicus zanzibari, Malh.; Shelley, l.c. p. 12. Zomba, July to Nov. 59. PaocePHALUS FUSCICAPILLUS. Peocephalus fuscicapillus (Verr. & Des Murs) ; Shelley, Pcop>l2. Zomba, July, Aug. A series. 60. TuRDUS MILANJENSIS. Turdus milanjensis, Shelley, 1. c. p. 12. Milanji Hills, Sept. 61. TuRpDUS LIBONIANUS. Turdus libonianus, Smith; Shelley, |. c. p. 12. Zomba, July to Dec.; Tshiromo, Sept. The large series collected by Mr. Whyte includes some young birds procured in December. 62. TuRDUS GURNEYI. Turdus gurneyi, Hartl.; Shelley, l.c. p. 13. Milanji Hills, Sept. One adult bird. 63. XENOCICHLA MILANJENSIS, sp. n. (Plate I. fig. 1.) Milanji Hills. A single specimen. Similis X. tephroleme, sed major, regione parotica albido 10 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds striaté, abdomine magis viridi, et subalaribus minus flavi- cantibus distinguenda. Long. tot. 8:0 poll., ale 3°65, caude 3°5, tarsi 1:0. Although very similar in appearance to X. tephrolema of the Camaroons, this species is at once distinguishable by its larger size and streaked ear-coverts. The abdomen and the quill-lming are much more green, and not yellow as in X. tephrolema. 64. XeNnoctcHuia Fusciceps. (Plate I. fig. 2.) Xenocichla fusciceps, Shelley, 1. c. p. 13. An additional specimen of this interesting species, obtained, like the former ones, on the Milanji plateau, in September. 65. XENOCICHLA PLACIDA. Xenocichla placida, Shelley, P. Z. 8. 1889, p. 363. Zomba, July. The typical specimen of this species was procured by Mr. Hunter on Kilimanjaro. It is interesting to meet with a second specimen from so much further south. 66. PHYLLOSTROPHUS CERVINIVENTRIS, sp. n. (Plate II. fig. 1.) Zomba, Aug. ; Tshiromo, Sept. Seven specimens. Similis P. fulviventri, Cab., sed subalaribus cervino-isa- bellinis distinguendus. Long. tot. 7°6 poll., ale 3°4, caudee 3°6, tarsi 0°9. In order to be quite certain that this species was distinct I sent a specimen to Dr. Reichenow, who kindly compared it for me with P. fischeri and P. fulviventris. It is distin- guished from both, he tells me, by the colour of the under wing-coverts, which are light tawny or isabelline instead of yellow. 67. ANDROPADUS ZOMBENSIS, Sp. 0. Zomba, July ; Milanji Hills, Sept. Similis 4. wirenti, sed major, et corpore supra magis viridi, necnon gastreo pallidé olivaceo-flavescente diversus. Long. tot. 7°3 poll., alee 3°4, caudze 3:6, tarsi 0°85. Nearly allied to A. virens of West Africa, but larger and paler, and of a generally greener shade. Upper parts olive, collected in Nyasaland. 11 slightly shaded with brown on the upper tail-coverts and outer edges of the wing-feathers ; tail coppery brown, with a strong wash of olive on the edges of the feathers ; under- parts nearly uniform pale olive-yellow; under wing-coverts hke the breast; inner edges of the quills brownish white; bill dark brown ; legs paler brown. 68. ANDROPADUS OLEAGINUS. Andropadus hypoxanthus, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 205. Andropadus oleaginus, Peters; Sharpe, Cat. vi. p. 111. Tshiromo, Sept. 69. CRATEROPUS KIRKI. Crateropus kirki, Sharpe; Shelley, 1. ¢. p. 13. Zomba, July to Nov. and Jan. A large series. 70. CossyPHA HEUGLINI. Cossypha heuglini, Hartl.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 14. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov., Jan. 71. CossyPHA QUADRIVIRGATA. | Cossypha quadrivirgata (Reichen.); Sharpe, Cat. vu. p. 43. Tshiromo, Sept. An adult bird. 72. CALLENE ANOMALA. Callene anomala, Shelley, |. c. p. 14. Milanji Hills. An adult. 73. CICHLADUSA ARCUATA. Cichladusa arcuata, Peters; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 229; id. Cat. vu. p. 70. Tshiromo, Sept. Three specimens. 74. 'THAMNOLAA SUBRUFIPENNIS. Thamnolea subrufipennis, Reichen. J. f. O. 1887, p. 78. Milanji Plain. A male and female. This is the most southern known locality for this species, which is replaced south of the Zambesi by the closely allied T. cinnamomei- ventris. 12 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 75, SAXICOLA GALTONI. Savicola galtoni (Strickl.); Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 234, 818; Seebohm, Cat. v. p. 390. Zomba, July. 76. PRaTINCOLA TORQUATA. Pratincola torquata (Linn.); Shelley, 1. c. p. 15. Zomba, Aug. 77. ERYTHROPYGIA ZAMBESIANA. Erythropygia zambesiana, Sharpe; Shelley, 1. c. p. 15. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov., Jan. 78. CisTICOLA CINERASCENS. Cisticola cinerascens (Heugl.); Shelley, l. c. p. 15. Zomba, Jan. Three specimens. 79. CISTICOLA ORIENTALIS. Cisticola orientalis, Sharpe ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 15. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov., Dec., Jan. A very large series. 80. CisTICOLA NATALENSIS. Cisticola natalensis (Smith, Jan. 1843); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 261 ; id. Cat. vu. p. 278. p. Cisticola strangei (Fraser, Feb. 1843); Sharpe, Cat. vii. 276. Zomba, Nov., Jan. Three adult specimens. 81. ScHG@NICOLA APICALIS. Schenicola apicalis (Cab.) ; Sharpe, Cat. vu. p. 110. Catriscus apicalis, Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 283, 825. Zomba, Aug., Nov. 82. BRADYPTERUS BRACHYPTERUS. Bradypterus brachypterus (Vieill.); Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 286, 825 ;_ id. Cat. vii. p. 113. Zomba, Aug. 83. BRADYPTERUS NYASSA. : Bradypterus nyass@, Shelley, |. ¢. p. 16. Zomba, Aug. collected in Nyasaland. 13 84. AcROCEPHALUS TURDOIDES. Acrocephalus turdoides (Meyer) ; Seebohm, Cat. v. p. 95. Acrocephalus fulvolateralis, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 289, 826. Zomba, Jan. Two adult specimens. 85. EREMOMELA SCOTOPS. Eremomela scotops, Sundev.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 16. Zomba, July, Oct., Nov. 86. SYLVIELLA WHYTII, sp. n. Zomba, Aug., Nov. Similis S. rufescenti, sed minor, et rostro conspicué breviore, regione parotica cervina et fascia fusca supra-auriculari nulla distinguenda. Long. tot. 3°2 poll., ale 3:15, caude 0°95, tarsi 0°7. Similar to S. rufescens, but smaller and with a much shorter bill ; upper parts paler ashy brown, with a distinct olive shade on the back and tail ; underparts uniform rufous buff, slightly paler on the chin; sides of the head uniform rufous buff, slightly more of a fawn-colour than the breast ; bill and legs pale brown. To this species should be referred the Sylviella micrura, Shelley, Ibis, 1888, p. 299 (nec Riipp.), from Manda Island near Lamu (Ff. J. Jackson). 87. SYLVIA HORTENSIS. Sylvia salicaria (Linn.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 504, 829. Sylvia hortensis, Bechst.; Seebohm, Cat. v. p. 10. Zomba, Aug., Nov., Dec. 88. DAULIAS PHILOMELA. Erithacus philomela (Bechst.) ; Seebohm, Cat. v. p. 295. Zomba, Jan. This is an interesting winter habitat for this Nightingale. 89. CINNYRIS FALKENSTEINI. Cinnyris falkensteini, Reichen.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 16. Zomba, July, Aug., Sept. 14. Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 90. CINNYRIS CUPREUS. Cinnyris cupreus (Shaw) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 17. Zomba, Sept. 91. CHALCOMITRA GUTTURALIS. Chalcomitra gutturalis (Linn.); Shelley, |. c. p. 17. Zomba, Aug., Nov., Jan. 92. ANTHOTHREPTES LONGUEMARII. Anthothreptes longuemarii (ess.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 17. Zomba, Jan. Adult specimens. 93. ANTHOTHREPTES HYPODILUS. Anthodieta zambesiana, Shelley ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 321. Anthothreptes zambesiana, Gadow, Cat. ix. p. 117. Zomba, July. An adult bird. 94, SALPORNIS SALVADORII. Salpornis salvadorii (Bocage) ; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 835 ; Gadow, Cat. viii. p. 330. Zomba, Aug. 95. MuscicaPa GRISOLA. Muscicapa grisola, Linn.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 338, Bes id. Cataiv.qp. loll, Zomba, Nov. A single specimen. 96. Muscicapa CHRULESCENS. Muscicapa cerulescens, Hartl. ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 340; id. Cat. iv. p. 154. Zomba, July, Nov. Adult specimens. 97. PoGonociIcHLA JOHNSTONI. Pogonocichla johnstoni, Shelley, |. ec. p. 18. Milanji Hills, Sept. 98. SMITHORNIS CAPENSIS. Smithornis capensis (Smith) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 344; id. Cat. iv. p. 388. Zomba and Milanji Plains, Aug. 99. PLATYSTIRA PELTATA. Platystira peltata, Sundev.; Shelley, 1. ¢. p. 18. Zomba, July, Aug., Sept., Nov.; Milanji Plains, Aug. collected in Nyasaland. 15 ' 100. PacHyPRORA MOLITOR. Pachyprora molitor (Hahn & Kiister) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 18. Zomba, Aug. All adult. 101. TERpPstPHONE PERSPICILLATA. Terpsiphone perspicillata (Swains.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 18. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov., Jan. 102. TRocHocERcUS CYANOMELAS. Trochocercus cyanomelas (Vieill.); Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 354; id. Cat. iv. p. 299. Milanji Hills, Sept. An immature specimen. 103. Hirunpo rustica. Mirundo rustica, Linn.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 362, 840 ; id. Cat. x. p. 128. Upper Shiré River, Nov., Dec. Mr. Whyte procured a young bird in November, and three adults in December, the latter all moulting. 104. HirunDo PUELLA. HMirundo puella, Temm.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 19. Zomba, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. All adults. 105. Lantus coLaris. Lanius collaris, Linn. ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 19. Zomba, Aug., Jan. In this series there is a young bird procured in January. 106. ENNEOCTONUS COLLURIO. Enneoctonus collurio (Linn.) ; Shelley, 1. ¢. p. 19. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Two males in very worn plumage. 107. LanrARIUS BERTRANDI, sp. n. (Plate IT. fig. 2.) Milanji Hills, Sept. Similis LZ. rubiginoso, sed fascia superciliari postica pallidé cinerea, minimé alba, distinguendus. Long. tot. 7°5 poll., culm. 0°65, alee 3°35, caude 3:2, tarsi 1:0. Very. closely allied to L. rubiginosus, but readily to be distinguished from that bird in not having a white eye- brow, and in having the black on the head extending round the forehead between the grey and the white of the fore part of the head. I name this species after Capt. Bertram L. 16 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds Sclater, R.E., the Chief of Mr. Johnston’s Staff, who visited the Milanji Hills in 1891] and 1892. See his article on routes and districts in Nyasaland (Journ. R. Geogr. Soc. 1893, p. 403). 108. LANIARIUS SULPHUREIPECTUS. Laniarius sulphureipectus (Less.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 20. Zomba,. July, Oct. 109. LANIARIUS POLIOCEPHALUS. Laniarius poliocephalus (Licht.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 387, 842; Gadow, Cat. vii. p. 156. Zomba, Sept. to Nov.; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 110. Nicator GULARIS. Nicator gularis, Finsch & Hartl.; Gadow, Cat. vii. p. 167. Laniarius gularis, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 390. Tshiromo, Sept. 111. Dryoscopus cuBLa. Dryoscopus cubla (Shaw); Shelley, 1. ¢. p. 20. Zomba, July, Aug., Sept., Nov., Jan. 112. Dryoscopus MOssAMBICUS. Dryoscopus major mossambicus, Fischer & Reichen. J. f. O. 1880, p. 141. Dryoscopus sticturus, Shelley (nec Finsch & Hartl.), 1. e. p. 20. Zomba, Aug., Oct., Nov., Feb.; Milanji Plains, Aug. ; Tshiromo, Sept. A large series of this form, in which, without exception, the white on the secondaries is confined to two of the wing-feathers. It is therefore, as I consider, separable from D. sticturus, Finsch & Hartl., of which the type is one of Chapman’s specimens from Lake Ngami with white on three of the secondaries. This appears to be the common character of all specimens met with south of the Zambesi and Quanza rivers, but of very rare occurrence in examples from further north. As regards this species and its allies, Dr. Hartlaub and Dr. Reichenow have given much attention to the subject, but — collected in Nyasaland. 17 have apparently come to no very definite decision, so I trust I shall not appear presumptuous in endeavouring to characterize these species and in limiting the number to four :—D. ethio- picus (Gm. 1788); D. mosambicus (Fischer & Reichenow, 1880) ; D. major (Hartl. 1848); and D. guttatus (Hartl. 1865). a. Underparts more shaded with pink. (EH, Africa.) a’. With no white on the quills (type, Abyssinia), or with only oue of the secondaries edged with white (Abyssinia and Bogos) ........ D. ethiopicus. 6’. With broad white edges to two of the second- aries (type, Mozambique) ;=also D. casatia, Hartl., from Wadelai, and D. albofasciatus, Sharpe, from the Victoria Nyanza district. Occasionally the white edges are more faintly MPC Satu ater oyss ake, ake. ee & o, ok AEER RS oe D. mosambicus. b. Underparts whiter. (W. & 8, Africa.) ce’. Slightly larger, bill stronger. With broad white edges to two of the secondaries (type, Gold Coast, and including D. picatus, Hartl., from the Gaboon). In two specimens from the Gold Coast a third secondary is edged with white, and I should consider as another variety of this species the type of D. bicolor, Verr., from the Gaboon, with no white on therquillsiwi taht se sede wget od is ates D. major. d’. Slightly smaller, bill weaker. With broad white edges to two of the secondaries (type, Benguela), but more generally with broad white edges to three of the secondaries, as in the types of D. sticturus, Finsch & Hartlaub, from Lake Ngami, and D. neglectus and D. finschi, Bocage, from Benguela ........ D. guttatus. With regard to the geographical distribution of these species, D. ethiopicus is apparently confined to the Abys- sinian and Shoan districts of N.E. Africa; D. mosambicus ranges over East Africa from the Upper White Nile and the Niam-niam country to the Zambesi; D. major is con- fined to West Africa, north of the Quanza River; and D. guttatus is found only to the south of the Quanza and Zambesi. SER. VI.—VOL. VI. c 18 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 113. TELEPHONUS SENEGALUS. Telephonus senegalus (Linn.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 20. Zomba, Aug. to Jan. A very large series. 114. TELEPHONUS ANCHIETZ. Telephonus anchiete, Bocage ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 20. Zomba, July, Aug., Dec., March. Adults of both sexes. 115. Nizavus NIGRITEMPORALIS. Nilaus nigritemporalis, Reichen. J. f. O. 1892, p. 36. Nilaus capensis (nec Shaw) ; Shelley, |. c. p. 20. Zomba, July to Nov. A series of specimens. Zomba is the most southern known locality for this species, which appears to be entirely replaced south of the Zambesi by N. capensis. 116. CaMPoPHAGA NIGRA. Campophaga nigra, Vieill.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 20. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov. ; Milanji Plains, Aug. 117. GravcALUS PECTORALIS. Graucalus pectoralis, Jard. & Selby ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 21. Zomba, Aug. 118. BrapyorNIs PALLIDUS. Bradyornis pallidus (Von Mill.) ; Shelley, I. c. p. 21. Zomba, July, Aug., Sept., Jan., Febr. 119. Brapyornis ATER. Bradyornis ater, Sundev.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 21. Zomba, July. 120. Stamopus TRICOLOR. Sigmodus tricolor (Gray) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 21. Zomba, Nov., Dec., Jan. Young birds procured in November differ from the adults in being browner and in having white edges to the feathers, most broadly marked onthe wing-coverts and on some of the breast-feathers. 121. BucHanGa assIMILIS8. Buchanga assimilis (Bechst.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 21. Zomba, Aug., Dec., Feb. A young bird procured in February. . collected in Nyasaland. 19 122. OrIoLus NoTATus. Oriolus notatus, Peters; Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 412, 845 ; id. Cat. iii. p. 196. Zomba, July, Aug. 123. OrrIoLUs LARVATUS. Oriolus larvatus, Licht. ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 22. Zomba, July, Aug., Nov., March. 124. Corvus scaPULATUS. Corvus scapulatus, Daud.; Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 416, 845 ; id. Cat. i. p. 22. Tshiromo, Sept. 125. LamPROCOLIUS SYCOBIUS. Lamprocolius sycobius (Licht.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 22. Zomba, July, Aug. 126. PHOLIDAUGES VERREAUXI. Pholidauges verreauxi, Bocage; Shelley, 1. c. p. 22. Zomba, Aug., Sept., Febr. 127. AmypRus MoRIO. Amydrus morio (Linn.); Shelley, 1. c. p. 22. Zomba, Jan.; Milanji Hills, Sept. Examples of both sexes in full plumage. 128. SycoBRoTUS STICTIFRONS. Sycobrotus stictifrons (Fischer & Reichen.); Shelley, 1. ec. p. 22. Zomba, Nov.; Tshiromo, Sept. 129. S1vaGRA OCULARIA. Sitagra ocularius (Smith) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 23. Zomba, July; Tshiromo, Sept. 130. HyPHANTORNIS NIGRICEPS. Hyphantornis nigriceps, Layard ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 23. Tshiromo, Sept. 131. HypHanrTorNIs XANTHOPS. Hyphantornis xanthops, Hartl.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 23. Zomba, July, Aug., Dec., Febr. A large series. Ga 20 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 132. HypHANTORNIS VELATUS. Hyphantornis velatus (Vieill.) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 4389, 847; id. Cat. xin. p. 464. Zomba, Feb. Two adult males. 133. HypHANTORNIS BERTRANDI. Hyphantornis bertrandi, Shelley, 1. c. p. 23, pl. 2. Zomba, July. An adult male. 134. HyPHANTORNIS NYAS&, Sp. 0. Zomba, Aug., Dec., Jan.; Milanji Plains, Aug. Similis H. melanocephale, sed conspicué major, et nigredine gulz magis restricta, haud ad pectusextendente. Long. tot. 6°7 poll., culm. 0°8, ale 3:1, caudz 2°5, tarsi 0°9. Similar in general plumage to H. melanocephala, but with the whole of the upper parts of a much more olive shade, and the black upper throat ending in an abrupt line. In these last two characters, as well as in the measurements, it agrees with H. bertrandi; but differs from that species in having the entire head black. 135. HyPpHANTORNIS CABANISI, Hyphantornis cabanisi, Peters ; Shelley, |. c. p. 24. Tshiromo, Sept. A single immature specimen, probably of this species. 136. PyRENESTES MINOR, SP. 0. Zomba and Milanji Plains. Two apparently adult birds. Similis P. coccineo, sed minor et pallidior, et capitis colore coccineo magis restricto distinguendus. Long. tot. 5:2 poll., culm. 0°4, alee 2°2, caude 2:1, tarsi 0°7. Resembles P. coccineus in general appearance, but is slightly smaller, with the brown of the plumage paler and less rufous. The bright glossy scarlet is confined to the front half of the head, the upper throat, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; bill deep glossy blue, legs brown. 1387. AMBLYOSPIZA ALBIFRONS. Amblyospiza albifrons (Vigors) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 25. Milanji Plains, Aug. collected in Nyasaland. 21 138. STEGANURA PARADISEA,. Steganura paradisea (Linn.); Sharpe, Cat. xin. p. 211. Vidua verreauxi, Cass.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. pp. 452, 848. Zomba, July to Oct. 139. VipUA PRINCIPALIS. Vidua principalis (Linn.) ; Shelley, |. c. p. 25. Zomba, July to January. 140. PENTHETRIA ARDENS. Penthetria ardens (Bodd.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 25. Zomba, July to Dec. 141. AMAURESTES FRINGILLOIDES. Amaurestes fringilloides (Lafr.); Sharpe. Cat. xi. p. 267. Zomba, July. 142. SPERMESTES SCUTATA. Spermestes scutata (Heugl.); Sharpe, Cat. xii. p. 265. Spermestes cucullata (nec Swains.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 456. Zomba, July to Nov. 143. HypocHEeRa FUNEREA. Hypochera funerea (De Tarrag.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xi. p. 310. Hypochera ultramarina, Hartl.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 457. Zomba, July to Sept. 144, PyROMELANA FLAMMICEPS. Pyromelana flammiceps (Swains.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 25. Zomba, July to November. A large series in the brown plumage: one only, procured in November, has assumed the red nuptial dress. 145. PyROMELANA NIGRIFRONS. Pyromelana nigrifrons, Bohm; Shelley, 1. c. p. 25. Zomba, July to Sept. All in the brown plumage. 146. PyRoMELANA XANTHOMELANA. Pyromelana xanthomelena (Riipp.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 25. Zomba, July to Feb. In brown plumage from July to August, in which latter month they begin to assume their breeding plumage. 22 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 147. ZoNoGASTRIS MELBA. ! Zonogastris melba (Linn.); Sharpe, Cat. xii. p. 296. Pytelia melba, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 468. Tshiromo, Sept. 148. Pyrevia aFra. Pytelia afra (Gm.) ; Shelley, l. c. p. 26. Zomba, July to Nov. 149. EstRinpA MINOR. Estrilda minor (Cab.); Shelley, 1. c. p. 26. Zomba, July to Nov.; Milanji Plain, Aug. to Oct. 150. LaGoNnostTicTA RHODOPARIA. Lagonosticta rhodoparia, Heugl.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 26. Zomba, July to Nov. Three specimens. 151. LaGonosticta NIVEIGUTTATA. Lagonosticta niveiguttata (Peters) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Zomba, Nov.; Milanji Plains, Aug. 152. PassER DIFFUSUS. Passer diffusus, Smith ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 480, 850 ; id. Cat. xi. pp. 336, 827. Zomba, Nov. An adult bird. 153. PeTRONIA PETRONELLA. Petronia petronella (Licht.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Zomba. A young bird. 154. SERINUS ICTERUS. Serinus icterus (Vieill.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xu. pp. 356, 828. Crithagra ictera, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 484, 850. Zomba, July. 155. SERINUS IMBERBIS. Serinus imberbis (Cab.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xii. p. 355. Crithagra chloropsis (nec Bp.) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 486. Zomba, July. 156. SERINUS scorTopPs. Serinus scotops (Sundev.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xii. p. 362. Crithagra scotops, Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 487, 850. Zomha, July. collected in Nyasaland. 23 157. FRINGILLARIA TAHAPISI. Fringillaria tahapisi (Smith) ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 490, 851; id. Cat. xii. p. 558. Zomba, Aug. 158. EMBERIZA FLAVIVENTRIS. Emberiza flaviventris (Vieill.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Zomba, July to Jan. 159. EMBERIZA ORIENTALIS. Emberiza orientalis (Shelley) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Zomba, Aug. to Jan. A large series. 160. Mrrarra FIscHERI. Mirafra fischeri (Reichen.) ; Sharpe, Cat. xiu. p. 600. Mirafra apiata, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 851. Zomba and Lake Shirwa. 161. Macronyx crocevs. Macronysx croceus (Vieill.) ; Shelley, |. c. p. 27. Tshiromo, Sept. 162. ANTHUS LINEIVENTRIS. Anthus lineiventris, Sundev. ; Sharpe. B. 8. Afr. pp. 540, 852; id. Cat. x. p. 540. Zomba, Aug. 163. ANTHUS RUFULUS. Anthus rufulus, Vieill. ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Milanji Hills, Sept. 164. MoracrLua LoNGICAUDA. Motacilla longicauda, Riipp.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 27. Zomba, Aug. 165. Moraciiua vipva. Motacilla vidua, Sundev. ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 5438, 853 ; id. Cat. x. p. 488. Mr. Whyte writes: “This is the common Wagtail at Fort Johnston on the Upper Shiré. It is quite tame all about the station, where it is the only familiar bird; it has a sweet note.” 166. TRERON DELALANDII. Treron delalandii (Bp.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 28. Zomba, July to Feb. 24 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 167. PALUMBUS ARQUATRIX. Palumbus arquatrix (Temm. & Knip) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 28. Zomba, Nov. ; Milanji Hills, Sept. 168. HapLopEeLia JOHNSTONI. Haplopelia johnstoni, Shelley, 1. c. p. 28, pl. 3. Zomba, Aug.; Milanji Hills, Sept. 169. TurTUR SEMITORQUATUS. Turtur semitorquatus MPP) Shelley, l.c. p. 28. Zomba, Aug. 170. TurtruR CAPicoLa, Turtur capicola (Sundev.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 28. Zomba, Aug., Nov., Dec.; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 171. CHALCOPELIA AFRA. Chalcopelia afra (Linn.); Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 323 ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 570. Zomba, Nov., Feb. 172. PreRocLEs GUTTURALIS. Pterocles gutiuralis, Smith ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 577. Chisila River Plains, near Lake Mweru, Oct. This specimen was probably obtained by Mr. Alfred Sharpe, who has sent to Mr. Sclater a collection of mammal-skins and heads from the same district. 173. PreRNISTES HUMBOLDTI. Pternistes humboldti (Peters) ; Sharpe, B. S. Afr. p. 589; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. xxi. p. 176. Upper Shiré River, Nov. 174. FRANCOLINUS JOHNSTONI, Sp. 0. Zomba, 7, Oct.; Milanji Hills, ?, Sept. F. similis F. hildebrandtii, sed saturatior et minus rufescens : maculis nigris longitudinalibus latis et integris nec binis distinguendus. Long. tot. 13:7 poll., culm. 1°15, ale 6'9, caude 1:4, tarsi 1°6. Adult male. Very similar to the male of F. hildebrandti (F. altumi, F. & R.), but differs in the general shade of the upper parts being darker and less rufous, and more especially collected in Nyasaland. 25 in the feathers of the throat and chest having uninterrupted dark shaft-stripes, which do not extend over more than one- third of the feather, except on the crop, where these black bands are wider ; the legs apparently bright orange. Adult female. Similar to the type of F. hildebrandti, but decidedly duller and darker. I name this fine Francolin after Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., F.Z.S., to whose scientific zeal we owe the zoological explora- tion of Nyasaland. 175. TurN1xX LEPURANA. Turnix lepurana (Smith); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 608; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. xxii. p. 539. Zomba, Oct., Nov. <A rare species here, according to Mr. Whyte. 176. Limnocorax NIGER. Limnocorax niger (Licht.) ; Shelley, 1. c. p. 29. Zomba, Sept.; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 177. GipicNeMUS CAPENSIS. Cidicnemus capensis, Licht.; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 645, 855 ; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 81. Tshiromo, Sept. 178. PaRRA AFRICANA. Parra africana, Gm.; Sharpe, B. S. Afr. p. 648. Tshiromo, Sept.; Upper Shiré River, Nov.; Lake Shirwa, Dec. 179. GLAREOLA PRATINCOLA. Glareola pratincola, Linn.; Sharpe, B, 8. Afr. p. 652; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 256. Upper Shiré River, Nov.; Lake Shirwa, Dec. One of the specimens procured in December is a young bird. 180. CuRsoriIUS CHALCOPTERUS. Cursorius chalcopterus, Temm.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 656 ; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p, 246, Tshiromo, Sept. 26 Capt. G. E. Shelley on Birds 181. CHARADRIUS TRICOLLARIS. Charadrius tricollaris, Vieill.; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 134. Migialitis tricollaris, Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 662. Tshiromo, Sept. 182. LoBivANELLUS SENEGALUS. Lobivanellus senegalus (Linn.) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. pp. 666, 855. Lobivanellus senegaiensis, Seebohm, Geogr. Dist.Char. p.191. Upper Shiré River, Nov. 183. LoBIVANELLUS ALBICEPS. Lobwanellus albiceps, Gould; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. pp. 667, 855 ; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 198, pl. 8. Tshiromo, Sept. ; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 184, VANELLUS INORNATUS. Vanellus inornatus, Swains.; Shelley, 1. c. p. 29. Tshiromo, Sept. 185. GaLLINAGO ZQUATORIALIS, Rupp. Scolopax equatorialis (Riipp.); Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 500. Gallinago nigripennis, Bp.; Sharpe, B. S. Afr. p. 676. Fort Johnston, Upper Shiré Valley. Procured by Dr. Waison. 186. RuyNcH@A CAPENSIS. Rhynchea capensis (Linn.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. pp. 679, 855 ; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 456. Fort Johnston, Upper Shiré Valley. Also shot by Dr. Watson. 187. TRINGA SUBARQUATA. Tringa subarquata, Giildenst.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 682; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 419. Lake Shirwa, Dec., Jan. 188. MacHETES PUGNAX. Machetes pugnax (Linn.) ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 685. Totanus pugnax, Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 373. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Four birds in winter plumage. collected in Nyasaland. a7 189. TRINGOIDES HYPOLEUCUS. Tringoides hypoleucus (Linn.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 686. Totanus hypoleucus, Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 371. Upper Shire River, Nov. 190. ToraNnus GLAREOLA. Totanus glareola (Linn.); Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 690; Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 365. Lake Shirwa. An immature bird. 191. Larus PHHOCEPHALUS. Larus pheocephalas, Swains.; Sharpe, B. 8S. Afr. p. 698. Lake Shirwa. Four specimens. 192. HypRocHELIDON LEUCOPTERA. Hydrochelidon leucoptera (Meisn.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr, p-. 700. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Four immature birds. 193. ARDEA GOLIATH. Ardea goliath, Temm.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 707. Upper Shiré River. 194, ARDEA MELANOCEPHALA. Ardea melanocephala, Vig. & Childr.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 709. Upper Shiré River. 195. ARDEA PURPUREA. Ardea purpurea, Linn.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 710. Upper Shiré River. 196. ARDEA ARDESIACA. Ardea ardesiaca, Wagl.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 712. Lake Shirwa. Four specimens. 197. AxDEOLA COMATA. Ardeola comata (Pall.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. p. 718. Zomba, July ; Upper Shiré River, Nov. 198. Nycricorax GRISEUS. Nycticorax griseus (Linn.) ; Shelley, 1l.c. p. 29. Upper Shiré River. 28 Canon H. B. Tristram on Birds 199. DenDROCYGNA VIDUATA. Dendrocygna viduata (Linn.); Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 751. Lake Shirwa, Dec. 200. DeNDROCYGNA FULVA. Dendrocygna fulva (Gm.); Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. iv. p. 1301. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Four specimens. This is the first instance I know of this species being found so far south. 201. Pa@cILoNETTA ERYTHRORHYNCHA. Pecilonetta erythrorhyncha (Gm.); Sharpe, B. S. Afr. p. 704. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Four specimens. 202. ANAS SPARSA. Anas sparsa, Smith ; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 756. Zomba, Oct. 203. QUERQUEDULA HOTTENTOTTA. Querquedula hottentotta, Smith ; Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 757. Lake Shirwa, Dec. Two specimens. 204, PHALACROCORAX AFRICANUS. Phalacrocoraz africanus (Gm.); Sharpe, B.S. Afr. p. 781. Upper Shiré River, Nov.; Lake Shirwa, Dec. The speci- men obtained in December is a young bird. 205. PLorus LEVAILLANTI. Plotus levaillanti, Licht.; Sharpe, B. 8. Afr. p. 782. Upper Shiré River, Noy. IIl.—On some Birds from Bugotu, Solomon Islands, and Santa Cruz. By H. B. Tristram, D.D., F.R.S. (Plate III.) Turovucu the kind assistance of my friend Dr. P. H. Metcalfe, I have received two small collections of birds from the Solomon group and its vicinity: one from Santa Cruz, col- lected for me by Mr. Forrest, of the Melanesian Mission, and the other from Bugotu, collected by the Rev. Dr. Welchman. from Bugotu and Santa Cruz. 29 Both collections, though small, add to our previous know- ledge of the avifauna of these islands ; and as there are some birds among them which appear to be hitherto undescribed, I venture to send a list of the species, with descriptions and notes, I. Brros rrom Bucorvu. There are a few specimens belonging to species included in the list from Bugotu which I published last year (Ibis, 1892, p. 293). There are examples of my new species Grau- calus nigrifrons, also of Gr. elegans, Rams., Pachycephala astrolabi, Hombr. & Jacq., Monarcha castaneiventris, Verr., Myiagra ferrocyanea, Rams., Myzomela lafargii, Hombr. & Jacq., Calornis metallica (Temm.); all these were also included in last year’s consignment. The following are additions to the Bugotu list :— 1. MonarcnHa BRopDIEI, Rams. Native name “ Biubirukoilo.” 2. Diczum Nev, Jacq. & Puch. Native name “ Piu.” 3. CALORNIS CANTOROIDES, Gr. Native name “ Gothe.” 4. ZosTEROPS METCALFI, sp. nov. (Plate III. fig. 1.) Native name “ Ngeu.” Z. capite et corpore toto superiore leté olivaceis : remigibus et rectricibus fuscis, pogoniis externis olivaceis : “loris nigris: annulo conspicuo sericeo oculos cingente : mento, thorace, et summo pectore flavis: imo pectore albo, cinereo ad umbrato: abdomine albo: subeaudalibus flavis: rostro, tarsis, et pedibus brunneis. Long. tot. 4°5 poll., alee 2°5, caude 1°7, tarsi °7. This Zosterops belongs to the large group with the yellow throat and white or whitish abdomen. Its nearest allies are Z. grisewenter and Z. nove-guineae, from the former of which it may easily be distinguished by its much larger size, and by the flanks being white instead of dull ashy; and from the latter by its larger size, the purity of its white flanks, and its paler yellow throat. 30 Canon H. B. Tristram on Birds The collection contains two specimens. I have much pleasure in naming this new species after my friend Dr. P. H. Metcalfe, to whose kind assistance I am so deeply indebted. As a companion to this bird I give a figure (PI. III. fig. 2) of Zosterops rendove, of Rendova Island in the same group, which I described in ‘ The Ibis’ for 1882, p. 185. Concerning this species see also Dr. Gadow, Cat. Birds, vol. ix. p. 188. 5. Macrocorax VEGETUS, Sp. Nov. Native name “ Aao.”’ Macrocoract woodfordi simillima, magnitudine excepta: niger : capite, collo, et pectore viridi-nitente, corpore toto supra purpureo-nitente: rostro carneo, apice nigro : tarsis et pedibus nigris. Long. tot. 18°6 poll., ale 12:0, caude 6:3, tarsi 271, rostri a rictw 26, culm. alt. 1-2: For comparison, I subjoin the measurements of M. wood- fordi :—Uong. tot. 15°5 poll., ale 10°3, caude 5, tarsi 2, rostri 2°3. The difference in size, to all appearance, is as great as that between a Rook and a Jackdaw. The culmen is very much more arched, and the bill out of all proportion more massive than in M. woodfordi. 6. Eos carpinatis (Bodd.). Native name “ Siviri.” 7. TRICHOGLOSSUS MASSENA, Bp. Native name “ Kuwlini.” 8. Hatcyon teucopyeta, Verr. Native name “ Jojotana.” 9. Hatcyon sacra (Gm.). 10. Urospiztas, sp. ine. Native name “ Tuitui.” This bird, a young female, I have not yet been able to identify satisfactorily, but I believe it will prove to be U. etorques, Salvad. 11. ANous MELANoGENYs (Gr.). Native name “ Manubo.” from Bugotu and Santa Cruz. 3] II. Brrps rrom Santa Cruz Isuanp. This collection consists of twenty specimens, representing eight species. They are interesting, as I cannot find that any ornithologist has yet explored this island, the inhabitants of which bear an ill repute. I am indebted for my speci- mens to Mr. Forrest, of Bishop Selwyn’s Melanesian Mission. One species is certainly undescribed—a very remarkable Zosterops of the same aberrant group as Z. rendove, but larger and with a powerful bill, which I do not think is equalled by any other species of the group. I venture, therefore, to characterize it as 1. ZosTEROPS SANCTH-CRUCIS, Sp. NOV. Capite et dorso olivaceis, pileo subtiliter striato: loris fuscis: annulo arctissimo plumarum albarum oculos cingente: remigibus et rectricibus fusco-nigris, pogontis externis olivaceo-marginatis : thorace et pectore pallidé olivaceis : abdomine et subcaudalibus pallidé flavidis: mandibula superiore brunned, inferiore ad basin albida : tarsis et pedibus fuscis. Long. tot. 5:3 poll., ale 2°6, caude 1°9, tarsi 0°9. This species has no connection with Hartlaub’s genus Tephras, inasmuch as its tail is perfectly square. 2. MyzoMELA PULCHERRIMA, Rams. I can detect no difference between this and typical speci- mens from Ugi. _3. Lavace pactrica (Gm.). . APLONIS RUFIPENNIS, Layard. . CoLLocaLia ESCULENTA (L.). 4 5 6. Pritopus grey, Gr. 7. ANAS SUPERCILIOSA, Gm. 8 . TotTanus INcANUs, Vieill. 32 Dr. R. W. Shufeldt on the Taxonomy III.—On the Taxonomy of the Swifts and Humming-birds : a Rejoinder. By Dr. R. W. SuHurerpt, C.M.Z.S. Ir is with no small degree of interest, and with a consi- derable degree of profit, that I have read Mr. Lucas’s recent article on the classification of the Swifts and Humming- birds *. And, coming as it does from the pen of a scientific avian osteologist as a criticism of an article of mine on the same subject +, it is especially valuable, and more than worthy of careful consideration. Some of his objections to my views I believe I have already answered in another place {; while much that I put forth in support of my convictions in ‘The Ibis’ last January he has thus far failed to meet. Believing, as we must, that this matter, when settled, will be settled by the weight of biological facts and not by the weight of authority, it would seem nevertheless that my critic is entitled to a brief reply to his question as to “ precisely who, among ornithologists, have accepted his [my] conclusions that the Swifts are practically Swallows and have no relations with the Humming-birds ” (op. cit. p. 365). In the first place, Dr. Shufeldt does not believe that the “ Swifts are practically Swallows”; but, on the other hand, he does believe that those two groups are derived from a common ancestral stock §, and that the Swifts are not espe- cially related to the Humming-birds. It seems to me that that statement isclearenough. Next as to my “ persistently misquoting ” Professor Huxley’s views in the premises : not exactly misquoting him, as Mr. Lucas says, but using his words “ to convey a false impression.” Upon more occasions than one I have distinctly named the groups of birds that Huxley included in his “ Cypselomorphe,” and claimed that it “was done upon only too few characters, and mainly based upon the osteological ones seen at the base of the skull” ||. That can hardly be termed a “‘ most unfair kind * ‘The Ibis,’ 1893, pp. 865-871. + Ibid. pp. 84-100. ¢ ‘The American Naturalist,’ 1898, pp. 367-371. § Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xx. p. 390. || Amer. Nat., April 1893, p. 370. of the Swifts and Humming-birds. 33 of misquotation,” as Mr. Lucas has termed it (p. 365, foot- note). What I say here now about Professor Huxley’s statements will not be hereafter considered in the light of a misquotation, I am very sure. In his famous contribution to the “Classification of Birds” in the P. Z.S. of April 11, 1867, he has first seriously to deal with the Swallows, Swifts, Goatsuckers, and Humming-birds on pp. 452-454 inclusive. The first statement he makes is that “the Swallows com- pletely agree with the other Passerine birds in the general form and arrangement of the bones which enter into the composition of their palates” (p. 452). That is practically true, and it is a very good point to offer as an initial argu- ment. He immediately follows that statement by saying :— “ And the Swifts essentially resemble the Swallows, though the form and proportions of the palatine bones are somewhat different ” [and to prove it he refers to his figure of C. apus, fig. 34]. This statement is equally true, and the only remarkable part of it is that he makes the comparison between the Swifts and the Swallows, and not with the Swifts and the Humming-birds. Omitting now what he says about the Swifts and Caprimulgus and its allies in the next three paragraphs, we find him first referring to Trochilus on p. 454, but not comparing its palate with a Swift—simply stating that “ Trochilus has the true Passerine vomer, with its broad and truncated anterior and deeply cleft posterior end. I have not yet been able to obtain a perfectly satisfactory view of the structure and arrangement of the palatine bones in the Humming-birds.” As both Parker and I myself have pointed out for him, Professor Huxley was entirely wrong about the vomer in the Trochili, for every avian anatomist now knows quite well that the vomer of a Humming-bird is of an entirely different structure from the same bone in a Swift. Following him along, the next paragraph that touches upon the subject under consideration is on p. 456; and there Professor Huxley simply states, what is very true, that “in their cranial characters the Swifts are far more closely allied with the Swallows than with any of the desmo- SER. VI.—VOL. VI. D 34 Dr. R. W. Shufeldt on the Taxonomy gnathous birds, the Swift presenting but a very slight modi- fication of the true Passerine type exhibited by the Swallow. No distinction can be based upon the proportions of the regions of the fore limb; since in all the Swallows which I have examined the manus and the antebrachium, respec- tively, greatly exceed the humerus in length, though the excess is not so great as in Cypselus.” This is actually all that occurs on these points in the descriptive part of his memoir. There is not a single comparison between a Swift and a Humming-bird, but only a gross error in the matter of the morphology of the vomer in Trochilus ; added to this, we have several favourable comparisons between Swifts and Swallows. With this kind of information, Professor Huxley carries us on to the taxvonomical part of his memoir. The group that interests us here is found upon pp. 468 and 469—the Cypselomorphe, which he claims “ contains three very distinct families—the Trochilide, the Cypselide, and the Capri- mulgide.” The meagre list of characters upon which these families are arranged do not exist as Huxley says they do, or thinks they do. In the first place, Trochilus has a slender spine- like vomer, and the bone is not ‘‘ truncated at the anterior end”; and, moreover, the statement that “the lower larynx has not more than one pair of intrinsic muscles” is simply not true, but it is true that the morphology of the trachea and its associated parts, myology and all, are essentially very different indeed in Swifts and Humming-birds. Finally, he closes what he has to say about his “ Cypselomorphe” and their affinities without a single direct comparison between a Swift and a Humming-bird except that “the Cypselide are very closely related to the Swallows among the Coracomorphe,” in which statement I most emphatically agree with him. The fact is Huxley, at the time he wrote his “ Classification of Birds,’ had by no means Humming-bird material enough to judge by. He had more Swift-material, and this he com- pared with four species of Swallows and could not avoid being impressed by the evident resemblances, and so stated them. His material, however, would not justify him in taking of the Swifts and Humming-birds. 35 any other step at the time he wrote than to convert Nitzsch’s * Macrochires ” into his ‘ Cypselomorphe,” plus the Capri- mulgi—a group which Nitzsch had the wisdom to keep apart. Sundevall (1872-74), in his ‘Tentamen,’ placed the Swifts in one “ Cohors” and the Humming-birds in another, and this was seven years after Huxley wrote his Classification. Sundevall devoted his entire life to the science of orni- thology ; he wrote a complete classification of birds, which, though faulty in many particulars, was correct in others, and was based almost entirely upon the study of their external characters. But we have a better man than Sundevall in Macgillivray, and there is good evidence that the latter made a very careful study of nearly the entire structure of at least one species of Humming-bird. He is probably responsible, too, for the classification set forth in Audubon’s great work ; and in that work the Swifts are placed near the Swallows and far asunder from the Humming-birds. Macgillivray was aware of the extraordinarily large heart in the Trochil, of the peculiarities in the tongue, in the gizzard, the feet (‘‘ proportionally as large as those of a Cormorant”), in the pterylosis, in the air-passages, and in many other parts. Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, Mass., a very distin- guished American ornithologist, believes “that a Swift is merely a peculiar kind of Swallow”*; Mr. Harting believes that ‘the relationship between the Cypseli and Trochili has been overstated, not to say exaggerated ” (Ibis, 1893, p. 93) ; and I could mention a good many others holding the same opinion. But what such men Jelieve is supported by those who have made life-long studies of the structure of birds—not only of their osteology, as Mr. Lucas has done, but of their myology, their embryology, their neurology, their pneumatology, their angiology, and everything else that relates to their biology. All these systems afford cha- racters quite as good as those offered by the skeleton. Take such a man, for instance, as was Professor William Kitchen Parker (and the world has produced but very, very few men * Amer, Nat., April 1893 p. 370. D2 36 Dr. R. W. Shufeldt on the Taxonomy like him): he clearly saw the relations existing among the birds we now have under consideration. A number of years ago Professor Parker read for me before the Linnean Society of London a memoir upon this subject (Linn. Soc. Journ. vol. xx.), and of it he was so good as to write me (Sept. 80, 1887) that he considered it “like Garrod’s best work and mine [his] combined”; but in another letter he gave me an opinion of his which is far more important than that. This letter was of an earlier date*, and in it he wrote that “this fact remains—the only birds out- side the huge group of the 5000 Coracomorphe that have the egithognathous palate are the Swifts: either they arose from the same stock as the Swallows, or they came from a type very nearly related,—and Newton says that the Swallows are a very isolated group of Passeres; yet they have many characters typical, inside and out.” An opinion of that kind is not a “ snap judgement,” but is written by one who daily studied the relations of birds for forty years. Some day and in another place, perhaps, I propose to pub- lish a series of Professor Parker’s letters to myself that contain much of interest to ornithologists, and views that up to the time of his lamented death he had not committed to print. So much for a few of the authorities that Mr. Lucas so earnestly seeks ; and Dr. Firbringer, in his work, can supply him with a number of others. My critic believes that it is through Chetura that the Swifts have relations with the Humming-birds (p. 365), and yet holds me up for having uttered “sweeping gene- ralizations based on the examination and comparison of a limited number of local forms” (p. 371). Now it was to the anatomy of Chetura that I paid especial attention in my Linnean memoir, and compared it in detail with the anatomy of several genera and species of Humming-birds ; and I failed to find then, and do not see at this moment any great amount of structural resemblance between them. * Dated from Crowland, Trinity Road, Upper Tooting, S.W., Feb. 9, | 1887. | | of the Swifts and Humming-birds. 37 It is to be regretted that Mr. Lucas did not mention in his paper what Humming-bird among all the Trochili is so much like Chetura. When I have been informed upon that point I shall be in a position to see more clearly what my friend means from what he says. But, mark you, I am no longer inclined in this matter to listen to those who have only a few single sets of characters to bring forward in support of what they state. I have carefully examined the entire anatomy of several specimens of Chetura pelagica, as I have the structure of many Humming-birds ; but to use the knowledge gained therefrom J must at least have the evidence that my oppovent is equipped in a similar manner. On p. 369 of his paper Mr. Lucas presents us with a series of figures (1-5) which are intended to show the “various steps in the transition from the humerus of the Goatsucker to that of the Humming-bird.” The bones are right humeri seen upon their anconal aspects, and several of them have been more or less enlarged. They are from specimens of Campylopterus hemileucurus, Cypselus apus, Macropteryx klecho, Chordeiles virginianus, and Progne subis. The series, then, is from a Passerine to a Trochili- dine bird more than it is from Goatsucker to Humming- bird. No descriptions nor actual comparisons whatever occur in the text of the article in regard to these bones— important matters about which we are left entirely in the dark. Glancing at the pictures of them as they stand, it must be evident to any one, osteologist or otherwise, that there are two instances in which violence has been done, and these are the insertion of the humeri of the Goatsucker and the Humming-bird in the series. But we are not after what things thus superficially “look like,’ but that better and far safer species of anatomy which takes into consi- deration the characters as they actually exist. Mr. Lucas, in conversation with me the other day, acknowledged that he thus far failed to see how it was that the humerus of a Humming-bird had come to be “‘ completely twisted round.” Permit me to suggest it may be just possible that it is 38 On the Taxonomy of the Swifts and Humming-birds. Mr. Lucas’s taxonomy of the birds we have under con- sideration which is so completely twisted round, and not the Trochilidine humerus. My apologies are due to those “ few benighted orni- thologists” alluded to in the first paragraph of my critic’s paper. What I said about their views was prompted by an observation made by Professor Parker in his letter of February 9th (1887) referred to above. He remarked :— “Don’t let us be in a hurry; it is a give-and-take business. In ornithotomy we come across things deeper than those seen and argued about by the mere ornithologist. Those of the latter group, here, are dead against the doctrine of Swifts being a kind of Swallow.” But Professor Parker had a very good excuse for writing as he did; for in a letter written to me in September 1887 he says of himself that “the whole Class is always flitting and flying through my mind, so that you can’t wonder at my being somewhat bird- witted, as the expression goes.” And in the month pre- ceding of the same year, or in August, he said :—“The Cypselide, although exgithognathous, I should set close to the Hirundinide, but outside the line, as the most Passerine of the utterly polymorphic Cuculines (‘Coceygomorphe’). The latter group is one-tenth the size of the Coracomorphe, and ten times as variable. . . . I should make it begin with the Swifts and end with the Parrots.” Before closing this brief paper I desire to express my thanks to Mr. Lucas for the loan of a skeleton of Collo- calia, for the skulls of Macropteryx and Cypselus apus, with some limb-bones of the last two, and for what he has written about them in ‘The Ibis.2. As he truly remarks, Macro- pteryx is a specially interesting form, and I would add that it is of the highest importance to avian classification that the anatomy of all the Swifts and Swift-like birds now retained by ornithologists in that group should be thoroughly examined. The fact that Macropteryx mystacea apparently lacks basi- pterygoid processes, but has the mandible in one piece like the Cypseli, must be remembered in connection with Huxley’s observation—‘‘ The modification commenced in the Swift is On the Birds of the Calcutta District. 39 greatly exaggerated in Agotheles and Caprimulgus ; while we have almost a transition to the desmognathous structure in Nyctibius”” (P.Z. 8S. 1867, p. 456). In connection with this latter fact remember, too, that the Striges are desmo- gnathous, and that such a form as Steatornis exists. Then the pterylosis of many of the Caprimulgi has an owlish pattern that means something. Remember, too, Megascops has two “colour-phases,” so have some Caprimulgi; Megascops and some other Owls have “ plumicorns,” and so have some Caprimulyi ; most Owls are nocturnal, so are many Goat- suckers ; and so we might go on, carrying the comparison far into the fields of anatomy. Do not allow too much zeal in one quarter to mask the facts in another. Aves are a wonderfully closely-clustered group of Verte- brates, and it is extremely difficult to get at their affinities and inter-relationships. They will classify themselves to a large extent when the anatomy of four-fifths of the forms, in- cluding that of all the “outliers,” is known to us; and only when that is done and accomplished shall we be in a position to define their affinities correctly and to make a classification of them—not before. More material, and of the right kind, is what we need now, and its careful and thorough working-up. In my opinion no classification of birds has been published since the days of Linnzus that must not be considered, in many of its parts, wholly provisional. Until further pro- gress has been made it is, I think, very questionable whether any material service to ornithology is rendered by persistently propounding the new systems of avian taxonomy with which we are now often afflicted. IV .—On the Birds of the Calcutta District. By Puitie W. Munn, M.B.O.U. Tue following notes were made during a residence of several years at Titaghur, on the Hooghly, about twelve miles north of Calcutta, and one mile south of Barrackpore. Though they chiefly relate to the birds noticed in the neighbourhood 40 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds 88°|23'E. Long. |24’ 25' 26! eye 28! sz! or MAP OF ? , 0 TITAGHUR it {7 cee ay. station and District. Scale of Miles fo) y I 2 49’ 49' Railway ---------- more ee Roads 2 avis ————s ICHAPORE RY. STATION gs! BARRACKS Jafapore y &D 5 aio -) S angadig: SN Aeppauaniey a i ai on, a al ff aie a heel ae, ne Sa ~~ \| Ne (SODEPORE S/ RY. STATION * 42 z= 1S 033n0/09=94 25! 26! 27’ 28' Walker & Boutall sc Map of Titaghur and surrounding district. = of the Calcutta District. 41 of Titaghur, they are equally applicable to the immediate vicinity of Calcutta. Except near the river, which is shut in on both banks by a strip of jungle, the country round is fairly open and quite flat, with alternate stretches of open cultivated land and of ‘marshes (called “jheels””?) surrounded by belts of trees, in which the native villages are built, among their orchards and gardens. These orchards and gardens are always raised above the level of the surrounding country, and a steep bank of earth is thrown up round, with a ditch at the bottom. Mango, jack-fruit, lichi, and plantain-trees are grown here, and cocoa-nut and betel-nut palms. The palms are planted around the tank, which is formed in every orchard for the purpose of irrigating it and watering the trees. A good deal of sugar-cane is also grown on the raised ground, and crops of tall grass, for thatching purposes. The lower land, which in the rainy season is flooded with water, is planted principally with rice and jute. The divisions between the different fields are low, narrow banks of earth, called “bunds,” covered with grass, and these “ bunds” are the pathways through the fields during the time the country is under water. Scattered about in the open country are clumps of thorny bushes and of date-palms, and solitary babool-trees. Some of the jheels, though very large, dry up entirely during the hot season, but during the rains they have the appearance of a vast expanse of waving reeds, with here and there patches of open water. The shallow edges are planted with paddy and jute, and the whole is surrounded by the usual belt of tree-jungle, the tall palms being the most con- spicuous trees, as they overtop the rest. The commonest trees are mango, neem, jack-fruit, tamarind, plantain, bamboo, banyan, peepul, and cotton-trees ; but, with the exception of a number of casuarina-trees at Titaghur, and some of the trees in Barrackpore Park and on the Grand Trunk Road, they are mostly small, though there is often a large banyan or peepul in the centre of the villages. Compared with other parts of the Indian plains, Bengal is 42 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds wonderfully fertile, and the country is never so bare nor the trees so dust-laden; for during the hot season the stubble of the former crop, and the weeds which contrive to flourish in spite of the drought, as well as the quantity of grass in many places, prevent the fields from assuming that parched and arid appearance which is noticeable elsewhere. ‘The trees also are now out in the fullest leaf, most of them being ever- greens, and having both old and new leaves on in the dry season, the old ones to be dropped as soon as the young have attained their full growth. Thus the country has quite a fresh, fertile appearance, in spite of the heat and drought. The scientific names in these notes are mostly taken from Oates’s “ Birds ” in Blanford’s ‘Fauna of British India,’ and from his edition of Hume’s ‘ Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds.’ 1. Corvus MacroruyNcHus. (Jungle Crow.) The Jungle Crow is a common resident and generally dis- tributed ; although usually found in wooded parts away from habitations, it not unfrequently associates with the House Crow in the villages. It is an early breeder, usually having young by the middle of April, and in this district cocoanut- palms are preferred for nesting in. 2. Corvus sPLENDENS. (House Crow.) Very plentiful and resident. They begin building as early as February, though the eggs are not laid much before April ; but not one half of the Crows about Titaghur breed at all, very few nests being found in proportion to the number of birds. Every evening they retire to roost in certain clumps of trees in immense numbers, in company with Acridotheres tristis and Sturnopastor contra. During a flight of locusts in November 1890, they fed greedily on the insects, catching them in the air and clumsily imitating the Kites in attempting to devour them without alighting. 3. Denprocitta RuFA. (Indian Tree-Pie.) Very common, generally distributed, and resident. The Tree-Pie is a great robber of other birds’ nests, devouring both eggs and young. During the breeding-season they are of the Calcutta District. 43 very shy and wary, and the nest is difficult to find. I once saw one of these birds fly out of a clump of bushes closely pursued by a King Crow, which seized the tip of the longest tail-feather of the Tree-Pie in its beak, and hung on to it for some distance, being “ towed” through all the undulations in the flight of the Pie. This bird feeds on fruit, insects, &c., and is never seen on the ground, being entirely a tree-haunting species. 4. CRATEROPUS CANORUs. (Jungle Babbler.) This is the only Babbler found in the district around Titaghur, and is a very common resident, generally distributed, inhabiting compounds, orchards, and jungle of every sort. The greater number lay in April, though I have found full- grown young as early as the middle of March. The hen bird sits very close, and will often allow the nest to be touched before flying off. On May 18, 1890, I found a nest containing four eggs, built on the uppermost ring of fruit on a bunch of plantains. The birds feed principally on white ants, but also on other insects, and may often be seen in small parties turning over the leaves in search of food. 5. AierrHina T1PpH1A. (Common Tora.) The Iora is a common resident species and generally distributed, frequenting especially gardens and orchards. These birds probably have two broods in a year, one about April and the other in August or September. When their nests are meddled with the old birds are most vociferous, - erying and fluttering about quite close, and often making a curious buzzing noise with their wings. In the breeding- season the males have very little black on the upper parts, being chiefly yellowish green on the head and back, and differmg but very little from the winter plumage. 6. Mo.pastEs BENGALENSIS. (Bengal Red-vented Bulbul.) A very common bird, resident and generally distributed ; though mostly seen in pairs, they sometimes assemble in large numbers when attracted by a quantity of food. They usually lay in April and May, and I have found a nest built ina heap of cut wood, which contained two large young ones 44, Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds and one egg not yet hatched, on April 27th. The nest is usually rather small for the size of the bird. 7. Orocompsa EMERIA. (Bengal Red-whiskered Bulbul.) Not so common as the last-named (which it much resem- bles in its habits): resident and generally distributed. A favourite situation for the nest is in the dead bushes which are often tied round the trunks of fruit-trees to prevent people climbing them; and it is seldom built at any great height above the ground. 8. Dicrurvus ater. (Black Drongo.) One of the commonest birds; to be seen everywhere, the telegraph-wires at the side of the railway being a favourite perch. It is a resident species, and breeds during the end of April and in May, usually building in babool-trees. I have taken white unspotted eggs of this bird, but they are not common. After the young are fledged and able to leave the nest, they remain for some days perched in a row on a bough near and are fed by the old ones, even after they can fly fairly well. On bright moonlight nights these birds are often to be heard singing and calling. 9. Dicrurvs Ltoneicaupatus. (Indian Ashy Drongo.) Not very common. I have noticed this species only during the cold season, and am sure it does not breed in the district. 10. Cuartia £NEA. (Bronzed Drongo.) Common, resident, and generally distributed throughout the wooded parts of the country; in the open parts it is seldom seen. An early breeder, often having full-grown young by the middle of April, which sit outside the nest and are fed by the old birds, hike Dicrurus ater. Seldom more than two eggs are found in the nest, which is very difficult to find. 11. Curpia HoTTENTOTTA. (Hair-crested Drongo.) Very rare. I saw one which had been shot by a European at Khardah. of the Calcutta District. 45 12. AcrocEPHALUS sTENTOREUS. (Great Reed Warbler.) A not very common winter visitor, inhabiting the edges of jheels, paddy-fields, grass-jungle, and water-courses. One was found caught in a hamboo fish-trap, left high and dry in a dried-up paddy-field near Barrackpore, in November 1888. 13. ACROCEPHALUS DUMETORUM. (Reed Warbler.) A winter visitor, but not common; sometimes found in dry localities at a distance from water. 14. Orruoromus sutorivs. (Tailor-bird.) Common, generally distributed, and resident. Commonly builds in mango-trees in April and May. The Tailor-bird does not always procure its food among the leaves of the higher trees, but may often be seen hopping silently about low down among thick bushes and brambles. 15. Cisticota curstrans. (Rufous Fantail Warbler.) A common resident, found in grass-jungle, paddy-fields, and jheels. The only nest that I found with anything in it contained four tiny young birds on June 28th. 15a. Arunpinax akpon, (Thick-billed Warbler.) The Thick-billed Warbler is a rather uncommon winter visitor, inhabiting marshy jungle or woods and bushes on the edges of the jheels or in the paddy-fields. 16. Lantus niericers. (Black-headed Shrike.) A rare winter visitor. 17. Lanius crisratus. (Brown Shrike.) A very common bird during the cold season, and a few remain in the district all the year round. The telegraph- wires at tbe side of the railway are favourite perches for these birds. 18. TEPHRODORNIS PONDICERIANUS. (Common Wood- Shrike.) Very common, generally distributed, and resident, breeding in April and May. The young birds follow the old ones about, and are fed by them for some time after they have left the nest and are fully grown. They feed on insects, usually 46 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds sought for among the foliage of trees, though I once shot one which I had watched for some time catching insects on the wing over a tank, like a Bee-eater, for it swooped after its prey over the water, generally returning to the same perch in a clump of bamboos. 19. Pericrocorus PEREGRINUS. (Small Minivet.) Not uncommon, generally distributed, and _ resident. Usually seen in small parties, even in the breeding-season, searching for their food, of insects, among the foliage of the trees, or more rarely catching them on the wing. 20. CampopHaGa syKESI. (Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike.) I have noticed this species only during the rainy season (from June to September), and at no other time of the year ; even then it is not by any means common. 21. Arramus Fuscus. (Ashy Swallow-Shrike.) Arrives in considerable numbers towards the end of the rainy season, about August, and leaves again before the hot weather commences in March. They may often be seen sitting huddled together on the bare top of some tree, as many as twenty or thirty together; and towards evening many may be seen flying southwards over Titaghur, probably seek- ing some general and favourite roosting-place. 22. ORIOLUS MELANOCEPHALUS. (Black-headed Oriole.) Very plentiful, resident, and generally distributed. They usually have eggs at the beginning of May and June, though I once shot a young one, which had not long left the nest, on April 13th. A pair of these birds frequently inhabits the same compound, plantation, or orchard, and breeds there, often even in the same tree, year after year, if undisturbed. Their nests are, perhaps, more often pillaged by Dendrocitta rufa than by any other bird, and it is a common sight to see the robber pursued by an indignant pair of these brightly-plumaged birds. 23. STuRNIA MALABARICA. (Grey-headed Mynah.) Common, generally distributed, and resident. Breeds in of the Calcutta District. 47 May and June, either in natural holes in trees or in those made by small Woodpeckers and Barbets; at other times of the year they assemble in small flocks. 24. AcRIDOTHERES TRISTIS. (Common Mynah.) The Common Mynah is extremely common all over the district; although usually found more abundantly near houses, it is not uncommon at a distance from habitations. There are two broods in the year, the first eggs being laid in April and May, and the second brood being usually hatched in July. Cast skins of snakes are very often used in the construction of the nest. After a flight of locusts these birds, as well as the next, feed greedily on the insects. In the winter they roost together in immense numbers. 25. Srurnopastor contra. (Pied Starling.) A very common resident species and universally distributed. As early as the middle of February I have seen them busily inspecting their future nesting-places ; but they usually begin building their huge untidy nests—often several m one tree—in April, and they generally have young nearly ready to leave the nest by the endof May. I have sometimes taken their eggs in June. The Shikra (Astur badius) often takes the young birds out of their nests to feed on them, and though, during the proceedings, the old birds make a great noise, they are afraid to attack and drive away the Hawk. 26. SipHiA ALBICILLA. (Red-breasted Flycatcher.) A common winter visitor and generally distributed, but always found solitary. 27. STOPAROLA MELANOPS. (Verditer Flycatcher.) Not uncommon as a cold-weather visitor, and universally distributed, but always found singly. A white-breasted Blue Flycatcher which I have often seen in the cold season, but of which I have never procured a specimen, must be either Cyornis superciliaris or C. astigma. 28. 'TERPSIPHONE PARADISI. (Paradise Flycatcher.) Plentiful in the wooded parts of the country, and in gardens and orchards, arriving in April and remaining until the middle 48 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds or end of October. They do not usually lay before June— at the beginning of the rains—though on June 8th, 1890, I found a nest containing young, but on the same day I found two other nests still unfinished. The nest takes about a week to build, and the female apparently does all the work, for the cock bird at this time is extremely shy, and generally remains quietly perched in a tree near the nest, and watches the operation and keeps the hen bird to her work. The nests are commonly built in mango or jack-fruit trees. In June 1890 I shot a cock bird in chestnut plumage, which had half of one of the long tail-feathers white. I once watched a party of these birds bathing in a tank ; they were perched on a bough overhanging the water, and every now and then plunged right into the water, as a King- fisher does, returning to the same bough after every plunge to shake and preen their feathers. The cock bird is very silent ; but the presence of these birds may be detected by the sound of the female, which continually utters a harsh call-note. 29. Hyprotuymis azurea. (Black-naped Flycatcher.) This Black-naped Flycatcher is an uncommon winter visitor, generally distributed in the wooded parts, but always found singly. 30. RuipipurA ALBIcoLLIs. (White-throated Fantail.) Resident, generally distributed in wooded parts, and com- mon. In this district it is entirely a bird of the woods, and never found near houses. It thus differs from R. albifrontata which I have seen in the N.W. Provinces, usually in the native villages, catching insects around the cattle-sheds and yards round the huts. 31. Pratincota MauRA. (Indian Bush Chat.) A winter visitor and fairly common, in open country only. 32, RuticiLLa RUFIVENTRIS. (Red-bellied Redstart.) An uncommon winter visitor. I have seen one as late as March 23rd. Ee a of the Calcutta District. 49 33. CyaNECULA suEcIcA. (Bluethroat.) A winter visitor and fairly plentiful, especially on the edges of jheels and in damp paddy-fields, where it is usually - seen hopping under shelter of the grass growing on the bunds between the fields. It much resembles a Redbreast in its habits. On Feb. 15, 1891, I had a near and distinct view of one of these birds with a white spot on the breast (Cyanecula wolfi ?). 34. CALLIOPE CAMTSCHATKENSIS. (Ruby-throat.) A winter visitor, usually found in rank grass-jungle, sugar- cane, or reeds, but not often seen. The male makes a plain- tive whistling noise. 35. CopsycHus sauLaRis. (Magpie Robin.) The Magpie Robin is a very common bird in this district, and is universally distributed and resident. It breeds in May and June usually, in holes in trees, stumps, walls and buildings, often utilizing old holes made by Woodpeckers and Barbets to build in. It feeds on insects, and has a pleasing song, not unlike a Redbreast’s, but more powerful. 36. GHOCICHLA CITRINA. (Orange-headed Ground Thrush.) An uncommon winter visitor, very shy, and therefore seldom seen. I shot one on Noy. 30, 1890, near Khardah, as it flew up from the ground, where it had been hopping about and feeding, just like the common English Thrush. 37. PLocnus Baya. (Baya.) Common, generally distributed, and resident. During the winter they entirely desert the neighbourhood of their nesting- trees and assemble in large flocks in the open grass-jungle. They breed from May to September, usually constructing their nests in “tar” trees (Borassus flabelliformis), though occasionally babool and date-palms are selected. Sometimes an old nest is added to, with the result that there are two bulbs in the structure, only the lower one, however, being used to lay in. 38. PLocrus BENGALENSIS. (Black-throated Weaver-bird.) Resident ; occurs sparingly in some of the larger jheels, where it breeds in small colonies among the tall reeds growing SER. VI.—VOL. VI. E 50 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds in deep water. The nests are seldom close together, but are scattered about singly in the reed-bed ; they are suspended from the tops of several reeds drawn together and built into the upper part of the nest. As is the case with P. baya and P. manyar, the division between the nesting-pocket and the entrance is built as soon as a safe hold has been secured on the vegetation in which the nest is to be placed, and serves as a perch from which one of the birds may work. The nests are more strongly constructed and built of finer grasses than those of P. manyar, and are often without any tubular entrance at all. I have also seen them ornamented with the blossoms of the babool and other yellow flowers. The same clumps of reeds are usually resorted to every season. On visiting some unfinished nests a second time, I have found them totally destroyed: the birds are rather shy, and easily forsake their nests. The eggs, occasionally as many as four or five in a clutch, are laid in August and September. 39. PLoceus MANyAR. (Striated Weaver-bird.) A common species in certain large reed-covered jheels, where it breeds in great colonies among the reeds, not neces- sarily in those standing in water. The nests, often built close together, are suspended in much the same way as those of P. bengalensis, but not so strongly constructed, and are composed of rather coarser grasses than that bird’s. These nests are also usually ornamented with babool blossoms and some other yellow flowers. Occasionally nests are found among jute and in tall grass. In some cases the tubular entrance is 6 or 8 inches long, but one nest I found without any entrance at all: it contained two eggs sewed up inside it. The birds frequent the same localities annually for nesting, but do not often arrive at these places before August, the eggs being laid at the end of that month and in September. I once shot a snake in one of these nests built three feet above the water, which was here four feet or more deep; it was coiled round the outside of the nest, with its head and neck thrust up the tubular entrance into the nest. Usually two or three eggs are laid, more rarely four in a clutch. When not breeding the birds assemble in large flocks in tall of the Calcutta District. 51 grass-jungle and feed on grass-seeds and grain. They remain in the district all the year round. 40. Muntra arricapiuta. (Chestnut-bellied Munia.) Fairly plentiful, but much more abundant during the rainy season. Resident. Breeds in July and August; in one day I have found nests containing fresh eggs, others containing half-grown young, and another nest from which the young had flown. The nests are built either in long grass—occasionally quite low down—or in trees and bushes, and both birds are often in the nest together. 41. Urotoncna maLaBarica. (White-throated Munia.) Not common, found only in pairs during the breeding- season, but much more plentiful and gregarious during the rest of the year. On August 23, 1891, I found a pair breeding in an empty Baya’s nest, amidst a breeding colony of these birds in a solitary “tar ” tree. 42. Urotoncua PunctuLata. (Spotted Munia.) Quite the commonest species of Munia found in the district, universally distributed and resident. It is a much more familiar bird than the other Munias, and frequently builds in compounds and close to houses, as well as in most conspicuous positions near frequented thoroughfares. It breeds in August, September, and October, building a large untidy nest in some solitary bush or shrub, particularly in babool trees. As many as seven eggs are often laid; and if the nest be robbed the birds will not forsake it, but will soon lay another clutch of eggs in the same nest. 43. SPORHGINTHUS AMANDAVA. (Red Waxbill.) The Red Waxbill, or Amadavat, is a rather locally distri- buted species, remaining all the year round, but it is nowhere abundant. It usually inhabits grass-jungle and open country, and breeds in September and October, building its nest either on the ground among grass or low down in a bush. On October 18, 1891, I found a nest built on the ground among rough grass in a field: it was domed, with an entrance at the side, slightly made of grass and lined with downy blossoms 52 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds of the same. It then contained five fresh white eggs. The male having once assumed the full red plumage does not undergo any other change. 44. Passer pomesticus. (House Sparrow.) Common, generally distributed, and resident, with habits exactly similar to those of the House Sparrow in Europe. 45. Emperiza scue@nictus. (Reed Bunting.) On February 2, 1889, I saw a pair of these birds in a jheel near Barrackpore, hopping about and feeding alongside a stream flowing through it. 46. CotitE stnensis. (Indian Sand-Martin.) The Indian Sand-Martin is uncommon and local, and probably resident. A small colony had their nesting-holes in the face of a bank overhanging the Matabunga river at Kissengunge, on the E. B.S. Railway, but they were evicted, through the bank being washed away in the floods in August 1890. Another colony was noticed near Mogra on the E. I. Railway. This species breeds at the end of the year. 47. Hirunpo rustica. (Common Swallow.) Solitary individuals may be seen almost at any time all the year round; but they are certainly more abundant in the cold season. 48. Moracitia arpa. (White Wagtail.) 49. Moracttua personata. (Masked Wagiail.) These Wagtails are both winter visitors, arriving in Sep- tember, and are plentiful. 50. Moracitia MELANorE. (Grey Wagtail.) 51. Moracitia porgaris. (Grey-headed Wagtail.) These are both common winter visitors, arriving about the same time as the Pied Wagtails. 52. AntHus Macutatus. (Indian Tree-Pipit.) A winter visitor, but not plentiful; usually seen in small flocks on the edges of woods and in gardens. It arrives in November. of the Calcutta District. 53 53. ANTHUS RUFULUs. (Indian Pipit.) Very common, resident, and universally distributed in the open country. Breeds throughout March, April, May, and June. The nest is usually an open structure built beneath a clod or tuft or a bush; but I have found one which was completely domed over, and with a hole at the side for entrance ; and another was completely hidden in some short, thick grass, and approached by a run through the herbage. On one occasion I caught a male bird sitting on the eggs. The nests are made of grass and dry stalks, lined with fine grass and horse- or cow-hair. 54. Mirarra assamica. (Bengal Bush-Lark.) Common, resident, but met with only singly or in pairs in open country. I have found a nest with half-grown young as early as March 30, and another containing fresh eggs on May 3. The nest is domed over, with a hole at the side, and loosely made of dry grass. 55. Pyrraunaupa Grisea. (Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark.) Uncommon and sparsely distributed in the open country ; not noticed during the rains, but only in the winter and hot season. 56. ARACHNECHTHRA ZEYLONICA. (Amethyst-rumped Sun-bird.) Very common, resident, and universally distributed. Two broods are probably reared in the year, as I have usually found nests with eggs in April and August. The nest takes from a fortnight to three weeks to build, the female doing most of the work. The babool is a very favourite tree for building in, and the nest resembles a lump of rubbish or cobwebs such as is so often seen caught on the ends of the boughs of these trees. On April 20, 1890, I found a nest from which the young ones flew, and on the same day another nest still unfinished. The latest date on which I procured fresh eggs was on September 1. These birds may sometimes be seen exhibited for sale in Calcutta, tied by the legs, with a piece of cotton, to the finger of a native. 54 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds 57. Dicmum eERyTHRorHyNcHUM. (Tickell’s Flower- pecker.) Rare. On April 20, 1890, I found a nest of this bird, from which I shot the female, built in an almond-tree on the Grand Trunk Road near Khardah; this nest was not in any way concealed by the leaves of the tree, and was sus- pended from near the end of a twig; it contained two fresh white eggs. The bird makes a loud chirping when disturbed, and is a most inquisitive and excitable little creature. 58. Microprernus PpHmocers. (Bengal Rufous Wood- pecker.) Uncommon, and found only in the thickly wooded parts of the country. 59. BracnyPreRNUS auRANTIUS. (Golden-backed Wood- pecker.) The commonest Woodpecker in the district and very plentiful, universally distributed. It is very often seen on the ground, probably feeding on ants. They generally breed in holes in palm-trees. 60. Cyanors asiatica. (Blue-cheeked Barbet.) Very common, universally distributed, and resident. They breed during the hot season, excavating their own nesting- holes in dead trees. When making the hole the bird clings to the tree and rests on its tail, ike a Woodpecker, and pecks vigorously at the wood, every now and then breaking pieces out from the sides of the hole, until it is obliged to stop, gasping from the exertion. 61. XANTHOLEMA H#EMACEPHALA. (Crimson-breasted Barbet.) Very common, resident, and generally distributed. Breeds about the same time as Cyanops asiatica, the two species sometimes nesting together in the same tree. 62. Uprupa rvozs. (European Hoopoe.) A cold-weather visitor, but not very plentiful, arriving in October and usually leaving again before the hot weather begins in March ; but I saw one as late as May 15 in 1889. of the Calcutla District. 55 63. Turtur surateNsis. (Spotted Dove.) Extremely common, generally distributed, and resident. They probably breed all the year round, for I have taken eggs in January, February, March, April, June, August, October, and November, but by far the greater number in April; they will often lay again in the same nest from which the first clutch of eggs has been taken ; and sometimes the old bird, on being disturbed from the nest, will sham lameness in order to draw the intruder away from it. 64, Turtur risorius. (Indian Ring-Dove.) Very rare ; indeed I only saw one pair in the district, and of this pair I shot one bird. 65. CHaLcopHaPs INDIcA. (Bronze-winged Dove.) Common and generally distributed in wooded country, orchards, and gardens; but shy and wary, and much more often heard than seen. 66. CacoMANTIS PASSERINUS. (Indian Plaintive Cuckoo.) Rare. A male shoton March 2, 1890, had attracted my attention by its single plaintive whistling note. The other occasions on which I have seen this species were all during the rainy season. 67. CoccystEs Jacopinus. (Pied Crested Cuckoo.) Common and generally distributed, but only during the rainy season—the earliest arrival I have noted was on May 18, 1890—and leaving again after the rains, at the end of Sep- tember. They commonly deposit their eggs in the nests of Crateropus canorus, bat it must be with the second laying of this Babbler, as the first brood is hatched durmg the hot season. 68. Eupynamis HonoraTA. (Indian Koél.) Exceedingly common, resident, and generally distributed. Lays its eggs usually in the nests of Corvus splendens, but once I found three eggs of this bird in a nest of C. macro- rhynchus, without any eggs of the rightful owner. ‘The ery of this bird is incessant during the hot season, frequently throughout the night as well as the day. Their 56 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds food consists principally of small fruits and berries, and the birds collect in some numbers in a tree covered with their favourite fruit. 69. CENTROCOCCYX RUFIPENNIS. (The Crow- Pheasant.) Common, universally distributed, and resident. Breeds during June, July, and August, and builds a large, loosely- constructed, globular nest, with a hole at the side, among dense jungle. If in grass-jungle, the nest is composed of dry grass or reeds, but if among bushes or in a tree, usually of sticks lined with grass and leaves. The eggs are oval and white, with a rough chalky surface. Before nesting commences these birds frequently call to each other, making a loud “ hoo”’-ing note from the top of some tree, but when breeding they seldom venture far from the vicinity of their nests. In this district their nests are usually found among the tall rank grass growing on the edges of tanks in quiet parts of the woods, or among the thick bushes and brambles over- hanging water. 70. CENTROCOCCYX BENGALENSIS. (Lesser Crow-Pheasant.) Rare; exceedingly shy and wary, and only found in that part of the district where there are large tracts of thick grass-jungle, especially round some of the jheels towards Baraset. 71. ALCEDO BENGALENSIS. (Indian Kingfisher.) Common, generally distributed, and resident. Breeds when the rains have well set in, usually in July and August, in holes in banks, especially in those banks which surround orchards, gardens, &c., and not necessarily above water. The eggs are smaller than the English Kingfisher’s, white, and even more highly glossed than that bird’s. 72. CrryLe rupis. (Pied Kingfisher.) Fairly plentiful, but local; more generally distributed during the rainy season. This species prefers running water to stagnant tanks and jheels; and indeed, except during the rainy season, is found only on running streams. I have of the Calcutta District. 57 never taken their eggs, but they breed in the banks of the upper waters of the stream which runs into the Hooghly near the Powder Factory at Ichapore. 73. PELARGOPSIS GURIAL. (Brown-headed Kingfisher.) Not uncommon, resident, and universally distributed. During May and June they may be heard calling plaintively to each other, preparatory to breeding, though their usual ery is a loud hoarse laugh. On July 26th, 1891, 1 found a nest in a hole in a perpendicular bank overhanging the stream oS Fig. 2. Young Brown-headed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis gurial), taken from nest. p, pad on the heel. which runs into the Hooghly above Bidiabatty; this bank had evidently been the nesting-place of these birds for some years, as there were many old holes init. The nesting-hole was about 3 inches in diameter, comparatively small for the size of the bird, and about 18 inches deep, and just inside the entrance it widened out considerably, and ended in a fairly large chamber, the bottom and sides of which were trodden and worn quite smooth and hard by the movements of the birds. A few fish-bones and large scales were scattered 58 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds on the floor, and two young birds and one bad egg were in the nest; the larger of the two (fig. 2, p. 57) was half-grown and half as large again as the other; and they were both covered with large quills, none of which had yet burst. At the tip of the beak of the young bird was a small hooked knob, not found in the adult, and at the back of the heel a curious warty pad *. The old birds were extremely solicitous for their young, and on their crying they flew round and perched close by. Later, on September 13, this nesting-hole was again occupied, and I caught the old bird in the hole, with two blind, un- fledged young, about a week old, and two bad eggs. 74, PELARGOPSIS AMAUROPTERA (Pears.), Sharpe, Cat. B. xvi. p. 97. One was shot at Khardah during the cold season of 1889-90, the only one I have ever seen in this district. 75. Hancyon sMyrnensis. (White-breasted Kingfisher.) Common, generally distributed, and resident. This species is frequently found at a distance from water, as it does not subsist entirely on fishes, but appears to feed chiefly on lizards, beetles, and large insects. They inhabit any sort of country, either open or covered with jungle. The greater number in this district breed in May, making their nesting- holes usually in the embankments surrounding the orchards and gardens, also in bunds dividing the fields, or in pits ; but they invariably select some cool shady part of the embank- ment to breed in. The holes are about 24 inches in diameter and 18 inches or two feet deep, with a chamber at the end, where the eggs are laid, on the bare earth, with perhaps a few fish-bones or wing-cases of insects. During the breeding-season they are very noisy, con- tinually calling to each other, but they are very shy and wary near their nests, and it is but seldom that the bird is seen to fly in or out of the nesting-hole. Four or five eggs are laid. * [See Giinther, Ibis, 1890, p. 411, for description of a similar heel-pad on the foot of the Wryneck (Lynx torquilla).—ED. | of the Calcutta District. 59 76. CypsELus AFFINIS. (Indian Swift.) Very common, universally distributed, and resident. Their eggs may probably be found all the year round, but I think the greater number breed during the rains. Many build on the rafters which support the roof of Serampore Station, EK. I. Railway. 77. Cypsetus Batassiensis. (Palm Swift.) Common, but rarely found at any distance from the trees in which they breed. They are said only to breed in “ tar ” trees (Borassus flabelliformis), but I think it likely that they might be found breeding in cocoanut-palms, as I have seen the birds round plantations of these trees, and at a great distance from any “tar”’ trees. Multitudes of bats usually inhabit the “tar” trees, and I have even disturbed a pair of Nightjars and a couple of small Owls when trying to get at some Swifts’ nests. 78. CaPRIMULGUs ALBoNoTatTUs. (Large Bengal Nightjar.) Fairly plentiful and resident. This species is usually found among trees and bushes, but is not the commonest Nightjar found in the district, which is a smaller bird, about the size of C. europeus, and inhabits patches of sugar-cane, bushes, grass-jungle, and is even found in compounds. 79. CaprimuLeus asiaticus. (Common Indian Nightjar.) Fairly plentiful and resident, usually found in country similar to that which C. albonotatus affects. 80. Coracias 1npica. (Indian Roller or Blue Jay.) Plentiful, universally distributed, and resident. Breeds during the hot season, in March, April, and May, in holes in trees, especially in the broken-off tops of dead palm-trees. They are exceedingly wary at the nest, but as they do not venture very far from it when breeding, if a bird is to be seen in the vicinity of a dead palm-tree, the nest is pretty certain to be in it. The nest is made of a considerable quantity of fine sticks, roots, grass, aud even bits of paper and rag. 81. Merops viripis. (Green Bee-eater.) Very common, generally distributed, and resident. I 60 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds found a nest on May 4, 1890, which contained six young ones of all sizes, from the largest, which flew out of the hole and escaped, to the smallest, scarcely fledged. Just inside the mouth of the hole was a cavity, where they sat to be fed by the parent birds, as they could not all possibly sit in the passage leading to the nesting-chamber; this nesting- chamber was about three feet deep in a bank, and was strewn with the legs, wings, wing-cases, &c. of insects. On being disturbed all the young retired to this chamber. Until the young are hatched the nests are exceedingly difficult to find, as they are made in such inconspicuous holes, and the birds are so shy and wary. The nesting-holes are usually in the banks surrounding orchards and cultivated enclosures, and also in the bunds between the paddy-fields. Though these birds are so con- spicuous during the greater part of the year, during the hot season, when engaged in breeding, they retire to quiet places to rear their young, and unless these places are visited, one might think that they migrated from the district altogether during that season. After the rains, and throughout the cold season, every evening I used to see large flocks of this Bee-eater flying overhead, probably to some favourite roosting-place. 82. Merops puitippinus. (Blue-tailed Bee-eater.) A visitor—only during the rainy season—from June to August, and never very plentiful. They are found in small flocks and always in bad plumage. They have a fine flight, swishing from their perches after insects with a_ bold sweeping flight, and a loud snap of the beak is heard when one is caught. Between Dum Dum and _ Belghurriah stations on the E. B.S. Railway, during the season, several of these birds may always be seen on the telegraph-wires. 83. Patmornts Trorquatus. (Rose-ringed Paroquet). Common, generally distributed, and resident. Breeds during the hot season and at the beginning of the rains, in holes in trees, temples, ruined buildings, &c., as well as of the Calcutta District. 61 in inhabited bungalows. They are more or less gregarious throughout the year, and do great damage to the crops. This is one of the commonest birds kept in confinement, as well as P. eupatrius, which, however, is not found in a wild state in the district. 84. PaLmorNIs puRPUREUS. (Rose-headed Paroquet.) Not common, and only visiting the district during the rainy season, when they occur in small flocks, and at this time are always in bad plumage. 85. Srrix savanica. (Indian Barn-Owl.) One was shot at Bally. I have often heard the cry of this bird in the night, at all times of the year, though I have never seen one. The remark that I have seen signs—pellets, feathers, &c. —of this bird in the ruined gateways around Akbar’s tomb at Secundra, near Agra, may perhaps be of interest, though it has no reference to the Calcutta district. 86. Asio accrpitrinus. (Short-eared Owl.) On Oct. 25, 1890, when out Snipe-shooting, one was shot at as it rose from a bund in the paddy-fields, and was brought down, apparently uninjured, for it was carried the rest of the day perched on a coolie’s arm, without attempting to escape; I kept it for some months in a cage in perfect health, but it eventually escaped. This was the only one I saw in this part of the country. 87. KrTupa CEYLONENSIS. (Brown Fish-Owl.) Fairly common and universally distributed. Breeds during the cold season. One of a pair with two full-grown young was shot at the end of 1890 near Khardah. 88. Scors tertia. (Scops Owl.) I shot a male bird of this species on May 26, 1889—one of a pair roosting among the leaves of a “tar” palm. 89. Carine BRaMA. (Spotted Owlet.) Very common, universally distributed, and resident. As often seen abroad during the day as in the night. It is an exceedingly noisy bird in the evening, and the author of 62 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds most extraordinary sounds. These birds are most frequently seen in pairs. 90. Crrcus arucinosus. (Marsh Harrier.) Very plentiful in the cold season in the jheels and open country surrounding them; they remain frequently until the middle of April, but leave the district during the hot weather and rains, returning again in September. Birds in dark brown plumage with yellowish-white heads are most plentiful. They feed principally on frogs, fishes, and snakes, and I have seen one trying to carry off a fish, in shallow water, nearly as heavy as itself. 91. Crrcus cyangeus. (Hen Harrier.) Plentiful durmg the cold season, arriving and departing about the same time as C. eruginosus, and inhabiting the same sort of country as that bird. This Harrier often preys on Snipes which have been shot by sportsmen and which it carries off before one can pick them up. I saw one, flying low over some standing rice, flush a Snipe and, after chasing it for a short distance through all the twists and turns in its flight, strike at it, catch it in its claws, and instantly drop down among the paddy to devour it. I drove off the Harrier and picked up the Snipe, which was quite dead, but none of it was yet eaten. 92. Circus MELANoLEUCcUs. (Pied Harrier.) A cold-weather visitor, but not common; rarely more than one or two specimens are to be seen in a jheel where there are, perhaps, dozens of the other two sorts of Harriers. 93. Astur BADIus. (Shikra.) A common resident and generally distributed. Breeds during April and May, building a nest not unlike an untidy Crow’s. I took three eggs from a nest on May 10, 1891, and a month later the birds had again laid in it and I took two eggs. The crop of one that had been shot contained the remains of a lizard and an unfledged young bird. I have seen one of these Hawks visit nests of Sturnopastor contra and prey on the young. of the Calcutta District. 63 94. Aquita cLanca. (Spotted Eagle.) One or more of these birds may generally be seen in the vicinity of the larger jheels, and then remain in the district all the year; but there is a great addition to their numbers in the cold season. 95. SpizaETus Limnabtus. (Changeable Hawk-Eagle.) One of the commonest Eagles in the district ; universally distributed and resident. An old nest was found near Sodepore, which the birds appeared to be repairing, in March; both birds were in dark brown plumage; _ but another, shot near the same place, was in very pale plumage, and pure white beneath, marked with dark spots. 96. SPILORNIS CHEELA. (Crested Serpent-Eagle.) Common, universally distributed, and resident. Breeds during the hot season. I found a nest on May 10, 1891, in a mango-tree—a large structure of sticks, many with the leaves on, resembling a small nest of Pseudogyps bengalensis —which contained one young bird, with the feathers on the body only just beginning to grow, but with the crest already fully developed. Its eyes were very pale yellowish white. It was very fierce, erecting its ltood and biting savagely, but did not attempt to use its claws, for its legs appeared to be very delicate and hardly able to support the weight of the bird. I once saw one attempt to carry off a dead mongoose that had been shot. 97. Hatiaiitus Leucocaster. (White-bellied Sea-Eagle.) This species has been noticed on several occasions, usually in the larger jheels, but does not appear to be plentiful. 98. Potroaitrus tcutuyairus. (White-tailed Fishing- Eagle.) Not uncommon in the neighbourhood of the larger jheels, and resideut. This species has a wild ringing cry, which can be heard at a great distance. Also noticed at Mogra, E. I, Railway, on the river there. 64 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds 99. Hauiastur mnpus. (Brahminy Kite.) Very common, universally distributed, and resident. Among the shipping in the Hooghly, in Calcutta, they are commonly seen lining the rigging with the Pariah Kites or snatching garbage from the surface of the water. They assemble in great numbers at any spot where a quantity of food attracts them, and during the hot season they watch the drying up of the jheels and tanks attentively. When the natives, in many of the jheels in the hot season, are draining off the little remaining water in the pools and tanks, and searching for fishes and shell-fish in the mud, they are always attended by numbers of these birds, which swoop down, frequently snatch up a fish from among the crowd of people, and then, circling round overhead, devour it on the wing. They breed in January and February, but most usually in the latter month, and almost invariably build in cocoanut- palms, especially in those groves of these trees which grow around tanks in the native gardens in this district, and few of these groves are without a pair of the birds breeding in the palms. The nest is thin and loosely constructed of sticks, sometimes slightly lined with grass or reeds, and the eggs are usually two in number. They are a great nuisance to Snipe-shooters, for they wait upon them and often succeed in carrying off wounded birds. Their cry is a querulous, cat-like wail. 100. Mitvus govinpa. (Pariah Kite.) Exceedingly common everywhere. About the middle of June all the Kites, both old and young, leave the district entirely, and do not return again before the middle of August. Two broods are sometimes reared in the year, and the earliest date when I have seen signs of their beginning to build was in September, and the latest in April, though the greater number breed from November to February. Young birds hatched about November 12 were perched on the edge of the nest ready to fly on January 12; a week later the old birds were again repairing the nest and a second brood was being reared on March 14. of the Calcutta District. 65 I have known a pair attempt to breed in an old nest of Corvus macrorhynchus, and another pair succeeded in bringing up their brood in a nest of Pseudogyps bengalensis, in which the Vultures had already reared a young one the same year. It not unfrequently happens that one young bird is much forwarder than the others, and therefore leaves the nest some time before them. If a nest has been once rebbed the birds often lay again in it. Building materials are sometimes carried to the nest in the claws as well as in the beak. Every evening numbers of these birds fly across the Hooghly from the Barrackpore side to roost in the casuarina-trees near the church at Serampore, while others find roosting-places in some of the high trees on the Trunk Road outside Barrack- pore Park. During a flight of locusts which visited the district in November 1890, hundreds of Pariahs, Brahminy Kites, and Crows pursued the insects, snatching them in their claws and devouring them on the wing. 101. Exanus c#rutevs. (Black-winged Kite.) A resident species, but not common. I wounded one— I mistook it for a Tern, as it somewhat resembles one on the wing—which flew some distance before it fell; but directly it dropped it was pounced on successively by a Brahminy Kite,a Pariah, and a Changeable Hawk-Eagle, each of which in turn attempted to carry it off. Although they each succeeded in carrying it up several times, the plucky little bird compelled them, by struggling and fighting so fiercely, to relax their hold, until I had run up and driven the birds off. It sometimes hovers like a Kestrel, but its wings are not used so stiffly as that Hawk’s. They are usually seen in the more open country, especially round the edges of the large jheels or among scattered trees in the open grass-jungle. 102. PeRNis priLtoruyNcuus. (Crested Honey-Buzzard.) A permanent resident, sparingly distributed throughout the wooded parts of the district. In 1890 a pair of these birds built a nest in a high casuarina-tree in a compound at Titaghur, and though the SER. VI.—VOL, VI. F 66 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds same pair were constantly about the place the year before, they did not breed. The nest was begun in March and was a comparatively small, flimsy structure, built entirely of casuarina-twigs, broken off green from the tree in which the nest was built, and with the leaves on. I never saw either bird carry any materials to the nest from anywhere else, and the only time they spent in building was a little while in the early morning before 9 a.m. When at the nest the female continually uttered a shrill, querulous cry. I got two fresh eggs from this nest on May 10, and the male bird, a small dark-plumaged specimen, was shot off them; he sat so close that I had to shoot at the nest with a light charge before he would leave it. A fortnight later the female—a large and very light-coloured bird—was shot ; she had in the meantime found another mate, and, having pulled down the old nest, contemplated building there again. In less than a week after- wards the surviving male bird reappeared, paired with a light- coloured female, and for the rest of the year they remained about the place, but did not breed. The next year this same pair were evidently breeding close by, though I did not succeed in findimg their nest. The eggs were beautiful specimens, one being so densely spotted with blood-red as to conceal the ground-colour, the other less thickly spotted with paler red on a yellowish-white ground. When disturbed or irritated, this bird erects the feathers round its head into a sort of hood, much as Spilornis cheela does. They are easily distinguished on the wing by the small size of the head and the large tail, and the legs are usually stretched out straight beneath the tail. 103. Fatco succrr. (Lugger Falcon.) Resident, sparingly distributed, and not very common. In the same casuarina-tree in which the Honey-Buzzards— mentioned above—had built in 1890, a White-backed Vulture built at the end of the same year and brought off one young bird. On January 23, 1891, having seen a pair of Falcons in and around the nest for some time, I sent a coolie up to of the Calcutta District. 67 it, but he found only the broken shells of two or three Falcons’ eggs. As he climbed up, the birds screamed and dashed through the boughs and around the tree, every now and then making feints at him, much to his alarm. I once saw one of these Falcons pounce on and fly off with a Blue Jay from close beneath the legs of the horses in a ticca- gharry, the Jay having swooped down on to an insect on the ground just in front of the horses’ heads. 104. TrnnuncuLus aLauparius. (Kestrel.) A winter visitor, but not plentiful. 105. Gyps 1npicus. (Long-billed Vulture.) Resident, but only locally distributed. At Mogra, on the E. I. Railway, they are plentiful; but about Titaghur they are scarce compared with the numbers of Pseudogyps bengalensis. A few breed near Khardah in tall “ tar” palms. 106. Psrupocyrs BENGALENSIS. (White-backed Vulture.) Very plentiful, resident, and universally distributed. Just before the time comes for repairing their nests they often collect in immense flocks and wheel about in the sky, not appearing to be assembled together by the attraction of any food. They commence repairing their nests as early as September, and break off large boughs covered with leaves for this purpose. The large casuarina-trees around Titaghur and in Barrackpore Park are favourite breeding-sites, but I have besides found their nests in mango, peepul, banyan, and tamarind trees, and in “tar” and date palms. The greater number lay in November and the nests usually con- tain young in February. Often the old bird will sit so close on the egg that it is impossible to drive her off with- out the aid of a stick, and even then J have seen one refuse to move further than the edge of the nest. When the nest has been once robbed, the bird often lays again soon after. In the young bird the eyes are dark blue. Anyone who has watched these birds sailing about without apparent aim in the upper air cannot fail to be con- vinced that they discover their food by sight—each bird circling about at a great height, intently taking note of all r2 ~ 68 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds objects below, as weil as what his comrades are doing. Suddenly one Vulture espies a likely-looking object, and commences to circle slowly downwards towards it, while the other Vultures nearest instantly become interested and hurry up to see what it has found. By this time the lucky finder will have wheeled down to the carcass with great sweeps, and with a rush of wings will have perched close to it. After waiting and looking round for a few moments, he will hobble towards it and commence tearing it with his beak, and, standing on it, will pull out great beakfuls from the part held down by his feet. The other Vultures, seeing it is a worthy prey, will now all be sweeping and circling down to it, and from every point of the compass will come hurrying up others, which from a distance have observed those birds nearest to them flying towards the point where the carcass is. Soon it will be surrounded by a tearing, gobbling, and fighting crowd,—until perhaps a Black Vulture (Otogyps calvus) appears upon the scene, when all, except perchance one or two bolder ones, retire and make way for him, standing around the carcass enviously until he has eaten his fill, and afraid to approach while he is there. After gorging themselves, leaving nothing remaining but the bones, they will remain seated around the spot until the meal is digested, when they, one by one, after a short run, aided by gigantic flappings of the wings, will launch out into the air, and, with grand swaying flight, betake themselves to their roosting- places for the night. They are never seen carrying victuals to their young, so they probably feed their offspring on disgorged food. 107. Orocyrs catvus. _ (Black Vulture.) A permanent resident, but not at all plentiful. Occasion- ally one may be noticed among a crowd of Pseudogyps bengalensis and Gyps indicus, but never associating with the common herd. 108. TanTaLus LeUcocEPHALUS. (Pelican Ibis.) On June 2, 1889, I saw an immense flock of these birds resting in the dry paddy-fields near Pundua on the E. I. Railway. of the Calcutta District. 69 109. ArpEa purPUREA. (Purple Heron.) Resident, but uncommon ; only solitary pairs noticed in some of the larger jheels. 110. Busuxtcus coromannus. (Cattle Egret.) Resident, universally distributed, and common, but I have never found them breeding in the immediate neighbourhood, though they are equally abundant in the breeding-season as at any other time. Several of these birds are usually in attendance on any cattle feeding near their haunts. 111. Arproxa Grayr. (Pond Heron or Paddy-bird.) Extremely abundant, resident, and generally distributed. Usually found breeding in large colonies, occasionally in some tree standing in the midst of a crowded bazaar; but not unfrequently solitary nests are found; and I have heard of their breeding in compounds in the middle of Calcutta itself. I visited a breeding colony close to Kissengunge station on the E. B. 8S. Railway, where the birds were nesting in two small peepul trees in the company of Phalacrocorax pygmeus. On August 31, 1890, the Herons mostly had eggs—some quite fresh and others ready to hatch—while the Cormorants had full-grown young, which, in many cases, struggled out of the nest and fell into the floods beneath the trees. On June 7, 1891, the Herons again had eggs in all stages of incubation, and many young already hatched, but no Cormorants were to be seen any- where near, and the Herons appeared to be occupying their old nests, which are larger and more strongly constructed. On the trees being climbed and the birds disturbed, both old and young of each species disgorged quantities of fish, frogs, and reptiles of all sorts, which fell on us and on the ground beneath in a perfect shower. These Herons, and also their eggs, vary greatly in size; their nests are thin, flimsy structures of sticks, not unlike Crows’, and the number of eggs varies from three to five. I once found a nest in the top of a cocoanut-palm, which had a quantity of dead reeds mingled with the sticks. 70 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds 112. Buroripes savanica. (Little Green Heron.) A permanent resident, but not abundant in the immediate neighbourhood ; a very shy and solitary species, usually found on the edges of tanks quite surrounded by jungle: on being disturbed it flies up into the boughs of some over- hanging tree, and by running nimbly along them reaches the outside of the tree, whence it takes flight into the next, and by repeating the proceeding is soon at some distance off, while its disturber is still examining the boughs among which it was first lost sight of. At Mogra, on the E. I. Railway, however, they are fairly plentiful on the banks of the river there, where it is shut in by trees on either bank. I have occasionally flushed one out among the grass in a jheel and among paddy, but rarely at any distance from tree-jungle. 113. ARDETTA CINNAMOMEA. (Chestnut Bittern.) Nowhere very plentiful, a permanent resident, of extremely shy and skulking habits, pretty generally distributed. I once found one caught in a bamboo fish-cage in a jheel near Barrackpore. In certain localities one or two of these birds are always to be found. 114. Arprrta sinensis. (Little Yellow Bittern.) I have noticed this species only in one locality—in a jheel near Nattagcre, where they are plentiful among the tall reed-jungle in the centre of the jheel, and may be seen perching on the stems of the reeds. On being disturbed they drop down into the thicker growth, and escape by skulking among it. 115. Boraurus steLLaris. (Common Bittern.) Rare, and a cold-weather visitor only. On one or two occasions I have flushed them when snipe-shooting in paddy- fields. 116. Leproprinus arcata. (Adjutant.) A visitor during the rainy season to most districts, though they probably are found all the year round at the Salt Lakes near Calcutta, where they feed with Vultures and Kites on of the Calcutta District. 71 the refuse from the town; but to the city itself they are annually becoming rarer visitors. They are occasionally to be seen soaring about in the air in the company of Vultures on the look-out for food. 117. Dissura episcopus. (White-necked Stork.) Only once seen near Pundua on the E. I. Railway on April 7, 1889. 118. Crconta atBa. (White Stork.) One of a pair was shot on January 20, 1889, in a jheel near Howrah. 119. PHatacrocorax pyemzus. (Little Cormorant.) Common, universally distributed, and resident. As men- tioned above, I found it breeding, in August 1890, at Kissengunge, in the same tree as Ardeola grayi, but not in any great quantities. The young appeared to be most ravenous, and there was a constant stream of the old birds to and from the nests, carrying food to the young, which were fed on small fishes and frogs. Throughout the rainy season, solitary birds, or perhaps three or four, are to be seen in most of the jheels around Titaghur, but they do not appear to be nesting in the immediate neighbourhood. 120. Pretecanus, sp. inc.* (Pelican.) On October 21, 1890, I saw four Pelicans, white with dark wings, flapping slowly northwards up the course of the river, and on April 30, 1891, two were seen on the sandbank in the river opposite Titaghur. When seated, they were apparently pure white, but on being put to flight by an approaching boat they showed dark primaries. 121. Nerrarus coromanpeLianus. (Cotton-Teal Goose.) Though such large numbers of this species find their way into the markets in the cold season, I have met with it only * [This Pelican is probably the Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus mantt- lensis), of which four specimens, obtained by Mr. W. L. Sclater in Calcutta, are now living in the Zoological Society’s Gardens. It is a close ally of P. rufescens of Africa, but does not appear ever to get the wholly rufous back.—P. L. §.] hy Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds once wild, when the male of a pair was shot on February 15, 1891, on a small tank near Titaghur. 122. SarcrpioRNIs MELANONOTUs. (Comb Duck.) Solitary individuals are occasionally noticed on the river, but principally towards the end of the rains. 123. Anas Boscas. (Wild Duck.) 124. ANAS STREPERA. (Gadwall.) 125. Spatuta ctyPeaTa. (Shoveller.) 126. QuERQUEDULA cREccA. (Teal.) 127. FuniguLta Nyroca. (White-eyed Duck.) 128. Fuxievza cristata. (Tufted Duck.) Close to Titaghur, Ducks of any sort are rarely met with, but in January 1891, in a jheel about five miles to the east- ward, towards Baraset, we found a flock of two or three hundred Ducks of all sorts, among some tall reeds growing in deep water in the middle of the jheel. Among the Ducks the above-named species were identified, but specimens only of F. nyroca and A. strepera were procured. 129. Aiarauitis curonica. (Little Ringed Plover.) Fairly plentiful on the sandbanks and shores of the Hooghly in the cold season ; at the end of July 1891 I saw several on the sandbank opposite Titaghur. 130. LosivanreLivs rnpicus. (Red-wattled Lapwing.) Resident, but not plentiful, and found only in and around the larger jheels, collecting into small flocks in winter. 131. Srrepsinas INTERPRES. (Turnstone.) On October 5, 1890, I flushed one at Mogra, on the E. I. Railway, im a wet paddy-field, when out snipe-shooting. 132. GALLINAaGo sTHENURA. (Pintail Snipe.) 133. GaLLinaco caLEstis. (Fantail or Common Snipe.) Very abundant in the cold season, and generally distri- buted at the beginning of the season, though, as the country begins to dry up, they naturally become more local, congre- gating in localities where water still remains. The first arrivals come in August, the earliest date when I have seen one being August 18; but the great bulk arrive in of the Calcutta District. 73 September, and they are probably most numerous during October and November. The greater number leave again in February; but many remain throughout March and even into April in exceptionally cold seasons, and I flushed one from the edge of a tank close to some native huts on April 30, 1891. Of the vast numbers, however, which visit the plains in the winter, I have never heard of any remaining throughout the year, though there are most likely places for them to breed in many jheels, with an abundant supply of food throughout the year. In this district the ‘pintail” is most plentiful, three- fourths of those shot being of that species; but in certain jheels “ fantails” are always more numerous. The fantails certainly arrive later than the pintails. A friend of mine shot a Snipe on the summit of Sun- dukphu—a mountain facing Darjecling—in October. Snipe are seldom seen running, for, unlike the Sandpipers, when disturbed they endeavour to conceal themselves by crouching down close to the ground. 134. GALLINAGO GALLINULA. (Jack Snipe.) A winter visitor, uncommon, and very sparsely distributed throughout the district. 135. Ruyncu#ma capensis. (Painted Snipe.) Resident, generally distributed in all suitable localities, but never very plentiful. On April 12, 1891, the female of a pair, brought down at one shot, had largish eggs in her ovaries ; the male, which was only wounded, on being approached spread his beautifully eyed wings and tail and made a sort of hissing noise. On May 11, 1890, in a jheel near Natta- gore, I flushed a pair of old birds, which rose with four young ones just able to fly, and sought refuge in a large reed-brake, on the outskirts of which they had been dis- turbed. 136. Trincorpes HypoLeucus. (Common Sandpiper.) A common winter visitor only to the shores and sandbanks of the Hooghly, and never in the jheels, being invariably 74 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds found on running water. They usually arrive in September and remain as late as the end of April; but I shot the male bird of a pair in breeding plumage on July 26, 1891, on a sandbank opposite Titaghur. 137. Toranus GtarEoLa. (Wood Sandpiper.) Exceedingly plentiful during the cold season, especially on its first arrival in August, when it occurs in large flocks in the wet paddy-fields; as the water dries up and the country becomes parched they become scarcer, but a good many remain even into the middle of April. 138. Hetopromas ocHropus. (Green Sandpiper.) A winter visitor, but never occurs in Jarge numbers, and always found solitary or in pairs, usually on the edges of small tanks, more rarely in jheels and paddy-fields, and not unfrequently on the edges of streams. 139. Meroripius typicus. (Bronze-winged Jacana.) Resident and abundant, especially in the larger jheels ; in many of the smaller ones they remain until the water has almost entirely dried up, before leaving them for other quarters. They are seldom met with on the smaller tanks. If surprised in open water, they often seek safety by diving, and will remain under water for some time, with only the head above the surface, but they do not appear to swim under water. 140. HyprorHASIANUS CHIRURGUS. (Pheasant - tailed Jacana.) Uncommon, resident. During the rainy season of 1891 a pair established themselves on a ditch at the side of the E. B. S. Railway, between Belghurriah and Dum Dum stations ; but, with this exception, I have never met with them anywhere except on the larger secluded jheels, which do not dry up during the hot season. 141. Turnix taicoor. (Bustard-Quail.) Common, universally distributed, and resident, found alike in wet and dry situations. I have several times, when snipe- shooting, had a “ right and left” at a Snipe and a Bustard- of the Calcutta District. 75 Quail. They are always found solitary or in pairs, and during the breeding-season never stray far from their nests. The eggs are laid in April, May, and June, and are either two or four in number, but I have found tiny young ones at the end of October. The nest is always built in some dry situation, among grass or brambles, often at the foot of a bush, and all I have ever found were flimsy domed struc- tures of dry grass with a hole at the side, very like a field- mouse’s nest. Chick of Bustard-Quail (Turnix taigoor). I subjoin a description of the chick now figured (fig. 3) :— Throat yellowish white. Top of head mottled brown and pale yellow; cheeks bare and blackish, with lines of tiny white feathers; a line of white above the eyes, which are brown; a kind of hood or ruff of long hairy feathers at back of head. Beak yellowish and black at tip. Breast white, spotted with black. Wings brownish, and, except the primaries, barred with dark and yellowish brown; back marbled black and yellowish brown, with two lines of white running down it. Tail mottled brown. Flanks and underparts sandy-coloured. Legs and feet grey and shiny; thighs blackish. The females are exceedingly pugnacious, and many are caught by natives in trap-cages, a hen bird being used as a 76 Mr. P. W. Munn on the Birds call-bird ; the male birds, however, are very rarely caught m this way. I have had as many as eighteen females brought to me which had been thus captured, without a single male bird, and, as they were caught during the breeding-season, some of them had even laid eggs in the basket in which they were brought to me. 142, Turnix tanxi. (Larger Bustard-Quail.) Uncommon, resident, and generally distributed, differing very little in its habits from 7. taigoor. Breeding during April and May, the nest being built among grass or brambles, and exactly resembling that of 7. taigoor, though the eggs are considerably smaller. When in the nest the bird sits very close, and I have even removed the top part of the nest before the bird flew off. On the wing, this bird hada more reddish appearance than the Bustard-Quail. 143. Porpnyrio potiocePHaLus. (Purple Coot.) Resident and very locally distributed. They are occa- sionally to be seen on a tank at the side of the E. B.S. Railway near Dum Dum. In January 1891 I observed great numbers among some tall reeds in the midst of a jheel near Baraset, and, wading through the water and pushing through the reeds, caused them to rise with a great commotion, several at a time. 144. Fonica arra. (Common Coot.) I have only once met with this species, in January 1891, in the same locality as the Purple Coot, mentioned above. 145. GALLICREX CINEREUS. (Water-cock.) Generally distributed and resident, but not very often seen on account of its partiality for thick coverin the jheels and usually inaccessible places, though it is sometimes met with in paddy-fields and on the edges of small tanks. 146. GattinuLa cutoropus. (Common Moorhen.) Fairly common, resident, and found in small numbers in most of the jheels and on the larger tanks, especially those of the Calcutta District. 77 which are surrounded by thick bushes overhanging the water, and in such they usually construct their nests. 147, Erytura pH@nicura. (White-breasted Waterhen.) Very much commoner than the last-named; resident and generally distributed. They seem to prefer the smaller tanks in the jungle to the large open jheels, and most of these small ponds have a pair or more of these birds on them. They breed during the rains, constructing a nest either floating on the surface of the water among reeds or often in a quite exposed situation, or in the bushes overhanging the water, or built high up among a thick clump of reeds. The young leave the nest as soon as they are hatched, but return to roost in it at night; during the day, if disturbed, they skulk among the herbage or bushes around the tank. I have often found single young ones, apparently lost, wan- dering among the paddy-crops and calling plaintively. 148. Porzana MarunTTa. (Spotted Crake.) 149. Porzana BarLttont. (Baillon’s Crake.) 150. Porzana Fusca. (Ruddy Rail.) 151. Hyvormnipia striata. (Blue- breasted Banded Rail.) On February 1, 1891, in a village on the Nattagore Road, near Sodepore Station, E. B.S. Railway, a coolie brought me a large bamboo fish-trap, in which were several live Rails of the above-mentioned species, as well as one Water-cock. The greater number were of P. maruetta, and there were four specimens of P. bailloni, only one of P. fusca, and three of H. striata. All of them had been caught in the adjacent jheel—probably in fish-traps. All these Rails, however, are found in most of the jheels, and in some places abundantly, running over the floating weeds and taking refuge in the thicker herbage when dis- turbed. 152. Tacnysapres rLuviaTitis. (Little Grebe.) Sparingly distributed throughout the district, in the cold season only, and always on open water. 78 Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. V.—WNotes on some Tunisian Birds. By J. J. S. Warraxer, F.Z.S. In the early part of this year (1893), while on a shooting expedition in the south of the Regency of Tunis, I met with several interesting species of birds, some of which are suffi- ciently uncommon to merit record in ‘The Ibis.’ Acting . on the kind suggestion of Mr. Sclater, I proceed therefore to give a short sketch of my journey, with a list of the species of which I actually secured specimens, or of the identity of which I had no doubt. I would, however, first premise that being totally unpre- pared for bird-collecting, and still less with any idea at the time of writing about them, and, moreover, having little time at my disposal, [I was unable to secure as many specimens as I could have wished, the few I obtained being mostly shot when I was actually en route from one place to another. Passing over the journey to Tunis, and a few days spent _there in making preparations, I may say I finally left that town by railroad for Tebessa on the 23rd of February, having previously despatched my men and horses, with tents and the heavier impedimenta, by road via Kairouan, with instructions to meet me at Kasrin, some 50 miles east of Tebessa. The railroad journey from Tunis as far as Souk-Ahras is well known to travellers, being on the direct route to Algiers, but the branch line from Souk-Ahras to Tebessa has only recently been opened to the public. The country fora considerable distance after leaving the junction is mountainous and beautifully wooded, the scenery equalling that of the lovely Medjerda Valley, through which the main line further north runs for several miles. Leaving the hilly country at last, we traversed vast plains and tracts of cultivated land, and running always due south we eventually reached Tebessa at 9 p.m., after a journey of 16 hours from Tunis. The followmg day I devoted to sight-seeing, for the ruins of Tebessa, the ancient Theveste of the Romans, are amongst Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 79 Outward journey ——_-----—_- =n Return do —_-__________ senses Places Author stopped at.____--7 Lf Se loum 3 eriana ega: 4 g BiG ? Tamera Oglet Alima | lValker & Boutall se. Map or Tunis. 80 Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. the most important on the African continent. On the 25th of February I made an excursion to some marshes about 10 miles north of Tebessa, where I had been told I should meet with an abundance of water-fowl of all sorts, but was disappointed, Snipe and a few Ducks being all that I saw. On the 26th, having hired mules for the journey to Kasrin, we made an early start, and after nine hours of slow travel- ling across dreary alfa plains, separated by ridges of pine-clad hills, we arrived at an Arab “ douar,” or encampment, where our guides advised our passing the night, as it was too late to reach our destination before dark. Resuming our journey the following morning, as soon as it was light enough to distinguish the track, for road there was none, we finally reached Kasrin about midday. During this journey I saw but few birds, some pairs of Ravens (presumably Corvus tingitanus) and an occasional Lesser Bustard (Otis tetrav) on the plains, and Sazicola leucura, Athene glaux, and Caccabis petrosa among the hills, being the most noticeable. The pretty little marmot Cieno- dactylus gundi was also abundant among the rocks. At Kasrin, where, instead of the flourishing town or village I had been led to expect, there was literally nothing but Roman ruins and a few deserted Arab huts, we spent four days very pleasantly, the air beimg splendid and the sur- rounding country and scenery charming. During my stay there, I made excursions to the neighbourmg mountains in search of mouflon ( Ovis tragelaphus) and mountain antelope (Gazella cuvieri), but only succeeded in getting two of the latter, both females, while of the former we only saw one, and that without being able to get a shot at it. In the way of birds T obtained nothing very rare at Kasrin, although, as is always’ the case in these southern parts, where water is abundant, there was no lack of bird-life, Kestrels, both Tinnunculus alaudarius and T. cenchris, Athene giaux, Columba livia, and some of the Chats and Redstarts being plentiful among the ruins and rocky hills, while Larks, Wagtails, Linnets, Thrushes, and Partridges abounded in the sprouting corn-fields and among the slender bushes lower down near the water. The Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 8] first Swallows of the season, both Hirundo rustica and Cheli- don urbica, I also saw here. I further saw, although without being able to identify them, one or two Eagles, Harriers, Grey Shrikes (probably Lanius dealbatus), Ravens, and Starlings. On the 3rd of March we left Kasrin for Feriana, 22 miles to the S.W., and after a steady tramp of seven hours along a first-rate road, recently constructed by the French, we reached our destination, and put up at the only inn of which the place boasts. Feriana is an Arab village of some importance, with a French military station, post and telegraph office. It is extremely well situated, and has a dry bracing climate, practically rainless, but never hot, I was told, even in the middle of summer. On the 5th of March we started for Gafsa, and leaving the high road, such as it is, on our left, struck across country in a southerly direction, entering upon a succession of vast alfa plains, which extend almost the whole way to Gafsa. Here and there a few bare thorn-bushes relieved the mono- tony of the level plain, and perched on one of these we invariably saw the pale Grey Shrike (Lanius dealbatus), while an occasional Hoopoe flitted across our path. Hares were most abundant on these alfa plains, loug-eared and long- limbed (Lepus mediterraneus). ‘Towards evening we reached the neighbourhood of Sidi-Aich, where we encamped for the night. The next morning, after a very cold night, during which the thermometer must have gone below freezing- point, we struck tents, and continued our journey to Gafsa. The country now became less monotonous, patches of culti- vated land interspersed with Sarib thorn-bushes every now and then meeting the eye, and here I saw for the first time the Algerian Bush-Babbler (Argya fulva). Lanius de- albatus was also very common about here, and Pica mauri- tanica, although I failed to secure a specimen of the latter. In the sprouting corn I also flushed several Quails (Coturnix communis). Later on in the day, when nearing Gafsa, I came across the pretty little Desert Bullfinch (Erythrospiza githaginea), Alauda macrorhyncha, and Alemon alaudipes. SER, VI.—VOL. VI. G 82 My. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. On arriving at Gafsa I visited the Caid, and presented a commendatory letter from the French Resident at Tunis, with which I had taken the precaution to provide myself, and which at once secured us lodgings in the guest-house reserved for such occasions. The next morning I paid a visit to the Gafsa oasis in search of birds, but only succeeded in obtaining specimens of Fringilla spodiogena, which was very abundant here, and of one or two other birds. I saw a good many specimens of Turtur senegalensis, but did not obtain one. The Gafsa oasis is rather more than a mile in length by about half a mile at its greatest width, and, besides date- palms, contains several thousands of other fruit-trees, with a most luxuriant undergrowth of cereals and vegetables, all watered abundantly by a warm spring, which has its rise in the town. This spring was, I believe, celebrated in the time of the Romans, its waters being used both for drmking and bathing purposes. I saw several fishes in one of the tanks (probably Cyprinodon dispar). On my return to the town, I visited the Mosque, which is here accessible to visitors, and while there I saw for the first time Emberiza sahare, one of which was on a window-sill within a yard of me. Later on in the day I obtained specimens of this interesting species. I should have liked to spend another day or two at Gafsa, but my time being short, I left again on the 8th of March for Tamerza, some 70 miles due west, and encamped that evening on a ligh plam near Ain-Tfel. During the day I met with Saxicola mesta for the first time, and Ammo- manes deserti. Alauda macrorhyncha was also abundant about here. The following day we reached El Araissa, after some of the stiffest mountain travelling it is possible to imagine, and encamped on an open grass-plot near water, the first we had come across since leaving Gafsa. On our way I saw a pair of Otis tarda and attempted a stalk, but without success. I also saw several small flocks of Pterocles arenarius aud one or two pairs of Neophron percnopterus. The next day, accompanied hy a native sportsman, I tried the surrounding mountains thoroughly for mouflon, but without any luck, all the animals I saw being a pair of Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 83 hyenas anda wild boar. Sazicola leucura, Ruticilla moussieri, Ammomanes deserti, and Alauda macrorhyncha were common about here, and I also saw one or two specimens of Lanius dealbatus, and a pair of Alpine Swifts (Cypselus melba). On the 11th of March we left for Oglet-Alima, where we encamped near some water-holes dug by the Arabs in the dry bed of the Oued Seldja, a branch of the river Melah. I may here remark, en passant, that these southern rivers are nearly always dry; it is only after very heavy rains that they have any water in them. On the journey from El Araissa I secured specimens of the following birds, viz., Savicola mesta, S. deserti, S. stapazina, Lanius dealbatus, Ammo- manes deserti, Alauda macrorhyncha, Pterocles arenarius, and Hudromias morinellus. Lalso shot a jackal in the act of stalking some gazelles, which I had not previously noticed. The next morning about 7 o’clock I saw several flocks of Sand-Grouse flying overhead, which proved to be Pterocles coronatus coming to drink at the water-holes, and I soon obtained nine specimens. Later on in the day I saw several small flocks of P. arenarius, but, except for an occasional straggler, P. coronatus had disappeared from this locality after 10 o’clock. Besides Sand-Grouse I got a few more Chats, Larks, Greenfinches, and Desert Bullfinches here ; but my small supply of shot-cartridges was rapidly coming to an end, so I was obliged to economize my ammunition as much as possible, and to disregard all except the rarer species. On the 13th of March I shot a few more Sand-Grouse (P. coronatus), which were back at the water-holes again, and then started for Tamerza, our road lying across sandy plains covered with scrub-vegetation and thorn-bushes. I here saw a good many small birds, though nothing new, and I also observed two or three Eagles, but without being able to identify the species. 'Tamerza was reached in the afternoon, and we were allotted the usual guest-house, which, however, was here little better than a stable. The town, if it can be dignified by that name, is eminently Arab, without a single European inhabitant; the houses are mere hovels, for the most part built of loose rubble, with a thick plastering of mud to G2 84. Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. keep the walls together. The place is, however, picturesquely situated on a plateau of rocks overlooking a charming oasis, with an abundance of water. Unfortunately I had not time to visit this oasis, as we left again at an early hour the following morning for Negrine. After travelling for two or three hours in a northerly direction through some fine mountain scenery, we reached Mides, a small town near the Algerio-Tunisian frontier, and then branching off to the west again we encamped for the night near the Djebel Refou, about halfway between Tamerza and Negrine. The weather here was most oppressively close and trying, and the water, moreover, was not good. The following day I tried this mountain for mouflon, but again without success, although my stalker saw some mountain antelopes. My climb to the top of Djebel Refou, however, was not without its reward, for I obtained a glorious view of the desert, stretching away to the south as far as one could see. On this mountain I saw several of the larger Raptores, among them, I believe, Gypaétus barbatus, but, being after bigger game, I did not secure any specimens. Resuming our journey the following day, we arrived at Negrine late in the evening, after a long march across arid scrub-plains, where I saw several herds of dorcas gazelles and numberless jerboas and other small rodents, all of the exact colour of the sandy soil. The lizards, too, were all of the same hue, and Adonis estivalis, var. lutea, with its yellow flower, replaced the ordinary deep red flower of the north. About Kasrin and Feriana I had observed this flower of an orange colour between the two. On these sandy plains my men found some chameleons and one or two horned vipers (Cerastes cornutus). These snakes are very venomous, their bite, it is said, being quickly followed by death. At Negrine we had excellent quarters in the quondam military caserne, untenanted except by occasional travellers like ourselves, since the French vacated the town after their six years’ occupation. I visited the oasis here, hoping to find some rare birds, but was disappointed, and as the neighbouring mountains were overrun with camels and flocks, Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 85 and therefore unlikely ground for mouflon, I determined to leave again the following day and return to Feriana and Kasrin by the most direct road possible. After considerable difficulty I succeeded in finding a native who thought he knew the way to Feriana across country, although he said we must in any case retrace our steps as far as Mides, and on the 18th of March we turned our backs on the desert and encamped that evening close to the frontier. En route I shot a few Sand-Grouse (Pterocles arenarius) and Stone- Plovers (Afdicnemus crepitans); also a couple of Alemon alaudipes. P. arenarius was in large flocks on these plains, often over a hundred birds in a flock. On the 19th of March we travelled in a N.E. direction, and, passing through some pretty country and plains covered with white genista, encamped about sunset near the Djebel Sgrega. During the day I saw few birds of any interest, and nothing new to us except Asio accipitrinus. On the 20th of March we made a forced march of fourteen hours and arrived at Feriana late in the evening, having gone several miles out of our way, thanks to our guide’s want of knowledge of the country! After a-day’s rest at Feriana we left again for Kasrin, and soon after starting, and within a mile or so of the town, I suddenly came on a pair of Great Bustards (Otis tarda) within 30 yards of me. Unfortunately I was not prepared for such royal game, and so lost a fine chance. With the exception of these and numberless Kestrels, which accompanied us the greater part of the way to Kasrin, perching on the telegraph-wires along the roadside, we saw little else in the way of birds. ‘The next few days I spent on Djebel Selloum after moufion, and on the 26th of March I left again for Tebessa, where I arrived on the 28th after very slow travelling, the clay plains being almost impracticable owing to some heavy rains, the first we had had during our journey. On these plains I saw large flocks of Otis tetraz, evidently fresh arrivals, a few specimens of Péerocles arenarius, some Ravens, and some Egyptian Vultures. The following day I returned to Tunis just in time to catch the weckly Italian steamer for Sicily. 86 Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. My best thanks are due to Mr. E. Cavendish Taylor for having kindly assisted me in identifying the birds, of which T add a list, with accompanying field-notes. 1. Turpvus Musicus. Very common about Kasrin. Djebel Selloum simply swarmed with them about the beginning of March, and later on, when I visited this mountain a second time, towards the end of March, they were still plentiful, although not so numerous as before. No doubt the juniper and thuja berries, of which there was an abundance here, formed the attraction. At Feriana also, among the olive-groves, Thrushes were plentiful, feeding on the wild olives. South of Feriana I do not remember to have seen any. 2. TuRDUS MERULA. Like the preceding species, the Blackbird, although far less numerous, was common in the wooded districts we visited north of Feriana. South of this town I do not remember to have seen it. 3. Saxicota masta, Licht. (S. philothamna, Tristr.) I found this rare and handsome Chat, both male and female, fairly abundant about the middle of March on the plains between Gafsa and Tamerza, but nowhere else, so far as I can recollect. I first saw it within two or three miles of Gafsa, and it became more abundant as I went further west towards Tamerza. It may, I thmk, be considered strictly a desert bird, and probably never strays very far north of the Sahara. Dr. Koenig, in his recent publication on the Tunisian avifauna (J. f. O. 1892, p. 282), mentions having met with it near Gabes, which hes in about the same degree of latitude as the country where I found it. I generally found this species in pairs, the male at no great distance from the female, and perching on the tops of low bushes and shrubs. It is by no means a shy bird, and will often allow one to approach within a few yards before taking flight. The male has a most melodious note, and I often listened with pleasure to its short song. The speci- Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 87 mens obtained had none of them assumed their full breeding- plumage. 4, SAXICOLA DESERTI. This Chat I also only found in the semi-desert country lying between Gafsa and Tamerza, where it seemed to be fairly abundant about the middle of March. I was some- what surprised not to have met with it further north, but probably it was too early in the year for it to be found far from the desert. Dr. Koenig (J. f.O. 1892, p. 276) mentions having found it in the early part of May near El Djem, which is a good deal further north. The specimens I obtained were all males, but I generally saw this species in pairs. It is not particularly shy or difficult to approach. I do not remember having heard its note. 5. SAXICOLA STAPAZINA. The only specimen. of this species that I brought home with me had the broad black throat-band. I found this Chat in the same country as the two preceding species, although not so abundant as either of them. So far as I can recollect, the few specimens I shot were all males.’ I am informed on good authority that this species is common in the neighbourhood of Tunis in spring and summer, and that it breeds there. 6. SAXICOLA LEUCURA. This was about the commonest, or rather I should say the most ubiquitous, Chat that I met with during my journey, from beginning to end, every mountain-gorge or rocky ravine being a pretty sure find for at least a pair. It was perhaps rather more common towards the north near Tebessa and Kasrin, but I also found it on the arid mountains further south near Gafsa, and shouid say it has a fairly wide range throughout the Regency. It is essentially a mountain- or rock-loving bird, and is generally to be met with singly, perched conspicuously on the top of a rock or stone in some inaccessible spot. I saw it also, however, in pairs. It isa shy bird and not easy to approach, but I obtained a good many specimens, both male and female. 88 Mr. J.J3.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 7. RurticILLA PHENICURUS. I found the Common Redstart plentiful in the vicinity of Kasrin, and I believe I also saw it in the oasis at Gafsa. 8. RuricILLa TITYS. The Black Redstart I also found at Kasrin. 9. RuvriciLLa MOUSSIERI. This pretty little bird I met with constantly throughout my journey, both males and females, and particularly m the neighbourhood, of Kasrin and Feriana. I also found it further south, among the hills to the west of Gafsa, and as I have on previous occasions observed it near Tunis and iu the extreme north near Bizerta, I think we may look upon it as being generally distributed throughout the Regency. It is a timid little bird and does its best to avoid being seen, although its bright plumage renders it very conspicuous, I found it both singly and in pairs; this was throughout the month of March. I am told it breeds in the neighbourhood of Tunis. 10. SyLvIA ATRICAPILLA. I only got one specimen of the Common Blackcap, a female, in the Gafsa oasis, but it is doubtless common in many parts of the Regency. 11. ArGya FULVA. The Algerian Bush-Babbler I met with only twice during my journey: once on the 6th March, about fifteen miles north of Gafsa, when I saw several small lots, and secured five specimens, and a second time, just a week later, in the neighbourhood of Tamerza, when I got one other bird. Although fairly common in some parts of the south of the Regency, I should consider the range of this species as limited. M. Blane, the French naturalist at Tunis, tells me he has had two specimens which were shot in the neigh- bourhood of Tunis, but I do not think it often strays so far north. The first time I came across A. fulva I was stalking some Magpies (Pica mauritanica) in the middle of a patch of cultivated land dotted over with thorn-bushes, ae “ae a Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 89 and did not at once recognize the birds as they flew out of a bush. Their flight is slow, straight, and rather feeble. They are generally to be found in small parties of from four to six among clumps of bushes, and frequenting the small patches of cultivated land to be found thinly scattered over the southern plains, where they doubtless find a richer diet than on the more arid wastes. They are wary birds, but owing to their restlessness and loquacity cannot easily escape notice. Mr. Dresser’s work (‘ Birds of Europe’), if I remember right, contains an excellent description, given by Canon Tristram, of the peculiar habit this bird has of creeping up a bush and down again the other side, preparatory to stealing off quietly to the next bush, where the same tactics are re- peated. Of the breeding of this species I was not able to ascertain anything of a positive nature. The plumages of the male and female seem to be the same. 12. Moracitia ALBA. _The White Wagtail I found, both male and female, plentiful near Kasrin and Feriana. 13. LANIUS DEALBATUS. This was the only Shrike I met with during my journey, and although some of the specimens I obtained differed con- siderably from the others in the shade of grey on the head, back, and rump, I have looked upon this as being due to difference in age, and not sufficient to constitute even a variety. I found this species almost everywhere throughout my journey where there were plains and bushes, and it evidently has a wide range in the south of the Regency, taking the place of L. algeriensis in the north. L. dealbatus is generally to be found singly, perched con- spicuously on top of a bare branch or bush. It is a most wary bird and difficult to approach, although when dis- turbed it rarely flies far, and can easily be seen and followed up. Dr. Koenig found this species breeding in numbers towards the end of April near E] Djem, and gives a very full 90 Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. description (J. f. O. 1892, p. 379) of its nest and eggs, which seem to be scarcely distinguishable from those of L. algeriensis. 14. Hirunpo rustica. I saw the first Swallows of the season on the 28th of February at Kasrin, and met with them constantly throughout my journey. 15. CHELIDON URBICA. The House Martin I also met with constantly throughout my journey. 16. CaxpUELIS ELEGANS. The Goldfinch is common in the north of the Regency, and I have seen it in large flocks close to Tunis. I do not, however, remember to have met with it during my late journey, except at Tebessa. 17. LigURINUS AURANTIIVENTRIS. I found Greenfinches on two occasions during my journey, and quite in the south of the Regency, viz. at Oglet-Alima and at Refou, where they were in small flocks of from six to a dozen birds, frequenting bushes in the vicinity of water. In habits and in their note they seemed to resemble our European bird. My specimens are of the bright-coloured form, and are, no doubt, to be referred to Dr. Cabanis’s aurantiiventris. They differ from the ordinary European type chiefly in the colouring of the plumage, which is brighter and more uniform throughout the body generally, with a very marked absence, on the upper parts, of the drown tinge noticeable in L. chloris. Between the females of the two forms there is also a con- siderable difference in colouring. In size perhaps ZL. aurantiiventris may be a trifle smaller than L. chloris, but Iam not yet prepared to speak as to this, and the only other difference I have at present noticed is in the bill, which in the scuthern form seems to be rather larger and straighter than in the common type. Besides the specimens I obtained myseif last March, which would be in breeding-plumage, or nearly so, | may mention Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 91 having received from Tunis specimens freshly killed this autumn, and J do not find the plumage of the latter different from that of the birds I got myself in the spring, the drown shade being always entirely absent. 18. SERINUS HORTULANUS. This species I met with occasionally, and obtained speci- mens at Tebessa and Gafsa. 19. ERytHRosP1ZA GITHAGINEA. This pretty little Finch seems to be fairly abundant and generally distributed throughout the south of the Regency, and I constantly met with it after leaving Feriana. I found it in pairs and in small flocks on sandy plains and rocky ground where there was some vegetation. It is an unsus- picious little bird, and allows one to approach within a few yards. The male bird is most exquisitely coloured, but unfortunately the delicate rose tints fade a good deal after death. 20. FRINGILLA C@LEBS. I include this species merely on account of my having seen it in cages, and having been assured that it is commen in winter in some parts of the Regency. Of its occurrence as a winter visitor there would seem to be no doubt whatever; the question is whether it ever breeds on the African continent. Dr. Koenig is opposed to the idea, although he found it near Djebel Battaria, to the south of Tunis, as late as the middle of April. It is possible, however, I think, that it may nest in some of the higher woods of the Tell Mountains, as happens in Sicily with the same species, which in spring retires for the purpose of breeding to the cool oak-woods of the lofty inland mountains, and remains there till the ap- proach of winter. 21. FRINGILLA SPODIOGENA. The Algerian Chaffinch, male and female, I found most plentiful at Tebessa and at Gafsa, im both of which places fruit-trees abound, and where it seemed quite the commonest bird. This species is no doubt generally spread throughout the Regency, although probably only to be met with in the 92 Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. neighbourhood of orchards and olive-groves, and not in the open country or far from villages. In its note and habits, as also in its nesting, it resembles our European bird. I was somewhat surprised to find it so far south as Gafsa. 22. LinotTa CANNABINA. The Common Linnet I saw in flocks at Kasrin, but do not recollect having seen it elsewhere. 23. PassER SALICICOLA. This Sparrow I found common at Tebessa, Kasrin, Feriana, and Gafsa, and I do not remember to have noticed P. italie. 24. PETRONIA STULTA. * I found this species at Kasrin feeding in the fields, together with Melanocorypha calandra; in fact I shot one out of a flock of these Larks. 25. EMBERIZA MILIARIA. Seems pretty generally distributed throughout the Regency, and I met with it on several occasions, both in the north and south, although nowhere in large numbers. 26. EEMBERIZA SAHARA. This sober-coloured but rather rare little bird I met with only once during my journey, viz., at Gafsa, where it seemed fairly abundant, although, owing to the difficulty of bemg able to shoot in the middle of a town, I only secured two specimens, a male and female. It iseminently a Saharan species, although not frequenting the actual desert or open country, but the neighbourhood of human habitations and buildings, from which it never strays far ; indeed I do not think I even found it in the oasis gardens. I saw it singly, as a rule, but sometimes with others of its species, and with Sparrows and other birds on a rubbish- heap or dunghill. It is a sprightly, familiar little bird, and by no means shy, partaking somewhat of the character of a town sparrow, which bird it resembles in many ways. 1 do not remember having heard its note. 27. ALaMON ALaupIPES (Sharpe, Cat. B. xii. p. 518.) This is eminently a desert bird, and I never met with it Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 93 far north of the desert border. I found it near Gafsa, Mides, and Negrine, but obtained only a couple of specimens. I never saw it except singly. When flying it is rather a con- spicuous bird from the distinct marking of its wings, the more apparent as it flies low and close to the ground. 28. ALAUDA CRISTATA. This was quite the commonest Lark in the north part of the country I visited, further south its place being taken by A.macrorhyncha. I found A.cristuta very abundant at Kasrin the end of February and early part of March, and always in pairs. In its general habits and in its song it resembles our European bird to a great extent, although I do not remember to have noticed it soaring very high, and I sometimes saw it perching and singing on a bush or low shrub. 29. ALAUDA MACRORHYNCHA. Tristram’s Lark I consider as a very good species, for although individuals of this bird may differ to a certain extent among themselves, there is always a very wide gap between them and the preceding species. As I have just said, A. macrorhyncha seems to replace A, cristata in the south of the Regency, being quite the com- monest Lark in the southern districts I visited. I met with it constantly after nearing Gafsa, and particularly on and in the neighbourhood of mountains, which it seems to prefer to the plains. I always found it in pairs—this was at the beginning and middle of March—and I obtained several specimens, both male and female. 380. AMMOMANES DESERTI. I found this Lark also fairly widely distributed in Southern Tunisia, although nowhere very abundant, and always either on or in the immediate vicinity of mountains, like the pre- ceding species. I met with it first near Gafsa, and subse- quently throughout my journey till within about 30 miles of Feriana. Its delicate plumage accords admirably in colour with the sandy soil and arid rocks of the desert mountains. 94 My. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 31. CALANDRELLA BRACHYDACTYLA. This little Lark I found abundant between Gafsa and Tamerza, about the middle of March, in large flocks on the scrub-plains. I did not notice it further north. 32, CALANDRELLA MINOR. The only specimen I obtained of this Lark was one that I picked up dead on the road from Kasrin to Feriana. It had probably flown against the telegraph-wires running alongside of this road, 35. MELANOCORYPHA CALANDRA. This Lark was plentiful about Kasrin in large flocks, feeding on the cultivated land, and I secured several speci- mens, male and female. I did not find it south of Feriana. 34 & 35. SrurnUs vULGARIS and STURNUS UNICOLOR. I saw Starlings on two occasions only, once at the begin- ning of March near Kasrin, and once at the end of March near Tebessa, but not having obtained any specimens, I was unable to determine the species; at the time, however, I thought that those I saw near Kasrin were S. vulgaris, and those I saw near Tebessa S. unicolor. According to Dr. Koenig the latter breeds abundantly in the neighbourhood of Monastir, while the former is probably only a winter visitor in the Regency. 36. PicA MAURITANICA. 1 only saw the Algerian Magpie once or twice during my journey, on the plains between Feriana and Gafsa, where there were some patches of cultivated land and thorn-bushes, and I failed to obtaim a specimen. It is evidently not what one would call a common bird in the south, and being as shy and wary as its European cousin, it is difficult to obtain. I believe, however, it is commoner in the north of the Regency, as I have myself on more than one occasion seen it from the railway-line between Tunis and Bona, and I have often seen dead Magpies for sale in the Tunis game-market! In its general habits and its nesting it seems to resemble our Euro- pean bird ; in size, however, it is rather smaller, and of course has the distinctive blue patch behind the eye. Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 95 37. CoRVUS TINGITANUS. I saw Ravens, presumably of this species, constantly on the plains between Tebessa and Kasrin, and at Kasrin itself, among the ruins and rocky hills, but did not shoot any. They were in pairs and fours. I also saw what I thought was this species near Feriana, but instead of being in pairs the birds were in small flocks. 38. CypsELUS MELBA. I met with this Swift only on one occasion, among the mountains to the N.W. of Gafsa, when I saw a pair very distinctly. C. apus I may have met with, but do not recollect having done so. 39. MeERops APIASTER. I heard and saw the common Bee-eater on the 7th March at Gafsa, but without obtaining a specimen. This was the only occasion on which I met with this species during my journey. 40. Upupa EPops. I shot a Hoopoe on the 5th March, between Feriana and Sidi-Aich, and met with them again on my return journey, a fortnight later, on the plains between Mides and Feriana, when they were in small flocks, evidently going north. 41, CucuLus CANORUS. I only heard the Cuckoo once, and that was im the woods near Tebessa, on the 28th March. 42, AsIo ACCIPITRINUS. T met with this Owl once only also, on a plain to the south of Feriana, when I saw a pair and secured one. 43. ATHENE GLAUX. This little Owl, the “ Booma” of the Arabs, is common throughout the Regency wherever there are rocks and suitable hiding-places. I found it constantly during my journey. It also seems to have a partiality for olive-trees, no doubt on accouut of the holes with which the trunks of the old trees abound. It is very fearless, allowing one to approach within 96 Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. a few yards. I generally found it in pairs, but sometimes singly. 44, NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS. I saw the Egyptian Vulture on several occasions during my journey, both in the north and south, although without obtaining any specimens. I have shot this species near Tunis, where it is common on the Djebel Ressas, together with Gyps fulvus, which I have also shot there. The latter species was in a large colony, breeding. I do not remember having seen G. fulvus during my late journey, and expect it is not ofteu to be found among the southern mountains, at any rate during the breeding-season. 45, AQUILA CHRYSAETUS. On Djebel Selloum, near Kasrin, I wounded an Eagle, though without securing it, which I had no doubt was of the present species. I believe I saw it on other occasions further south, although too far off to be able to identify it. I have shot the Golden Eagle near Tunis. 46. FaLco TINNUNCULUS. The Common Kestrel was most abundant at Kasrin and all along the road from that place to Feriana. I also saw it further south, among the mountains near Tamerza and Negrine. 47. FaLco CENCHRIS. The Lesser Kestrel I also found plentiful in the neigh- bourhood of Kasrin. 48. CoLUMBA LIVIA. I found the Rock Dove ubiquitous throughout my journey from beginning to end. 49, TURTUR SENEGALENSIS. I saw this pretty little Dove only in the Gafsa oasis, where it was fairly abundant, but failed to secure a specimen. Somewhat to my surprise, I found none of these Doves in any other oasis I visited. I have often seen them for sale in the Tunis market. Mr. J. J. S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 97 50. PrerocLes ARENARIUS, I first met with this Sand-Grouse on the 9th March, on the arid plains to the west of Gafsa, and subsequently in many other places, notably near Oglet-Alima, Mides, Negrine, and Feriana. They seemed to be most abundant on the vast plains between Mides and Negrine, where they were oftea in Jarge flocks of over one hundred birds. Asa rule, however, I found them in smaller flocks of from ten to twenty birds, and near Feriana in threes and fours only. They seem to have a liking for stony spots, and when crouching close to the ground it is difficult to distinguish them from stones. I found males and females equally abundant, and secured specimens of both. They are, however, very shy birds and difficult to approach, and when disturbed fly a considerable distance, often out of sight, before settling down again. They are very strong on the wing, with their feathers lying close together, and heavy shot is required to bring them down. The rattling noise they make on taking flight is very peculiar, and unlike that of any other bird. While on the wing they utter aloud note, which can be heard at a considerable dis-- tance. I am told this species is common in spring and summer in the north of the Regency, and that it breeds in the neighbourhood of Tunis. 51. Preroc.es CORONATUS. The finding of this species so far west is no doubt an interesting fact, as even in Egypt it is rare, and its habitat proper has always been looked upon as being considerably further east, viz.,in Asia. Loche includes it in his list of Algerian birds (‘ Cat. des Mammiféres et des Oiseaux observés en Algérie’), and a German gentleman living near Tunis, Herr Spatz, is said to have found it in the south of the Regency, but I do not know of its having been met with by anyone else so far west*. During my journey I met with it only at one place, viz., at Oglet-Alima, between Gafsa and Tamerza, where it was * {It is also included by Canon Tristram in his list of the birds of the Sahara—‘ The Great Sahara,’ p. 400.—Eb.] SER. VI.— VOL. VI. H 98 Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. plentiful, coming in flocks of from ten to fifty birds to drink at the water-holes made by the Arabs in the dry river-beds. I saw it first on the 12th March, when the flight commenced about 7 a.m., and lasted till nearly 10 o’clock, after which hour the birds disappeared. During the remainder of the day I only met with an occasional straggler on the plains near Oglet-Alima, and think the bulk of the birds must have gone further south, towards the desert, nor did they return to drink here in the evening. The following morning, how- ever, they were at the water-holes again in fullforce. They are very strong on the wing, and fly at a considerable height, uttering a Joud clucking note all the time, something like that of the Common Fowl. So loud is the note, and so high do the birds fly, that they can often be distinctly heard when scarcely visible to the naked eye. Though very shy and difficult to approach, they do not leave the neighbourhood when disturbed, but return to the water-holes, or their imme- diate vicinity, till the hour arrives for their departure. Asin P. arenarius, their feathers lie very closely together, neces- sitating heavy shot to bring them down. I secured fourteen specimens in all, between males and females. The flesh of this Sand-Grouse is excellent eating, and not at all dry or tasteless, the breast having dark and light meat, the same as Blackgame. I was unable to ascertain whether this species breeds in the district in which I found it, but think it not unlikely. 52. CAccABIS PETROSA. The Barbary Partridge I found constantly throughout my journey wherever there were bushes, and within reach of water. They were beginning to pair at the end of February, and in March I never found them except in pairs. 53. CoruRNIX COMMUNIS. The Common Quail I also found generally distributed throughout the country I visited. 54. PH@NICOPTERUS ROSEUS. I must include this species, having brought home skins with me, which I got at Tunis. I found the Flamingo as Mr. J. J.S. Whitaker on some Tunisian Birds. 99 plentiful as ever on the Bahira, or Tunis Lake, about the middle of February. On my return from the south at the end of March they had all departed. 595. Oris TARDA. This magnificent bird I never actually obtained, although with good luck I ought to have done so, particularly on one occasion, near Feriana, when I suddenly came upon a pair within thirty yards of me, and had ample time to admire and identify the species as they quietly stalked away from me. Unfortunately I was unprepared for them, and so lost my chance. On another occasion, further south, between Gafsa and Tamerza, I met with them; but I believe tbis species is not common in Tunisia, and near Tunis itself I understand it is unknown. I was rather surprised not to have met with O. houbara. 56. Oris TETRAX. The Lesser Bustard, or ‘‘ Poule de Carthage” of the French, is abundant in some parts of the Regency, particularly: in spring. I found it in pairs and singly on the plains between Tebessa and Kasrin at the end of February, and on my return a month later, in the same districts, it was in large flocks, being then no doubt on passage. I did not meet with it near the desert. In the north of the Regency it is common, and I have found it in the middle of winter near Bizerta. 57. CApICNEMUS CREPITANS. I met with this species only after the middle of March on my way from Negrine to Feriana, when it was in pairs on the sandy plains. 58. EuDROMIAS MORINELLUS. I found this species on the plains between Gafsa and Ta- merza in small flocks. 59. VANELLUS CRISTATUS. Common about Tebessa and Kasrin, but I did not meet with it further south, no doubt owing to the absence of water aud marshy ground. H 2 100 Mr. J. C. McLean on the Interbreeding of 60. GALLINAGO C@LESTIS. The Common Snipe was plentiful in the marshes near Tebessa. 61. GALLINAGO GALLINULA. The Jack Snipe I also shot near Tebessa. 62. 'ToTANUS OCHROPUS. I shot a Green Sandpiper in the mountain-gorge at Refou, near Tamerza. VI.—On the Interbreeding of Rhipidura fuliginosa with R. flabellifera. By J. C. McLean. ScaTTERED through the volumes of the New Zealand Institute are several references to the occurrence of the Black Fantail in the North Island of the colony, and in this journal (Ibis, 1889, p. 297) Mr. T. W. Kirk has recorded the nesting of a pair of this species in the Manawatu district. And now I have the pleasure, not only of recording its occurrence in this island, but also of its interbreeding, in the Poverty Bay dis- trict, with a specimen of Rhipidura flabellifera. In the first place let me quote a note written on April 17, 1892 :—“ While leading my horse down a steep hill this morning, I noticed a dark Fantail fly past towards a small clump of scrub, which it entered. Proceeding down the spur I came to the clump, where the bird was found flitting about in the lower branches. I saw at once that it was Rhipidura fuliginosa ; and, while observing it, the bird settled within three feet of me, when I saw the white ear-spots. ‘These, however, were not very conspicuous.” I did not observe the bird for any length of time, but went to obtain a gun and so complete my identification. In twenty minutes we were back, but a search for fully an hour in the vicinity failed to discover the bird, and, as the place was very rough with fern and manuka, I reluctantly turned towards home. After a lapse of seventeen months I again saw, on Sep- tember 7, 1893, what was undoubtedly the same bird. I was Rhipidura fuliginosa with R. flabellifera. 101 on the top of a hill about half a mile from where the bird was seen in 1892, and saw the bird fly-catching in a rangiora bush, which, being in blossom, no doubt had attracted a con- siderable number of insects. On approaching the bird it flew away down the steep hill-face and disappeared in the bush below. The following day I went in quest, and after seeing, as I thought, every Fantail in about twenty acres of steep hill- side, I was just giving up the hunt when I came across the bird in a part of the hill that I had previously searched. It was playing about with a Pied Fantail, when suddenly it flew up the bush pursued by the pied bird. I followed and found the Pied Fantail in a tree in which was a Fantail’s nest. Not seeing the black bird about I sat down to observe whether it would return, and meanwhile watched the Fantail catching insects with wonderful evolutions, always returning to its perch, sometimes to sing its sweet little song. Suddenly I thought the tail showing over the nest was not that of R. flabellifera. I shook the tree, but the bird re- mained. I climbed up and there sat R. fuliginosa on the nest, exposing, when it flew off, two eggs. I experienced a feeling I cannot describe ; I had come out simply to obtain the bird, and had found it paired with a mate of a different species, together with its nest and eggs! It was with much regret that I shot the pair of birds and took the nest and eggs. Having nothing better than a match-box and some dry grass, I packed the two eggs (without blowing) in them, but on opening the box I found that one of the eggs was unfor- tunately badly crushed. The eggs were both incubated— perhaps for five or six days. On skinning the two birds I found that the pied bird was a male, while the black one was a female. R. fuliginosa was in perfect plumage, while R. flabellifera was rather worn. I have seen many Fantails’ nests and cannot find any difference between those of R. flabellifera and R. fuliginosa. In the present case the locality was not perhaps the usual one selected by the pied species in which to rear its young (it 102 Mr. E. Hartert on the usually breeds near water), but still there were other pairs of R. flabellifera breeding in the vicinity, and I saw one nest. The present nest was placed about twelve feet from the ground in amahoe tree, far away from water, and was well sheltered by the leaves of the tree. I have never seen eggs of Rhipidura fuliginosa from the South Island, but the two eggs taken are, I think, richer in colour than those of A. flabellifera, the spots being of a purplish tint, while in eggs of the pied bird they are brownish. The shell is glossy, but this may be due to incubation. Mr. Potts writes of the interbreeding of the two species in the South Island, and it is satisfactory to know that when Rhipidura fuliginosa straggles to this island there is no need for it to remain single. If, as I think, this bird has been resident here at least more than twelve months, it is probable that it interbred last season ; but I have never noticed anything that could be taken for a cross between the two species. Waikohu Station, Te Karaka, Gisborne, New Zealand. VII.—On the Chrysotis canifrons of Lawrence. By Ernst Harrerrt. Arter having read Mr. Lawrence’s article “on the validity of Chrysotis canifrons” in ‘The Ibis’ (1893, p. 566), I feel rather uneasy at having disturbed the Nestor of orni- thologists by uniting his species with C. ochroptera (Gm.). There is no doubt that I made a mistake in not fully giving all my reasons for the course I took, and as Mr. Law- rence accuses me of having “strangely ignored all further comparisons ”’ of the two species, except that of the forehead, I must now go further into the question. On going to Aruba I took a copy of Mr. Lawrence’s de- scription of Chrysotis canifrons with me, and it was one of my special objects to procure examples of this typeless species. I made many inquiries, and was specially on the look-out Chrysotis canifrons of Lawrence. 103 for Parrots of the genus Chrysotis. When I first shot one I labelled it “C. canifrons, Lawr.,’ as the description seemed fairly to agree with the characters of my bird. It was not until I studied the species in Europe that I became quite sure that my Aruban birds could not be distinguished from C. ochroptera (Gm.). As my specimens have “a faint ashy hue” on the fore- head, lores, and chin, and one seen in captivity on Aruba had these parts much more grey; moreover, as I have specimens of the closely allied species (C. rothschildi) from Bonaire with some ashy feathers on the forehead and others (no doubt of the same species) without this colour; again, as from my investigations on Aruba I cannot believe that this small, bare, and rocky island is the home of a second species of Chrysotis ; and finally, as I could not make out that Mr. Lawrence’s description differs in any important particulars from my birds, I ventured to refer his name to C. ochroptera (Gm.). I may now be allowed to criticize the points in Mr. Law- rence’s description which he considers to show differences from C. ochroptera. 1. “In C. canifrons the chin and upper part of the throat are greyish ash, the sides of the head dull yellow; these parts in C. ochroptera are ‘rich yellow with rosy orange bases.’” . I have said before that specimens of C. ochro- ptera and of C. rothschildi occur with ashy feathers on these parts, and all have there a faint ashy hue, so that, in my opinion, this character has not much significance. The rosy-orange bases are not mentioned in any description of C. ochroptera now before me, and are also ignored in the ‘Catalogue of Birds,’ although they are always present in C. ochroptera, as well as in the Mexican and several other yellow-headed species of the genus. They are to be seen only when the feathers are lifted up, which is not always done when birds are described, and to which live birds often object, so that it is not improbable that Mr. Lawrence, like so many others, did not notice this character in his C. canifrons. 104. Mr. E. Hartert on the 2. The bend of the wing in C. canifrons is described as “clear yellow, marked with scarlet next the body,’ while of that of C. ochroptera I say “ yellow, with a few scanty red feathers sometimes to be seen next the body.” I think the difference between these two descriptions is not very great, and that they might well apply to the same species. I said of my three specimens from Aruba (for I only described these in my article) “with a few scanty red feathers sometimes to be seen next the body,” but J have a specimen alive now, and I have seen others, which have more red there, although never nearly so much asin C. rothschildi. Tamsure Mr. Lawrence would not have described the bend of the wing of his bird as “yellow, marked with red next the body,” if the whole of the cubital edge and the shoulder-patch had been bright scarlet mixed with some yellow, as is the case in C. roth- schildi. 3. Mr. Lawrence says, “ The primaries in C. canifrons are blue, those of C. ochroptera black.” I regret to be obliged to say that this statement is incorrect. ‘The primaries in C. ochroptera are—in spite of statements to the contrary— deep blue, just like those of C. rothschildi and the supposed C. canifrons. Mr. Lawrence says I did not mention the colour of the primaries; but they are black in my figure of C. ochroptera in ‘The Ibis,’ and Salvadori states them to be black in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds.’ I did not mention their colour because I described only those parts of my wild-shot Aruban birds which I thought ought to be noticed, since most, if not all, previous descriptions seemed to have been derived from caged birds. As to my figure in ‘ The Ibis,’ the primaries of both species were blue in Keulemans’s coloured pattern, and they are d/ue in all my separate copies, and in a number of other copies which I have seen. Mr. Lawrence must either unluckily have got a wrongly coloured copy (which is not probable) or must have looked at the figure by artificial light, when the primaries do look rather black. 4. “The thighs of C. canifrons are grey, in C. ochroptera they are yellow.” I have stated (Ibis, 1893, p. 302) that in young as well as in caged birds the yellow colour is more Chrysotis canifrons of Lawrence. 105 restricted, and that the thighs are paler. I believe that all caged birds of this species have the yellow colours less bright than wild-shot examples, and that the thighs are more of a dirty yellow, as is the case in one which I have alive now. There is not a great transition from dirty yellow to grey, and I think therefore that the two different statements as to the colour of the thighs are not of much importance. After having said so much, I hope that Mr. Lawrence will pardon me if I cannot agree with him that he “has shown conclusively ”’ that his C. canifrons is of specific value, and maintain that I had sufficient reasons for uniting C. canifrons with C. ochroptera. I quite hold with Mr. Lawrence that there are points in which his supposed C. canifrons agrees rather with C. roth- schildi from Bonaire than with C. ochroptera. But these two species are very nearly allied, and any description taken from one without comparison with the other, especially one taken from a living bird, must in many respects apply to both. More- over, the alleged habitat, “‘ Aruba ”—or, since Mr. Lawrence seems now to doubt its correctness, the uncertainty of the locality whence it came—forbids me to refer C. canifrons with any certainty to C. rothschildi, that species being known only from Bonaire, whence live birds are not exported, while live birds are brought in multitudes from Northern Venezuela, where C. ochroptera abounds. Lastly, as regards the measurements, those of Mr. Lawrence are only very little larger than mine, and Mr. Lawrence him- self has stated that they are only “‘ approximate.” This is likely to be so when they are taken from a living bird ; besides, according to my experience, the total length is always considerably greater when taken from a living bird or one “in the flesh ” than from a bird-skin of the ordinary make. 106 The Editor—Ornithology at Munich, &c. VIU.— Ornithology at Munich, Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Frankfort, and Cassel. By Tur Enpiror. Returnine from the Engadine in September last the Editor took the opportunity of visiting the museums of Munich, Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Frankfort, and Cassel, and thinks that a few remarks upon the collections of birds in each of these cities may be of interest. At Munich the “ Zoologisch-Zootomische Sammlung ” of the Academy of Sciences is now under the Conservatorship of Dr. R. Hertwig. It contains a large series of mounted birds, some 13,000 in number, but no collection of skins. The collection was originally based mainly on the old Eich- stadt collection, bequeathed by the Duke of Leuchtenberg many years ago, and the specimens in it are not all in good preservation. It is chiefly interesting to ornitholo- gists as containing the types of Spix’s “Aves Brasili- enses,” obtained during the celebrated journey of Spix and Martius to Brazil in 1817-20. It is very desirable that an accurate examination should be made of these types, as some of Spix’s species are rather uncertain. Some of the types, I believe, are no longer to be found in the series. There is no separate collection of Bavarian birds at Munich, and the only authority I know of on the Birds of Bavaria specially is Jackel’s ‘ Systematische Uebersicht der Vogel Bayerns’ (cf. Ibis, 1892, p. 335). There seems to be no ornithologist now at Munich. On the other hand, the paleontological collection of the Academy (under the care of Prof. Dr. Ritter v. Zittel) is very fine, embracing a splendid series of remains from the Solenhofen Deposits. It is curious, however, that of the only two known examples of Archeopteryx lithographicus, the greatest rarity of the Solen- hofen strata, one is at Berlin and the other in London. At Stuttgart Dr. v. Fraas is the Director of the ‘‘ Natu- ralien-Cabinet,” which I had the pleasure of imspecting in the company of one of his assistants, Dr. Vosseler, Dr. Klunzinger, Professor of Zoology at the Polytechnicum, and the Preparator, Herr Kerz. The series of birds in the gallery, The Editor— Ornithology at Munich, &c. 107 numbering some ] 2,000 specimens, is very well-arranged, and all the specimens are excellently mounted. There are many rarities among them, the groups best represented being, perhaps, the Paradise-birds and the Pheasants. Among the former are beautiful specimens of Drepanornis bruijni, Paradis- ornis rudolphi, Parotia lawesi, and Lophorhina minor. Among the latter, if I understand rightly, are all the specimens of Mr. Elliot’s collection upon which he based his ‘ Monograph of the Phasianide.’? Amongst them I noticed fine specimens of Phasianus principalis, P. vlangali, P. shawi, P. insignis, P. semitorquatus, P. strauchi, and male, female, and young of Lophophorus Vhuysi. Other noticeable specimeus in the general collection are examples of Otis dybowskii, O. heuglini, Gallinago stricklandi (from Valdivia), Nycticorax cucullatus (from Gaboon), Aptenodytes imperator, Nyctiornis breweri, Geopsitiacus occidentalis, and Corythaix leucolophus. There is also an example of Alca impennis, purchased of Moéschler many years ago. In the same buildiug on the upper story is a complete and well-mounted series of the Birds of Wirtemberg, belonging to the Verein ftir vaterlandische Naturkunde. Among the rarities here are examples of Puffinus kuAli, obtained near Stuttgart im October 1891, of Phalacrocorax pygmeus from Upper Suabia, obtained in 1857, and of Bernicla ruficollis, from near Lemberg (January 1844). * Darmstadt is well known to ornithologists from the fame of Dr. J. J. Kaup, who was for many years Custos of the Grand-Ducal Naturalien-Sammlung, which is lodged in part of the Palace. The present occupant of this office is Dr. J. v. Koch, and the Preparator is Herr Kusthardt. The mounted collection of birds consists of some 6000 specimens, and there are also some 6000 skins. They have all been examined and determined by the late Dr. Briiggemann (who died in London in 1878) and contain many of his types— Pitta kochi, Ptilopus fischeri, Polyplectrus schleiermacheri, and Ibis macrorhyncha (N.E. Africa, Harmer). The series * A list of the birds of Wiirtemberg was published by Dr. Krauss in ‘ Das Konigreich Wurttembergs,’ Fauna, p. 487 (1850), 108 The Editor— Ornithology at Munich, &c. of specimens obtained by Fischer and Rosenberg in the Sunda Islands and Moluccas form a valuable portion of this collection. As regards Frankfort, the importance of the Sencken- bergian Museum is known to every naturalist. It contains all the collections of the great East-African explorer Riippell. The present Conservator is Herr Koch. The birds are all mounted, and there are about 10,000 specimens. I was chiefly engaged here in examining tke antelopes, but noticed among the birds several rarities, such as Baleniceps rex (White Nile, Heuglin), Haliaétus vociferoides (from Mada- gascar), and Otis nuba (Nubia). There is a single specimen of Alca impennis. But Mr. Hartert has recently published a complete catalogue of the Senckenbergian birds*, and it is not necessary, therefore, for me to say more about them, except that they are correctly named and in excellent order. It is, however, in my opinion highly questionable whether all these valuable types should be kept as mounted specimens. The best plan would probably be to reduce them into skins and to place them in cabinets, in which state they would certainly suffer inuch less deterioration. At Cassel, where I had the pleasure of attending the meeting of the Allgemeine Deutsche Ornithologische Gesell- schaft, there is a collection of mounted birds in the Natu- ralien-Museum in the Friedrich’s-Platz under the care of Dr. Lenz. It contains about 2300 specimens. It is chiefly remarkable for having a nearly complete set of Cuban birds, presented by the well-known naturalist Dr. Gundlach of Havana, who is a native of Cassel. Amongst them I noticed a good specimen of the rare Cymindis wilsoni. There is said to have formerly been a specimen of Alca impennis inthis museum. Besides the general collection there is a separate series of the birds that breed in the Province, about 130 in all. * Katalog der Vogelsammlung im Museum der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Geseilschaft in Frankfurt-am-Main. Von Ernst Hartert. Frankfurt-a.-Main, 1891. On a new Species of Grebe from Central Peru. 109 IX.—Description of anew Species of Grebe from Central Peru. By Hans, Graf von Breruepscu, and Jean STOLZMANN. (Plate IV.) + Popicers* Traczanowskil, sp. n. (Plate IV.) + Podiceps calipareus, Tacz. Orn. du Pérou, iii. p. 493, partim. D. corpore supra schistaceo-nigricante, occipite colloque postico medio fere nigris, pileo anteriore cum regione oculari obscure cinereis , plumis auricularibus elongatis et lanceolatis, nitide cinereo-brunneis ; corpore subtus albo sericeo, lateribus schistaceo variegatis ; alis dorso con- coloribus, exceptis secundaris albis in vexillo externo plus minusve schistaceo variegatis ; rostro violaceo-nigro, apice albescente ; pedibus brunneis, in speciminibus nonnullis fulvo-brunneo variegatis. Obs. Species D. callipareo (Less.), ut videtur, maxime affinis, sed rostro fere duplo longiore, narium aperturis multo longioribus, maxilla basi magis carinata, pedibus digitisque multo longioribus et crassioribus, plumis auricularibus longi- oribus cinereo-brunneis nec stramineo-aureis, pileo anteriore obscurius cinereo nec pallide griseo-brunneo, gula genisque inferioribus pure albis nec griseo-brunneis, rostro violaceo- nigro, apice albescente (nec unicolore nigro), primo visu dis- tinguenda. * With reference to the use of this generic name for the Grebes, Mr. Ridgway (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1882, p. 42) has written as follows :— “‘ Linnzeus united the Grebes and the Loons or Divers in the same genus Colymbus, but in 1760 Brisson had already separated the Loons from the Grebes, retaining the name Colymbus for the latter. In 1777 Scopoli followed his example. Ten years later Latham applied the name Podiceps to the same groups, this consequently being a mere synonym of Colymbus as restricted by Brisson.” Mr. Ridgway and the authors of the ‘ American Check-list’ therefore use Colymbus for the Grebes, and Urinator of Cuvier for the Divers. Against this view I may state that both Brisson and Scopoli really intended but did not succeed in separating the Grebes from the Loons, as the generic appellations proposed by them for the Loons (viz. Mergus and Uria) were both preoccupied. Therefore things remained as they were when Linné made his genus Co/ymbus (to embrace Loons and Grebes) until Latham created Podiceps for the Grebes, this having been the first legal subdivision of the genus Colymbus, L. 110 Messrs. Berlepsch and Stolamann on a Hab. iv Peruvia centrali alté (in lacu Junin, altitudine 17,700 pedum). Mus. comitum Branicki, Varsovie, et comitis Berlepsch. Long. tot. Al.exp. Al.long. Culm. Tars. P. taczanowskii, Oo ...... 870-880 546-570 129-122 32-383 443-45 mm. 53 OO eek 360-3864 520-554 124-115} 283-29 423-442 ,, PN COULPARCUS: nest eseor 128 184 AV 35 This fine new species we have named in memory of our ever-memorable friend the late Ladislas Taczanowski, who had confounded it with P. calipareus, from which, however, it is quite distinct. Of P. taczanowsku we have before us three males and three females collected by Mr. T. Kalinowski, a correspon- dent of the Branicki Museum, in the neighbourhood of Incapirca Jezioro, on Lake Junin, 17,700 feet above the sea- level, on the 24th and 27th May, 1890. Kalinowski notes the colour of the iris as “ rouge clair,” the legs as “ olivatre- plombé ” on the inner and “ d’un gris brundtre”’ on the outer side. He has also sent two eggs of this species, which will be described in a future article. Kalinowski’s specimens have been compared with a fine adult of P. callipareus (Less.) from Punta Arenas, Magel- lania, belonging to the Berlepsch Museum. The chief difference between the new species and P. calli- pareus is in the bill. This organ in P. taczanowskii is nearly twice as long and much broader in its basal half than that of P. callipareus. The nasal openings in the former species are nearly three times longer, and are situated in a much longer and deeper groove, the culmen in this part of the bill being more prominent, while it is broader and more depressed in its middle portion. The coloration of the bill is also quite different, being of a plumbeous violet, paler beneath, with a whitish tip to both mandibles, while in P. callipareus the bill seems to be always of a uniform black. The legs and the toes are much longer and stouter and of a lighter coloration than in P. callipareus, beg also variegated with fulvous brown in some specimens, while they are of a uniform black in P. callipareus. new Species of Grebe from Central Peru. uD As regards the coloration of the plumage there is also much difference observable between the two species. In P. taczanowskii the long linear plumes springing from the auricular region are much longer, but not so ample as in P. callipareus ; they are of a silky cinereous brown instead of a golden straw-colour. The front part of the upper head, including the upper cheeks, is rather darker than in P. calli- pareus, being of a dark cinereous instead of a pale brownish grey. This colour on the occiput blends gradually into the black of the nuchal region, while in P. callipareus the brownish grey cf the pileum and the deep black of the occi- put are sharply separated. The black of the nuchal region in P. taczanowskii descends much farther down on the upper. neck, nearly as far as the upper back, while in P. callipareus there is only a brownish cinereous stripe along the upper neck, the black being nearly restricted to the nuchal region. In P. taczanowskii the plumes of the black occiput are smooth, while in P. callipareus they are ruffled or somewhat re- curved. In P. taczanowskii the cheeks and the throat are pure white, uniform with the remaining parts of the under sur- face of the body, while in P. callipareus the cheeks and the throat are pale brownish grey, uniform with the fore part of the upper head. The outer webs of the secondaries in P. taczanowskui are mostly white, being only more or less freckled with ashy grey, while in the other species they are nearly uniform greyish brown, and not very conspicuously freckled or variegated with white. Before Kalinowski succeeded in getting his specimens, this interesting bird had been already obtained by Mr, C. Jelski, but its distinctness from P. callipareus was not recognized by Taczanowski. Stolzmann, having examined the specimens in the University Museum at Warsaw, states that three birds are contained in it which were collected at Lake Junin by Jelski and named P. callipareus by Taczanowski. Of these a female collected on Lake Junin, 16th August, 1872, belongs to our new species P. taczanowski, agreeing perfectly with Kalinowski’s specimens, ‘The other two, nevertheless, 112 On a new Species of Grebe from Central Peru. viz. an adult female and a young bird collected on Lake Junin, 16th August, 1872, are referable to true P. callipareus, or perhaps to a new subspecies of it. From the adult bird from Punta Arenas, Magellania, the last-named female differs as follows : The coloration of the fore part of the upper head is much darker. The long linear silky plumes of the auricular region are grey, with but a slight yellowish lustre, while in the Magellan bird they are of a golden straw-yellow. The black hood is as well developed and consists of ruffled plumes as in true P. cailipareus, but it is not so sharply separated from the greyish fore part of the pileum. As in P. taczanowskit, the black of the nuchal region descends along the upper part of the neck as far as the upper back, but becomes more brownish on the neck. ‘ The throat, including the region under the eyes (cheeks), is of a pure white instead of being brownish grey. There is left only a very narrow line of brownish grey just below the eyes, and the dark coloration of the upper head and upper neck is sharply separated from the white of the cheeks and the sides of the neck. The bill has a whitish tip, being altogether black in the Magellan bird. The young bird of this form differs from the adult in having the long silky auricular plumes, and in the greyish colour of the fore part of the head blending gradually into the black of the nuchal region. Both specimens, in the form of the bill, agree perfectly with true P. callipareus from Magellania. It appears, therefore, that the specimens of P. callipareus from Lake Junin, as regards coloration, approach somewhat to our new species P. taczanowskii, while in the form of the hill, and in other respects, they agree with true P. callipareus. Should the difference, as poimted out above, prove to be con- stant, we wish to reserve for the Junin bird the name P. calli- pareus juninensis, Berl. & Stolazm. Lastly, it may be well to refer to the fact that there is but shght variation observable in the length of the bills in specimens of P. taczanowskii as well as in those of P. callipareus and its supposed subspecies. British Ornithologists’ Club. 113 X.— Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. Nos. XI. & XII. No. XI. (Oct. 30th, 1893.) Tue tenth meeting of the Club, being the first meeting of the Second Session, was held at the Restaurant Frascati, 32 Oxford Street, on Wednesday, the 18th of October, 1893. Chairman: P. Ll. Scratrer, F.R.S. Members present: —K. Browity, Purtie Crow ey, H. O. Forspes, W. Granam, E. Haxrceitt, F. J. Jackson, L. H. Irsy, A. P. Loyp, F. Penrosz, T. Diesy Picort, C.B., R. H. Reap, Howarp Saunpers (Treasurer), W. L. Sctater, R. Bowpter Suaree, C. Sronnam, F. W. Sryan, H. A. Terry, H. T. Wuarton, C. A. Wricut. Guests: Messrs. Castie and C. E. Faean. The Treasurer reported upon the present condition of the Club, and announced that the number of members was now 96. He proposed “ that Members joining the Club after November 1, 1893, should pay an entrance fee of 5s.” This resolution was carried unanimously. Mr. Puitie Crowiey was elected a Member of the Committee, in the place of the Earl of Gainsborough, who retired in accordance with the Rules. The Chairman gave the following Address :— I propose to open the Second Session of the B. O. C. by offering a few remarks on recent events in the ornitho- logical world. Before doing so, however, I cannot avoid alluding to a sad loss that we have recently experienced. Since our last meeting our list of Members has become one less by the death of Mr. John Tristram Tristram- Valentine, who had been an active Member of the Club since its foundation and had charmed us all by his genial and pleasing company. ‘Tristram-Valentine, although he contributed SER. VI.—VOL. VI. I 114 Bulletin of the British but little to the scientific literature of Ornithology, had done much to popularize our science by articles in the ‘ Saturday Review’ and in other periodicals. Turning now to the leading events in Ornithology, I will first call attention to the approaching completion of the great ‘Catalogue of Birds’ founded on the unrivalled collection of specimens in our National Museum at South Kensington. Twenty-one volumes of this most important work are, I need hardly remind you, already published. As we are informed in the recent Parliamentary Report of the British Museum, Vol. xxii. (Game Birds) by Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant, Vol. xxiii. (Rails, Cranes, and Bustards) and Vol. xxiv. (Waders) by Dr. R. B. Sharpe, and Vol. xxv. (Gulls and Petrels) by Mr. H. Saunders and Mr. O. Salvin, are now in preparation. We may hope, therefore, in the course of another year to see the “‘ beginning of the end ” of the Catalogue. I need hardly allude to the importance of a full general index to conclude the work, but we may be quite sure that Dr. Giinther has already considered this subject. In other branches of ornithological literature the most pleasing novelty that has appeared since the termination of our last session is, I think, the first part of Mr. Rothschild’s work on the ‘ Avifauna of Laysan. <A short time ago the very existence of Laysan and its neighbouring islands was hardly known to us. Mr. Rothschild’s active collector has produced from these specks of rock a mass of material sufficient to fill a large quarto volume under Mr. Rothschild’s elaborate treatment. This serves to prove, if further eyvi- dence were necessary, the importance of “ island-life” and to show that no islet, however small and however remote, should be allowed to escape the minute investigation of the inquiring naturalist. On a cognate subject I may express a hope that the work of Messrs. Scott Wilson and Evans on the ‘ Birds of the Hawaiian Archipelago’ will shortly be brought to a conclusion. When this is done our knowledge of the North-Pacific Avifauna may be fairly supposed to have made a very considerable advance. Another work long expected, Mr. Dresser’s volume upon Ornithologists’ Club. 115 the Rollers, is now, I see, announced for immediate publi- cation, while we may hope that the issue of Mr. Seebohm’s elaborate ‘Monograph of the Thrushes’ will not be long delayed. It isa pity to withhold from publication such a splendid series of well-drawn illustrations of a favourite group of birds. As regards ornithological travellers, of whom I am glad to say we have always a good supply in the ranks of the B. O. U., Mr. Whitehead has recently departed on a new voyage of discovery to the East, and, as we are informed, will begin his work in Luzon and other islands in the Philippine group. Mr. O. V. Aplin has returned to this country after a success- ful expedition to Uruguay, and is now engaged in preparing an account of his results for publication in ‘The Ibis.’ Mr. J. G. Millais has been exploring the further recesses of Mashonaland in search of the White Rhinoceros, but has doubtless not entirely neglected his favourite Birds. Mr. J. D. de La Touche, of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, has returned to Amoy, but, as he writes to me, is meditating an expedition to Takow in Formosa, where he will no doubt obtain adequate results. Mr. C. Hose has returned to his old quarters on the Baram River, accompanied by his brother, who will devote himself entirely to the further exploration of the mountains of this part of Borneo. To the southern part of the same island our excellent friend and correspondent Mr. Biittikofer, of the Leyden Museum, is now on the point of departure. It is evident, therefore, that good additions to our knowledge of the Ornithology of Borneo are likely to be made. Mr.C. W. Campbell, of the Chinese Consular Service, has returned to Corea, where there is still much work to be done in Natural History. From Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., whose headquarters are at Zomba, British Central Africa, I have lately received two large collections of birds, formed by Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S. Captain Shelley has kindly undertaken the working out of this series, which numbers 1033 specimens referable to 205 species. Amongst these not less than 9 are new to science. Captain Shelley’s paper is already in type, and will be published in the first number of ‘ The Ibis’ for next year. 12 116 Bulletin of the British Oologists, of whom there are many in the ranks of the B.O. U., will be pleased to hear that much progress has lately been made with the arrangement of the vast series of birds’ eggs in the British Museum, which has been conducted under Mr. Seebohm’s superintendence, and that it is expected that the whole will be shortly in working-order and accessible to students. The second cabinet of British birds’ eggs was placed in the British Gallery in August last, so that an excellent series of these beautiful and interesting objects is now accessible to the public. It may interest the Members of the B. O. C. to learn that, being on the Continent in the last week of September this year, I gladly embraced the long-wished-for opportunity of attending the Anniversary Meeting of the “ Allgemeine deutsche ornithologische Gesellschaft,’ which commenced at Cassel on the 23rd of that month. I need hardly say that I met with a most friendly reception. Our much esteemed Honorary Member, Graf von Berlepsch, was in the chair, and I had the pleasure of passing several days in company with him, Dr. Reichenow, Herr Nehrkorn, Herr Schalow, Herr Matschie, and other well-known German naturalists. The most important point of discussion was the future of the ‘Journal fiir Ornithologie,’ which, as we all know, has been edited for more than forty years by Dr. J. Cabanis. Many interesting specimens of birds and eggs were also exhibited, and the question of a new Catalogue of German Birds was discussed. Lastly, in concluding these remarks, I may venture to call attention to our own ‘ List of British Birds.” It is now ten years since this useful Catalogue was prepared and published. After ten years’ increase of our knowledge of the subject, it is evident that certain modifications in nomen- clature and alterations and additions to the List have become necessary, and I think that the question of the best mode of preparation of a second edition of ‘The Ibis List of British Birds’ should before long be taken into consideration. Ornithologists’ Club. 117 Mr. Puitie Crowrey exhibited a curious buff-coloured variety of the Whinchat (Pratincola rubetra) obtained near Cromer during the late autumn. Mr. T. Diegsy Picorr showed a fine series of Guillemots’ eggs, procured from the Bempton Cliffs. A letter was read from Mr. W. R. Ocitvis Grant, with reference to a communication from Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown which had appeared in the last number of ‘The Ibis,’ re- specting the discovery of the Snow-Bunting’s nest in Banff- shire. Mr. Grant reminded the meeting that he had verbally described the share in the discovery taken by Messrs. L. Hinxman, Eagle Clarke, and others, and stated that a letter would be sent to ‘The Ibis’ on the subject. The Editor of the ‘ Bulletin’ added that the omission of the two names above mentioned was purely accideutal. Mr. F. J. Jackson exhibited a specimen of a curious Bush- Shrike which he had found on his last expedition into Eastern Africa—a young male, procured by him in the Mauungu Wilderness in December 1891 ; and on the return journey in April 1892 he obtaimed an adult male between Tsavo and Kufumika. The species was a dwarf form of Dryoscopus gambensis, but was so much smaller that there could be no difficulty in its recognition. Mr. Jackson proposed to call it DRYOSCOPUS PRINGLI, Sp. 0. Similis D. gambensi, sed valdé minor: al& vix 2°75 poll. (nec 3°7 ut in D. gambensi). Mr. E. Haxerrr described a new species of Picumnus recently received by the British Museum as + PICUMNUS SALVINI, sp. 0. Similis P. wndulato ex Guiana, sed gastrei plumis medialiter nigro-guttatis, margine fusco precinctis: gutturis plumis nigro terminatis, sed macula mediana nigra nulla distinguendus. Hab. adhuc ignota. 118 Bulletin of the British With regard to the distribution of the South-American species of Picumnus, Mr. Hargitt remarked that there were none peculiar to the Patagonian Sub-region; while 10 were restricted to the Sub-Andean Sub-region ; 2 were common to the Sub-Andean and Central American Sub-regions; li were peculiar to the Amazonian Sub-region, and 7 to the Brazilian Sub-region ; and 1 was common to the Amazonian and Brazilian Sub-regions. Dr. Bowpiter Suaree stated that during a recent exa- mination of the specimens of Ardeirallus flavicollis in the collection of the British Museum he had discovered that the birds recorded from Bourou and Ceram belonged to a totally different species, closely allied to Ardeirallus woodfordi, of Ogilvie Grant, from Guadalcanar; and as the Ceram bird appeared to be without a name, Dr. Sharpe proposed to call the species ARDEIRALLUS PRETERMISSUS, Sp. li. Similis A. woodfordi, sed sordidior, brunnescentior, et collo postico brunnescente nec castaneo, et subcaudalibus cineraceis nec arenarius distinguendus. Long. tot. 19 poll., ala 8:2, tarso 2°6, digito medio cum ungue 2°4. Hab. in insulis Moluccanis, ‘‘ Ceram ” et “ Bourou ”’ dictis. Dr. Suarre also read a list of the birds obtained by Surgeon-Captain Penton near Suakin in the Red Sea. About 40 miles to the south-west of the town Captain Penton had visited the forest district of Erkowit and had obtained specimens of Francolinus erkeli, adding thereby consider- ably to our knowledge of its northern range. Some of the migratory birds were of considerable interest, as indicating the route by which certain species proceeded towards South Africa. The collection included examples of the following species :—Argya acacie, Corvus scapularis, Cuculus canorus (jr.), Coccystes glandarius, Coracias garrula (jr.), Gina capensis, Pterocles lichtensteini, Pteroclurus senegallus, Nunida ptilorhyncha, Ammoperdix heyi, Circus macrurus, Ornithologists’ Club. 119 C. eruginosus, Melierax polyzonus, Buteo ferox, Scops gin, Asio accipitrinus, Strix flammea, Plotus levaillanti, Ardea goliath, A. cinerea, Ardeola comata, Demiegretta gularis, Butorides atricapilla, Sterna caspia, 8. albigena, S. saundersi, Hydrochelidon leucoptera, Rhynchops flavirostris, didicnemus crepitans, Chettusia leucura, Rhynchea capensis, Hematopus ostralegus, Dromas ardeola, Cursorius gallicus, Houbara arabs, Crex crex, Inocotis comata, and Phenicopterus roseus. No. XII. (Nov. 28th, 1893.) Tue eleventh meeting of the Club was held at the Restaurant Frascati, 32 Oxford Street, on Wednesday, the 15th of No- vember, 1893. Charman: P. L. Scrater, F.R.S. Members present :—E. Browett, W. T. Buanrorp, F.R.S., Leorotp Fiztp, H. O. Forses, E. Hareirt, A. P. Loyp, P. W. Munn, H. J. Pearson, Howarp Saunpers (Treas.), R. Bowpter Suarrz, G. E. Suuttry, F. W. Sryan, K. C. Taytox, Horace Terry, A. Trevor-Barrtys, H. T. Warton. Guests: C. E. Fagan, Dr. F. Harper (Chicago), Major ArtTHUR Terry, E. WAKEFIELD. Mr. Scrarer exhibited and made remarks upon a speci- men of what is commonly called a “ King”’ Parrot—i.e., a variety of Psittacus erithacus stained with red (see Monteiro’s ‘ Angola,’ 1. p. 54)—which is said not to be uncommon at Cassange, in the interior of Loanda. Mr. Scuater also exhibited specimens of the eggs of two Caprimulgide (Podager nacunda and Hydropsalis furcifera) obtained by Mr. O. V. Aplin in Uruguay. Mr. F. W. Sryan exhibited the type specimen of the new 120 Bulletin of the British Bulbul from Formosa, which he had described as Pycnonotus taivanus in ‘The Ibis ” for 1893 (p. 470). Mr. W. T. Buanrorp, F.R.S., read a paper on the proper names of Indian Eagles. A discussion ensued on the synonymy of these birds, especially of those of the group of the Spotted Eagles (Aquila clanga, A. maculata, &c.). Mr. Blanford’s paper will be published in ‘ The Ibis.’ The following communication from Mr. O. Satvin, F.R.S., on a new Humming-bird was read :— ‘* ANTHOCEPHALA BERLEPSCHI, Sp. NOV. “Az. floricipiti similis, sed apicibus rectricum lateralium late albis nec cervinis, abdomine et tectricibus subcaudalibus grisescentibus nec rufescentibus distinguenda. “ ? a femina A. floricipiti eodem modo differt. “ Hab. Colombia; environs of Bogota. “ Mus. Berlepsch et Brit. ‘Obs. Graf H. von Berlepsch has sent me a beautiful male specimen of an Anthocephala in which he, with his usual acumen, has noticed the differences from A. floriceps, as pointed out above. I have compared it with the type of the latter species, which, with a female of the true A. floriceps, is in the British Museum. “In the same collection are two other skins which, in the Catalogue of Trochilids (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 172), I placed with A. floriceps. One is a male with several of the rectrices missing; the other is a female in poor condition. With Count v. Berlepsch’s beautiful male before me, it is evident that both these specimens (6 and c) belong to the bird which I now separate. ** All three are skins of the so-called Bogota make, and doubtless came from some upland locality within the hunting-grounds of the Bogota bird-collectors. The two specimens of A. floriceps in the Museum were shot at an elevation of 5000 feet above the sea in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta.”’ Ornithologists’ Club. 121 The Hon. Watter Roruscnitp communicated the fol- lowing note on Himatione dolet :— “Mr. Scott Wilson, in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society ’ for 1891 (p. 166), described, under the name of Himatione dolei, a bird from Mauai which has not since been identified. Through the kindness of Mr. Wilson I have been enabled to examine his type; and I found, to my astonishment, that it was a very young specimen of the bird which I had named Palmeria mirabilis, although no one could possibly have made this out from the description. “ As the type, therefore, proves beyond doubt that Wilson’s bird is merely the young of my Palmeria, and as the latter genus is very distinct and has nothing to do with Hima- tione, being a genus of Meliphagide near Chetoptila and not one of the Drepanididze, the name of this peculiar bird must stand henceforth as Palmeria dolei (Wils.).”’ Dr. Bowpier Suarre stated that Dr. Gregory, during his recent expedition to Mount Kenia, had obtained Pinaro- chroa hypospodia and Nectarinia johnstoni, at an elevation of 14,000 feet. Dr. Gregory was too much occupied to be able to spare time for collecting birds, but by procuring examples of these two species he had shown that the avifauna of Mount Kenia bears a close relationship to that of Mount Kilimanjaro, where the above-named species had been dis- covered at altitudes of 14,000 and 11,000 feet by Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B. (see P. Z. S. 1885, p. 226). Mr. F. J. Jackson had also procured P. hypospodia on Mount Elgon at 11,000 feet (see Ibis, 1892, p. 162), but had not met with Nectarinia johnstoni. Dr. BowpiteR Snarre announced that he had recently examined a collection of birds found by Mr. A. H. Everett in the western islands of the Sulu Archipelago. The fol- lowing species appeared to be new to science :— 1. Scops sIBUTUENSIS, Sp. 0. S. similis S. mantananensi, sed alis extus vix albo notatis, et remigibus intus vix fasciatis distinguenda. Long. tot. 8:0 poll., ale 6:0. Hab. Sibutu Island. 122 Recently published Ornithological Works. 2. PRIONITURUS VERTICALIS, Sp. 0. P. similis P. flavicanti, sed macula verticali scarlatinaé nec coccineé, pileo argentescenti-cyaneo nec ceruleo, et gastreeo flavicanti-viridi distmguendus. Long. tot. 13°0 poll., alee 7-2, caude 3°4, rectr. med. 5:8. Hab. Tawi-Tawi, Bongao and Sibutu Islands. 3. Dicx#UM SIBUTUENSE, sp. 0. D. simile D. trigonostigmati, sed gutture saturaté schistaceo, macula dorsali aurantiacd distinguendum. Long. tot. 3°2 poll., culm. 0°45, alee 2°0, caudee 0°85, tarsi 0°5. Hab. Sibutu Island. 4. EpoLiisoMA EVERETTI, sp. 0. Mas a mari F. morionis ex insula Celebensi vix diversus ; fem. tamen gastreeo toto cinereo concolore facilé dis- tinguenda. Hab. Bongao Island. Mr. W. T. Buanrorp, F.R.S., stated that he had recently examined an adult specimen of Circus spilonotus from Moul- mein, thereby establishing the occurrence of this species in Burmah. A communication was read from Mr. Apex, CHAPMAN on his experiences of the genus Lagopus in the British Islands, Scandinavia, and Spitzbergen. He considered that Lagopus hyperboreus, Sund. (L. hemileucurus, Gould), of Spitzbergen, was much more closely allied to the Willow-Grouse (L. albus) than to the Ptarmigan (L. mutus, Montin). It was a larger bird than the Ptarmigan, with stronger beak and feet, browner summer plumage, inhabited comparatively low ground, and uttered a Grouse-like “ bec,” quite unlike the “ croak ” of the Ptarmigan. XI.—Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. 1. Allen on the Birds of Matto Grosso. [On a Collection of Birds from Chapada, Matto Grosso, Brazil, made by Mr. H. H. Smith. By Joel Asaph Allen. Parts I. and III. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. iv. p. 331, and v. p. 107. ] Mr. Allen now concludes his account of this great Chapada Recently published Ornithological Works. 123 collection, of which we have already spoken (Ibis, 1892, p- 165). It is especially valuable for the excellent series of many little-known species obtained during every month of the year, and therefore affording opportunities for observa- tion of variations in plumage, of which Mr. Allen has not failed to avail himself. Of the rare Piprine form, Hetero- pelma flavicapillum, for instance, a series of 65 specimens, representing both sexes and the plumage of every month in the year, is included; of Casiornis rubra 23 specimens, which show, in the latter case, no “ very appreciable” amount of sexual variation. Of the little-known Formicarian Herpsi- lochmus longirostris, a series of 47 specimens enables several important deductions to be arrived at. The Motmots of the group of Momotus momota also give occasion for critical remarks, but “‘ Mr. Sclater”’ was not the cataloguer of the Motmots in the 17th volume of the British Museum Cata- logue, nor can he quite believe that the Chapada specimens are correctly referable to M. subrufescens. Pygmornis chapadensis is described as a new species jn part i1., and, as new subspecies, Piaya cayana cabanisi and Buteo albicaudatus sennetti. Altogether 824 species are registered as represented in the Chapada Collection, by the working out of which a material advance has been effected in our knowledge of the South-Brazilian Ornis. 2. Blaauw’s Comparative List of the Birds of Holland and England. [Comparative List of the Birds of Holland and England. By F. E. Blaauw. Notes Leyden Mus. xv. p. 183.] Our best thanks are due to Mr. Blaauw for his comparative list of the birds of Holland and England, which will be very useful to students of our native avifauna. It will be the more easily consulted by British ornithologists because the nomenclature and arrangement of the List of the B. O. U. are followed throughout. Thus the lst of British Birds, having been increased by 10 additions since 1883, now consists of 385 species. Short notes are added to the names of such of them as occur in Holland, to indicate when and where they are found. Altogether 315 species have been 124 Recently published Ornithological Works. recorded as occurring within the limits of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which 57 are counted as residents, 96 as summer visitors, 68 as winter visitors, and 94 as occasional visitors. ‘The summary of previous publications on the birds of Holland, which is prefixed to Mr. Blaauw’s list, is likewise very useful. We notice that Alauda cristata, arare straggler in England, is reckoned as a permanent resident in Holland, “ breeding in the dunes and heather districts.” 3. Gadow’s “ Aves” in Bronn’s ‘ Thier-Reich.’ [Dr. H. G. Bronn’s Klassen und Ordnungen des Thier-Reichs wissen- schaftlich dargestellt in Wort und Bild. Sechster Band. Vierte Ab- theilung: Vogel: Aves. 42-49 Lief. Von Hans Gadow. Leipzig u. Heidelberg, 1893. ] Since we last noticed the ‘“ Aves” of Bronn’s ‘ Thier- Reich’ (Ibis, 1892, p. 562) three more parts, containing numbers 42 to 49, have been issued to complete the work, of which Dr. Gadow has kindly sent us the last half-sheet (containing the summary of his system) as a convenient reminder. It was indeed time that the task commenced in 1869 should be brought to a conclusion, and we are truly grateful to Dr. Gadow for having taken it up when long forsaken, and finished it. The “ Aves” of Bronn’s ‘ Thier- Reich’ may now be bound up and placed on our bookshelves, where the ornithologist will find it a most useful work of reference. The three final numbers of the “Aves” are devoted to the classification of Birds, and commence with a historical summary of previous systems, from that of Linneus in 1735 to that of Sharpe in 1891. Dr. Gadow then states at full length what he considers as ascertained characters of taxo- nomic importance, and gives a series of tables showing how these characters vary in the different groups. The whole of these groups are then taken up one after the other, com- mencing with Archeopteryx and ending with the Oscines, and full particulars of their principal characters are given. A chapter on geographical distribution follows, and the work Recently published Ornithological Works. 125 concludes with a general synopsis of the system ultimately adopted, which is slightly modified from that of the same author published in 1892 (P. Z. S. 1892, pp. 222-256). We advise all ornithologists to buy this book and study it. It contains a well-arranged mass of useful information on “ Aves,” which can hardly be got at elsewhere. 4. Gurney on an Immigration of the Lapland Bunting. [An Immigration of the Lapland Bunting ( Calcarius lapponicus, Linn.). By J. H. Gurney, F.L.S., &c. Trans. Norf. & Norw. Nat. Soe. v. p- 372.] The Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus) came to Norfolk and other eastern counties of England in flocks in September and October, 1892. Fifty-six, if not more, were taken on the coast near Yarmouth, and others at Cley and in other places. The sexes were nearly equal in numbers, the males preponderating a little. Mr. Gurney gives us full particulars of this unprecedented irruption of a_ species hitherto reckoned amongst the stragglers. 5. Hasbrouck on Dichromatism in Megascops. [Evolution and Dichromatism in the Genus Megascops. By E. M. Hasbrouck. Amer. Nat, xxvii. p. 521.] Mr. Hasbrouck attacks the formidable problem of dichro- matism, which, as is generally known, is well exemplified in certain Owls of the genus Scops. He gives us an excellent disquisition on the subject, fully illustrated by tables, maps, and diagrams. Mr. Hasbrouck attempts to show, first, that while the red, the grey, and the intermediate phases of Megascops asio are at present but individual variations of the same species, the grey was the ancestral stock ; secondly, that from the grey form has evolved the red, which at some future time will be a recognized subspecies, with a range peculiar to itself ; thirdly, that this condition of affairs is influenced by four powerful factors (two of these, temperature and humidity, being dominant powers in geographical distribution), the most 126 Recently published Ornithological Works. potent of which is temperature; fourthly, that the predomi- nating distribution of the respective colours is largely con- fined to the faunal divisions of the Eastern United States, and is gradually effecting the subspecific differentiation of the two phases; lastly, that the Darwinian theory of ‘“ Re- production with variation and the survival of the fittest” is well exemplified in Megascops asio. 6. Lewis on the Birds of Hertfordshire. [Notes on Birds observed in Hertfordshire during the year 1892. By Henry Lewis. Trans. Hertf. N. H. Soc. 1893, p. 161.] Three additions were made to the list of the birds of Hertfordshire in 1892, namely, Aix sponsa, Dafila acuta, and Harelda glacialis, and the total number of the Avifauna was thus raised to 205. Mr. Lewis adds miscellaneous notes, and records the arrival of the migratory species in 1892. 7. Meyer’s Illustrations of Birds’ Skeletons. [Abbildungen von Vogel-Skeletten. Herausgegeben mit Uuterstiitzung der Generaldirection der kéniglichen Sammlungen fiir Kunst und Wis- senschaft in Dresden. Von Dr. A. B. Meyer. Lief. xiv., xv. (1890) ; xvi.-xviii. (1892). Folio. Dresden: 1890-92. ]} For several years Dr. Meyer’s great work on the skeletons of birds has not been noticed in ‘The Ibis,’ the last part commented upon having been part xii. of the series. Since that, five additional parts have been issued, and the work altogether, so far as it has gone, contains 180 plates. Weare not of opinion that figures of the whole skeleton afford the best possible illustrations of this part of the bird’s structure. A series of the various separate bones placed side by side would in many respects be more useful to the student. At the same time, Dr. Meyer’s work, when complete and provided with a good index, will, no doubt, be a very useful publi- cation, as giving a general view of the variations in the osteology of birds. 8. Meyer on the Birds of German New Guinea. [ Neuer Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Vogelfauna von Kaiser Wilhelmsland, besonders vom Huongolfe, nebst Bemerkungen iiber andere Papuanische Recently published Ornithological Works. 127 Vogel und einer Liste aller bisher von Kaiser Wilhelmsland Registrirten. Von A. B. Meyer. Abh. u. Ber. k. zool. u. anthro. Mus. Dresden, 1892-93, no. 3. ] This is Dr. Meyer’s fifth article on the birds of Kaiser- Wilhelm’s Land, as the German section of New Guinea is called. The third was noticed by us in 1892 (‘ Ibis,’ 1892, p. 337) ; the fourth was published in the Journal f. Orn. for the same year. The present memoir is based on the last collection of Herr Bruno Geisler, who has now left New Guinea, and treats of 78 species and subspecies, of which the following 8 are characterized as new :—Baza timorlaensis, from Timor Laut ; Falco severus papuanus, from S.E. New Guinea; Urospizias sumbaensis, from Sumba; Lorius erythrothorax rubiensis, from Rubi, N. G.; Pecilodryas melanogenys and Drepanornis geisleri, from Huon Gulf, N. G.; Megaloprepia poliura sep- tentrionalis, from N. and E. New Guinea and Jobi; and Carpophaga muelleri aurantia, from Northern New Guinea. Paradisea gulielmi of Cabanis (J. f. O. xxxvi. p. 119) is made the type of a new genus, Trichoparadisea. Examples of this Paradise-bird were obtained by Herr Geisler on the “ Sattelberg,” north of Huon Gulf, at an elevation of 800 metres, and on Mt. Nanson, N.W. of Huon Gulf, at an elevation of 1600 metres. Both sexes are now fully described. Full notes are given on all the species. At the end of the paper a complete list of the species known from Kaiser-Wilhelm’s Land (128 in all) is given. Two plates contain a chart of the northern coast of Huon Gulf, and figures of the eggs of three species of Cassowary. 9. Nehrling’s North-American Birds. [North American Birds. By H. Nehrling. With 36 Coloured Plates after Water-colour Paintings by Prof. Robert Ridgway, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Prof. A. Goering, Leipzig, and Gustay Muetzel, Berlin. Parts III.—VIII. 4to. Milwaukee, Wis., 1891-93. ] Mr. Nehrling’s work, which we last noticed in 1890 (see Ibis, 1890, p. 377), has now reached its seventh and eighth parts, which are issued as a double number, and conclude the first volume. ‘The figures, reduced to a small size, are nicely 128 Recently published Ornithological Works. drawn, and in most cases well printed in colours. They will serve at any rate to distinguish all but the most closely- allied species, and looking at the very moderate price charged for it the work will, no doubt, meet with a considerable success among those who require a cheap and well-written book on a popular subject. 10. Newton and Gadow’s Dictionary of Birds. [A Dictionary of Birds. By Alfred Newton, assisted by Hans Gadow. With Contributions from R. Lydekker, C. E. Roy, and R. W. Shufeldt. Part II. London: A. & C. Black, 1893. | We have to thank the publishers for an early copy of the second part of the ‘ Dictionary of Birds,’ and regret that it did not arrive quite in time to be acknowledged in our last number. A perusal of its pages has convinced us that this volume, when completed, will be one of the most useful aids to the working ornithologist that have been issued for a long period. Besides the well-condensed article given under every head, full references are always added to the most recent authorities upon the subject, so that one can at once turn to the works where more detailed information is to be found. As might have been expected from the Editor’s well-known carefulness, misprints are few, and mistakes, perhaps, still fewer. But amongst the latter we venture to include the rather unkind allusions to well-known fellow- workers on Ornithology that are occasionally found in the ‘Dictionary.’ For example, Mr. Seebohm’s theory of the introduction of the Blue Magpie into Spain (op. cit. p. 342) cannot, we believe, be fairly maintained. But it is not more ridiculous than many other explanations of the vagaries of geographical distribution that habitually pass current in the present day and receive general acquiescence, if not approval. The elaborate essay on Geographical Distribution, which occupies fifty pages of the present part, is an important contribution to this branch of our science. The reasons that have induced the author to unite the Palearctic and Nearctic into a “ Holarctic””? Region are now set out. We Recently published Ornithological Works. 129 regret to find that we made a great error in our previous notice of this work (Ibis, 1893, p. 584) in attributing Prof. Newton’s adoption of these views to the influence of American writers, for Prof. Newton assures us that he has held them for years, and upon referring to Heilprin’s ‘ Geographical and Geological Distribution of Animals’ we find that the author designates the “ Holarctic Region ” in accordance with a sug- gestion received from “ Prof. Newton, of Cambridge.” We therefore tender him our best apologies for this mistake. But, after all, we are pleased to find that the divergence between us on this point is a mere matter of degree, as in Prof. New- ton’s essay the “ Holarctic” Region is immediately divided into the Nearctic and Palearctic Subregions. The objection to Prof. Newton’s mode of treatment of a confessedly difficult question is that such types as the Tyrannide, Icteride, and Vireonide, which are altogether foreign to the whole of the Old World, are thereby admitted into the circle of its avifauna. A more reasonable view, in our opinion, is to admit that the Nearctic Area, while it has been materially modified by incursions from the Palzarctic and Neotropical Regions, has still an important autochthonous element, and may fairly be kept separate from both of them. 11. Oustalet on Birds from India, Tibet, and China. [Sur quelques Oiseaux de l’Inde, du Tibet et de la Chine. Par E. Oustalet. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xviii. p. 17 (1893). ] Two singular varieties of the Impeyan have been dis- covered by a Parisian feather-dealer in the stores of London. Upon these M. Oustalet proposes to establish two subspecies —Lophophorus impeyanus var. mantont and L. imp. var. obscura. He likewise refers the so-called Paleornis derby- anus of Chinese Tibet and Western Szechuen (Ois. de la Chine, p. 1, pl. i.) to a new species as Palgornis salvadori, Count Salvadori having convinced him that the previous identification was erroneous. See the latter’s remarks on this subject in the ‘Catalogue of Parrots’ (Cat. B. xx. p. 464). BPR. Vi-——VvOL., Vi. K 130 Recently published Ornithological Works. 12. Pavesi’s Ornithological Calendar of Pavia. [Calendario Ornitologico Pavese 1890-93 del Prof. Pietro Pavesi. Boll, Scient. Pavia, xv. 1893. ] Prof. Pavesi gives us an account of the ornithological events in the province of Pavia from July 1890, for three years. Amongst other events he records the occurrence of Cygnus bewickii in January 1891, and of Phenicopierus roseus im October 1892. Seven Snow-Buntings (Plectrophenaz nivalis) appeared at Pavia on December 9th, 1892. 13. Reichenow’s List of German Birds. [Systematisches Verzeichniss der Vogel Deutschlands und des angren- zenden Mittel-Europas. Von Dr. Ant. Reichenow. Verlag d. Linnea. Berlin, 1889. ] We have to thank Dr. Reichenow for a copy of his List of German Birds, which, though issued in 1889, has hitherto, we regret to say, escaped our notice. In order that no British ornithologist may in future remain in a similar state of ignorance, we will give a short account of it. Dr. Reichenow’s list contains the names of 396 species. It is prepared somewhat on the same plan as the British List of the B. O. U., giving the Latin and German names adopted for each species, together with the authority and date of the former, the ordinary vernacular names, and a short account of the distribution. Other remarks are occasionally introduced. We are pleased to find that the American plan of “beginning at the wrong end” is not followed, but the tenth (1758) instead of the twelfth (1764) edition of the ‘Systema Naturve’ is taken as a starting-point, which results in many inconvenient changes in nomen- clature. We are likewise pleased to see that the American practice of refusing to correct ungrammatical and clerical errors is altogether abjured. A few remarks on some of the names adopted may be added. Hrithacus is employed as a common generic term for the Nightingales, Robins, Bluethroats, and Redstarts. The Robins and Bluethroats certainly come very near together, but all four groups should, in our opinion, remain independent. Recently published Ornithological Works. 131 Even Mr. Seebohm keeps Ruticil/a distinct. Nor should *“rubecula ” be changed to “rubeculus.” ‘ Rubecula” is, we believe, a substantive (see ‘ Ducange’), like many other Lin- nean specific terms. Of the incorrectness of using Acanthis for the Linnets the Editor has already spoken (see Ibis, 1892, p- 955). Acanthis is a mere synonym of Carduelis. Chloris of Cuvier, not Ligurinus, as employed in the B. O. U. List, seems to be really the oldest generic name for the Greenfinch, so that we shall have to follow Dr. Reichenow in calling this familiar bird Chloris hortensis, unless we succumb to the “ Scomber scomber” precedent. Micropus is no doubt an older name than Cypselus for the Swifts. But Micropus is a Linnean name used in Botany for a genus of Composites. We regret to see that it has been resuscitated not only by Dr. Reichenow and the Americans, but by Mr. Hartert (Cat. B. xvi. p. 487). Mr. Hartert, however, is wrong ; moreover this term had already been used in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds’ (vi. p. 64) for a genus of Timeliide. Though the names of plants and birds may be nearly alike, they must not be identical! “ Jynx” (as is well known) is a dissyllable, with the first syllable long (i-ynx), and should not be written “Jynz.’* “ Melanaétus” of Linneus for the Imperial Eagle is at least doubtful. Better keep to the first certain name, which seems to be “ heliaca” of Savigny. It has been most clearly shown in this Journal as long ago as 1879 (Ibis, 1879, p. 196) that the proper name of the Purple Waterhen of Spain and Sicily is Porphyrio ceruleus (Vandelli). It has likewise been shown (J. s. c.) that there is no such name as “ veterum, Gm.,” and, moreover, that the species from Persia upon which it has been (wrongly) supposed that Gmelin bestowed the name is P. poliocephalus of India (see Ibis, 1884, p. 229, and 1891, p. 186). It is, therefore, a double error to continue to call the South- European Porphyrio “ Porphyrio veterum,” as Dr. Reichenow does in his footnote, p. 43. As regards the substitution of Colymbus for Podiceps as * Of. Wharton, Ibis, 1879, p. 453, K 2 132 Recently published Ornithological Works. the generic name of the Grebes, we fully agree with Graf v. Berlepsch’s views (above, p. 109). At the same time it may be reasonably held that Colymbus arcticus, being the first species mentioned in the ‘Systema Nature’ for 1758, should remain the type of Linneus’s genus Colymbus. 14. Ridgway on two new Swifts. [Description of two supposed new Species of Swifts. By Robert Ridg- way. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 43. ] Mr. Ridgway describes Chetura lawrencii from Grenada, W. L., as a form allied to C. cinereiventris, but perhaps only a subspecies, and Cypseloides cherriei as a distinct new sub- species from Costa Rica. 15. Ridgway on a new Odontophorus. [Description of a supposed new Species of Odontophorus from Southern Mexico. By Robert Ridgway. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 469.] Odontophorus consobrinus from Vera Cruz is described as a northern representative of O. guttatus of Costa Rica. 16. Rothschild on the Avifauna of Laysan. [The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring Islands ; with a complete History to date of the Birds of the Hawaiian Possessions. By the Hon. Walter Rothschild. London: R. H. Porter. Part I. August, 1893.] “Whereis Laysan?” many of our friends will say when they read the title of this work; and, indeed, a very few years ago Laysan was almost unknown, save to the compilers of Pacific directories and to the few American navigators who steered by them. Now we have a large quarto book devoted primarily to the Avifauna of Laysan. Mr. Rothschild bases his work on the spoils brought back by his collector, Mr. Henry Palmer, who reached Laysan from Honolulu in June 1891, and spent three months in the investigation of that and the adjacent islands. Mr. Palmer’s diary is given in full, so that we know exactly all the localities which he visited. Besides this diary the introductory portion of the volume contains a description of Laysan and a trans- Recently published Ornithological Works. 133 lation of the notes upon its birds made by the well-known naturalist v. Kittlitz, and published in 1834. Uxfortunately it was Kittlitz’s companion-ship (the ‘Senjawin’), and not that in which he himself was (the ‘ Moller’), that visited the island in 1828, so that Kittlitz’s remarks upon its birds were drawn up from hearsay, and are necessarily of a fragmentary character. After the introduction we have a complete account of the 27 known birds of Laysan and its adjacent islands. Synonymy, descriptive characters, and particulars as to loca- lity and habits are given with each species. The Passeres of Laysan are only four—Acrocephalus familiaris, Himatione freethi, Telespiza cantans, and T. flavissima. Mr. Scott- Wilson originally described Telespiza cantans as from Mid- way Island (Ibis, 1890, p. 341), but Mr. Palmer says this and the allied Finch are both common in Laysan Island, and that in Midway Island there are no land-birds whatever. Mr. Rothschild’s work is splendidly illustrated by coloured figures of the following species, drawn by Keulemans and Frohawk :— Acrocephalus familiaris. Anous stolidus. | Himatione freethi. melanogenys. | Telespiza cantans. hawaiiensis. flavissima, Puffinus nativitatis, Porzanula palmeri. (Estrelata hypoleuca. Anas laysanensis. Diomedea chinensis. Haliplana lunata. immutabilis. Besides these there are two coloured plates of nests and eggs, and a large number of uncoloured lithographs con- taining representations of scenes in Laysan, photographs of its birds from life, and views of the nesting-places of the Sooty and Noddy Terns, and of various Albatrosses and Petrels. Altogether we have the inaugural part of a fine volume, which promises weil for the future usefulness of the Tring Museum, whence it has proceeded, and reflects the greatest credit upon its energetic author. 134 Recently published Ornithological Works. 17. Ryder on the Form of the Fowl’s Egg. [On the Mechanical Genesis of the Form of the Fowl’s Egg. By John A. Ryder. Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, xxxi. p. 208 (1893).] Mr. Ryder discusses the origin of the form of the hen’s egg, which is ‘‘ apparently determined by mechanical means, while the egg-membranes and shell are in process of forma- tion within the oviduct.” He considers the development of the figure to be “in all probability a purely dynamical pro- blem,” and endeavours to show how the variations are produced. 18. Selous on Mashunaland and its Birds. [Travel and Adventure in South-east Africa. By F. C. Selous, €.M.Z.S. London: Rowland Ward & Co., 1893.] Mr. Selous is best known to us as a mighty hunter of the larger mammals, and as author of some excellent field-notes on their habits and distribution*. But those who read the interesting narrative contained in the present volume will see that he is also an accurate observer of the habits of birds. In August 1882 he records the occurrence of Coracias spatu- latus, Trimen, at Manyanga’s, on the Upper Zambezi (op. cit. p. 48). In the same district he comments on the appearance of Gallirex porphyreolophus and several Kingfishers. Lower down on the Zambezi near Zumbo, Mr. Selous (op. cit. p. 64) met with a “ flock of Parroquets or Mouse-birds,” of a species unknown to him. ‘They were of “a pale green colour, with rose-coloured heads and long tails.” He had seen the same birds on the Kafukwe river once before. Mr. Selous also tells us the following curious story respecting a small Owl and a chameleon :— “ Whilst waiting for. the horses I took a stroll along the footpath towards Seskeki with my butterfly-net, and as I was walking slowly along saw, sitting on a patch of bare ground beneath a thorn-tree and not ten yards from me, a very small Owl, of a species which I know well, though I am unacquainted with its Latin name. Surprised at its tame- ness, I walked towards it, but it did not move until I was * See his articles in P. Z. S, 1881 and 1883. Recently published Ornithological Works. 135 quite close to it, when it opened its wings and flew for two or three yards. As it did so I saw that there was something attached to one of its legs, and on catching it found a large chameleon was fast secured to it, having its tail firmly twisted two or three times round one of the Owl’s legs. How they had got into this position I cannot say, but I fancy that the little Owl must first have attacked the cha- meleon, though upon detaching it I could find no wounds or scratches of any kind upon it. Neither was there any- thing amiss with the Owl, which, as soon as I had released it, flew away and perched in a neighbouring thorn-tree.” 19. Shufeldt on a Hybrid Grouse. [Notes on the Trunk Skeleton of a Hybrid Grouse. By R. W. Shu- feldt. Auk, x. p. 281.] Dr. Shufeldt gives us some notes on the skeleton of a hybrid Grouse, apparently bred between Tympanuchus ameri- canus and Pediecetes phasianellus campestris. 20. Trimen on the Vertebrates of the Cape Colony. [Illustrated Official Hand-book of the Cape and South Africa. Edited by John Noble. London: Stanford, 1893. | The third chapter of this valuable hand-book to the Cape Colony and adjoining lands, to which so much _ public attention is now directed, is devoted to an account of the South-African vertebrate fauna, which has been prepared by Mr. Roland Trimen, F.R.S., the Curator of the South- African Museum. In such a limited space it was impossible, as Mr. Trimen points out, to give more than the barest outline of this enormous subject. Only eleven pages are allowed for the birds, but those who wish to know more about this subject have an excellent guide to refer to in Sharpe’s new edition of Layard’s ‘ Birds of South Africa.’ 21. Winge on Birds observed at the Danish Light-stations. [Fuglene ved de danska Fyr i 1892. 10de Aarsberetning om danske Fugle. Ved Herluf Winge. Vidensk. Medd. naturb. Foren. Kjbhva. 1893, p. 21.] 136 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. The report on the birds observed at the Danish light- stations in 1892 is compiled after the manner of that of 1891 (see Ibis, 1898, p. 150). It is the tenth of the series. Sixty-two species of birds are registered in the list. X11.—Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. Tue following letters, addressed to the Editor, have been received :— Srr,—It seems probable that a migration to Western Europe of the Nutcrackers (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is about to take place this season. One of these birds was obtained in this district about two miles from my house on the 21st of October last. I am, Sir, Yours &c., F. E. Buaauw. ’s Grayeland, Hilversum, Holland, November 16th, 1895. Srtr,—In the résumé of my account of the taking of the Snow-Bunting’s nest in Banffshire, which was published in the June number of the ‘ Bulletin of the British Ornitholo- gists’ Club,’ no. x. p. lv (1893), the names of Mr. i, Hinxman and Mr. W. Eagle Clarke were omitted. It will, no doubt, be remembered by those who were present at the June meeting of the Club that I particularly men- tioned the names of both these gentlemen, acknowledging the help that I had received from them, and also de- scribing their part in the finding of the nest. As I did not see the above-mentioned number of the ‘ Bulletin’ in proof, I am not responsible for the omission of their names, which I regret, and the Editor has since explained that this omission was purely accidental (see B. O. C. il. no. x1. p. i, 1893). But I cannot see why this mistake should have called forth the plaintive letter from Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown (see Ibis, 1893, p. 593). To the account which I have given of the expedition to the members of the British Ornitho- logists’ Club I have nothing to add, nor have I to correct Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 137 any part of it. As to the account which appeared in the ‘Annals of Scottish Natural History,’ no. 7, p. 181 (1893), I would suggest only the modification that the female bird “‘ was observed to slip in under a rock,” not merely ‘ by one of the writers,” but simultaneously by both my companions, Captain Savile Reid and Mr. G. St. Quintin. I may add that the spot where the nest was found was the place which Mr. F. D. Godman had specially indicated to me as the most likely on his ground, and to which he had ordered his stalker to take us first. Finally, I can only regret that an otherwise pleasant and successful trip should have ended in so un- pleasant a controversy. I am, Yours &e., W.R. Ocitvis Grant. British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, 8. W., December 8th, 1895. Report of the British Museum for 1892.—The issue of the Parliamentary Report of the Trustees of the British Museum for 1892 was delayed, like all other business last year, by the protracted struggle over the Irish Bill. We were there- fore unable to notice it in our last number. The chief par- ticulars as regards Ornithology are now given. . Turning to the special report of the Department of Zoology, we are informed that the arrangement of the unmounted Bird-skins has proceeded with the progress of the ‘Catalogue.’ Besides, a great part of the specimens received since the publication of volumes 9 and 10 have been incorporated, placed in glass-topped boxes, and labelled in accordance with the nomenclature of the ‘ Catalogue.’ The arrangement of the collection of Birds’ Eggs has been proceeded with by Mr. Seebohm; 22 cabinets are now completed. The whole of the Egg-collection, with the exception of the eggs of Passerine Birds, which are still in progress of arrangement, is therefore available for study. Four groups, illustrating the nesting-habits of British Birds, have been completed, viz.: Hooded Crow, Carrion Crow, Martin, and Swift; and much progress has been made 138 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. in the mounting of similar groups of the Buzzard and Golden Eagle. The faithful reproduction of the rock-work, which forms the base for these two groups, and fills a large wall- case in tbe Bird-Pavilion, has been executed with great skill by Richard Hall, a mason whose services were obtained from the Geological Department. A case, illustrating the nesting of the Hoatzin (Opistho- comus cristatus), comprising nest, eggs, and parent birds from British Guiana, has been mounted for the Bird Gallery. The specimens were presented by J. J. Quelch, Esq., of the Georgetown Museum. The following are noticed as being amongst the “ most important acquisitions ” in zoology :— The Collection of Chilian Birds formed by the late Harry Berkeley James, Esq., F.Z.S., consisting of 1042 speci- mens ; presented by Mr. James shortly before his death. The eighth instalment of the Salvin-Godman Collection of Birds, referred to in the Report of 1885. This series consists of 4447 specimens, and contains 12 types and 25 species new to the collection. The second instalment of a Collection of Birds’ Eggs, consisting of about 3000 specimens belonging to the Orders Striges, Picarie, Coccyges, and Passeriformes ; presented by Henry Seebohm, Esq. A series of 1013 skins of Wading Birds ; presented by Henry Seebohm, Esq. A valuable series of Vertebrates from the Nyasa high- lands, comprising 264 birds, including examples of many species new to the collection; presented by H. H. John- ston, Esq., C.B., H.B.M. Commissioner for Nyasa-Land. Four consignments of zoological specimens collected by Messrs. J. J. Walker, Chief Engineer, and P. W. Bassett- Smith, Medical Officer of H.M.S. ‘ Penguin.’ The specimens were collected in various localities between Australia and China, and comprise 78 birds. The following list is given of special acquisitions in the Class of Birds, to which list 11,069 specimens of skins and eggs were added in 1892 :— Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 139 Four hundred and forty-seven specimens from Captain Savile Reid’s Collection ; purchased. A series of 18 Cuckoos’ Eggs, with the accompanying clutches of the eggs of the foster-parents ; purchased. Four hundred and seventy-four Birds from various parts of Hungary ; presented by the Hungarian National Museum. Twelve specimens from Transylvania, including a pair of Merula alpestris, new to the collection, with the nest and eggs; presented by C. G. Danford, Esq. One hundred and eighty African Birds from the Shelley Collection, containing one type and two species new to the collection ; purchased. Ten birds from Aden, including skins of a rare Bee-eater (Merops cyanophrys) ; presented by Lieut. H. E. Barnes. Two specimens of a rare Chat (Myrmecocichla nigra) from Angola, and the type of a new species of Timeliine Bird (Amaurocichla bocagii) from the island of St. Thomas; pre- sented by Professor Barboza du Bocage. Examples of three species of Birds, new to the collection, viz.: Harpactes whiteheadi, from Mount Kina Balu, and Columba nitens and C. versicolor, from the Bonin Islands ; presented by Henry Seebohm, Esq. One hundred and eighteen Birds from Sarawak and North- western Borneo, obtained by Mr. A. H. Everett, including the type of Scops mantananensis and examples of two other species new to the collection ; purchased. One hundred and one specimens obtained in the highlands of Sarawak by Mr. Charles Hose, including 11 types and examples of 19 species new to the collection ; purchased. Sixteen specimens from the island of Engano, including examples of nine species new to the collection ; purchased. A pair of Newton’s Bower-bird (Prionodura newtoni) from Queensland ; presented by C. W. De Vis, Esq. The type of Platycercus erythropeplus ; purchased from the Zoological Society. Examples of 8 species of Birds from the New Hebrides, including a Pigeon (Ptilopus corriei), new to the collection ; presented by Professor Collett. 140 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. Twenty-one Birds from the Chatham Islands, including the type of a new Petrel and examples of 3 species new to the collection, as well as of the nearly extinct Rail, Cabalus modestus ; purchased. Two specimens of Porzanula palmeri, a new species of Crake from Laysan Island; presented by the Hon. Walter Rothschild. Twenty-seven Birds from the island of Anguilla, West Indies ; presented by the West Indies Exploration Committee. Twenty-two specimens of Birds from various localities, including nine Peruvian birds, new to the collection; presented by the Counts Branicki, of Warsaw. Otocorys penicillata in HEurope.—Although Mr. Dresser has admitted the beautiful Pencilled Shore-Lark (Otocorys penicillata) into the category of Western Palzearctic species (B. Eur. iv. p. 395, pl. 244), he has not recorded its occur- rence in Europe. This, however, has been now ascertained for certain, and there can be little doubt that this Lark breeds in the mountains of Bosnia, although, so far as we are aware, its nest has not yet been obtained. It seems to have been first noticed in that country in 1882, when four or five examples were shot near Serajevo by Herr Bischoff. Again, in December 1887 it was observed in the neighbourhood of Livno in small flocks, and some living specimens were captured. A single skin which came to the Museum of Serajevo enabled Dr. Reiser, the Custos of the Museum of Serajevo, to recognize the species as O. penicillata, a view subsequently confirmed by Ritter v. Tschusi, Later on, in the district of Zupanjac, young birds of the year were ob- tained, which renders it nearly certain that this Shore- Lark breeds in the neighbourhood (cf. Reiser, in Orn. Jahrb. 1. p. 106, 1890). Collectors in South America.—Herr G. Garlepp, who has lately been in Europe, has now returned to Bolivia, to re- commence his labours in the province of La Paz. On his way there he has obtained a series of about 230 skins on Lake Titicaca and in the adjoining district of High Peru. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 14] All his birds go to Graf v. Berlepsch’s Museum. Dr. H. v. Jhering has changed his residence to Sao Paulo, and has become Director of the Museum of that city. Mr. J. Kali- nowski, the collector of the Museum Branickianum of Warsaw, has sent home a very fine series of specimens from the Junin district of Peru, which are now being examined and named by Graf v. Berlepsch and M. Stolzmann. The new Grebe, described and figured above (p. 109), is one of the first-fruits of this naturalist’s exertions. The Systematic Position of Aipyornis.—The ‘ Geological Magazine’ of December last (n.s. dec. iii. vol. ix. p. 572) contains an article of special interest to ornithologists. This is a notice of the memoir lately contributed to the ‘ Paleeontologische Abhandlungen ’ (N. F. Bd. ii. Heft i.) by Prof. Burckhardt on some remains of A/pyornis collected by Hildebrandt in Central Madagascar during the year 1880, and now deposited in the Mineralogisches Museum in Berlin. The special interest of the paper, as the reviewer in the ‘ Geological Magazine’ points out, consists in the fact that we have now descriptions and figures of the pelvis and meta- tarsus of Afpyornis. The collection also included a complete tibia, an imperfect femur, some vertebrae, and some frag- ments of ribs. These remains are referred to a new species (Epyornis hildebrandti) intermediate in size between the 44. medius and AL. modestus of Milne-Edwards. After an exhaustive comparison of the osteological cha- racters of Apyornis with those of the other Ratites, the author comes to the conclusion that the A‘ pyornithidee constitute a distinct family of Ratite, having no near relations, and being highly specialized and characterized by the massive structure of the skeleton accompanied by the pneumaticity of some of its parts. The resemblances to the Dinornithide he regards as superficial and merely the result of convergence due to similar conditions of life; on the other hand, the differences are considered to be of great importance—e. gy., the pneumaticity of the femur, which, among the Ratite, occurs in AZpyornis and Struthio alone. Slruthio also resembles Afpyornis in some other respects— 142 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. e. g., the structure of its egg-shell; so that on the whole the relationship between them is regarded as less remote than that existing between the A§pyornithide and the other Ratite families. In conclusion, it is suggested that the Dromeide and Casuariide, which, especially the former, are, in some respects, the least specialized Ratites, may be the recent representa- tives of a parent stock, from which, on the east, arose the Dinornithide and Apteryx ; while, on the west, the ancestors of Struthio and pyornis branched off, the former making their way into Africa through India and Arabia, the latter reaching Madagascar by way of Southern India. The Manus of Archeopteryx.—In ‘ Natural Science’ for October last (vol. i. p. 275) Dr. C. H. Hurst announces an important discovery, if true. After drawing attention to several inaccuracies in Steinmann and Déderlein’s figures of the Berlin specimen of the Archeopteryx, he points out that the three-clawed digits so well exhibited in that specimen do not (and, in his opinion, never did) support the primaries, which, therefore, must have been carried by digits iv. and v. (or oneof them). The result, if this view were accepted, would follow that the two large digits of the ordinary bird’s-wing are digits iv. and v., and that the “ala spuria” is a remnant of one or more of the other digits of the pentadactyle limb. This being granted, birds may have had a much closer con- nection with Pterodactyles than has hitherto been suspected. Dr. Hurst’s conclusions rest mainly upon the gratuitous assumption that the large digit or digits in the Berlin Archeopteryx, which formeriy supported the primaries, lie buried in the slab beneath. Until this can be definitely proved by actual evidence, we must take leave to doubt the fact, and to prefer the generally accepted theory of the elements of the bird’s-wing to the revolutionary views of Dr. Hurst. Obituary: Dx. Emin Pasua, Dr. Grorcr Bunnert, and Pastor Bautpamus.—There can be now little doubt of the death of our Foreign Member, Dr. Edward Schnitzler, com- Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 143 monly called Emin Pasha. We will therefore say a few words on this remarkable man, who was born at Oppeln, in ‘Silesia, on March 28, 1840, and is believed to have been killed by the Arabs at Seyd Bin Abed’s Station, on one of the branches of the Congo, in the Manyema country, some time in the early part of last year. It is not necessary in this Journal to discuss the political life of Emin; its details are well known to history. He was, as has now been plainly shown by the latter part of his life, although possessed of many excellent qualities, no such great hero morally, or, perhaps, even intellectually, as was once supposed. But he was a first-rate collector and naturalist, and must, as such, attract our sympathies. That he had other good points is evident from the value set upon him by Gordon, who made him a Bey in 1878, and appointed him Governor of the Equa- torial Province of Egypt. Gordon, whose judgment in such a case no one will dispute, was a fast friend to Emin and highly prized his good qualities, especially his precise and methodical habits and his ready obedience to orders. As a zoological collector, Emin was, no doubt, in the first class, as every naturalist who has handled some of his beauti- fully prepared and labelled skins of birds and mammals would at once testify. That he must also take high rank as an observer of nature will be at once allowed by any one who has studied his journals or has been in correspondence with him, as it has been our good fortune to be. Our excellent friend Dr. G. Hartlaub, of Bremen, one of the most ex- perienced veterans of our science, speaks thus of Emin’s qualities in these respects :— “The amount of work which Emin Pasha has performed in making zoological collections, observations, and notes is astonishing in the highest degree. It could only have been executed by a man whose heart was aglow with the pure fire of scientific instinct, with enthusiastic, absolutely un- selfish love of nature, and with an irresistible impulse to add to the knowledge of her treasures to the full extent of his powers. Emin was able to turn this impulse into action, notwithstanding the pressure of difficult surrounding cir- 144 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. cumstances, and the many and varied duties which his high position compelled him to fulfil.” * To show Emin’s grateful appreciation of a slight service and his style of correspondence, we may venture to add here a copy of a letter addressed by him to the Editor of this Journal from Wadelai in 1887. The original is well and plainly written in a very minute hand, and is, of itself, quite sufficient to prove the extraordinary abilities of a man who had “learned his English in Central Africa.” “Wadelai, the 13th April, 1887. “ Dear SIR, “ By Mr. Mackay’s kindness I had, a few days ago, a copy of ‘the Times,’ in which your letter, dated 29th Oc- tober, 1886, in my behalf, appeared. “ Although, as a working naturalist, I had always the greatest admiration for you, the master of our science, you have now laid me under such personal obligations that I fear I never may be able to acknowledge them sufficiently. Unknown to you, lost and forgotten even by my few friends, I had no reason whatever to believe me remembered by you. So greater likewise my gratitude for your generous inter- ference, so hearty my thankfulness for your disinterested advocacy of my and my people’s relief. I, nevertheless, believe it my duty to tell you plainly that I am not at all willing to leave my men. ‘They stood to me in hard and bloody times, so it would become me very ill to leave them now that a dawn of hope appears. I did not work twelve long years here for running away as soon as an occasion offers itself. What Gordon trusted to me, land and people, T shall hold them to the last. Let England put matters right in Uganda, and open us a sure road—that is all we want for the moment. “That, besides my official work, I always shall do my best for observing and collecting, I need not tell you. A lot of natural-history collections, amongst them many new species * See the preface to ‘ Emin Pasha in Central Africa’ (London, 1888), and the German edition, ‘Emin Pascha’ (Leipsic), of the same date. Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 145 of birds and mammalia collected in the Monbuttu country, I forwarded in November past to the British Museum. I had intended to hand over the birds to the Zoological Society, but as I can only pay the transport from here to Zanzibar, and did not know if the Society would consent to cover the further transport to England, I refrained from doing it. If, however, you wish for specimens from here, I am quite ready to assist you and your friends by forwarding whatever I am able to get, except such specimens as require, for preservation, spirits. “The geographical and zoological exploration of Albert Lake, which I began some time ago, has given me many interesting facts, particularly for zoo-geography. Unluckily my literary resources are very scarce, and I do not know if Dr. Hartlaub, my valued friend, is yet alive. If the Zoo- logical Society desires to receive some contributions from one who, as an outsider, has no right to intrude, I shall be happy to embody my notes and various items in a paper or two and send them on the first occasion. I must, however, request your charity for my uncouth English: what I know of it I learned here, and Central Africa is certainly a strange school for European languages. “ My letter has become already too long, and it would be a shame to trespass further on your valuable time. So let me once yet repeat to you my cordial thanks for your great kindness and generous sympathy. I shall be proud if you will honour me with some few words from time to time. ““Oblige me by acquainting me with any particular wishes of yours and your friends I may be able to satisfy, and believe me, dear Sir, “ Yours most faithfully, Dr. Emin Bey.” Emin’s name is commemorated in ornithology by the genus Hminia of Hartlaub (P. Z. S. 1880, p. 625), belonging to the Malurine group, and by several species dedicated to him :— Sorella emini-bey, Hartl. J. f. O. 1880, pp. 211, 325. SER, VI.—VOL. Vi. E 146 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. Sorella emini, Hartl. Abh. naturw. Ver. Bremen, vii. p. 123 (1881). Sycobrotus emini, Hartl. Ornith. Centralbl. 1882, p. 92. Indicator emini, Shelley, P. Z. S. 1888, p. 43 (pl. iii.). Salpornis emini, Hartl. P.Z.S. 1884, p. 415 (pl. xxxvii.). Hirundo emini, Reichenow, J. f. O. 1892, p. 30. Cisticola emini, Reichenow, J. f. O. 1892, p. 56. There are two collections of Emin Pasha’s beautifully pre- pared bird-skins in the British Museum. The first was that received from Wadelai in 1887, and described by Capt. Shelley in 1888 (P. Z. S. 1888, p. 17). It consists of 342 specimens, of which 4 were described as types of new species. The second is a small series of 28 specimens from Mtoni*, collected by Bohndorf, received from Emin in July 1890. We subjoin a list of the principal papers relating to Emin Pasha’s ornithological work :— On some new Birds discovered and collected by Dr. Emin Bey in Central Africa, between 5° and 2° N. lat., and 31° and 32° E. long. By Dr. G. Hartlaub. P. ZS. 1880, p. 624, pl. Ix. Ueber einige neue von Dr. Emin Bey, Gouverneur der Aequa- torial-Provinzen Aegyptens, um Lado, Central-Afrika, entdeckte Vogel. Von Dr.G. Hartlaub. J. f.O. 1880, p. 210. Beitrag zur Ornithologie der dstlich-aquatorialen Gebiete Africa’s von Dr. G. Hartlaub. Abh. naturw, Ver. Bremen, vi. p. 83. Ueber eine Sendung von Voégeln aus Central-Afrika. Von August von Pelzeln. Verh. d. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1881, p. 141. Ueber Dr. Emin Bey’s zweite Sendung von Vogeln aus Central-Afrika. Von August von Pelzeln. Verh. d. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1881, p. 605. Diagnosen neuer Arten aus Centralafrika, gesammelt von * [This “ Mtoni” is probably, as Mr. Ravenstein kindly informs us, a village on the Kingani River, about five miles inland from Bagomoyo, the port of German East Africa. The term merely means “ At-the- river.”’—Ep. | Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. 147 Dr. Emin Bey. Von Dr. G. Hartlanb. Ornith, Cen- tralbl. 1882, p. 91. Ueber einige neue Vogel aus dem oberen Nilgebiete. Von Dr. G. Hartlaub. J. f. O. 1882, p. 321. Zweiter Beitrag zur Ornithologie der déstlich-aquatorialen Gebiete Africa’s von Dr. G. Hartlaub, nach Sammlungea und Noten von Dr. Emin Bey. Abh. naturw. Ver. Bremen, viii. p. 183 (1883). Ueber Dr. Emin Bey’s dritte Sendung von Vogeln aus Central- Afrika. Von August von Pelzeln. Verh. d. k.-k. zool.- bot. Gesell. Wien, 1882, p. 499. Diagnosen einiger neuer Vogel aus dem 6stlich-iiquatorialen Africa. Von Dr. G. Hartlaub. J. f. O. 1888, p. 425. Dritter Beitrag zur Ornithologie der 6stlich-aiquatorialen Gebiete Afrikas, Von Dr. G. Hartlaub. Zool. Jahrb. Jena, Bd. ii. p. 303. On a new Species of Sa/pornis from Eastern Equatorial Africa. By Dr. G. Hartlaub. P. Z. S. 1884, p. 415, pl. xxxvii. Ueber einige neve von Dr. Emin Pasha im inneren Ostafrika entdeckte Arten. Von Dr. G. Hartlaub. J. f. O. 1890, p. 150. Grorce Bennett, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., the genial physician and naturalist of Sydney, has been well known to us in the mother-country for many years, as taking very great interest in the progress of our science, and as being always ready to assist workers in England with speci- mens and information. He was born at Plymouth in 1804, and died at his residence, 167 William Street, Sydney, on the 29th of September last. Dr. Bennett first visited Aus- tralia in 1830, and on returning home published, in 1834, his ‘Wanderings in New South Wales, Singapore, and China,’ In 1836 he went back to Sydney, and, having settled there as a medical practitioner, attained great success in his profession. In 1860 he published his ‘ Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australia.” Besides these works Dr. Bennett wrote many other memoirs and papers, and supplied his friends, Owen, Gould, and other naturalists, with many valuable notes and 148 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &c. specimens. Amongst these were the first examples of the ~ Mooruk, or Cassowary, of New Britain, which was named after him by Gould Casuarius bennetti (see P. Z. S. 1857, p. 269). Dr. Bennett’s name is also commemorated in ornithology hy Rectes bennetti, Scl. (P. Z. S. 1873, p. 692), from New Guinea, and Agotheles bennetti, Salv. et d’Alb., from the same country. The well-known German ornithologist Avcust Karu Epuarp Batpamus was born at Giersleben, in Anhalt, on the 18th of April, 1812, and died at Wernigerode, in Prussia, on the 29th of October last. Baldamus was by profession a schoolmaster and Lutheran clergyman, but was devoted from his earliest youth to the study of birds and their eggs, and made many journeys into Hungary, Servia, Bulgaria, and other countries of Southern Europe in quest of them. In 1840 he founded the ornithological journal ‘ Naumannia,’ and carried it on for eighteen years. In 1860 he prepared, in conjunction with Dr. J. H. Blasius, a supplement to Nau- mann’s ‘ Voégel Deutschlands.? Baldamus was also much interested in poultry, and in 1876 published his ‘ Illustrirtes Handbuch der Fiederviehzucht,’ and in 1882 his ‘ Haus- gefliigel.’ In 1849 Baldamus founded the ‘ Deutsche ornithologische Gesellschaft,’ and was its first secretary. From 1860 to 1867 he was associated with Dr. Cabanis in the editorship of the ‘Journal fiir Ornithologie.’ His last ornithological work was a summary of his knowledge of the Cuckoo and its allies (‘Das Leben der europiischen Kuckucke’), a subject in which he was for many years a leading authority, and was always specially interested. This essay was published at Berlin in 1892, and will be found noticed in ‘The Ibis’ for that year (p. 559). THE IBIS. SIXTH SERIES. No. XXII. APRIL 1894. XIII.—On the Birds of Uruguay. By O. V. Artin. With an Introduction and Notes by P. L. Sciatur. (Plate V.) I, Introduction (by P. L. ScrarER), p. 149. II. Narrative of the Journey, p. 151. Ill. List of Birds, with Field-notes, p. 161. 1V. Explanation of Plate V., p. 215. I. Introduction. (By P. L.S8.) Wuen I was working, in conjunction with Mr. W. H. Hud- son, on the preparation of ‘ Argentine Ornithology,’ I found that there was great deficiency in exact knowledge of the birds of Uruguay, although the Ornis of this part of South America might be presumed to be nearly identical with that of the adjoining Republic of La Plata. With a view, how- ever, of becoming better acquainted with this subject, in the beginning of 1892 I made a successful application to the Royal Society for a sum of £100 out of the Government Grant for scientific purposes, to enable me to send a collector out to Uruguay, for whom a friend, at that time resident in the country, had offered free quarters on his estancia. Out of several applicants, whom a notice of what was in contem- plation, published in ‘ Nature,’* produced, I had no diffic ulty * See ‘ Nature,’ vol. xlv. pp. 174 and 269, SER, VI.—VOL. VI. M 150 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the in selecting Mr. O. V. Aplin, author of the ‘ Birds of Ox- fordshire,’ and a well-known field-naturalist, as fully qualified for the post. Mr. Aplin, in order to arrive in Uruguay at the best time of year, deferred his departure from England until the following September. As he has given us a full account of his expedition and its results in the present paper, I need say little more upon this part of the subject ; but I will just mention, shortly, what are the previous authorities on the birds of Uruguay with which I am acquainted. These are as follows :— 1. Darwin, who, during the celebrated voyage of the ‘Beagle’ (1832), made a collection of birds at Maldonado, Montevideo, and other localities on the shores of Uruguay, most of which are now in the British Museum. Darwin’s field-notes were published in the Bird-volume of the Zoology of the Voyage of the ‘ Beagle.’ 2. Mr. Jonn J. Daueieisu, who has published, in the ‘ Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh ’ (vols. vi. & viil.), two articles on collections of birds and eggs sent to him by a correspondent in Central Uruguay, accom- panied by interesting field-notes. 3. Mr. Atan Pret, from whom a small collection of skins made at Paysandu and at other localities on the western borders of Uruguay was received by the British Museum in 1870. 4, Mr. MacNaveut Campsety, F.Z.S., who travelled in Uruguay and the Argentine Republic in 1871, and made a collection of birds, many of which are now in the Kelvin- grove Museum at Glasgow, while a few of his duplicates are in my possession. As regards Mr. Aplin’s collection I need only say that he brought home altogether 216 specimens, referable to 93 species. Besides these, other unmistakable species, ob- served in life or obtained, raise the total number in Mr. Aplin’s list to 139. Of these 139 species, only one land-bird, namely, Conurus leucophthalmus (no. 78), has not been mentioned in ‘ Argentine Ornithology ’ as found in the adjoiing Republic. Besides this bird, however, three Petrels (Daption capensis, Puffinus griseus, and Pelagodroma marina) Birds of Uruguay. 151 are recorded by Mr. Aplin as having been observed on the coast of Uruguay on his voyage out and home. II. Narrative of the Journey. I tert England on the 1st (or, rather, early on the morning of the 2nd) September, 1892, and after an unusually long voyage arrived off Montevideo on the 2nd October. Not- withstanding the facts that thirty days had elapsed since we left the cholera-infected (?) river Thames, and that before entering Rio de Janeiro harbour we had obtained, at the cost of many milreis and much endurance of grievous chemical smells, a certificate under the Health Convention supposed then to exist between Brazil, Argentina, and the Banda Oriental, to the effect that we had been duly disinfected at Ilha Grande, which should have given us free pratique at all ports in the River Plate, we were calmly informed at Flores Island that we must do eight days’ quarantine. As the only other passenger for Montevideo on board was going on to Buenos Ayres, I should have had (if I had left the ship and gone into the Lazaréto on Flores Island), in addition to the ordinary discomforts, a certain amount of solitary con- finement on that desolate rock. So I went on to Buenos Ayres with the ship, where, on account of our perfectly healthy condition, we were allowed to do our quarantine on board in the Roads. Off Montevideo, where we stayed nearly two days, were many Brazilian Cormorants and examples of three species of Gull, viz, the Dominican, Spot-winged, and Grey-capped. There was little in the way of ornithology to interest me while we lay in the River Plate. “Tinamu for dinner” appears to be one of the most important entries in my journal during those rather dreary days! The Captain reported a scarlet bird with black wings (doubtless Pyrocephalus rubineus) on board on the 4th October; several dragon-flies were about the ship at the same time, also moths and swarms of flies and small beetles. The river is still very wide where we lay, about 14 miles below Buenos Ayres. On one side of us Quilmes was seven ~ miles distant, while the opposite coast of Colonia was M2 152 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the out of sight, some 22 miles off. A De Filippi’s Marsh Starling (Trupialis defilippii) came on board on the morning of the 5th, and a Cayenne Lapwing (Vanellus cayennensis) flew over, calling, but out of sight. The next day three small birds were about the ship; one (a species of Tyrant ?) was busy catching flies. The wind was north, which would of course be full aft for birds crossing the Rio de la Plata on the spring migration, and this probably checked their passage. On the 9th aGreat Grebe (4uchmophorus major) passed close alongside. There were many Cormorants in the new docks at Buenos Ayres. Some were Phalacrocorax brasilianus, but others were smaller and were, I believe, P. penicillatus. Isaw specimens of the latter in the Museum at Buenos Ayres, and the official who showed me round said it was one of the species inhabiting the Darcena ; it was the more common of the two. On the afternoon of the 12th October, six weeks all but a day after leaving England, I went on board the Platense Flotilla Company’s paddle steamer ‘San Martin,’ and woke up at half-past six the next morning in the Bay of Monte- video—at least a fortnight later than I had intended to be. Here I found that the arrangements for my residence in the Departamento de Minas had broken down. Thanks, however, to the kind offices of H.B.M.’s Minister, Mr. E. M. Satow (to whom I had letters of introduction) and Mr. Charles J. F. Davie, British Vice-Consul (who during my stay in the country did everything to render it successful and pleasant), I was introduced to Sehor Don Felix Buxareo, who with true South American hospitality most kindly invited me to make my headquarters upon one of his “ estancias ”— thatof Santa Elena, on the Monzon River, Departamento de Soriano. I take this opportunity of once more thanking Don Felix for all his kindness and hospitality, qualities for which the inhabitants of the Banda Oriental have long been famous. Sta. Elena is (or rather was until just recently) under the management of my friend Mr. T. W. Burgess, whose large experience of this and many other countries, as well as the warm interest which he took in my pursuits, furthering aes Birds of Uruguay. 153 them in every way in his power, tended so much to render my residence there so pleasant and to facilitate my collecting work, Mr. Burgess is well acquainted with many of the birds of Uruguay, and I obtained a good deal of useful and interesting information from him. I left Montevideo for the “camp” by train for San José on the evening of the 18th, and next morning started before daylight by the diligéncia, which carries the post and passengers, for Sta. Elena—about 22 leagues distant, where I arrived late in the afternoon, the road-track being in good condition (neither deep in dust nor in mud) and passing close to the estancia house. The land or “camp” belonging to Sta. Elena amounts roughly to 27,000 acres. The camp is in a triangle formed by two rivers, the Arroyo Grande and its tributary the Monzon. It may be taken as typical of the whole of that part of the country, consisting of rolling prairie or undu- lating ground covered with short pasture grass, with in places some growth of giant thistle and cardoon *. Scattered over the camp are groups of granite boulders, sometimes hardly showing above ground, at others piled up or towering singly to a height of 12 or 15, and even up to 20 feet, and varying in extent from a few yards in diameter to an acre or more in extent. Among these rocks grow scrubby examples of the (usually) thorny small trees or shrubs, tala (Celtis tala), moyé (Moye spinosa), “ curupi,”’ “sombre del toro” (a kind of holly), and other similar plants. The tala and moyé have much the growth and attain to about the same size as the hawthorn, but I never saw one with a trunk approaching in size those of the old thorns we sometimes see in parks and old pastures. Apart from these, the “monte” along the rivers, and the plantations round the houses, there are no trees or shrubs to be seen. Some of the higher hills in sight of which I passed in my * Partly on account of the great drought which prevailed during the time that I was in the country, and which had then lasted about two years, there was very little growth of cardoon and still less of giant thistle in 1892-3. 154 Mr. O, V. Aplin on the a tae a a Paso de Navarro Porongos : 5 2) OS cH <i spereZas on gy ahoma » O om) O\BUENOS AYRES - MONTEVIDEOS Scale of Kilometres © 10 20 40 60 80 The Route followed shewn thus:- Railways shewn thus:- Walker & Boutall sc, Map oF PART oF URUGUAY, Birds of Uruguay. 155 journey from San José were covered with these grey rocks and boulders, lying about in the greatest confusion, and presented a desolate aspect. Especially noticeable were the Cerros de Mahoma. In the bottoms between the undulations of the land a cajiada (or small watercourse of varying width) usually exists. These were either permanent with a natural stream, or merely served to carry off rain-water, the latter being fre- quently dry except for small water-holes or lagunas here and there. Some had high, steep,earthy banks ; others were wider, boggy, and much grown up, with marshy edges in places and in others forming larger lagunas. In these bottoms, and along the level ground on the banks of the rivers, were considerable beds of a tall hassock grass (“ paja mansa”’), called “ pajonales.” In addition to the two rivers bordering two sides of the triangular camp, another smaller one, known by the common name of the Satice (Spanish for a willow), flowed through the southern part of the camp and joined the Arroyo Grande. The only natural woodland found in this part of Uruguay consists of a more or less broad belt of trees or shrubs on the river-banks, known as “monte.” Along the whole course of the Arroyo Grande here there is a belt of monte, and the lower part of the Monzon is similarly clothed; just before the rivers join in the apex of the triangle (or “ rincén,” as itcalled) the montes becomeconfluent. The monte here con- sists for the most part of low thorny trees, chiefly tala and moyé. ‘There are also many willows (satice) and in one or two places a few Lombardy poplars (planted, as are many of the willows), and in one spot some peaches (“ durazno ”’), Other trees on the banks, but less abundant, are the “ fianga- piri,” “mataojo,” “quebracha” (Quebrachia, sp.) , “guayaba,” &e. The “ sarandi” is found commonly forming low thickets at the water’s edge and in the shallow water and mud. What little monte is found along the Satice consists almost entirely of this, with a few willows, tala, moyé, &c. In many places, close to the rivers, and sometimes in their beds, there are patches of a very tall paja (sometimes as 156 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the high as a man’s head on horseback) with sharp cutting edges; this is the “ paja brava”; and in the rincén of the two rivers and other similar places in the district, which are liable to flood, there is a considerable amount of this and “ paja mansa,” forming impenetrable cover, At every rancho and nearly every “ puesto” you see a few spreading ombt trees (Phytolacca dioica) and probably a few peaches and gums (Eucalyptus globulus); while the larger estancias have usually, in addition to peach, orange, fig, and other fruit-trees, vines, hedges of membrillo (a kind of quince), cactus, aloe *, cifia-cifia acacia, hapinday (Acacia bonariensis), &c., considerable plantations of gums (almost entirely the blue gum, Eucalyptus globulus) , acacias, poplars, wattles, &. The quinta at Sta. Elena covers about seven acres, and contains a great variety of imported trees and shrubs, including some long avenues of poplars, a fine double row of fan-palms, and another of a conifer (Pinus insignis) — a quite new kind of tree to the small birds, but greatly to their taste—young oaks, olives, &c. As may be imagined, some of these quintas swarm with birds, and they have probably encouraged the increase of some species. On first arriving at Sta. Elena I was greatly struck with the variety, conspicuous colouring, and familiarity of the birds. Doves, Woodpeckers, Black-headed Siskins, Cardinal Finches, Mocking-birds, Cow-birds, Guira Cuckoos, Purple, Tree-, and White-rumped Swallows, Scissor-birds, Venteveo Tyrants, Chingolo Song-Sparrows, Yellow House- Sparrows, Oven-birds, and Firewood-gatherers were perhaps the most noticeable, but we had also the brilliant Scarlet Tyrant, Blue-and-Yellow Tanagers, Humming-birds, &e. The morning and evening concerts were very lively, but I often wished the Oven-birds +, with their ear-piercing dis- * Aloe hedges are common near Montevideo, but rare in the camp where I was, and cactus hedges are being destroyed. + Some people, I believe, like this bird. To a field-ornithologist who wishes to gain some knowledge of the notes and songs of other birds, it soon becomes detestable and detested. It is very common, and wherever among the trees you see any other birds you are almost certain to find the “Hornéro,” It is not the least bit shy, and seldom fails to mob a a Birds of Uruguay. 157 cordant notes, at the other end of the world, so that in the early mornings (often fresh and exhilarating beyond descrip- tion in that dry crystal air, still cool in the level rays of the brilliant southern sun) I could listen more easily to the flute-like whistles of the “Cardinal,” short sweet strains of the “ Chingolo,” thrush-like “ Calandria,” and rich warbling song of the House-Wren. The fact is that, from the scarcity of suitable spots, the birds are crowded together. Every little patch of thorny trees holds its colony of birds; almost every patch of shrub-grown rocks its Hornéros, its Mocking-birds, its Wrens, and probably other birds too; but in summer you may ride leagues over the bare camp and see only a pair of Cachila Pipits at intervals, noisy Téru- Térus, a Vulture or Eagle soaring overhead, cr a Carancho flapping along; near a zanja you will see the Minéra, and perhaps the little blue-and-white Bank-Swallow; in the low paja or green “ mio-mio” you will see Tinamu, and if you pass through a patch of cardoon you may chance on a few pairs of Red-breasted Starlings (Trupialis defilippit), a pair of Nacunda Nightjars, or a party of Bartram’s Sandpipers, “ wintering,” like yourself, in the summer of the far south. The Arroyo Grande may roughly be said to be (at Sta. Elena) about the width of the Thames at Oxford, but, unlike that locked river, it is very variable. In places it is quite shallow, and the monte in these parts extends over its whole bed, interrupted only by numerous tortuous channels where the ordinary flow of the river passes. In flood-time the whole monte in these places is under water. When I arrived in the country it had been suffering from short rainfall for over two years, and during the eight months of spring, summer, and autumn that I remained in Uruguay the “ seca” continued almost without interruption. Soon after I arrived the Arroyo Grande was “cut” (. e. became dry in places), human being—coming from a little distance even to sit within a few feet of the unfortunate naturalist’s head, and to do its best to prevent his hearing any other bird. The Hornéro reminded me strongly of a Seven Dials’ lady giving her husband a piece of her mind, The ordinary ringing notes with which it salutes its mate are, however, far from unpleasant. 158 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the and these increased as the summer wore on until it was pos- sible to cross the Arroyo Grande, Monzon, and smaller rivers dryfooted in many places which, when I came, had contained a foot or two of water, but which had become dry and dusty. But there were also at intervals large, deep lagunas which always held water—these extended without interruption for some distance in the lower reaches of the Arroyo Grande bordering the Sta. Elena camp. However, many small lagunas dried up which had not been known to fail before. This state of things continued until 27th March, when, after a spell of 88 days with hardly a drop of rain (certainly none to have the least effect), 12 inches fell in 1} hours, followed by a drizzle for two or three more. This, partly on account of the dry, hard state of the camp (allowing the water to run off it straight into the cafiadas and so into the river), set the Satice running for the first time for a year—indeed put it in flood, and put the Arroyo Grande and Monzon in flood also, rendering them impassable for some hours at the usual “passes” or fords; the swing wire fences where the post road-track crosses the Satice were carried away (a common occurrence in some winters) for the first time for nearly three years. After this, until I left, the rivers, though fallen very low again, were running and the caiiadas filled up: then for the first time I saw any number of water-birds. Roughly speaking, this was my collecting-ground. I paid occasional visits to the neighbouring estancias of Las Coronas and Santa Adelaida—the one west of the Monzon, the other across the Arroyo Grande, to the N.E., and running north- wards into the rincén of that river and the Ojosmin. I also spent several weeks at different times at the hospitable estancia of Mr. J. E. Emerson, Santa Ana, situated on the east side of the Arroyo Grande, in the Departamento de Flores, on a small river called the Satice, but marked on a map as the Talita. Standing upon the high ground at the Estancia Santa Elena, our view to southward was bounded by the ridge of the long slope of the Cuchilla Grande, an easterly con- tinuation of the Cuchilla de San Salvador, forming the Birds of Uruguay. 159 watershed between Soriano and Colonia. The rivers and streams north of this are either tributaries of the Rio Negro, or, like the Arroyo de San Salvador, flow direct into the Rio Uruguay ; while those south of it fall directly into the Rio de la Plata. On the west another long line of Cuchilla, the Cuchilla de Perdido, formed our horizon. North-east of us we had the pyramidal Cerro de Ojosmin ; and the view on the north and east terminated in high ground, part of or a continuation of the Cuchilla de Mar- incho—the valleys of the rivers being completely shut in and unseen, a common feature in this “ rolling” country. In the early part of December I started with my friend Senor Don Juan La Dieu on a visit to the Rio Negro. We arrived on the evening of the second day (by way of the little town of Porongos) at the Estancia Santa Florencia, on the northern bank of the Rio Negro, which we crossed at the Paso de Navarro. Returning to Sta. Ana we made a three days’ ride of it; turning eastward within a couple of leagues of the Pass we crossed the Marincho at once and stayed a night at the beautiful estancia of a German gentleman. At the Rio Negro we were the guests of Mr. W. J. Sloane, from whom and his neighbour Mr. W. P. Steer I received every kindness and assistance in my collecting. Sta. Florencia is situated on high ground, overlooking the Rio Negro (which just there makes a considerable bend, almost enclosing the camp on three sides), and is not more than two or three miles from the monte. The estancia is nearly opposite the point at which the Arroyo Grande flows into the Rio Negro; the Rio Yi flows in still further to the east. The monte here is very broad, especially in some places, and in parts the growth is so thick that it is almost impossible to get about, except along narrow.paths made by cattle, or worn out by torrents in times of flood. The trees are much taller than in the vicinity of Sta. Elena, and include many species not found growing wild in that district. For instance, there are the vidara6 and the blancilla—two of the tallest trees, On the river-bank there is often a thick growth of mataojo, the tough stems of which, springing up or lying about in all 160 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the directions, make it difficult to get through. The monte is composed chiefly of these and tala, quebracha, moyé, sautice, corinilla (Scutia buaifolia), guayaba, handubay (Prosopis nandubay), fiangapirt, &c. On the outskirts are myrtles of various kinds, and three species of thorny acacia, viz- the aroma, the fiapinday or “ uiias del gato”? (Acacia bona- riensis), and the “espinilla” or cifia-ciiia, while in swampy places the beautiful ceibo (or caybo) (Erythrina crista-gall), with large hanging clusters of indian-red flowers, is a striking feature, the flowers having an attraction for Humming-birds. Several of the trees yield berries—frequently aromatic—and there is an abundance of creepers, some with beautiful flowers, and others with thick rope-like stems reminding one of the lianas of the tropics (and perhaps really the same), which increase the difficulty of progression. The sarsaparilla is a noticeable creeper. The monte is in fact subtropical, and yields a tree-fern, a curious climbing cactus, a palm, and an arboreal orchis (an Oncidium, I think). Impenetrable beds of “ paja brava” occur in places on the landward side of the monte. I left the camp for “town” on the 28th May, and reached Montevideo the next day. After a few days, with much reluctance, I bade farewell to that delightful and hospitable city and my many friends in it, and sailed for Europe. There is a Museum containing a carefully arranged and increasing natural-history collection in Montevideo, and I have to thank thedirector and curadér, Professor Arechavaleta, as well as his able Ayudante de Zoologia, Sefior Don Juan H. Figueira, for their courtesy in showing me the collections. I have added in this paper to the list of birds that I obtained or observed the names of those species (24 in number) local specimens of which are preserved in the museum, but which I did not meet with; they are marked with an asterisk, and are not included in the enumeration of species. The nomenclature and arrangement of this list, unless the contrary be stated, are those of Messrs. Sclater and Hudson’s ‘Argentine Ornithology.’ Birds of Uruguay. 161 Ill. List of Birds, with Field-notes. 1. Turpus tEvcometas. Dusky Thrush. I saw one in the quinta at Sta. Elena on the 22nd October, just after my arrival, and before my luggage, with my -cartridges, had come up the country, but did not meet with the adult again in that neighbourhood; however, on the 22nd February, I shot a Thrush in nest-dress in thin monte on the coast of the Monzon, which Mr. Sclater believes to be of this species. In the monte of the Rio Negro I found the Dusky Thrush rather common, but excessively shy and retiring, and very difficult to see—betraying its presence usually only by its low, sweet alarm-note, like that of our Song-Thrush when disturbed among the fruit-trees. They were not at that time (mid-December) in song. 2. TurpUs RUFIVENTRIS. Red-bellied Thrush. I found this fine Thrush common in the monte of the Rio Negro in December. They were usually to be heard singing in the thick growth of mataojo on the river-bank and concealed from view on the land side. At other times they conceal themselves in thicker parts. I noticed one feeding on berries of the moyé. The song of this bird is to my mind by far the sweetest of any I heard in South America. It is delivered after the fashion of our Song- Thrush, the notes being less varied than those of that bird, while some of them are even sweeter and richer. I syllabled one to sng— deur, deur, deur, sweet, sweet, ut-ich, ut-ich.” It was not until March that I met with it in the valley of the Arroyo Grande, where I found one haunting a thicket (close to water) of guayaba and fiangapiri. I was attracted by the unmistakable low alarm-note of a Thrush, but the bird was so shy that I could not get a shot at it. A few days after I returned to the spot and secured it—a male, its stomach full of tala berries. A male in spring-dress had the bill yellowish horn; inside of mouth ochre; eyelids orange; feet pale brown. This bird is known as the “ Zorzal,” and an Englishman who had been in many parts of the South American con- 162 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the tinent told me that it was everywhere celebrated for its song. The late E. W. White, in a note quoted in ‘ Argentine Ornithology,’ applies this name to 7. fuscater; but Sefor Don Luis Cincinato Bollo, in a little work containing de- scriptions of the birds indigenous to the ‘ Reptblicas Oriental y Argentina, says: ‘Se conocen dos zorzales—el zorzal de pecho colorado y el zorzal de pecho blanco,’’—. e. this and the preceding species. 3. Mrmus MoputatTor. Calandria Mocking-bird. The Calandria is a common resident, especially about houses where there are any trees. Every patch of shrub- grown boulder rocks has its one or more pairs, and they are also found in the more open parts of the monte. They rear, or try to rear, two or perhaps three broods in the year, as may be gathered from the following notes :—October 22nd : nest in an Olive-tree, cup-shaped; built of sticks and wool; lined with long horse-hair and rootlets ; contained one egg and five eggs of the Toldo (Molothrus bonariensis). Octo- ber 24th: nest with one egg and two eggs of the Toldo. October 28th: young on the wing. October 31st: nest with one egg and two Toldo’s eggs. November 9th: nest in tala bush, built of twigs and roots and a few bits of wool ; lined with rootlets ; contained four fresh eggs. November 15th: nest with two eggs slightly sat on. At that date the birds were singing well. January 8th: nest containing two eggs and one Toldo’s. The birds were singing again then after a slight break. The song of this bird is pleasing, but rather poor. The usual strain is—‘chow, chow, chow, chow !” (leisurely), “chi, chi, chi, chi!” (highly pitched and fortissimo). Individual birds differ a little sometimes. I heard one or two possessing a fine musical whistling note, and another, with a variation of the first part of the song into “shuk, shuk, shuk !” had a very high note like one of the lively notes of the Nightingale. But these variations are quite exceptional, and I should not have attributed mocking powers to the Calandria, which, however, possesses a considerable repertory of ‘‘ swear-words ” for use when its Birds of Uruguay. 163 nest is approached—a loud angry “gik” is the most common. 4. Poxtortita pumicota. Bush-loving Fly-snapper. Not uncommon in certain parts of the monte, chiefly among moyé, tala, holly, and other bushes and trees. In a moyé at a spot frequented by a family party, from which I shot a maie and a young bird on 6th February, I found a nest which I believe belonged to them ; it was nearly round, with an irregular rather large hole in one side, and was formed of moss and a little wool. I cannot say whether these birds left in autumn, but I met with them as late as 17th March. These little birds have much the same habits as the Long- tailed Tit. They go in family parties, creeping and flitting about the thorny trees and flying one after another to the next tree, uttering a note very like one of those of the above- named Tit; another note resembles the feeding-call of the Blue Titmouse. 5. TroeLopytTes rurvus. Brown House-Wren. A very common resident, met with alike about houses and buildings, among the masses of huge boulder rocks, and here and there in the monte. It has just the manners and customs of the British Wren ; is just as active, as noisy, and as ready to pour out the vials of its wrath. But it is a more beautiful bird, having a lovely warm vinous flush on the delicate pale brown of the underparts; it is also more elegant in appearance and does not erect its tail so much; finally, it has a much better song. This is sweet, beginning with a few grating notes and then going off into a run of remarkably sweet, full notes—the latter part reminding one strongly of a good Warbler’s song. The local name is Ratonéro. 6. ANTHUs CORRENDERA. Cachila Pipit. (Plate V. fig. 1, egg.) This is one of the commonest birds, and, from its habit of frequenting the barest and most open parts of the campo, is known to some English residents as the ‘ Camp-bird.” They prefer the high-lying parts of the camp and breed in 164. Mr. O. V. Aplin on the the open. The nest is usually in some slight depression—a hoof-mark for instance—and is not infrequently discovered by your horse nearly putting his foot on it. In this way a nest formed of soft grass and lined with fine grass was found in a hoof-mark on November 13th. It contained four fresh eggs; the eggs are white, with a faint bluish shade, sparingly speckled allover with grey and pale brown, mostly so near the large end in some cases. In one egg at the large end are two or three hair-like marks, nearly black. Another nest, on the 17th, with one egg, was placed against the stems of a low plant of mio-mio—that poisonous deep green plant which always flourishes in times of drought, when everything else is withering up. This nest had an addition to the lining in the shape of a little short cow-hair. This bird, like all the others of this family with which I am acquainted, has peculiar singing-habits. In October it was in full song ; mounting in the air in true Pipit fashion, it descended to the ground in a slanting direction, and either settled or mounted again when within a foot or so of it; in descent it sang a rapid trilling strain—‘“ che, che, che, weeeee !” the latter part of the song a long-drawn strained note. When on the ground or on a fence, it would sometimes sing a shrill November these songs were heard much less frequently, and as I rode over the camp I used to hear a song, the whereabouts of which I could not make out at first: “ aweeee-titiwee- tee’ over and over again. At last I traced it to a little bird hovering and flying about in an irregular way high up in the dazzling sky. The wings were flapped quickly and then motionless for a few seconds. The song came down from several birds at ouce, a little distance apart, very sweetly ; but it was blinding work to watch the birds for long. By Ist February they were in full moult. On the 10th April I noted that they had been very noisy lately, flymg about singly and in little flocks—the call-note then being “ tehick.”’ The next day I heard one sing, the weather being very pleasant, like a second spring in fact. I am inclined to think they became less numerous towards the end of autumn. Birds of Uruguay. 165 7. Paruva pitiayumr. Pitiayumi Woodsinger. Fairly common in the monte of the Rio Negro, but I did not meet with it elsewhere. It creeps and flits about the trees and shrubs like a Goldcrest, singing occasionally a weak sibilant strain. 8. GroruLypPis vELATA. Veiled Woodsinger. I only met with this bird once—namely, on the Ist December, when I observed a pair among rushes and water- plants on the banks of the Satice at Sta. Ana, away from any trees, and secured them both. 9. CycorHis ocHRocEPHALA. Ochre-headed Greenlet. Not very uncommon in the monte of the Arroyo Grande, where I shot two specimens and often heard its lively sweet song. I also observed the bird in the monte of the Rio Negro, but it is always shy and keeps to the thicker parts. I do not know whether it is a resident, but I heard its un- mistakable song as late as the 23rd May. From a wing-tipped bird I received a far more severe bite than I ever had from any other small bird: the sharp notched mandibles met in the flesh, letting blood freely. 10. Proane FrurcatTa. Domestic Martin. A summer visitor and common; breeds under the eaves of houses and other buildings, and is remarkably tame. It is a town bird also, and in December I saw many breed- ing in the scaffolding-holes (never filled up) in the rough unplastered brick ehurch of San Luis at Porongos (Trinidad). Sitting in the verandah or patio of an estancia house, I have often listened to them as they sat within a few feet of my head and sung their low, guttural, but sweet notes— “chrit wur chirrit-wurr.’ On the 29th January I noticed a pair still nesting, but on the 3lst there was a great gathering of this and other species over the estancia at sun- down. I think they left some time in February. This bird appears to go far north to winter, for, although I saw a good many at Rio de Janeiro at the end of September, I did not notice any there when homeward bound in June, nor at any SER. VI.—VOL. VI. N 166 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the of the other Brazilian ports we touched at, terminating with Pernambuco in lat. 8° 3! 8. 11. Progne tarerRA. Tree Martin. Summer visitor, commou—breeding in the old nests of the Hornéro (Furnarius rufus), and, consequently, usually seen where there are plenty of trees. I saw a pair feeding young in the nest as late as the 29th January, but I think they left in February. 12. Tacuycineta LEucorRHOA. White-remped Swallow. Common. Breeds chiefly under eaves of buildings, but a pair tried to nest in a hole in an acacia in the patio, and brought in some grass and feathers; possession was after- wards disputed by a pair of Yellow House-Sparrows, and in the end neither had it. This pair used to sit on the iron pulley arch over the aljibe, the male singing a low inward twittering song. There were still some to be seen in the camp in the middle of May, and I saw a few about the Cerro at Montevideo on the 4th June. 13. ATricora cyaANoLEucA. Bank Swallow. Summer visitor and common. It was plentiful when I arrived in mid-October, and I believe left in March. It breeds in holes, chiefly in the perpendicular earthy banks of a river, caiiada or zanja (a rift in the ground caused by torrents in heavy rains), and I have known nests in a little escarpment near the house where stone had been excavated. Many of the holes are the deserted burrows made by the Minera (Geositta cunicularia), but I am tolerably sure that in some cases they are excavated by the birds themselves. It is common to find several—perhaps a dozen—pairs breeding close together, and in October I saw birds clinging to the banks in front of shallow excavations just as we see Sand Martins at home. In 1892, however, on account of the long-continued drought, the black heavy soil had set so hard that (apparently) the birds could make little impression on it. It might not have been so hard im one way as the sandstone which we see bored in England, but it certainly did not ‘‘ work ” so easily. On one occasion I saw a Bank Birds of Uruguay. 167 Swallow enter a hole in the mud wall of a rancho, made either by the Minera or a Pampas Woodpecker. 14, Arricora rucata. Brown Martin. (Plate V. fig. 2, egg.) A summer visitor, much less common than the Bank Swallow. My first experience of this little bird took place on the day I came up the country—19th October, when on a coldish dull afternoon we stopped to change horses at a little pulperia on the northern slope of the Cuchilla Grande, and I watched a pair of Brown Martins skimming over the ground and coming within a few yards of where I stood. On the 21st a pair were breeding in company with four or five pairs of their congeners in the bank of a cafiada, and on the 18th November I found three or four “pairs breeding with the other species in the high bank of a tributary of the Monzon. The next day I dug out a solitary nest in the bank of a small cajiada near the house. The hole (evidently the old habitation of a Minera) was very narrow for about 80 inches, and was then enlarged into a round chamber. The nest was of grass, lined with Tinamu’s feathers and some white ones, and contained five delicate white eggs, quite fresh. The habits and general appearance, apart from colour, of these birds are very similar to those of the last- mentioned species. They left earlier in the season—probably in mid-February. 15. STeEPHANOPHORUS LEUCOCEPHALUS. White-capped Tanager. This beautiful bird—the Cardinal imperial as it is some- times called—is fairly common in the montes of the Arroyo Grande and the Rio Negro; it always keeps to the thicker parts, and I never saw it elsewhere. It doubtless breeds there, but I did not find the nest. One that I shot had been feeding on the berries of the moyé. Birds shot in mid-March were not over the moult. Ido not know whether it is resident, but should suppose so, as I saw two on the 23rd May, i. e. nearly the end of autumn. N2 168 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the 16. TANAGRA BONARIENSIS. Blue-and-yellow Tanager. Resident probably (I saw it as late as 8th May) and fairly common. In spring they frequented the quinta and patio, stolidly and steadily feeding on the young leaves of the cifia-cifia acacia, and when at rest sitting among the flowering acacia blanca trees or in the wattles. I have counted as many as eight old males besides females in the trees. Later on they retired to the monte to breed, and I fancy several pairs may have bred close together, for at one place along the Monzon I always used to meet with them. On the 24th January I shot a young male then just moulting into adult dress. One obtained at the Rio Negro on the 14th December had been feeding on moyé berries. * SALTATOR AURANTIIROSTRIS. Yellow-billed Saltator. One in the Museum at Montevideo from Uruguay. * GUIRACA GLAUCOCERULEA. Glaucous Finch. A local specimen in the Museum at Montevideo. 17. SPERMOPHILA CHRULESCENS. Screaming Finch. I only met with two specimens of this bird, both upon the same day (15th November), one in the quinta, the other on the fence dividing the barley chacra from a new plantation. They were both males. 18. Paroarra cucuLttata. Cardinal Finch. Common and apparently resident, as they were still at Sta. Elena when I left at the end of May. ‘They are usually seen in pairs, or later on in family parties, but on the 14th April I saw a little flock of a dozen feeding on the ground near the monte ; it is possible that these were merely the young of two broods with their parents, for, like many birds here, they have more than one brood. The “ Cardinal”? was com- monest round estancia houses where there were trees, and in thin monte, but bardly any puesto boasting a few trees or little clump of tala and curupi among the rocks was without a pair of these beautiful and lively Finches. The sweet flageolet-like song of the male is one of the pleasantest early morning sounds. A nest in a bush on the Birds of Uruguay. 169 edge of the monte on October 25 was formed of sticks and wool, and contained three eggs. The eggs are greenish white, mottled and speckled closely with greenish brown, or brown; in some cases the marks are closest at the large end ; in others they are nearly confluent all over. The song consists of five parts : a single note, a treble, two double, and a short double note—thus : “ ¢wot, twe-ee-eow, twe-eow, twe-eow, twe-eet.” Some birds were in song all the spring and summer. 19. Donacospiza ALBIFRONS. Long-tailed Reed Finch. Not uncommon in open rush-grown spots in the Satice and caiiadas. 20. Poospiza nicRoruFA. Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch. Common and probably resident. I shot it as late as 22nd March and observed it still later. Frequents monte and thinly-wooded banks of rivers, and haunts by preference the lower bare branches of the sarandi, a shrub which loves the muddy edges and grows far out into the mud and shallow water; here the birds may generally be seen creeping about rather like a Hedge-Sparrow or flitting from stem to stem. Irides hazel; bill and legs black. 21. GuBERNATRIX CRISTATELLA, Yellow Cardinal. I met with this fine bird in the wild state only on one occasion, namely on the 25th May, a day or two before I came down to the coast, when, riding without a gun at the edge of the monte in the rincén of the Arroyo Grande and the Arroyo Ojosmin, I watched a pair at close quarters in a tala bush. They are sprightly, handsome birds, and are sometimes seen in cages, 22. ZoNoTRICHIA PILEATA. Chingolo Song-Sparrow. A very common bird about houses in the country, outskirts of towns, among rocks, and in the monte—in fact everywhere except in the bare camp and in the city. It nests in a great variety of situations ; for instance, holes in walls (one I saw 170 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the halfway down a well), in the tin cylinders set round young trees to protect them from ants, in shrubs, &. Two which I saw on the ground in a young plantation on the 15th Novem- ber were among dead laid grass—one quite exposed, the other shaded by a handful of dead grass over it. The nests were of grass, lined with finer grass and a little short cow-hair, and contained three fresh eggs. Other nests differ a little. One nest (Sth January) was built among the folds of a coil of twisted cow-hide rope hanging ina galpon ; it contained one egg of the rightful owner, and even here a Toldo had inserted one of her unwelcome additions. 23. CorurnicuLus PrERuUANUS. Yellow-shouldered Song- Sparrow. I saw several on wire fences of the chacras near Porongos, where there were some ripe barley and wheat, on the 7th December. At Sta. Elena I met with it only on a few occasions, and then always in a new plantation consider- ably overgrown with paja, thistles, &c., and adjoining a piece of ground where barley was grown. 24. EMBERNAGRA PLATENSIS. Red-billed Ground-Finch. This fine Finch is common along caiiadas and other places where there is a good growth of tall paja grass. 25. CuRYSOMITRIS IcTERICA. Black-headed Siskin. Common, especially about the quintas of estancia houses, and resident to a certain extent, but possibly not entirely so; they certainly become much less common in the autumn. They are fond of feeding on-the seeds of different tall plants, and I have seen them clinging to a yellow-flowered composite, and especially to a blue-and-red-flowered Boraginaceous plant called jlor morada, just as we see Goldfinches clinging to thistles in England. The song is very like that of the English Siskin (speaking only from a knowledge of the song of the latter as a caged bird), but rather more powerful and reminding one sometimes of the Goldfinch’s. This is quite one of the best song-birds of the country, and the song always seemed to carry one back to the Old World. Building was in full swing in November. On the 15th I knew of three Birds of Uruguay. 171 nests in construction and one finished. Three of these were in young poplars, the fourth in a Pinus insignis ; the former in the first fork of the branches, 8 or 9 feet from the ground. They were formed of grass, wool, lichen, &c., and lined with hair. The next day the house-peon showed me a quite in- accessible nest, some 10 or 12 feet up a big organ cactus (or tuna) near the kitchen. Siskins were in song at the end of January. The local name is “ Silgéro.” 26. SycALis PELZELNI. Yellow House-Sparrow. A very common resident. Numerous about houses and other buildings, and also found here and there among shrub- grown rocks and in large willows beside a stream, In autumn they collect in considerable flocks and feed out in the camp. I watched a male courting a female one day ; he sat on a roof close to her and, with elevated tail and head and drooped wings, sang a few shrill notes. I have seen our Robin do much the same when facing a rival. 27. Sycatis LuTEOLA. Misto Seed Finch. Not uncommon, especially about quintas and chacras where any corn is grown and weed-seeds may be found on the edges. * AMBLYCERCUS SOLITARIUS. Solitary Cassique. In the monte of the Rio Negro I took the nest of what I imagine to be this bird. It was woven of vegetable fibres and long horse- and cow-hair, and is purse-shaped, 193 inches long and 54 inches in diameter at its biggest part near the lower end. It was hung to the outside twig of a tala bush, about 12 or 15 feet from the ground; the entrance is in the side, nearly at the top. Another nest which came into my hands is beautifully made, chiefly of a dark-brown vegetable fibre with a little horse-hair; it is wonderfully soft in texture. This was kindly presented to me by Mr. C. J. F. Davie. Unfor- tunately I was never able to secure a bird. It is well known to the Orientales as the Boyero, a black bird with a cone- shaped beak. Sefior Don Luis Bollo, who describes the bird and its wonderful nest, says :—“ Abunda, sobre todo en el Rio Negro, desde Mercedes 4 la boca del Yaguari.’’ , 172 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the 28. Motorurus BoNARIENSIS. Argentine Cow-bird. Resident and very numerous. I found many eggs—both white and spotted—in October, in nests of other birds (although an early-fledged young one had left a nest by the 27th Oc- tober), some of them being sucked or pecked in the nests and some lying on the ground, A Chingolo’s nest in the quinta which I was watching contained one morning two red-spotted Toldo’s eggs (this is the invariable local name), one already sucked, and this before the rightful owner had laid a single egg; the nest was then deserted. The Toldo must act as a great check on the increase of many birds, for notwith- standing the number of their own eggs which are wasted or destroyed by thew fellows, they are very numerous. A favourite nest for laying in is that of the Mocking-bird; in one nest of that bird I found an egg belonging to the owners and five of the Toldo, while another lay on the ground under- neath the nest. From February onwards there was a great congregation of these birds in the estancia gum-trees for roosting purposes, chattering after the manner of Starlings. About sundown flock after flock could be seen coming in from the camp, flying high and in a compact body like Starlings. On 12th March I made this note :—“ Vast flocks in gums, two trees at corner of patio especially favoured; they are a great nuisance.” Although a resident, it is possible that a partial migration takes place, as Mr. Burgess told me the flocks decreased after getting to a certain pitch as winter came on. ‘They were certainly not so large as they had been when I left at the end of May. 29. MoLoTuHRvus RUFOAXILLARIS. Screaming Cow-bird. A few of these birds were to be found with the Cow-birds and Bay-wings, and I shot adults at Sta. Elena and Sta, Ana. At the former place I saw one changing its plumage and exactly like the specimen figured in ‘ Argentine Ornithology ” (plate vi. fig. 2) ; I let it escape while watching its ways, and never got another chance to shoot it. 30. Moxoturus Bapius. Bay-winged Cow-bird. Common and resident, and one of the familiar garden Birds of Uruguay. 173 birds. They breed in the trees about the house. A very ate nest contained nearly fledged young on the 5th March ; the old birds to which it belonged were exceedingly bold, and were continually mobbing one or other of the three white cats belonging to the house. The Bay-wing has a short but very sweet strain, sung in an undertone, reminding one a little of the Linnet’s, especially when several were singing together in the trees just before sundown. Many roosted in the patio trees at night. *AceLzus THitius. Yellow-shouldered Marsh-bird. One in the Museum at Montevideo from Uruguay. *AGEL&US FLAVUS. Yellow-headed Marsh-bird. A specimen in the Museum from Uruguay. 31. AMBLYRHAMPHUS HOLOSERICEUS. Scarlet-headed Marsh-bird. This strikingly handsome species was decidedly scarce in Soriano and Flores, but breeds there. I met with it only on three occasions, viz.: on lst January, when, aftera long chase, I secured a male by the Satce at Sta. Ana; on the 7th February, when I shot a young bird in first dress in thin monte along the Arroyo Grande (it was accompanied by others and a pair of adults) ; and on the 27th February, when I secured a pair in some willows at Sta. Elena. 32. PsEUDOLEISTES vrRESCENS. Yellow-breasted Marsh- bird. Common and resident. In spring they haunt the low banks of rivers and caiiadas, and look very pretty clinging to the tall rushes on the banks of some laguna. ‘They are very sociable, and even in mid-November they are seen in little flocks feeding out in the camp. The nests are built among rushes and other water-plants. On the ground they run, but also hop sometimes; the tail is elevated when the birds areon the ground. After the breeding-season they are seen in flocks about the camp, and at sundown go down to the river to roost in the bushes, but from February onwards numbers used to come to roost in the estancia trees, the lower acacias 174: Mr. O. V. Aplin on the being preferred to the gums. The local name is “ Pecho amarillo.” 33. TRUPIALIS DErILIPPI. De Filippi’s Marsh Starling. The ‘‘ Pecho Colorado,” as it is called, is a resident, but at the same time it is partially migratory. It usually breeds about Sta. Elena, but in 1892, possibly on account of the seca and the small growth of cardoon, beds of which they are fond of frequenting, none did so. I saw only one bird there (25th October) until early in February, when I met with a pair in moult. On Ist April I saw a small flock, and after that date they became fairly numerous, going either in little parties or joining with the Cow-birds. ‘They were generally rather wild, but when among cover (paja tufts, for instance) they will sometimes try to hide behind the plants, aud I have seen one crouch like a Partridge as I rode close to it. In December, when riding up to the Rio Negro, I saw a good many near Porongos, where there was a good deal of cardoon, and I also met with a few on the north side of that river. 34. Cyanocorax curysops. Urraca Jay. This beautiful bird is well known to the English residents as well as to the Orientales. It is said that no one has ever found its nest ; and that, while frequenting the thicker parts ot the monte, it is a very inquisitive bird, and tame under certain circumstances. For instance, if a piece of meat is hung up in the monte, the Urracas will come to it and almost suffer themselves to be noosed; they will even come to see what you are doing. What I saw of the birds confirmed this, I had no difficulty in watching them at close quarters as they hopped about in a thick growth of mataojo or other scrub, and on the 26th November, while smoking a pipe after break- fasting in the monte of the Arroyo Grande near the Paso de los Loros (Sta. Elena), I heard a bird making some curious low crow-like notes close at hand. Peering through a thick growth of shrubs and creepers, I caught sight of something blue, and shot a female Urraca, which I did not at all expect to do, as I was assured the Urraca was not found in that part of the country. J never met with it again there, and it must Birds of Uruguay. 75 be quite rare. In the valley of the Rio Negro it is fairly common. The name Urraca was probably bestowed from its sounding like one of the bird’s notes. 35. Myrornergetes RU¥IveNTRIS. Chocolate Tyrant. An autumn visitor for the winter. I saw one as early as the 19th February, but it was not until the 5th March that they appeared in any great numbers ; after that date they were not uncommon in parties of a dozen or less. They bear a superficial resemblance to Fieldfares, haunting the open camp, especially ground sloping down toa cahada. They hop more than they run, and like to sit on a small ant-hill or other slight elevation, moving their rather long tails up and down; occasionally they will perch on the posts of the wire fences. The flight is swift and glancing on long pointed wings, the light brown on the secondaries being exposed in flight. 36. THNIOPTERA NENGETA. Pepoaza Tyrant. (Plate V. figs. 3, 4, eggs.) Irides reddish ‘orange or orange-red. Bull and legs black. This beautiful Tyrant was not uncommon, but with one exception I never remember seeing it anywhere except about an estancia or some other house where there were trees. The one exception was on 3rd December, when I saw a pair with young just out of the nest in some rather open monte by the Arroyo Grande, but even then the estancia of Sta. Adelaida was not more than half a mile away. We had three or four pairs breeding at Sta. Elena, and I noticed more than one pair at Sta. Ana and others at various places. On the journey down from the Rio Negro I observed it at a fonda just south of the Paso de Navarro, also at an estancia where we stayed a night, between there and Porongos, and at other places, but I did not see it on the north bank of the Rio Negro. On the 8th November I examined two nests in the quinta. One was built in the crown of a young Pinus insignis, about 10 feet from the ground, and was formed of fine twigs and roots, and lined with horse-hair. It contained one egg (beside three Toldo’s), of an elongated ovate shape, warmly tinted white, marked at the larger end with a few 176 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the large spots of lilac under-colour and umber surface-colour, the colour of the latter having the appearance of having “yun”? in the shell; there is also one spot towards the middle of the egg. The second nest was also ina P. insignis, about the same height from the ground, built against the trunk where a branch came out. The walls were of twigs and roots, and the nest was lined with hair and many white and light-coloured feathers. It contained one egg (and a broken Toldo’s), ovate, white marked with spots, rather more numerous, but smaller and darker and more clearly defined, than in the other egg, and some lilac under-marks. I almost wonder the Cow-birds ever “‘ got at” these nests, especially that of the first pair, one of which was generally mounting guard. This Tyrant loves to sit quietly on a conspicuous spot near the nest, such as a low tree-top or the stake ofa vine. It sits in an upright position, and I have seen it elevate the feathers of the occiput. They used also to sit on the quinta fence and search the adjoining potrero for the thick whitish brown-headed grub of the isoca beetle, 1 or 14 inches long. When disturbed it spreads its beautiful white-banded wings and sails with a swift glidig curve to a perch a short way off. They are very tame, and I often used to watch them from a few yards distance, the red eye being very conspicuous. I never heard the bird sing. Some of their aerial move- ments are very pretty. They throw themselves from the tree-top, and with buoyant dancing flight, wings upraised and legs dangling, go in a curve to another tree-top, or merely dance up in the air to descend to the same spot again. I do not know whether they are resident, but think not. They were at Sta. Elena when I arrived, but the last I re- member to have seen was on the 6th April, when I shot a male, *\ENIOPTERA DOMINICANA. Dominican Tyrant. One in the Museo de Historia Natural at Montevideo from Uruguay. 37. 'THNIOPTERA TRUPERO. Widow ‘Tyrant. Not at all uncommon, having a preference for estancia Birds of Uruguay. 17 houses with large quintas. A pair in Sta. Elena bred in an old Hornéro’s nest. The young were out of the nest on the 27th October, and I caught one in my hand early in the morning as it sat on a fence, evidently feeling the bitterly cold west wind, the thermometer having been only just above freezing-point at sun-up. *ALECTRURUS RISORIUS. Strange-tailed Tyrant. In the Museo de Historia Natural. 38. Sisopyeis IcreRoPHRYS. Yellow-browed Tyrant. A quiet bird, sometimes seen in the monte, with a single sweet note. I shot two at Sta. Elena, both females, one in the quinta on the 2nd November, the other by the Satice on the 3rd March. 39. CnrpoLecus cyanrrostRis. Blue-billed Tyrant. Trides reddish hazel; bill blue with black tip. I obtained two specimens in the monte of the Arroyo Grande at Sta. Elena in March. From what little I saw of it, it appeared to be a shy, retiring species, frequenting the thickest wood. ‘The food found in the crop and stomach consisted of remains of small insects. 40. Licnenops perspiciLuatus. Silver-billed Tyrant. Common, frequenting the bottoms along the sides of rivers and cafiadas, especially where there is thick paja. The females and young disappeared about the end of March or beginning of April, but some old males still remained at the end of May, and are probably resident. I never noticed the antipathy between the sexes mentioned by some writers, although all individuals of this species have a liking for a buffet at one another (or at other species) when they chance to come to close quarters on the wing, just as butterflies do in the air. The male has a rose of naked skin, primrose-yellow, round the eye, crimped, serrated, and wrinkled like the petals of a flower (indeed the eye and rose together look just like a flower) ; iris another shade of same colour, but rather greener ; bill pale primrose. The male loves to sit on the post of a fence, a twig of a low bush, or a big tuft of paja, 178 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the and suddenly to mount straight up into the air, and, as sud- denly, turn and come straight down to its perch again, a humming noise being produced. Often when flying along this bird’s wings make a curious whirring rattle. 41. Macurtornis r1xosa. Short-winged Tyrant. Common and resident, a familiar bird about estancia houses. <A pair bred mm an old nest of Anumbius acuti- caudatus, just in front of our livmg room, and they and others were often to be seen running about on the quartz sand of the inner and outer patios. The young were out of the nest (which appeared to have had some wool added) on the 28th October. The note is a shrill chattering, almost a song. 42, Centrires nigeR. Red-backed Tyrant. An autumnal visitor. I only met with it on three occasions (the first being on 20th April), frequenting the neighbour- hood of small cafadas. 43. Haprura Ppectoratis. Thin-tailed Tyrant. I only met with two of these birds, one on the 7th and the other on the 11th November, both males, and both in the same place, a belt of young plantation with undergrowth of gevass, thistle, and other plants, joining the barley chacra. 44, SERPOPHAGA SUBCRISTATA. Small-crested Tyrant. Not uncommon in quinta and parts of monte, where it flits about the bushes like a Willow Wren. On 9th November a pair were feeding brancher-young on the orange-trees in the quinta. 45, SerpopHaca Nicricans. Blackish Tyrant. Common ; always seen along rivers or caiadas, whether edged with monte or merely grown up with water-plants here and there. When watching a pair one day in spring, I observed the male raise his head and sing a burst of short trilling notes. The usual sound one hears from it, however, is a single plaintive note as it flits from one spot to another, rather after the fashion of a Phylloscopus, making its way along a bush-sheltered water-ditch on a cold spring day. Birds of Uruguay. 179 46. Cyanorts azArm®. Many-coloured Tyrant. This wonderfully-coloured little bird, known in Argentina. as “Siete colores,” is only an autumn visitor and rare. I only met with it twice. On the 9th March I found one flitting about the rushes and water-plants at the edge of the Sta. Ana Satice, and after a long time succeeded in shooting it, only to lose it in the thick herbage. The other, a male, I shot in a precisely similar locality on the Sta. Elena Satice ; in both cases the ground on the banks was inclined to be boggy. 47, ELAINEA ALBIcEPS. White-crested Tyrant. I met with this Tyrant only twice, in November and March, at Sta. Elena. I have seen it in the monte hawking at flies from a bush. 48. Piraneus BoLiviANus. Bien te veo Tyrant. Common and resident. Breeds early, for a pair the nest and young of which had been blown out of an ombt in the outer patio in a pampero were busy building again ina gum by the 25th October. A nest on the 22nd November in the small branches of a cifa-cifia was very big, long, and heavy, of an oblong shape, with a hole near the top of one side; it was built of sticks, roots, and a great deal of wool, lined with feathers of Tinamu, &c., and contained five eggs. From the amount of wool these birds use now, you wonder what they made their nests of before sheep were brought into the country. The Venteveo generally makes its nest in the small twigs on the outside of a tree or bush, and although, from its position, this bulky affair frequently suffers from high winds, yet when placed in a thorny tree it is generally quite safe from would-be human robbers. It is unnecessary to enter fully upon the habits of this well-known bird, but I may call attention to its good offices in eating the larva of the isoca beetle, so injurious to grass roots ; when searching for them I have seen it hovering over the ground like a Kestrel. 49. Mytozius n&vius. Little Brown Tyrant. Fairly common in the monte, where it sits on low bushes, 180 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the flying from one to another, or catching flies like a true Fly- catcher, with glancing flight. Also hawks insects from the orange-trees and wire fences in the quinta. Has a single, rather low, sweet note. 50. PyrocEPHALUS RUBINEUS. Scarlet Tyrant. A summer visitor and not uncommon on the edge of the monte and about quintas. The first of these brilliant little birds I saw was close to Montevideo on the 15th October. At Sta. Elena it appeared on the 24th, and next day I saw one in the quinta, where they usually breed. The last I saw was on the 6th April—a young male moulted into nearly adult dress—but the adults, I think, had disappeared quite early in March. The male is a pretty sight on a dazzling clear morning, against a background of sauce and tala, as it hovers and sails in the air with a dancing, waving flight, uttering its short, faint, sweet strain, “ ztereece, iterecee, iter- eee,’ over and over again. 51. Myrarcuvs rerox. Fierce Tyrant. 1 observed this bird on several occasions in the monte of the Rio Negro, but not elsewhere. It was usually sitting on a branch at some height from the ground at the edge of an open space or on the river-bank. 52. TyRANNUS MELANCHOLICUS. Melancholy Tyrant. Noticed first on the 17th November in the quinta, but not again until January, when I shot a female on the 24th, and a male on the 28th, in some thin monte by the Sauce. It is uncommon, but breeds, for on 6th February I shot an old and a young male just flown, from a family party in the Monzon monte. The alarm-note is a low, shrill, weak “ ¢z¢- tit-tit-tit-tit.’” It likes to sit on a tree-top and to sail thence to another with its very light buoyant flight. 53. Minvutus tyrannus. Scissor-tailed Tyrant. Summer visitor,and common. According to Mr. Burgess it had just arrived when I reached Sta. Elena on 19th October, and it was fairly common a day or two after. They are pugnacious, and on two meeting in the air they poise Birds of Uruguay. 181 themselves with tail spread to its widest extent, and utter a few stridulent and grating notes. When the male pursues its mate or an enemy with spread tail it sways or swaggers in its flight. In January I noticed them darting at some tame Caranchos in the quinta, actually striking the heads of the birds, which merely “ ducked ” in the attempt to avoid the onslaught. At sundown early in November I used to see them (once three in a row) sitting on a bare poplar singing. The song is exactly like the sound produced by winding up a powerful check winch, at first very slowly, click, click, click, click, click, then a little faster. The nest is rather deep, formed of roots, grass, and a very little wool, and lined with hair ; the eggs resemble those of the Venteveo in colour, but have more spots, and are much smaller of course. 54, PacHYyRHAMPHUS PoLYcHROPTERUS. White-winged Bécard. I saw a pair in the monte of the Rio Negro on the 12th December, and secured the male, but the female (which was a warm-brown coloured bird) flew into some very thick wood at the shot, and I could not find her again. 55. GuosITTA CUNICULARIA. Common Miner, Common, frequenting the barest ground and often seen in front of your horse’s feet on a road-track, yet seldom found far from some caiiada with steep banks or a zanja (a rift in the ground or a perpendicular bank where the earth has broken away) in the camp. In the faces of these banks it drives a long burrow for its nest. I have seen the mud walls of aruined unroofed rancho bored through and through with holes, possibly partly the work of this bird. The “ Minéra”’ has much the habit of our Wheatear, but has a rapid, rmging cry. 56. Furnarius rurus. Red Oven-bird. Very common, especially about houses. They build their nests in the most conspicuous spots, e. gy. the top of a fence- post, a very favourite position. Others are placed on the tops and sides (sloping at various angles) of the granite boulder rocks, others on the giant organ cactus formerly used for _ SER. VI.—VOL. VI. Q 182 Mr. O. V. Aplin on the hedges, branches of trees, vine trellis, houses, cross-bars of well-windlasses, and other worksof man. One actually built its nest on one of the arms of a tall white cross—about the most conspicuous place it could have found. I saw some nests being constructed in November, just after a little rain, but the seca soon put an end to the building operations. Fresh eggs were taken in the middle of the month. It is probable that many nests are built in autumn and winter. After heavy rain at the end of March, the birds begin to build. I noticed two on fence-posts, close together, on the 2nd April, another on the 7th, and several afterwards, all in course of construction. 57. CincLODES FuscUs. Brown Cinclodes. An autumn visitor, probably for the winter. The first IL shot was wading about in marshy ground and shallow water on the 8rd April. By the middle of the month they were fairly common. I never saw it far from a river or cafiada. 58, Puitq@ocrypres MELANOPS. Rush-loving Spine-tail. Not common. One of its mud-and-rush-formed nests, containing two eggs, was taken at the end of December, but I procured only one bird, though I saw others which I could not have recovered had I shot them. It is easily over- looked, as it never seems to leave the rushes or other cover, and I have never seen it except actually over water. 59. LuprastHENURA ZGITHALOIDES. ‘Tit-like Spine-tail. I used to see this little long-tailed bird twisting about among the branchlets of a tala in the monte or among the rocks, or in an acacia or other tree in the quinta, uttering a ~ series of sharp Tit-like notes; its habits and appearance (apart from its colour and elevated crest-feathers) are not unlike those of a Long-tailed Tit. 60. SYNALLAXIS sTRIATICERS. Striped Spine-tail. Met with occasionally in the monte, generally creeping about the branches. 61. SyNALLAxIS HUDSONI. Spine-tail, Isecured only one specimen of this bird (¢ , 3rd May, Sta. Birds of Uruguay. 183 Ana), but I believe I met with it on a good many occasions ; its habits, however, render it very difficult to shoot. It lives among tall paja grass, and runs rapidly, with tail slightly raised, among the hassocks, dodging out of sight in amoment. Little flights into the air, only a foot or so above the paja, are occasionally taken, apparently in pursuit of insects. When flushed it only flies a very short distance, and then drops into cover again. The one I shot, being only winged, gave me a long chase—100 yards at least,— dodging among the paja, and at length “went to ground ” in a thick tuft. It was five minutes before I could kick it out, when another short run ensued before I “ killed” ina small hassock. 62. ANUMBIUs AcuTICAUDATUS. Firewood-gatherer. Resident and common. With us the nest was usually in curupi bushes growing among the rocks ; this tree is without thorns, and has not many branchlets, besides which a part of nearly every bush I saw was dead *; another favourite position was one of the young poplars in the quinta. The note of the “ Hspinero ” is a chit chit cher-eeeeeeeee, the latter part rapid. 63. PHACELLODOMUS sTRIATICOLLIS. Red-winged Thorn- bird f. Common, frequenting especially parts of the rivers which have thin monte or only afew scattered bushes along the bank, but also found among bushes in the rocks. The nest is placed in the outer twigs, or a small fork of a tree or bush, in some cases overhanging the water. It is formed of thorny and other twigs, and is lined in some cases with long horse- hair and cow-hair, and in others with roots, a little hair, and a few Tinamu feathers. The nest, which lies in a sloping position, is like a wide-mouthed bottle, and consists of two chambers, an outer and an inner. One on 9th November had a delicate white egg, quite fresh, in the outer chamber ; * See Mr. Hudson’s remarks hereon in ‘Argentine Ornithology’ (i. p.190). t [This bird was unfortunately misnamed in Arg. Orn. (i. p. 194) and called P. ruber. See Cat, B. xv. p. 82.—P. L. 8.] ox 184. Mr. O. V. Aplin on the the bird sat in the doorway until I came within a few paces of it. The song is a succession of clear, sharp, shrill notes, falling in tone and quickening towards the close. 64. Homorvus Ltorpuores. Brown Cachalote. I found this fine bird in several places in the monte of the Arroyo Grande, and also on a few occasions in the quinta at Sta. Hlena, which is a long way from any river-monte ; but it was far from common. The first I shot (a female) flew up from the ground and uttered harsh Jay-like cries of alarm as it flitted and climbed about a tala bush—its crest elevated. The iris is straw-yellow, bill blue-grey. On the 29th January I watched a pair about their nest in one of the avenues of big Eucalyptus globulus trees at Sta. Adelaida. The female went on to the nest, and the male remained outside preening his feathers. The nest was about 30 feet up, on a few horizontal shoots from the trunk. It was built of rather big sticks and was quite large, about 30 x 18 inches, shaped like a pear flattened at the sides and lying on one side, the entrance-hole being underneath near the neck or small end. The note of this bird is a very hard harsh scream, loud, beginning high, many times repeated, and becoming lower and deeper in tone and quicker in delivery. The male bird at the nest mentioned above afterwards flew to some fruit- trees, where he crept about with the quick jerky movements of a Woodpecker. I have observed these birds at the picado through the Arroyo Grande leading from Sta. Elena to Sta. Adelaida, and at various other places in the monte. Ishota fine male on the 23rd April. 65. PrcoLarTes ANGUSTIROSTRIS. Narrow-billed Wood- hewer. I met with this species only once, viz. on the 16th Decem- ber, in the monte of the Rio Negro, when I shot one in a low thorny tree. It was by far the most active climbing bird I ever saw, and, being only winged, it escaped my grasp and ran twice to the top of the tree after being shaken down before I could secure it. Birds of Uruguay. 185 66. THAMNOPHILUS CHRULESCENS. Slaty-blue Bush-bird. Met with once (a male) in the monte of the Arroyo Grande at Sta. Elena on the 16th March. *THAMNOPHILUS RUFICAPILLUS. Red-capped Bush-bird. One from Uruguay in the Museo de Historia Natural. *CALLIPERIDIA FURCIFERA. Angela Humming-bird. One from Uruguay in the Museo de Historia Natural. 67. CHLOROSTILBON sPLENDIDUS. Glittering Humming- bird. In consequence probably of the seca, and the scarcity of flowers, Humming-birds were said to be unusually few. Yet there was a pair about most houses boasting any garden and trees ; at Sta. Elena I think we had two pairs at the house, and another about some young gums in a belt of new planta- tion where there was a large patch of a plant of the Borage order with blue and red flowers—known as the flor morada. The first I saw was on 80th October. Onthe 10th November, just as I was finishing dressing at 6.45 a.m., one came and hovered outside my window, probably in search of insects. Going out into the quinta a few minutes after, I found two or three about the orange-blossoms. Although the sun was bright, the air was very cold, only 31° at sun-up, and 51° at 7.15 am. Next morning, while we were having our early tea, another came to the window. I used to watch the birds over the flor morada patch ; they settled sometimes on the wires of the fence or the twig of a young gum; on these occasions I sometimes heard a shrill, weak, twitterimg note. A male shot had the crop and stomach full of remains of small insects, some having quite hard cases. On the Rio Negro I observed this species several times: they are there always attracted by the sprays of large dark Indian-red flowers of the ceiba (Hrythrina). One pair has bred for some years in a paja-thatched summer-house at Sta. Elena. For the last three years they have repaired the old nest, which, when I saw it, was ab