H~LT /; ,* A 3 THE tf'O' ■> § " IBIS, QUARTERLY JOURNAL OE ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, D.Sc., F.R.S., AND A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S. VOL. III. 1909. NINTH SERIES. Delectasti me, Domine, in operibus manuum tuarum. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 19G9. 4/8RARV PRINTED BY TAHOE AND ERANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. PREFACE. P> The Two-hundred-and-fourth Number of 4 The Ibis 5 concludes the Fifty-first Volume of our Journal. A s will be seen by its contents, contributions have by no means failed us, either in quantity or, we believe, in quality. Lieut. Whitehead has shown us that there is still something to be done in British India, especially on its northern confines, which he and Major Magrath have so successfully explored. Mr. Bucknill proves to us that even the Island of Cyprus is not yet thoroughly explored. Africa is evidently still unexhausted, as the discovery of the remarkable novelty described by Mr. Bothschild in the present volume amply testifies. We are also strongly supported in Africa by Mr. Bates in Kamerun and Mr. Nicoll in Egypt, besides other old friends. We have, in fact, excellent assistance in every part of the world as regards Geographical Ornithology. But on the Pterylography and Anatomy of Birds, without an accurate knowledge of which our 4 Systema Avium’ must ever remain imperfect, we have still few workers to assist us, and we could wish that some of our younger brethren would take up these comparatively neglected branches of our beloved Science. The Editors, while truly thankful to all the Contributors to 4 The Ibis,’ trust that they may receive a greater a 2 IV number of communications on these special subjects, on which our knowledge is still sadly deficient. We have called attention to this matter before, but it is of such importance that we do not hesitate to repeat our remarks. P. L. S. A. H. E. } 3 Hanover Square, London, W., October 1st, 1909. LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 1909. [An asterisk indicates an Original Member. It is particularly requested that Members should give notice to the Secretary of the Union, 3 Hanover Square, London, W., of any error in their addresses or descriptions in this List, in order that it may be corrected.] Date of Election. 1896. Alexander, Boyd, F.Z.S. (late Rifle Brigade) ; Wilsley, Cranbrook, Kent. 1888. Aplin, Oliver Vernon ; Stonehill House, Bloxham, Oxon. 1896. Archibald, Charles F. ; 2 Darnley Road, West Park, Leeds. 1896. Arrigoni degli Oddi, Count Ettore, Professor of Zoology, University, Padua ; and Ca’ oddo, Monselice, Padua, Italy. 5 1901. Arundel, Major Walter B., F.Z.S. ; High Ackworth, Ponte¬ fract. 1901. Ashby, Herbert ; Oakwood Lodge, Chandler’s Ford, near Southampton. 1908. Ashworth, Dr. John Wallwork, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.R.G.S., F.Gr.S. ; Thorne Bank, Heaton Moor, near Stockport. 1897. Astley, Hubert Delaval, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Benham Park, Newbury, Berks. 1885. Backhouse, James, F.Z.S. ; Daleside, Scarborough, Yorks, io 1904. Bahr, Philip Heinrich, M.A., M.B., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.Z.S. ; Perrysfield House, Oxted, Surrey. 1901. Bailward, Col. Arthur Churchill, F.Z.S. (R.F.A.) ; 64 Victoria Street, S.W. 1892. Baker, E. C. Stuart, F.Z.S. ; care of Messrs. H. S. King & Co., 65 Cornhill, E.C. ; and Shillong, Assam, India. 1901. Baker, John C., M.B., B.A. ; Ceely House, Aylesbury, Bucks. 1908. Ball, Crispin Alfred (Sudan Civil Service) ; Gfeteina, White Nile Province, Sudan. 15 1889. Balston, Richard James, F.Z.S.; Springfield, Maidstone. 1906. Bannerman, David A.; 11 Washington House, Basil Street, S.W. VI Date of Election. 1890. Barclay, Francis Hubert, F.Z.S. ; The Warren, Cromer, Norfolk. 1885. Barclay, Hugh Gurney, F.Z.S. ; Colney Hall, Norwich. 1889. Barrett-Hamilton, Major Gerald E. H., F.Z.S., 5th Boyal Irish Rifles ; Kilmanock, Campile, Ireland. 20 1881. Barrington, Richard Manliffe, LL.D. ; Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow. 1903. Bartels, Max. ; Pasir Hatar, Halte Tjisaat (Preanger), Java, Dutch East Indies. 1906. Bates, George L., C.M.Z.S. ; Kribi, Kamerun, West Africa. 1908. Beaumont, Walter Ibbotson, F.Z.S. ; 1 Osborne Place, Plymouth. 1902. Becher, Harry, C.E. ; Beechwood Cottage, Burnham-on- Crouch. 25 1897. Benson, John; The Post Office, Vancouver, B.C. 1897. Berry, William, B.A., LL.B. ; Tayfield, Newport, Fifeshire. 1907. Bethell, The Hon. Richard ; 30 Hill Street, Mayfair, W. 1907. Bickerton, William, F.Z.S. ; The Hawthorns, Marlborough Road, Watford, Herts. 1880. Bidwell, Edward ; 1 Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street, E.C. 30 1892. Bird, The Rev. Maurice C. H., M.A. ; Brunstead Rectory, Stalham, S.O., Norfolk. 1891. Blaauw, Frans Ernst, C.M.Z.S. ; Gooilust, ’sGraveland, Hilversum, Noord-Holland. 1903. Blathwayt, The Rev. Francis Linley, M.A. ; 1 Stone- field Avenue, Lincoln. 1897. Bonar, The Rev. Horatius Ninian, F.Z.S. ; Saltoun, Pen- caitland, N.B. 1905. Bone, Henry Peters, F.Z.S. ; 28 Adelaide Crescent, Brighton. 35 1894. Bonhote, John Lewis, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Gade Spring, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. (Secretary Treasurer.) 1906. Boorman, Staines; Heath Farm, Send, Woking, Surrey. 1898. Booth, George Albert ; 6 North Road, Preston ; and Fern Hill, Grange-over-Sands, Lancs. 1904. Booth, Harry B. ; Ryhill, Ben Rhydding, via Leeds, Yorks. 1907. Boraston, John Maclair ; Ingleside, Stretford, near Man¬ chester. 40 1908. Borrer, Clifford Dalison ; 6 Durham Place, Chelsea, S.W. 1895. Bradford, John Rose, M.D., D.Sc., F.R.S., F.Z.S ; 8 Man¬ chester Square, W. Vll Date of Election. 1902. Bridgeman, Lieut. The Hon. Bichard 0. B., B.N. ; Weston Park, Shifnal, Salop ; and H.M.S. 4 Bramble/ China Station. 1909. Briggs, Thomas Henry, M.A., E.E.S. ; Bock House, Lynmouth, B.S.O., N. Devon. 1902. Bristowe, Bertram Arthur ; The Cottage, Stoke D’Abernon, Surrey. 45 1885. Brocrholes, William Eitzherbert ; Claughton-on-Brock, Garstang, Lancashire. 1908. Brook, Edward Jonas; Hoddam Castle, Ecclefechan, N.B. 1890. Brooke, Harry Brinsley; 33 Egerton Gardens, S.W. 1899, Brooke, John Arthur, J.P. ; Eenay Hall, Huddersfield ; and Eearn Lodge, Ardgay, Boss-shire. 1900. Bruce, William Speirs, LL.D., E.B.S.E. ; Scottish Oceano¬ graphical Laboratory, Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh. 50 1907. Buckley, Charles Mars ; 4 Hans Crescent, S.W. 1906. Bucknill, The Hon. John- Alexander Strachey, M.A., E.Z.S. ; Nicosia, Cyprus ; and Hylands House, Epsom, Surrey. 1895. Bulgaria, H.M. Eerdinand, Tsar of, E.Z.S. ; The Palace, Sofia, Bulgaria. 1908. Buntard, Percy Erederick, F.Z.S. ; 57 Kidderminster Boad, Croydon, Surrey. 1907. Butler, Arthur Gardiner, Ph.D., E.L.S., E.Z.S. ; 124 Beck¬ enham Boad, Beckenham, Kent. 55 1899. Butler, Arthur Lennox, E.Z.S.; Supt.of Game Preservation, Sudan Government, Khartum, Sudan. 1884. Butler, Lieut.-Col. E. A. ; Winsford Hall, Stokesby, Great Yarmouth. 1896. Butterfield, W. C. J. Buskin ; Curator of the Corporation Museum, Brassey Institute, Hastings. 1900. Buttress, Bernard A. E. ; Craft Hill, Dry Drayton, Cambridge. 1905. Buxton, Anthony ; Knighton, Buckhurst Hill, Essex. 60 1884. Buxton, Geoffrey Eowell, E.Z.S. ; Dunston Hall, Norwich. 1896. Cade, Francis J. ; Mosborough, The Park, Cheltenham. 1889. Cameron, Ewen Somerled, E.Z.S. ; Eallon, Montana, U.S.A. 1896. Cameron, Capt. James S.; 2nd Bn. Boyal Sussex Begt., Malta; and Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent. Yin Date of Election. 1888. Cameroe-, John Dijncan ; Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent. 65 1892. Campbell, Charles William, C.M.G., C.M.Z.S., H.B.M. Chinese Consular Service ; British Legation, Peking, China. 1909. Campbell, David Callender, J.P. ; Templemore Park, Londonderry, Ireland. 1906. Campbell, The Hon. Ian Malcolm ; Cawdor Castle, Nairn, N.B. 1909. Carroll, Clement Joseph ; Bocklow, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. 1908. Carter, Thomas ; Wensleydale, Broome Hill (Great Southern Bailway), West Australia. 70 1890. Cave, Charles John Philip, M.A., F.Z.S.; Ditcham Park, Petersfield, Hants. 1894. Chance, A. Macomb, M.A. ; 9 Hermitage Boad, Edgbaston, Birmingham. 1884. Chapman, Abel, F.Z.S. ; Houxty, Wark-on-Tyne. 1907. Chapman, Edward Henry ; 3 Hare Court, Temple, E.C. 1882. Chase, Bobert William ; Pool Hall, Wishaw, near Bir¬ mingham. 73 1908. Cheesman, Bobert E. ; Tilsden, Cranbrook. 1897. Cholmley, Alfred John, F.Z.S.; c/o Mr. B. H. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. 1904. Clarke, Capt. Goland van Holt, D.S.O., F.Z.S., 18th Hussars ; Brook House, Hayward’s Heath, Sussex. 1889. Clarke, Lt.-Col. Stephenson Bobert, F.Z.S. ; Borde Hill, Cuckfield, Sussex. 1880. Clarke, William Eaole, F.L.S. ; Boyal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. 80 ISO 1. Cochrane, Commr. Henry Lake, B.N. ; 30 Drayton Gardens, S.W. 1898. Cocks, Alfred Heneage, M.A., F.Z.S.; Poynetts, Skirmett, near Henley-on-Thames. 1895. Coles, Bichard Edward; Ashley Arnewood, New Milton, S.O., Hants. 1904. Collier, Charles, F.Z.S. ; Clieveden House, 21 Eaton Terrace, S.W. 1909. Congreve, Lieut. William Maitland, B.G.A. ; B. A. Mess, Pembroke Dock ; and Breinton House, Hereford. IX Date of Election. 85 1888. Cordeaux, Major William Wtlfrid, (late 21st Lancers), Hopebourne, Harbledown, Canterbury. 1896. Cowie, Lt.-Col. Alexander Hugh, E.E., F.Z.S. ; Aldershot ; and c/o H. Ward, Esq., Yeatton, Lymington, Hants. 1894. Crewe, Sir Vauncey Harpur, Bt. ; Calke Abbey, Derby. 1898. Crossman, Alan E., F.Z.S. ; Cumminin Station, near Dood- lakine, Western Australia. 1903. Crowley, John Cyril, M.A. ; 5 Beech House Boad, Croydon . 90 1898. Crowley, Beginald Alwyn ; Highfield, Alton, Hants; and 22 High Street, Croydon. 1899. Curtis, Frederick, F.B.C.S. ; I.yndens, Bedhill, Surrey. 1877. Dalgleish, John J. ; Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Alloa, N.B. 1898. Dalrymple, Capt. John James, Viscount, M.P. (2nd Bn. Scots Guards) ; Lochinch, Castle Kennedy, Wigtonshire. 1896. Danford, Capt. Bertram W. Y., B.E. ; Bermuda. 95 1897. Darnley, Iyo Francis Walton, Earl; Cobham Hall, Gravesend ; and Clifton Lodge, Athboy, Co. Meath. 1883. Davidson, James, F.Z.S. ; 32 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edin¬ burgh. 1908. Davies, Claude G. ; ‘ D’ Squadron, Cape Mounted Biflemen, Bizana, E. Pondoland, South Africa. 1905. Davis, Kenneth James Acton ; Julian Hill, Harrow ; and King’s College, Cambridge. 1909. Delme-Badcliffe, Capt. Alfred (105th Maratha Light Infantry) ; Satara, Deccan, India ; and c/o Messrs. Cox & Co., 16 Charing Cross, S.W. 100 1902. Dent, Charles Henry ; c/o Messrs. Bolitho & Co. Ltd., Penzance, Cornwall. 1891. De Vis, Charles W. ; Queensland Museum, Brisbane ; and care of Mr. B. Quaritch, 11 Grafton Street, W. 1893. De Winton, William Edward, F.Z.S. : Graftonbury, Hereford; and Orielton, Pembroke. 1896. Dobbie, James Bell, F.B.S.E., F.Z.S. ; 9 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh. 1889. Dobie, William Henry, M.B.C.S. ; 2 Hunter Street, Chester. 105 1904. Dorrien-Smith, Thomas Algernon, J.P.,D.L.; Tresco Abbey, Scilly Isles. X Date of Election. 1904. Drake-Brockman, Dr. Ralph Evelyn, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.Z.S. ; Cheriton, Wellington Road, Bournemouth. 1865. Dresser, Henry Eeles, F.L.S., E.Z.S. ; 44 Hornton Court, Kensington, W. 1896. Drewitt, Erederic Dawtrey, M.A., M.D., F.Z.S. ; 14 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, W. 1890. Drummond-Hay, Col. James A. G. R.- (Coldstream Guards); Seggieden, by Perth, N.B. n° 1904. Duckworth, George Herbert ; 35 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, W. 1878. Durnford, W. Arthur, J.P. ; Elsecar, Barnsley. 1896. Duthie, Lt.-Col. W. H. M. ; 70 Kensington Park Road, W. 1905. Dutton, The Hon. and Rev. Canon Frederick George; Bibury, Eairford. 1903. Earle, Edward Vavasour ; Franks Hall, Farningham, Kent. 1 15 1895. Elliot, Edmund A. S., M.R.C.S. ; Woodville, Kingsbridge, South Devon. 1884. Elliott, Algernon, C.I.E. ; 16 Belsize Grove, Hamp¬ stead, N.W. 1902. Ellison, The Rev. Allan, M.A. ; Ardoyne House, Watton, Hertford. 1904. Elton, Henry Brown, B.A., B.C., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. ; Rowford Lodge, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset. 1866. Elwes, Henry John, F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; Colesborne, Cheltenham. 120 1879. Evans, Arthur Humble, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 9 Harvey Road, Cam¬ bridge. ( Joint Editor .) 1888. Evans, William, F.R.S.E. ; 38 Morningside Park, Edin¬ burgh. 1905. Ewen, Guy L’Estrange (King’s Messenger); St. James’s Club, Piccadilly, W. 1892. Fairbridge, William George; 141 Long Market Street, Capetown, South Africa. 1909. Fanshawe, Capt. Richard D. (late Scots Guards) ; Admiralty House, Portsmouth ; and Army & Navy Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 1 25 1894. Farquhar, Rear-Admiral Arthur Murray, C.V.O. ; Granville Lodge, Aboyne, N.B. 1898. Farquhar, Capt. Stuart St. J., R.N. ; Naval & Military Club, Piccadilly, W. XI Date of Election. 1873. Feilden, Col. Henry Wemyss, C.B., C.M.Z.S. ; Burwash, Sussex; and Junior United Service Club, S.W. 1901. Finlinson, Horace W., F.Z.S. ; 5 Bosamond Boad, Bedford. 1892. Finn, Frank, B. A., F.Z.S. ; 35 St. George’s Boad, Begent’s Park, N.W. 130 1902. Flower, Capt. Stanley Smyth, F.Z.S. ; Kedah House, Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. 1884. Forbes, Henry Ogg, LL.D., F.Z.S. ; Free Public Museums, Liverpool. 1903. Foster, Kevin Harkness ; Hillsborough, Co. Down, Ireland. 1880. Foster, William: ; 39 Colville Gardens, Bayswater, W. 1887. Fowler, William Warde, M.A. ; Lincoln College, Oxford. 135 1865. Fox, The Bev. Henry Elliott, M.A. ; The Croft, Lytton Grove, Putney Hill, S.W. 1881. Freke, Percy Evans; Southpoint, Limes Boad, Folkestone. 1895. Frohawk, Frederick William ; Ashmount, Bayleigh, Essex. 1909. Frost, William Edward, J.P. ; Ardvreck, Crieff, Perthshire. 1881. Gadow, Hans, Ph.D., F.B.S., F.Z.S.; University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. 140 1886. Gainsborough, Charles William Francis, Earl of; Exton Park, Oakham. 1907. Gandolei, Alfonso Otho Gandolei-Hornyold, Duke, Ph.D. ; Blackmore Park, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire. 1900. Garnett, Charles ; 9 Cleveland Gardens, Hyde Park, W. ; and New University Club, St. James’s Street, S.W. 1892. Gerrard, John, Government Inspector of Mines ; Worsley, near Manchester. 1902. Gibbins, William Bevington, F.Z.S. ; Ettington, Stratford- on-Avon. J45 1879. Gibson, Ernest, F.Z.S. ; c/o Messrs. Fraser, Stodart & Ballingall, 16 Castle Street, Edinburgh. 1902. Gillett, Frederick, F.Z.S.; 28 Beaufort Gardens, S.W. ; and Junior Carlton Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 1902. Gillman, Arthur Biley, F.Z.S. ; 5 Fellows Boad, Hamp¬ stead, N.W. ; and 3 Southampton Street, High Holborn, W.C. 1904. Gilroy, Norman; 95 Claremont Boad, Forest Gate, E. ; and Seaford, Sussex. 1903. Gladstone, Hugh Steuart, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Capenoch, Thorn¬ hill, Dumfriesshire. Xll Date of Election. 150 1908. Godman, Capt. Edward Shirley (2nd Dorset Regiment) ; Muntham, Horsham. * 1858. Godman, Frederick DuCane, D.C.L., E.R.S., F.Z.S.; 45 Pont Street, S.W. ( President .) ( Gold Medallist.) * 1858. Godman, Percy Sanden, B.A., C.M.Z.S. ; Muntham, Horsham. {Gold Medallist.) 1906. Goodall, Jeremiah Matthews, E.Z.S. ; 52 Oxford Gardens, North Kensington, W. 1901. Goodchild, Herbert; 66 Gloucester Road, Regent’s Park, N.W. 155 1900. Goodfellow, Walter, F.Z.S. ; Montrose, New Park Road, West Southbourne, Hants. 1905. Goodyer, Leonard Ernest ; 1906. Gordon, Seton Paul, F.Z.S. ; Auchintoul, Aboyne, N.B. 1899. Gould, Frank Herbert Carruthers, F.Z.S.; Matham Manor House, East Molesey, Surrey. 1895. Grabham, Oxley, M.A. ; The Museum, York. i6o 1909. Grant, Claud Henry Baxter, F.Z.S.; 30 Wimbledon Park Road, West Hill, S.W. 1909. Grey, The Rt. Hon. Sir Edward, Bt., P.C., M.P., F.Z.S. ; Falloden, Christon Bank, R.S.O., Northumberland. 1906. Griffith, Arthur Foster ; 59 Montpellier Road, Brighton. 1885. Guillemard, Francis Henry Hill, M.A., M.D., F.Z.S. ; Old Mill House, Trumpington, Cambridge. 1876. Gunther, Albert C. L. G., M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S.; 2 Lichfield Road, Kew Gardens, S.W. 165 1908. Gurney, Gerard Hudson, F.Z.S., F.E.S. ; Keswick Hall, Norwich. 1870. Gurney, John Henry, F.Z.S.; Keswick Hall, Norwich ; and Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 1896. Gurney, Robert ; Ingham Old Hall, Stalham, Norfolk. 1890. Gw atkin, Joshua Reynolds Gascoign ; The Manor House, Potterne, Devizes. 1891. Haigh, George Henry Caton ; Grainsby Hall, Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire. 170 1887. Haines, John Pleydell Wilton ; 17 King Street, Gloucester. 1898. Hale, The Rev. James Rashleigh, M.A. ; Boxley Vicarage, Maidstone, Kent. 1905. Hamerton, Capt. Albert Edward, D.S.O., R.A.M.C., F.Z.S. ; c/o Messrs. Holt & Co., 3 Whitehall Place, S.W. Xlll Date of Election. 1904. Harington, Major Herbert Hastings ; 92nd Punjabis, Bhamo, Upper Burma ; and c/o Messrs. Thos. Cook & Sons, Ludgate Circus, E.C. 1900. Harper, Edmund William, E.Z.S. ; 6 Ashburnham Boad, Bedford. 175 1900. Harris, Henry Edward; 2 St. Aubyn’s Mansions, Hove, Brighton . 1893. Hartert, Ernst J. 0., Ph.D., E.Z.S. ; The Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. 1868. Halting, James Edmund, E.L.S., E.Z.S. ; Edgewood, Wey- bridge, Surrey. 1893. Hartmann, William ; Milburn, Esher, Surrey. 1899. Harvey, Capt. Robert Napier, R.E. ; Stanhope Lines, Aldershot. 180 1873. Harvie-Brown, John A., E.B.S.E., E.Z.S.; Dunipace House, Larbert, Stirlingshire, N.B. 1900. Hasluck, Percy Pedley Harford ; The Wilderness, South- gate, N. 1902. Hatfeild, John Randall ; Edlington Hall, Horncastle, Lincolnshire. 1898. Hawker, Richard Macdonnell, E.Z.S. ; Bath Club, Dover Street, W. ; and c/o Messrs. Dalgety & Co., 96 Bishopsgate Street Within, E.C. 1905. Hawkshaw, John Clarke, M.A., M.I.C.E., E.Z.S., E.G.S. ; Holly combe, Liphook, Hants ; and 33 Great George Street, Westminster, S.W. 185 1905. Headley, Erederick Webb, M.A., E.Z.S. ; Haileybury College, Herts. 1907. Hedges, George Mitchell ; 42 Kensington Park Gardens, W. 1905. Hellmayr, Carl E. ; Wittelsbacherstrasse 2 III., Munich, Germany. 1902. Hett, Geoffrey Seccombe, E.Z.S. ; 16 Palace Gardens Mansions, The Mall, Kensington, W. 1899. Heywood, Richard, E.Z.S. ; Narside, Narborough, Swaffham, Norfolk. 190 1900. Hills, John Waller, M.P. ; Queen Anne’s Mansions, West¬ minster, S.W. ; and Highhead Castle, Carlisle. 1884. Holds worth, Charles James, J.P. ; Eernhill, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. 1877. Holdsworth, Edmund William Hunt, E.Z.S. ; South Town, Dartmouth, Devon. XIV Date of Election. 1905. Hopkinson, Emilius, M.B., D.S.O., F.Z.S. ; 45 Sussex Square, Brighton ; and Medical Officer, Gambia, "West Africa. 1904. Horsbrugh, Major Bom Bobert, F.Z.S. (Army Service Corps) ; The Vicarage, Alkham, near Dover. 195 1888. Horsfield, Herbert Knight ; Crescent Hill, Filey, Yorks. 1895. Howard, Henry Eliot, F.Z.S. ; Clarelands, near Stourport. 1881. Howard, Robert James; Shearbank, Blackburn, Lancashire. 1869. Heme, Allan Octavian, C.B., C.S.I., F.Z.S. ; The Chalet, 4 Kingswood Road, Upper Norwood, S.E. 1890. Hunter, Henry Charles Vicars, F.Z.S. ; Abermarlais Park, Llangadook, Carmarthenshire. 200 1901. Ingram, Collingwood ; The Bungalow, Westgate-on-Sea. 1902. Innes Bey, Dr. Walter Francis; Curator of the Zoological Museum, School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt. 1888. Jackson, Frederick John, C.B., C.M.G., F.Z.S., F.L.S. ; Uganda, British East Africa ; and The Red House, A1 deburgh, Suffolk. 1892. James, Henry Ashworth, F.Z.S. ; Hurstmonceux Place, Hailsham, Sussex. 1896. Jesse, William, F.Z.S. ; Meerut College, Meerut, India. 205 1889. Johnson, Frederick Ponsonby, B. A., J.P., D.L. ; Castlesteads, Brampton, Cumberland. 1891. Johnston, Sir Harry Hamilton, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., F.Z.S. ; St. John’s Priory, Poling, near Arundel, Sussex. 1905. Johnstone, Edwin James, F.Z.S. ; Burrswood, Groombridge, Sussex; and Junior Carlton Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 1900. Jones, Major Henry, F.Z.S. (late 62nd Regt.) ; East Wickham House, Welling, Kent. 1909. Jones, Staff-Surgeon Kenneth Hhrlstone, M.B., Ch.B., R.N. ; Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth. 210 1899. Jourdain, The Rev. Francis Charles Robert, M.A. ; Clifton Vicarage, near Ashburne, Derbyshire. 1902. Joy, Norman Humbert, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. ; Thurlestone, Bradfield, near Reading. 1908. Keep, Ralph S., F.R.H.S. ; Oakhill, East Budleigh, Devon. 1880. Kelham, Br.-Genl. Henry Robert, C.B. (late Highland Light Infantry); Well Hall, Hamilton, N.B. 1894. Kelsall, Major Harry Joseph, R.A. ; Golden Hill, Fresh¬ water, Isle of Wight. XY Date of Election. 215 1897. Kelsall, The Rev. John Edward, M.A. ; Milton Rectory, New Milton, Hants. 1904. Kelso, John Edward Harry, M.H. ; San Remo, 12 Festing Road, Southsea, Hants. 1891. Kerr, John Graham, E.Z.S., Regius Professor of Zoology, 9 The University, Glasgow. 1895. Kingsford, William Edward ; Cairo, Egypt. 1902. Kinnear, Norman Boyd; Bombay Natural History Society, 6 Apollo Street, Bombay, India. 220 1882. Knttbley, The Rev. Edward Ponsonby, M.A.; Steeple Ashton Vicarage, Trowbridge, Wilts. 1900. Koenig, Dr. Alexander Eerdinand ; Coblenzer-Strasse 164, Bonn, Germany. 1906. Kollibay, Paul; Ring 12 1, Neisse, Germany. 1892. Laidlaw, Thomas Geddes ; Bank of Scotland, Perth. 1884. Langton, Herbert ; 11 Marlborough Place, Brighton. 225 188L Lascelles, The Hon. Gerald William, E.Z.S. ; The King’s House, Lvndhurst. 1892. La Touche, John David Digues, C.M.Z.S. ; c/o Custom House, Chinkiang, China ( via Siberia). 1898. Learoyd, A. Ernest; Brandsby Hall, Easingwold, Yorks. 1905. Legge, The Hon. Gerald ; c/o Messrs. Hoare, 37 Fleet Street, E.C. 1905. Leigh, Henry Boughton ; Brownsover Hall, Rugby. 230 1906. Leigh, John Hamilton, F.Z.S. ; Matcham’s Park, Ringwood, Hants. 1898. Le Souef, Dudley, C.M.Z.S. ; Director of the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 1868. Le Strange, Hamon, F.Z.S. ; Hunstanton Hall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. 1903. Lethbridge, Ambrose Yarburgh ; Guards’ Club, Pall Mall, S.W. 1889. Leyland, Christopher John, F.Z.S. ; Haggerston Castle, Beal, Northumberland. 235 1897. Lilford, John, Lord, F.Z.S.; Lilford Hall, Oundle, North ants. 1909. Lings, George Herbert ; Barciecroft, Burnage, Didsbury, Manchester. 1897. Lodge, George Edward, F.Z.S. ; The Studios, 5 Thurloe Square, S.W. XVI Date of Election. 1908. Long, Sydney Herbert, M.D. ; 37 St. Giles Street, Norwich. 1905. Lovat, Lt.-Col. Simon Joseph, Lord, C.B,, K.C.V.O., D.S.O., F.Z.S. ; Beaufort Castle, Beauly, Inverness-shire. 240 1904. Lowe, Dr. Percy B. ; c/o Sir Frederic Johnstone, Bt., The Hatch, Windsor. 1889. Loyd, Lt.-Col. Arthur Purvis, F.Z.S. (late 21st Hussars) ; Hurst Lodge, Sunningdale, Berks. 1902. Lucas, Auberon Thomas, Lord, F.Z.S. ; 7 Cleveland Bow, St. James’s, S.W. 1877. Lumsden, James, F.Z.S. ; Arden House, Arden, Dumbarton¬ shire, N.B. 1908. Lyell, Charles Henry, M.P. ; 48 Eaton Place, S.W. 245 1904. Lynes, Commander Hubert, B.N. ; H.M.S. 4 Excellent,’ Portsmouth. 1900. McConnell, Frederick Vavasour ; 37 Cranlev Gardens, South Kensington, S.W. 1905. McGregor, Peter James Colquhoun ; British Agency, Sofia, Bulgaria. 1897. McLean, John Chambers ; Te Karaka, Gisborne, New Zealand. 1899. Macmillan, George Augustin, F.Z.S. ; 27 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. 250 1906. Macmillan, William Edward Frank ; 27 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. 1909. Macnaghten, Norman Donnelly ; Ministry of the Interior, Cairo, Egypt. 1894. Macpherson, Arthur Holte, F.Z.S. ; 54 Cleveland Square, Hyde Park, W. 1906. Magrath, Major Henry Augustus Frederick; 51st Sikhs Frontier Force, Bannu, N.W.P., India; and c/o Messrs. H. S. King & Co., 9 Pall Mall, S.W. 1907. Mann, Thomas Hugh, F.Z.S. ; Trulls Hatch, Botherfield, Sussex. 255 1908. Maples, Stuart ; Lytton House, Stevenage, Herts. 1904. Mapleton, Harvey William, B.A. ; Bracknell Cottage, Hartley Wintney, Winchfield, Hants ; and Badgworth Bectory, Axbridge, Somerset. 1894. Marshall, Archibald McLean, F.Z.S.; Crogen, Corwen, N. Wales. XVII Date of Election. 1894. Marshall, James McLean, F.Z.S.: Bleaton Hallet, Blair¬ gowrie, N.B. 1897. Mason, Col. Edward Snow ; 20 Minster Yard, Lincoln. 260 1898. Massey, Herbert; Ivy Lea, Burnage, Didsbury, Manchester. 1907. Mathews, Gregory Macalister, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; Langley Mount, Watford, Herts. 1908. Mathews, Richard Owen ; Langley Mount, Watford. 1896. Maxwell, The lit. Hon. Sir Herbert Eustace, Bt., P.C., F.R.S. ; Monreith, Whauphill, Wigtownshire, N.B. 1883. Meade-Waldo, Edmund Gustavus Bloomeield, F.Z.S. ; Stonewall Park, Edenbridge, Kent. 265 1899. Meinertzhagen, Capt. Richard, F.Z.S.; Brookwood Park, Alresford, Hants. 1886. Millais, John Guille, F.Z.S. ; Compton’s Brow, Horsham. 1903. Mills, The Rev. Henry Holroyd, F.Z.S.; The Rectory. St. Stephen-in-Brannel, Grampound Road, Cornwall. 1879. Mitchell, Frederick Shaw ; Hornshaws, Millstream. Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 1901. Mitchell, P. Chalmers, M.A., H.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S. : Secretary to the Zoological Society of London, 3 Hanover Square, W. 2 y o 1904. Mitchell- Carruthers, Alexander Douglas ; Little Munden Rectory, Ware, Herts. 1908. Momber, A. R. ; La Junia, San Remo, Italy; and 28 Elm Park Road, S.W. 1898. Monro, Horace Cecil, C.B. ; Queen Anne’s Mansions, Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W. 1900. Montagu, The Hon. Edwin Samuel, M.P. ; 12 Kensington Palace Gardens, W. 1906. Moore, Major Cyril H. ; District Pay Office, Gibraltar. 275 1886. Muirhead, George; Speybank, Fochabers, Moray, N.B. 1893. Mullens, Major William Herbert, M.A., LL.M,, F.Z.S. ; Westfield Place, Battle, Sussex. 1892. Munn, Philip Winchester, F.Z.S. ; Laverstoke, Whitchurch. Hants. 1897. Munt, Henry, F.Z.S. ; 83 Kensington Gardens Square, W. 1900. Musters, John Patricius Cha worth, D.L., J.P. ; Annesley Park, Nottingham. 280 1907. Neave, Sheffield Airey, F.Z.S.; Mill Green Park, Ingatestone, Essex, SER. IX. - VOL. III. I xvm Date of ection. 1882. Kelson, Thomas Hudson ; Seafield, Redcar, Yorkshire. 1895. Nesham, Robert, F.Z.S., F.E.S. ; Utrecht House, Queen’s Road, Clapham Park, S.W. 1897. Neumann, Professor Oscar, C.M.Z.S. ; 2 Nollendorfplatz, Perlin, Germany. 1872. Newtcome, Francis H’Arcy William Clough; Thurston Lodge, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. 285 1904. Newman, Thomas Henry, F.Z.S. ; Newlands, Harrowdene Road, Wembley, Middlesex. 1886. Nicholes, Howard Hill John, M.R.C.S. ; Bramber Lodge, Downview Road, West Worthing. 1902. Nichols, John Bruce, F.Z.S. ; Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street, S.W. 1900. Nichols, Walter Buchanan • Stour Lodge, Bradfield, Manningtree, Essex. 1876. Nicholson, Francis, F.Z.S.; The Knoll, Windermere. 290 1902. Nicoll, Michael John, F.Z.S. ; Valhalla House, Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. 1904. Noakes, Wickham ; Selsdon Park, Croydon. 1895. Noble, Heatley, E.Z.S. ; Temple Combe, Henley-on-Thames. 1892. Ogilyie, Fergus Menteith, M.A., F.Z.S.; The Shrubbery, 72 Woodstock Road, Oxford. 1890. Ogilyie-Grant, William Robert, F.Z.S. ; British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, S.W. 295 1889. Ogle, Bertram Sayile ; Hill House, Steeple Aston, Oxford. 1907. Oldham, Charles, F.Z.S. ; Essex House, Wellington Road, Watford. 1906. Osmaston, Bertram Beresford (Imperial Forest Service); Naini Tal, India. 1883. Parker, Henry, C.E. ; Whithourne Lodge, Manby Road, Great Malvern. 1880. Parkin, Thomas, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Fairseat, High Wickham, Blastings. ^oo 7908. Baton, Edward Richmond, F.Z.S. ; Brookdale, Grassendale, near Liverpool. 1891. Patterson, Robert, F.L.S.. M.R.I.A. ; Glenbank, Holywood, Co. Down. 1904. Pearse, Theed ; Ivy Depot, Virginia, U.S.A. ; and Mentmore, Ampthill Road, Bedford. XIX Date of Election. 1894. Pearson, Charles Edward, E.L.S. ; Hillerest, Lowdham, Notts. 1891. Pearson, Henry J., F.Z.S. ; Bramcote, Notts. 305 1902. Pease, Sir Alfred Edward, Bt., E.Z.S. ; Pinchinthorpe House, Guisborough, Yorkshire ; and Brooks’s Club, St. James’s Street, S.W. 1898. Penn, Eric Frank; Taverham Hall, Norwich. 1891. Penrose, Francis George, M.H., F.Z.S.; Wick House, Downton, Salisbury, Wilts. 1900. Percival, Arthur Blayney, E.Z.S. ; Game-Ranger, Nairobi, British East Africa Protectorate ; and Somerset Court, Brent Knoll, Somerset. 1907. Percy, Lord William ; 2 Grosvenor Place, S.W. ; and Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland. 31c 1886. Phillips, Ethelbert Lort, F.Z.S. ; 79 Cadogan Square, S.W. 1888. Phillips, George Thorne ; Wokingham, Berkshire. 1893. Pigott, Sir Thomas Digby, K.C.B.; The Lodge, Lower Sheringham. 1908. Player, W. J. Percy; The Quarr, Clydach, R.S.O., Glamor¬ ganshire. 1907. Pocock, Reginald Innes, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, N.W. 315 1905. Pollard, Capt. Arthur Erseine St. Vincent (The Border Regiment) ; Haynford Hall, Norwich. 1896. Popham, Hugh Leyborne, M.A. ; Hunstrete House, Pensford, near Bristol. 1898. Price, Athelstan Elder, E.Z.S.; 61 Great Cumberland Place, W. 1903. Proctor, Major Frederick William (late West Riding Regt.) ; Downfield, Maidenhead. 1901. Proud, John T. ; Dellwood, Bishop Auckland. 320 1893. Pycraft, William Plane, F.Z.S.; British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, S.W. 1888. Radclyeee, Charles Robert Eustace ; Hyde, Wareham, Dorset. 1903. Ralfe, Pilcher George ; The Parade, Castletown, Isle of Man. 1903. Ratcliff, Frederick Rowlinson ; 24 Lancaster Gate, W. 1906. Rattray, Col. Rullion Hare ; 68 Dry Hill Park Road, Tonbridge, Kent. 1879. Rawson, Herbert Eyelyn ; Comyn Hill, Ilfracombe. 325 XX Date of Election. 1894. Bead, Bichard Henry, M.B.C.S., L.B.C.P. ; Church Street, Hanley, Staffordshire. 1888. Bead, Bobert H. ; 8 a South Parade, Bedford Park, W. 1877. Beid, Capt. Philip Savile Grey (late B.E.), P.Z.S. ; The Elms, Yalding, Maidstone. 1903. Benaut, William E.; 17 Emanuel Avenue, Friar’s Park, Acton, W. 330 1908. Bichardson, Norman Erederic, E.Z.S.; Bradley Court, Mitch eldean, Gloucestershire ; and Lynndale, Manor Boad, Eorest Hill, S.E. 1907. Bichmond, Herbert William ; King’s College, Cambridge. 1895. Bickett, Charles Boughey, F.Z.S. ; 13 St. Paul’s Boad, Clifton, Bristol. 1896. Btppon, Lt.-Col. George, P.Z.S. ; 89th Punjabis, P.O. Kalaw, Southern Shan States, Upper Burma. 1907. Bitchie, Archibald Thomas Ayres ; The Head Master’s, Harrow ; and Overstrand, near Cromer. 335 1902. Biviere, Bernard Beryl, P.B.C S.; St. Giles’s Plain, Norwich. 1908. Bobertson, Sir Henry Beyer, B.A. ; Pale, Corwen, N. Wales. 1898. Bobinson, Herbert C., C.M.Z.S. ; Selangor State Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States. 1896. Bogers, Lt.-Col. John Middleton, D.S.O., F.Z.S. (late 1st Dragoons) ; Biverhill, Sevenoaks, Kent. 1893. Bothschild, The Hon. Lionel Walter, D.Sc., Ph.D., M.P., F.Z.S. : The Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. 340 1894. Bothschild, The Hon. Nathaniel Charles, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Arundel House, Kensington Palace Gardens, W. 1907. Bussell, Conrad George Edward, F.Z.S.; 2 Audley Square, W. 1883. St. Quintin, William Herbert, F.Z.S. ; Scampston Hall, Billington, Yorkshire. 1903. Sandeman, Capt. Bobert Preston (late 10th Hussars) : Dan-y Park, Crickhowell. 1899. Sapsworth, Arnold Duer, F.Z.S. ; National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, S.W. 345 1902. Sargeaunt, Artuur St. George ; 83 Madeley Boad, Ealing, W. 1904. Sargent, James; 76 Jermyn Street, S.W. ; and 2 Napier Villas, Cambridge Boad, Barnes. XXI Date of Election. 1902. Saunders, William Henry Eadclleee, G.E. ; 79 Warwick Eoad, S.W. 1909. Savage, The Eev. Ernest Urmson; 129 Upper Canning Street, Liverpool. 1898. Scherren, Henry, F.Z.S. ; 9 Cavendish Eoad, Harringay, N. 35° 1907. Schwann, Geoeerey ; 4 Prince’s Gardens, S.W. 1905. Schwann, Harold, F.Z.S. ; 11 Abingdon Gardens, Kensington, W. * 1858. Sclater, Philip Lutley, D.Sc., F.E.S., F.Z.S. ; Odiham Priory, Winchfield, Hants ; and Athemeum Club, Pall Mall, S.W. ( Joint Editor .) (Gold Medallist.) 1891. Sclater, William Lutley, M.A., F.Z.S.; Odiham Priory, Winchfield, Hants. 1907. Scott, The Eev. Canon Samuel Gilbert, M.A. ; The Eectory, Havant, Hants. 355 1899. Selous, Frederick Courteney, F.Z.S. ; ITeatherside, Worples- don, Surrey. 1889. Senhouse, Humphrey Patricius, B.A. ; The Fitz, Cocker- mouth, Cumberland. 1908. Seppings, Capt. John William Hamilton (Army Pay Department) ; 3 West View, Cork, Ireland. 1899. Serle, The Eev. William, M.A., B.D. ; The Manse, Dudding- ston, Edinburgh. 1900. Service, Eobert : Maxwelltown, Dumfries. 360 1901. Seth-Smith, David, F.Z.S.; 34 Elsworthy Eoad, South Hampstead, N.W. 1904. Seth-Smith, Leslie Moeeat, B.A. ; Alleyne, Caterham Yalley, Surrey. 1909. Seton, Malcolm Cotter Carioton ; 13 Clarendon Eoad, Hol¬ land Park, W. ; and Union Club, Trafalgar Square, S.W. 1899. Sharman, Frederic, F.Z.S. ; 47 Goldington Eoad, Bedford. 1871. Sharpe, Eichard Bowdler, LL.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Assistant Keeper, Zoological Department, British Museum (Natural History), South Kensington, S.W. 365 1870. Shelley, Capt. George Ernest, F.Z.S. (late Grenadier Guards) ; 39 Egerton Gardens, South Kensington, S.W. 1865. Shepherd, The Eev. Charles William, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Trottis- cliffe Eectory, Maidstone, Kent. 1908. Smalley, Frederic William; Chaikin Hall, Silverdale, near Carnforth, Lancs. XXII Date of Election. 1906. Snouckaert VAN Schauburg, Baron Ben£ Charles ; Neerlang- broek, Holland. 1903. Sparrow, Major Bichard, F.Z.S.; 7th Dragoon Guards. Abbasia Barracks, Cairo, Egypt ; and Bookwoods, Sible Hedingham, Essex. 370 1906. Stanford, Surgeon Charles Edward Cortis, B.Sc., M.B., B.N. ; Boyal Marine Barracks, Plymouth. 1893. Stanley, Samuel S. ; Pair View House, Karbury, Leamington, Warwickshire. 1900. Stares, John William Chester ; Portehester, Hants. 1902. Stenhouse, John Hutton, M.B., B.H . ; Boyal Hospital School, Greenwich, S.E. 1906. Steward, Edward Simmons, E.B.C.S. ; 10 Prince’s Square, Harrogate, Yorks. 375 1898. Stirling, William, J.P., D.L. ; Ord House, Muir of Ord, N.B. 1893. Stonham, Charles, C.M.G., E.B.C.S., E.Z.S. ; 4 Harley Street, Cavendish Square, W. 1881. Studdy, Col. Bobert Wright (late Manchester Begiment); Waddeton Court, Brixham, Devon. 1887. Styan, Frederick William, F.Z.S. ; Stone Street, near Sevenoaks. 1887. Swinburne, John; Haenertsburg, Transvaal, S. Africa. 380 1882. Swinhoe, Col. Charles, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 6 Gunterstone Boad, W. Kensington, W. 1884. Tait, William Chaster, C.M.Z.S. ; Entre Quintas 155, Oporto, Portugal. 1905. Taylor, Lionel Edward, F.Z.S.; Division of Forestry, Agricultural Department, Pretoria, Transvaal. 1909. Tenison, Lieut. William Percival Cosnahan (62nd Battery, B.F.A.) ; Howshera, H.W.F.P., India. 1889. Tennant, Sir Edward Priaulx, Bt., M.A, M.P., F.Z.S. ; 34 Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W. ; and The Glen, Innerleithen, H.B. 385 1886. Terry, Major Horace A. (late Oxfordshire Light Infantry) ; The Lodge, Upper Halliford, Shepperton. 1904. Thompson, Lieut. William B., B.G.A. ; Montrose, Weymouth. 1900. Thorburn, Archibald, F.Z.S. ; High Leybourne, Hascombe, near Godaiming, Surrey. 1893. Thorpe, Dixon L. ; Loshville, Etterby Scaur, Carlisle. XX111 Date of Election. 1903. Ticehurst, Claud Buchanan, M.D. ; Huntbourne, St. Michael’s, Ashford, Kent. 39° 1894. Ticehurst, Norman Frederic, M.A., M.B., F.B.C.S., F.Z.S. ; 35 Pevensey Hoad, St. Leonards-on-Sea. 1902. Townsend, Beginald Gilliat, M.A. ; Buckholt, Dean, Salisbury. 1893. Trevor-Batty e, Aubyn, F.Z.S. ; Firdene, Weybridge, Surrey. 1906. Tuke, Charles Molesworth ; The Gate House, Chiswick. 1864. FTcher, Henry Morris, F.Z.S.; Sheringham Hall, Norfolk. 395 1894. Ussher, Bichard John, M.B.I.A. ; Cappagh House, Cappagh, S.O., Co. Waterford, Ireland. 1907. Van Oort, Dr. Eduard Daniel ; Museum of Natural History, Leyden, Holland. 1908. Vaughan, Matthew ; Haileybury College, Herts. 1906. Vaughan, Lieut. Bobert E., B.N. ; H.M. Coast Guard, Tenby, S. Wales. 1890. Venour, Stephen ; Fern Bank, Altrincham, Cheshire. 4°° 1884. Verey, xIlfred Sainsbury ; Heronsgate, near Bickmans- worth. 1881. Verner, Col. William Willoughby Cole (late Bifle Brigade) ; Hartford Bridge, Winchfield, Hants ; and United Service Club, S.W. 1902. Wade, Edward Walter; Vittoria Hotel, Hull. 1886. Wade-Dalton, Col. H. D. ; Hauxwell Hall, Finghall, B.S.O., Yorkshire. 1895. Wallis, Henry Marriage ; Ashton Lodge, Christchurch Boad, Beading. 405 1881. Walsingham, Thomas, Lord, M.A., LL.D., F.B.S., F.Z.S. ; Merton Hall, Thetford, Norfolk. 1899. Walton, Major Herbert James, M.B., F.B.C.S., I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. ; c/o Messrs. H. S. King & Co., 9 Pall Mall, S.W. 1872. Wardlaw-Bamsay, Lt.-Col. Bobert George, F.Z.S. ; Whitehill, Bosewell, Midlothian, N.B. 1896. Watkins, Watkin, F.Z.S.; 33 Evelyn Gardens, S.W. ; and Wellington Club, S.W. 1903. Watt, Hugh Boyd ; 3 Willow Mansions, Fortune Green Boad, West Hampstead, N.W. 410 1906. West, Colin, F.Z.S. ; The Grange, South Norwood Park, S.E. 1900. WYstell, William Perciyal, F.L.S., F.B.H.S. ; Chester House, Letchworth Garden City, Herts. XXIV Date of Election. 1891. Whitaker, Benjamin Ingham ; Hesley Hall, Tickhill, Rother¬ ham. 1891. Whitaker, Joseph I. S., F.Z.S.; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily. 1909. White, Henry Luke; Belltrees, Scone, New South Wales. 4T5 1903. White, Stephen Joseph, F.Z.S. ; Oakwood,Crayford, Kent. 1903. Whitehead, Charles Hugh Tempest ; Heighton Grove, York ; and 56th Rifles (Frontier Force), Sehore, Bhopal, India. 1887. Whitehead, Jeffery, ; Mayes, East Grinstead, Sussex. 1897. Whymper. Charles, F.Z.S.; 7 James Street, Haymarket, S.W. 1898. Wiglesworth, Joseph, M.D., F.R.C.P. ; Rainhill, near Liver¬ pool. 420 1894. Wilkinson, Johnson; St. George’s Square, Huddersfield, Yorkshire. 1896. Williams, Capt. Lionel Arthur, F.Z.S. ; Junior United Service Club, Charles Street, St. James’s, S.W. 1897. Wilson, Allan Read, B.A., M.B., B.Ch. ; Bloxham, Oxon. 1888. Wilson, Charles Joseph, F.Z.S. ; 34 York Terrace, Regent’s Park, N.W. 1900. Wilson, Dr. Edward Adrian, F.Z.S. ; Westal, Cheltenham. 425 1887. Wilson, Scott Barchard, F.Z.S. ; Heatherbank, Weyhridge Heath, Surrey. 1897. Witherby, Harry Forbes, F.Z.S.; 11 Hereford Mansions, Hereford Road, Bays water, W. 1908. Witherington, Gwynne ; Aberlash, Sonning, Berks. 1 899. Wollaston, Alexander Frederick Richmond, B.A. ; 31 Argyll Mansions, King’s Road, Chelsea, S.W. 1909. Woosnam, Richard Bowen; Pendell Court Farm, Bletchingley, Surrey. 430 1902. Workman, William Hughes ; Lismore, Windsor, Belfast. 1871. Wright, Edward Perceval, M.A., M.D., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S., Professor of Botany in the University of Dublin, Ireland. 1891. Wright, Thomas, M.D. ; Castle Place, Nottingham. 1904. Wright, William Crawford; Roslyn, Marlborough Park, N., Belfast. 1895. Yerbury, Lt.-Col. John William (late R. A.), F.Z.S. ; 8 Duke Street, St. James’s, S.W. ; and Army and Navy Club, S.W. 435 1889. Young, Capt. James B., R.N. ; Tytherley, Wimborne, Dorset. 1897. Young, John Joseph Baldwin, M.A. ; Richmond Park, near Sheffield. XXV Date of Election. Extra- Ordinary Members. 1899. Godwin-Austen, Lt.-Col. Henry Haversham, F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; Nore, Hascombe, Godaiming. 1909. Tegetmeier, William Bernhard ; 19 Westbere lload, W. Hampstead, N.W. 1860. Wallace, Alfred Russel, O.M., H.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; Broadstone, Wimborne, Dorset. Honorary Members. 1907. Allen, Joel Asaph, Ph.D., F.M.Z.S. ; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A. 1886. Ayres, Thomas ; Potchefstroom, Transvaal, South Africa. 1890. Berlepsch, Graf Hans von, C.M.Z.S. ; Schloss Berlepsch, Post Gertenbach, Witzenhausen, Germany. 1900. Collett, Prof. Robert, F.M.Z.S. ; University Museum, Christiania. 5 1872. Finsch, Prof. Dr. Otto, C.M.Z.S.; Altewiekring 19B, Bruns¬ wick, Germany. 1894. Giglioli, Dr. Henry Hillyer, F.M.Z.S. ; Reale Istituto di Studi Superior!, Florence. 1898. Goeldi, Prof. Dr. Emil A., C.M.Z.S. ; Zieglerstrasse 36, Berne, Switzerland. 1893. Reichenow, Dr. Anton, C.M.Z.S. ; Museum fiir Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse, Berlin. 1903. Ridgway, Robert, C.M.Z.S. ; Smithsonian Institution, Wash¬ ington, D.C., U.S.A. IO 1890. Salvadori, Count Tommaso, M.D., F.M.Z.S. ; Royal Zoological Museum, Turin. Colonial Member's. 1904. Campbell, Archibald James ; Custom House, Melbourne, Australia. 1908. Farquhar, John Henry Joseph, B.Sc., N.D.A. ; Assistant Conservator of Forests, Calabar, Southern Nigeria. 1909. Haagner, Alwin Karl, F.Z.S. ; Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, S. Africa. 1908. Hall, Robert, F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. ; Curator of the Tasmanian Museum, Hobart, Tasmania. 5 1903. Legge, Col. W. Yin cent, F.Z.S. ; Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania. 1905. Macoun, John, M.A., F.R.S.C. ; Naturalist to the Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, SEft. IX, — YQL. III. Q XXY1 Date of Election. 1905. Millar, Alfred Duchesne ; 298 Smith Street, Durban, Natal. 1903. North, Alfred J., C.M.Z.S. ; Australian Museum, Sydney, N.S.W. 1907. Swynnerton, Charles Francis Massy, F.L.S. ; Gungunyana, Melsetter, South Rhodesia. Foreign Members. 1909. Alpheraky, Sergius N. ; Imperial Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia. 1900. Bianchi, Dr. Valentine ; Imperial Zoological Museum, St. Petersburg. 1904. Blasius, Geh. Hofr. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm, C.M.Z.S. ; Gauss- Strasse, 17, Brunswick, Germany. 1880. Bureau, Louis, M.D. ; Ecole de Medecine, Nantes, France. 5 1906. Buttikofer, Dr. Johannes, C.M.Z.S.; Director of the Zoo¬ logical Garden, Rotterdam, Holland. 1906. Buturlin, Sergius A. ; Wesenberg, Esthonia, Russia. 1902. Chapman, Frank Michler ; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A. 1875. Doria, Marchese Giacomo, F.M.Z.S. ; Strada Nuova, 6, Genoa, Italy. 1902. Peering, Dr. Herman yon, C.M.Z.S. ; Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil. io 1886. Madarasz, Dr. Julius yon ; National Museum, Budapest. 1903. Martorelli, Prof. Dr. Giacinto; Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy. 1894. Menzbier, Prof. Dr. Michael, C.M.Z.S. ; Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow. 1881. Meyer, Dr. A. B., C.M.Z.S. ; Hohenzollernstrasse 17, Berlin, W. 10. 1905. Oberholser, Harry Church ; Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 15 1900. Reiser, Dr. Othmar ; Landes Museum, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Austro-Hungary. 1908. Richmond, Charles Wallace ; United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 1894. Schalow, Herman ; Traunsteinerstrasse, 21, Berlin, W. 30. 1900. Stejneger, Leonhard, C.M.Z.S. ; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 1902. Sushkin, Dr. Peter, C.M.Z.S.; Imperial University, Moscow, Russia. 20 1896. Winge, Herluf, C.M.Z.S.; University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. CONTENTS of VOL. III.— NINTH SERIES. (1909.) Number IX., January. Page I. Field-Notes on the Birds of Southern Kamerun, West Africa. By G. L. Bates, C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates I. & II. and Text-figures 1-3.) . 1 II. Contributions to the Ornithology of the Sudan. — No. III. On Birds collected by Captain E. P. Blencowe in the Bahr-el- Ghazal Province. By A. L. Butler, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Super¬ intendent of Game Preservation, Sudan Government .... 74 III. On the Birds of Kohat and Kurram, Northern India. By Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead, Indian Army. With an Introduction by Major H. A. F. Magrath, Indian Army. (Plate III. and Text-figures 4 & 5.) . 90 IV. Note on the Corvus neglectus of Schlegel. By T. Salvadori, H.M.B.O.U . 134 V. On the Decrease in Weight of Birds’ Eggs during Incubation. By Elizabeth Seymour Norton, F.Z.S. (Text- figure 6.) . 137 YI. On the Birds of Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. By E. C. Chubb, Assistant Curator, Rhodesia Museum, Bulawayo. 140 XXVlll CONTENTS. Page YII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 1. Allen on Bceolophus bicolor- atricristcitus . 172 2. Berlepsch on the Birds of Cayenne . 173 3. Cheeseman ou the Lesser Prigate-bird . 173 4. Drummond on the Little-Barrier Bird-Sanctuary . .174 5. Blower’s List of Zoological Gardens . 174 6. Pulton on the Disappearance of New Zealand Birds . 175 7. Godman’s 4 Monograph of the Petrels 9 . 175 8. Hartert’s 4 Miscellanea Ornithologica ’ : Part Y. . .176 9. Hilgert’s Catalogue of the Erlanger Collection . . .176 10. Marriner’s Notes on the Kea {Nestor) . 176 11. Menegaux’s Ornithological Papers . 177 12. Neumann’s Notes on African Birds . 178 13. North on new Birds from the South Pacific . . . . 179 14. North on the Nesting of the Australian Black-and- White Fantail . 179 15. Beport on the Zoological Gardens, Giza, for 1907 . 180 16. Bothschild on Casuarius bistriatus . 180 17. Bothschild and Hartert on the Birds of Yella Lavella. 180 18. Bothschild and Hartert on Birds from San Christoval. 181 19. Schalow on the Birds of the Tianshan . 181 20. Stuart Baker on Indian Ducks ........ 182 21. Stuart Baker on the Birds of the Khasia Hills . . .183 22. Stuart Baker on the Indian Cuckoos . 184 23. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses in 1907. 185 24. Wollaston’s 4 Buwenzori ’ . 186 YIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes ; — Letters from Heer P. E. Blaauw, Commander W. H. Haugh- ton, and Mr. D. Carruthers. Birds of Bear Island and Spitzbergen ; Increased Pertility of the Domestic Powl; Mr. Boyd Alexander’s new African Expedition; Proposed Zoological Exploration of Dutch New Guinea . 188 CONTENTS. XXIX Number X., April. Page IX. A Journey to British New Guinea in search of Birds-of- Paradise, By Charles B. Horsbrugh. (Text-figure 7.) . . 197 X. On the Birds of Kohat and Kurram, Northern India. By Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead, Indian Army. With an Introduction by Major H. A. E. Magrath, Indian Army. (Part II.) . 214 XI. Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt. — No. II. Birds of the Province of Giza. Part 1. By Michael J. Nicoll, F.Z.S., M.B.O.IT. (Plate IV.) . . . * . 285 XII. A Note on Molpastes magrcithi Whitehead. By It. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates Y. & YI.) 302 XIII. Notes on some Birds collected during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. By Percy It. Lowe, M.B.O.U. ..... 304 XIY. Remarks on the Practice of attaching “ Authorities 57 to the Scientific Names of Animals. By P. L. Sclater, D.Sc., F.R.S . . . 347 XY. Obituary : Mr. W. H. Hudleston ....... 350 XVI. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 25. ‘ Annals of Scottish Natural History ’ ..... 355 26. 4 Aquila,’ 1905-1907 (vols. xii.-xiv.) ..... 357 27. ‘The Auk ’ . . . 358 28. ‘ The Avicultural Magazine ’ ........ 360 29. Brogger on Birds’ Bones from the Norwegian Kitchen- middens . . . . . 362 30. Carter on a supposed new Grass-Wren ..... 362 31. Chapman’s ‘ On Safari ’ . . 363 32. Collett on the Great Auk in Norway . . . . . * . 365 33. Dresser on Palsearctic Birds’ Eggs ...... 365 ■ 34. Giglioli on Italian Birds .......... 367 35. The Grouse Disease Inquiry ........ 368 36. ‘ Irish Naturalist ’ . . 369 37. McGregor on Philippine Birds ........ 370 XXX CONTENTS. Page 38. Mair’s ‘ Mackenzie Basin ’ . . . . . 370 39. Martens on Magellanic Birds . 371 40. Martorelli on the Parrots in the University of Naples. 372 41. Mullens on the Bibliography of British Birds . . . 372 42. Penard on the Birds of Guiana . 373 43. Pycraft on Birds . 374 44. Bichmond on the Generic Names of Birds . . . .375 45. South African Ornithologists’ Union, Journal of the . 377 46. Ussher on Irish Birds . 378 47. Van Oort on a new Macruropsar . 379 48. Van Oort on a new Chalcopsitta . 379 49. Van Oort on the Birds of the Netherlands .... 379 50. Verner on the Wild Birds of Spain . 381 XVII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Messrs. G. L. Bates, Robert Eulton, M.D., Otto Herman, A. E. R. Wollaston, and A. L. Butler. Another German Stork in South Africa; Arrival of Migrants in North¬ east Greenland; News from Mr. A. L. Butler; The Booth Collection at Brighton . 383 Number XI., July. XVIII. Contributions to the Ornithology of the Sudan. — No. IV. On Birds observed on the Bed Sea Coast in May 1908. By A. L. Butler, E.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Superintendent of Game Preservation, Sudan Government . 389 XIX. Notes on some Birds observed on the Trans-Siberian Bail way Line. By Staff-Surgeon Kenneth H. Jones, B.N. . 406 XX. Eield-Notes on Vultures and Eagles. By Brigadier- General H. B. Kelham, C.B., M.B.O.U . 413 XXI. On the Occurrence of Pseudoscdlopax tciczanowskii in Western Siberia. By H. E. Dresser. (Plate VII. & Text- figure 9.) . 418 XXII. The Birds of Manchuria. By Collingwood Ingram, M.B.O.U. (Plate VIII.) . . 422 CONTENTS. XXXI Page XXIII. On the Tail-feathers of the Dabchick. By W. P. PrcRAFT, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Text-fignre 10.) . 469 XXI Y. Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt. — Xo. II. Birds of the Province of Giza. Part 2. By Michael J. Nicoll, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U . 471 XXY. Notes on a Collection of Birds made in British East Africa. By Gerard H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U . 484 XXYI. Proceedings at the Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 1909 . 532 XXYII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 51. Bangs on some Colombian and Costa Eican Birds . . 536 52. Bryan on Birds from Molokai (Hawaiian Islands) . . 537 53. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club .... 538 54. Carriker on Costa Eican Formicariidse . 539 55. Chapman’s 44 Habitat ” Bird-Groups . 539 56. Chapman on the Booby and Man-of-War Birds . .541 57. Dresser on Palsearctic Birds’ Eggs . 542 58. ‘ The Emu,’ 1908-1909 . 542 59. Flower and Nicoll on the Wild Birds of the Giza Gardens . 543 60. Gadow’s 4 Southern Mexico ’ . 545 61. Godman’s ‘ Monograph of the Petrels ’ . . . . . 546 62. Grinneli on the Birds of the San Bernardino Mountains. 547 63. Hanitsch on the Eaffles Museum, Singapore . . . 548 64. Howard’s 4 British Warblers ’ . . 549 65. Jourdain on European Birds’ Eggs . 549 66. Knight on the Birds of Maine . 550 67. Lydekker’s 4 British Bird Book ’ . 551 68. Menegaux on the Nest of the Oven-bird . 552 69. Menegaux on Two new Bolivian Birds . 553 70. North on the Nesting-site of Gerygone personata . . 553 71. North on Australian Bower- birds . 553 72. North on a new Australian Parrot . 554 73. Oberholser on the Alcedinine Genus Ramplialcyon . 555 74. Ogawa’s 4 List of the Birds of Japan ’ . 556 75. Qusfcalet on the Birds of Foa’s Expeditions .... 556 XXXI) CONTENTS. Page 76. Sharpe on the Ornithological Literature of 1907 . . 557 77. Snouckaert van Schauburg’s ‘Avifauna Neerlandica ’ . 558 78. South African Ornithologists’ Union, Journal of the . 559 79. Stone on Methods of Recording the Migration of Eirds. 559 80. Yan Oort on Eirds from New Guinea . 560 XXVIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Messrs. G. L. Eates, E. D. Godraan, H. E. Dresser, Count Arrigoni Degli Oddi, and Mr. Eoyd Alexander. News of Mr. Walter Goodfellow ; Mr. A. S. Neave’s Second Expedition to South Africa ; Mr. Douglas Carruthers’s Move¬ ments ; More marked Storks captured on Migration ; Mr. J. Euckland’s Lantern-Slides of Eirds; Mr. R. Hay Eenton’s Collection of Eggs . . . 561 Number XII., October. XXIX. On the Ornithology of Cyprus. Ey John A. Eucxnill, M.A., E.Z.S., M.E.O.U . 569 XXX. Supplementary List of the Eirds of the Alexandra District, Northern Territory, S. Australia. Ey Collingwood Ingram, F.Z.S., M.E.O.U. . . 613 XXXI. On the Foot-pads of the Young of the Green Wood¬ pecker. Ey Charles Stonham, C.M.G., F.R.C.S. (Text- figure 11.) . 619 XXXII. Additions and Corrections to the “ Birds of Kohat.” By Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead, Indian Army . 620 XXXIII. Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt.— No. II. Birds of the Province of Giza. Part 3. By Michael J. Nicoll, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U . 623 XXXI AL On a Collection of Birds from Western Australia. Ey W. It. Ogilvie-Grant. With Field-Notes by Mr. G. C. Shortridge. (Plate IX.) . 650 CONTENTS. XXX111 Page XXXV. Description of a new Bird from Africa. By the Hon. Walter Bothschild, Ph.D., F.Z.S., M.B.O.IT. (Plate X.) . . . 690 XXXYI. The Beport on the British Museum for 1908. . . 691 XXXVII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications : — 81. ‘ Annals of Scottish Natural History ’ . 694 82. ‘ Annals of the Transvaal Museum’ . ..... 695 83. ‘ The Auk ’ . . 696 84. 4 The Avicultural Magazine ’ ....... . 697 85. ‘ The Condor ’ . 4 ...... . 698 86. Dearborn on Birds from British East Africa . . . 699 87. ‘ The Emu ’ . 699 88. Elower on the Zoological Gardens of Giza . . . .701 89. Eox on the Birds of the Isle of Wight . 702 90. GrinnelTs Bibliography of Californian Ornithology . 703 91. Harington on the Birds of Burma . 703 92. Hartert’s ‘ Birds of the Palsearctic Eauna ’ ... 704 93. The ‘Irish Naturalist ’ . 705 94. McGregor on Birds from Mindanao, Philippines . .705 95. Madarasz on Mongolian Birds . 706 96. Madarasz on certain Wild Geese ....... 706 97. Mearns on New Birds from the Philippines . . .700 98. Mearns on Birds from the Philippine Islands, Borneo, Guam, and Midway Island . 707 99. Phillott on Persian Falconry ........ 707 100. Bevue Frangaise d’Ornithologie . . » . . . .708 101. Salvadori on a Species of Jay . 709 102. Salvadori on the Birds of the Duke of the Abruzzi’s Buwenzori Expedition . 710 103. Sharpe and Chubb on Bornean Birds ..... 710 104. Snethlage on new Amazonian Birds . . 710 105. Stone on the Cuckoos of the Genus Piaya .... 711 106. Todd on a new Wood- Warbler from the Bahamas . 712 107. Wingers Beport on the Birds of the Danish Light¬ houses 712 SER. IX. - VOL. III. d XXXIV CONTENTS. Page XXXVIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Messrs. C. H. T. Whitehead, Michael J. Nieoll, and Robert Ridgway. The B.O.U. Expedition for the Ex¬ ploration of Central New Guinea ; News of Mr. Boyd Alexander; The proposed Introduction of the “American Robin ” into England ; The Auckland Museum, New Zealand ; Bird-marking Experiments in England ; The Lake N’gami Expedition ; A new Eossil Bird from the Lower Pliocene . . . . . . .713 Index of Scientific Names . 721 Index of Contents . 739 Titlepage, Preface, List of Members, Contents, List of Plates, and List of Text-figures. LIST OF PLATES IN VOL. III. NINTH SERIES. Page I. Caprimulgus bates! . 25 II. Parmoptila woodhousii . . 67 III. Sketch-map of Kohat District and the Kurram Yalley . . 94 1Y. Scotocerca inqnieta . . 296 Y. Molpastes magrathi . 302 YI. 1. Molpastes intermedius. 2. Molpastes leucotis . 304 YII. Pseudoscolopax taczanowskii . . . 420 VIII. Map of Manchuria . 422 IX. 1. Sericornis balstoni, d • 2. Malurus bernieri, d & $ 676 X. Pseudocalyptomena graueri, d ...... . 690 LIST OF TEXT-FIGURES IN VOL. III. NINTH SERIES. Page 1. Natives with their crossbows and arrows ..... 3 2. Native setting snares for birds in a Cassava-patch . . 4 3. Nest of Dendromus efulensis . 20 4. Eort Lockhart in Winter . 94 5. Zeran Nullah, Safed Koh, from 8000 ft. alt . 95 6. Diagram showing the loss of weight in six fowls’ eggs during incubation . 138 7. Map of part of Papua visited by Mr. Horsbrugh . . . 200 8. Irrisor eryihrorhynchus . 304 9. Egg of Pseudoscolopax taczanowskii . 421 10. Tail-feathers of Podicipes fluviatilis . . . 470 11. Foot of nestling Green Woodpecker ....... 619 !' — Vo!!Tin.SENoIE9S‘ JANUARY 1909. Price 8s. net. THE I B I S, QUARTERLY JOURNAL OP ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY THILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, D.Sc., F.R.S., AND A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S. dm .L'l 1M LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVEND^SBM ■'W ‘ . ■ X^«ficBaiia0S >TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, PRINTERS,] [RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. I Publications received since the issue of No. 8^ JNinth Series, and not noticed in the present Number. 1. ‘ The Annals of Scottish Natural History.’ (No. 68. 1908.) 2. ‘ The Auk.’ (Vol. xxv. No. 4. 1908.) 3. ‘ Avicultural Magazine.’ (New Series, Vol. vi. No. 12, Vol. vii. Nos. 1, 2. 1 908.) 4. ‘Bird Lore.’ (Vol. x. Nos. 5, 6. Harrisburg, 1908.) 5. ‘ British Birds.’ (Vol. ii. Nos. 5, 6, 7. 1908.) A 6. Bulletin of the Brit. Orn. Club.— Vol. xxii. Beport on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1907, &c. (London, October 1908.) 7. Carriker, M. A., Jun. Notes on Costa-Rican Formicariidse. (Annals Carnegie Mus. vol. v. no. 1. 1908.) 8. ‘The Condor.’ (Vol. x. Nos. 5, 6. 1908.) 9. ‘ The Emu.’ (Vol. yiii. Part 2. 1908.) 10. Gadow, Hans. Through Southern Mexico. (London, 1908.) • 11. Haagner, A. South African Birds of Prey; their Economic Relations to Man. (Suppl. Journ. S. African Orn. Union, 1908.) 12. Jahreshefte des Vereins fur vaterlandische JNaturkunde in Wiirttemberg. (Beilage 1, 2. 1908.) 13. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums. (Vol. ii. No. 3. Kuala Lumpur, 1908.) 14. Lydekker, R. The Sportsman’s British Bird Book. (London, 1908.) 15. Martorelli, G. Sopra una Preziosa Razza di Colombi domestici dell’ antica Campania. (Rendiconti d. R. 1st. Lomb. di Sc. e Lett. ser. ii. vol. xli. ' 1908.) . 16. Martorelli, G. Elenco dei Pappagalli del Museo Zool. Univ. di Napoli. (Ann. del Mus. Zool. R. Univ. di Napoli, N. S. vol. ii. no. 24. 1908.; 17. ‘ Ornithologisches Jahrbuch.’ (xix. Heft. 5, 6. 1908.) 18. ‘ Philippine Journal of Science.’ (A. Genl. Science; Vol. iii. No. 3. 1908.) 19. Pigott, Sir Digby. The Changeling. (London, 1908.) 20. Pycraft,. W. P. A Book of Birds. (London, 1908.) 21. Reichenow, A. Vogel des Weltmeeres — Lie Meeresvogel der ostlicken Erdhalfte. (1 vol.) 22. Sarudny, N. Bemerkungen iiber die Rohrmeise ( Anthoscopus rutilans Sewertz.). (Reichenow 's Orn. Monatsb. 1908.) 23. Snouckaert van Schauburg, Baron. Avifauna Neerlandica. (Leeu- warden, 1908.) 24. Stonham, C. The Birds of the British Islands. (Part xii. 1908.) 25. Thienemann, J. Jaliresbericht (1907) der Vogelwarte Rossitten der Deutschen Ornithologischen Gesellschaft. (Journ. f. Ornith., J uly 1908.) 26. Thienemann, J. Etwas iiber den Zug des Storches. (Land- und Forstwirtschaftliche Zeitung, Sept. 1908.) 27. Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, V. R. v. Von meinem Mauerseglerpaar (. Apus apus). — Vorlauiiges iiber den heurigen Steppenliiihnerzug. (Ornit. Monatsschrift, 1908.) 28. Tschi/si zu Schmidhoffen, V. R. v. Omithologische Kollektaneen aus Osterreich-Ungarn und deni Okkupationsgebiete. (Zool. Beobachter, 1907.) 29. Van Kempen, C. Mammileres et Oiseaux d’Europe et Exotiques presentant des anomalies. (Bull. Soc. Zool. de France, xxxiii. No. 5. 1908.) 30. Van Oort, Dr. E. D. Contribution to our Knowledge of the Avifauna of the Netherlands. (Notes from the Leyden Museum, 1908.) 31. Vkrner, Col. Willoughby. My Life among the Wild Birds of Spain. (London : John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, 1908.) BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. PRESIDENT. F. Du Cane Godman, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S. EDITORS. P. L. Sclater, Esq., D.Sc., F.R.S. A. H. Evans, Esq., M.A., F.Z.S. SECRETARY. J. Lewis Bonhote, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. COMMITTEE. The President. h The Editors of 'The Ibis/ > Ex officio. The Secretary. ) Frederick Gillett, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1906.) Ernest Gibson, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1907.) W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1908.) The British Ornithologists’ Union was instituted in 1858 for the advancement of the science of Ornithology. Its funds are devoted primarily to the publication of ' The Ibis/ a Quarterly Journal of Ornithology, of which eight series, of six volumes each, have been completed. The Union consists of Ordinary Members, Honorary Members (limited to ten), Colonial Members (limited to ten), and Foreign Members (limited to twenty). 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All applications to be made to the Publisher : — R. H. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. LIST OF THE VOLUMES OF ‘ THE IBIS.’ THE IBIS, a MAGAZINE OF GENERAL ORNITHOLOGY. Edited by Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A. First Series. Vol. I. 1859. Vol. II. 1860. Vol. III. 1861. First Series. Vol. IV. 1862. Vol. V. 1863. Vol. VI. 1864. THE IBIS, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Edited by Alfred Newton, M.A. New Series. Vol. I. 1865. Vol. II. 1866. Vol. III. 1867. New Series. Vol. IV. 1868. Vol. V. 1869. Vol. VI. 1870. THE IBIS, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY, by Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. Edited Third Series. Vol. I. 1871. Vol. II. 1872. Vol. III. 1873. Third Series. Vol. IV. 1874. Vol. V. 1875. Vol. VI. 1876. THE IBIS, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Edited by Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.R.S., and Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. Fourth Series. Vol. I. 1877. Vol. II. 1878. Vol. III. 1879. Fourth Series. Vol. IV. 1880. - . Vol. V. 1881. - . Vol. VI. 1882. 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THE IBIS, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Edited by Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., and A. II. Evans, M.A., F.Z.S. Ninth Series. Vol. I. 1907. | Ninth Series. Vol. II. 1908. Vol. III. No. 9, 1909. LONDON : R. H. PORTER. 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. BULLETIN OF THE BRITiSH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Price. Yol. I. (Session 1892-93). 1893 6/- II. On Some of the Main Features in the Evolution of the Bird’s Wing*. By Edward Degen. 1894 . .* 2/6 III. (Session 1893-94). 1894 6/- IY. (Session 1894-95). 1895 6/- V. (Session 1895-96). 1896 6/- YI. (Session 1896-97). 1897 6/- YII. (Session 1897-98). 1898 6/- VIII. (Session 1898-99). 1899 6/- IX. Avium Generum Index Alphabeticus. 1899 . 2/6 X. (Session 1899-1900). 1900 . \ . 6/- XI. (Session 1900-01). 1901 . . . . 6/- XII. (Session 1901-02). 1902 6/- XIII. (Session 1902-03). 1903 6/- XIY. (Session 3 903-04). 1904 6/- XY. (Session 1904-05). 1905 6/- XVI. (Session 1905-06). 1906 6/- XVII. Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1905. 1906 . . . 6/- XVIII. Index to Bulletin, Yols. I.-XY. (1892-1905). 1906. 10/- XIX. (Session 1906-07). 1907 6/- X' Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1906. 1907 . . 6/- X: (Session 1907-08). 1908 . 6/- XXII. Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1907 : also Xotes on the Migratory Movements daring the Autumn of 1906. 1908 . . 6/- XXIII. Xos. cxlv., cxlvi . 1 /- each. LONDON : WITHERBY & CO., 326 HIGH HOLBGRN, W.C. THE IBIS. NINTH SERIES. No. IX. JANUARY 1909. L — Field-Notes on the Birds of Southern Kamerun, West Africa . By G. L. Bates, C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates I. & II. and Text-figures 1-3.) These notes form a supplement to the series of papers on my birds by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, who has given to my collections much of their value by his account of them. They would have fitted in well with his papers, but it was impossible to publish them in that way, not only because they were not prepared in time, but also because many of the facts now given were not ascertained till long after I had sent home the specimens of the birds referred to. The information here given has been gathered slowly, during a number of years. Some of the notes have already been published with Dr. Sharpe's papers in ‘The Ibis' (1904, pp. 89, 592 • 1905, pp. 89, 462 ; 1907, p. 416; 1908, pp. 117, 317). Hence a complete account can be obtained only by referring to them. To some groups of birds, such as t\k A cci pitres, I have added very little here. I collected from 1901 till 1904 at and about Efulen, l made three short trips to the Ja River in the latter part of that period. After a journey home, in 1904-1905, I again returned to Africa, and collected at Efulen in the latter year till September, when I made a trip much farther towards the interior than I had gone before, into the Njiem or Zima SER. IX. — VOL. III. B 2 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the Country, where I reached the village of Bezara. On this trip most of my time Tvas spent in travelling, and I got but few birds and nothing new. After returning to the coast at Kribi, I went back to the neighbourhood of the Ja, and settled at the village of Bitye, which has been my headquarters since December 1905. In 1906, and again in 1907, 1 proceeded to the coast, and on both trips spent some time in collecting between Efuleu and Kribi. In April 1908 I went to the coast once more to take the steamer for England. The places where I collected are marked on the map which appeared in 'The Ibis' for October 1908 (p. 558, pi. xi.) by a line drawn under the name. My specimens were obtained in various wravs. The least effective way, so far as the mere procuring of the birds was concerned, was shooting them myself. Still, I have always done this to some extent, for the sake of a better acquaintance with the birds in life. Certain natives have often been en¬ trusted with my guns to shoot specimens. Many of the larger forms have been shot by my hunter, when his principal object was four-footed game for meat. Some birds I have bought (with little trade-articles) from natives, who shot them with their own guns in the days when they could get powder. Now that is no longer possible, for the German Government has shut off the supply. I am the less sorry for this, as it has caused the native hunters to return to their crossbows and little arrows, which do not damage specimens so much as shot. The bows they hold out in front of them wrhen they shoot, at arm's length (see text-fig. 1, p. 3), sighting along the shaft or stock, on which is laid the tiny arrow. These arrows are made of the split dry stalks of the Raphia- palm — the same that are used here in building houses. They are only about eight inches long and little larger than a knitting-needle. I never cease wondering at the skill dis¬ played even by boys, who can send one of these little splinters through the body of a bird no bigger than the thumb, often from a considerable distance. The same little arrows, when poisoned, are used to kill monkeys, and even the large apes. For birds they are not poisoned. The bow and little arrow's Birds of -Southern Kamerun . 3 have been especially useful in shooting birds sitting on their nests. The best way of obtaining certain kinds of birds has proved to be by snares. Native boys are always skilful at this Text-fig. 1. Natives with their crossbows and arrows. method, for they have been accustomed from infancy to catch little birds to eat. For birds brought to me thus caught I pay with fish-hooks, which I use as a kind of currency, taking them back again in exchange for larger articles at a certain rate. The way in which these snares are set bn the 4 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Noies on the ground in the forest, and baited with termites strewed around, was described very well in the first letter I wrote to Dr. Sharpe years ago (see 4 Ibis/ 1904, p. 92). But I did not then know the birds very well, and by the Text-fig. 2. Native setting snares for birds in a Cassava-patch. u Ntyou” 1 meant Bleda notata, Criniger chloronotus is one of the species that are never captured in this way. Birds that are caught in numbers by means of these snares baited with termites are Bleda syndactyla , the different species of Neocossyphus , Turdinus, Alethe , and Callene, and Birds of Southern Kamerun. sometimes, in the forest, the Ground- Dove ( Calopelia ) or the Forest- Francolin ( Francolinus lathami). Snares similarly set in the smaller second-growth forest often catch Cossyphi and Warblers, such as Burnesia, and occasionally other birds. When used in cassava-patches they catch the village Ground- Doves (Chalcopelia) . Similar snares may be set in small trees, the bent stick being tied to a twig. By doing this in trees full of the fruits which the birds eat, certain species are more easily caught. One of the best trees for this is the “ A'bae,” a species of Alcornia. Many kinds of birds eat the catkin-shaped fruit of a big weed called “ mvomijaug,” which is really a kind of pepper ( Piper subpeltatum) , and little snares are often fixed on these weeds. Likewise snares set on a pepper-plant of another sort ( Capsicum ) catch many birds. Flowering shrubs, and especially that called “tya?a” ( Leea , of the order Arnpelidese), attract many Sun- birds, which are caught in numbers by little snares fixed on the bunches of flowers. The general character of the country in Southern Kamerun could not be better described by me now than has been already done in fThe Ibis ’ (1904, p. 592). I wish to emphasize again the distinctness, as regards their bird- population, of the primitive forest from the smaller tangled growth of trees, bushes, sedges, grass, and weeds which covers ground that has been cleared and cultivated in former years. Most birds belong strictly to one kind of country or the other, and are seldom or never seen out of the kind to which they belong. The region of the Ja is made up largely of the opener country, from which the primitive forest has been cleared. Hence the birds peculiar to this country are abundant there, and a number of species are found which do not occur in the more densely forested district of Efulen. Such are Pyromelana , Serinus , Colins, and the Kite, to name only a few. It is noticeable that these are birds which have a wide Ethiopian range. Those birds of the great forest nearer the coast that were not found in the Ja region, such as Pliasidus, Picathartes , and Geocichla, are mostly forms peculiar to the West- African forest. Not very far to the 6 Mr, G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the north of Bitye, I am told, the grass-land of Northern Kamerun commences, and some species probably wander from it into the country where I have collected. Though this paper consists mainly of field- notes, I have recorded a few specimens collected since those included in Dr. Sharpens papers. These are mainly either additional examples belonging to the species already reported on, about which I had something in particular to say — for instance, to describe the stomach-contents, the nest and eggs, &c. ; or they are specimens of well-known species, mainly migrants from Europe, that had not yet been reported. No list of the specimens belonging to my later collections is attempted here. Having a number of eggs to describe, I have been fortu¬ nate in obtaining the help of Mr. W. B. Ogilvie-Grant, whose brief descriptions of the eggs, enclosed in square brackets, add much to the value of this paper. The arrangement followed is that of Dr. Reich enow’s 1 Vogel Afrikas ; (cited as V. A.), and the number preceding the title of each species in this List is the number of the species in that work. The native names are given in square brackets, and follow the title. 112. Pteronetta hartlaubi (Cass.). [Alot, or Aloteke.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 98 ; 1907, p. 425. Pteronetta cyanoptera Reich. V. A. i. p. 123. The Wild Ducks of this country are generally seen in pairs, but sometimes a trio occurs — a pair with a third “ tagging after.” Once, in August, I saw four of them come and perch on the big limbs of a cotton-tree and perform some queer antics. They perched in pairs ; the birds of each pair faced each other on the limb, bowed their heads, and rubbed each other’s bills and heads, all the while making a raucous noise. After keeping this up for a few minutes they few away. Two young ducklings that must belong to this species, which is the only one in the country, were brought to me at Birds of Southern Kamerun. 7 different times by people who said that they had caught them on the banks of streams. Each had four light spots, forming a quadrilateral, on the back. 126. Glareola melanoptera. [Amalaka.] These birds were seen, two or three together, several times during September, flying about over the village street, and frequently alighting in it. This seemed to be the only spot of bare ground which they could find in this forest-covered country. Migratory Wading Birds of a number of kinds have been seen to do the same — not only the Ringed Plovers already reported, but some of which I failed to get a specimen. In September of a previous year a dock of some long-billed Waders came and stood in the street. 153. Charadrius hiaticola. [Amalaka.] ALgialitis hiaticula Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 422. No. 2839. S hiem. Bitye, Nov. 1, 1907. 156. Charadrius forbesi. [Amalaka.] No. 2835. $ . Bitye, Oct. 31, 1907. These two Plovers w'ere also shot while walking in the village-street in the manner described under Glareola melano - plera. So were the Ringed Plovers of the year before, JEgialitis hiaticola and AC. dubia , already reported (f Ibis,’ 1907, pp. 422, 423). 247. Sarothrura reichenovi. [Otua-bijilik.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 421. Sarothrura elegans Reichen. Y. A. i. p. 287. J . Bitye, Dec. 5, 1907. This specimen was caught in a snare baited with termites. In its muscular gizzard, and also that of another caught at Efulen two years before, was much coarse sand. The latter was brought in at evening, doubtless caught in the hands, and kept alive overnight. While in captivity it made a curious noise, like a low growl. My note on these queer little Rails (£ Ibis/ 1907, p. 421) was put under the head of S. bonapartei, because that was the species recorded in Dr. Sharpe's previous paper. Doubt¬ less what was said there applies to both species. 8 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the 260. Podica camerunensis. [Mveleku.] No. 2489. <$. Bitye, April 24, 1907. Testes large. Stomach (gizzard) containing bits of prawns. This is a very different-looking bird from any other that I have obtained and agrees exactly with the description of F. camerunensis. 260 a. Podica jacobi Reich. (?). No. 2877. S • Bitye, Jan. 26, 1908. Testes rather large. No. 2991. ? . Bitye, March 23, 1908. Both these specimens are adult, as indicated by their breeding-organs. They agree with the description of P. senegalensis, except in having white throats and smaller measurements : the male, wing 190 mm., tail 135, culmen 40; the female, wing 171 mm., tail 140, culmen 37. They are just like the specimens of Podica that I have sent in former years, which have been named P. camerunensis , but incorrectly. I find in the ‘ Journal fiir Ornithologie 9 (1906, p. 325) the following note : — “ Dr. Reichenow exhibited a new Podica from Kamerun, which he named Podica jacobi , and which differs from P. senegalensis in the much smaller size, and apparently always retains the white throat, even in age. Length about 370, wing 157, tail 125, bill 35, tarsus 35 mm.” My specimens of Podica, of both species, have been shot by natives, who say that they find the bird swimming, but that, when frightened, it flies to the bushes or low branches along the bank, often, on first rising from the water, using both its wings and its feet as it skims along the surface. The stomachs are very muscular, and sometimes contain what appears to be mud and trash from the margins of streams. These birds are very ill-smelling and disagreeable to skin. 313. Bubulcus ibis. Bubulcus lucidus Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 424. (J. Bitye, May 18, 3907. With long ornamental feathers on the crest, back, and breast. cf. Bitye, Nov. 11, 1907. Without the ornamental feathers. 9 Birds of Southern Kamerun. This Egret was never met with at Efulen, and was observed only occasionally at the Ja, and then apparently in transit. It was seen only in the months of May and November, flying about the village or alighting in the street, in the manner of the Wading Birds mentioned above. One individual was shot on the roof of a native hut. I think that there must be a migration of these birds, perhaps only a part of them, from the great plains of the Haussa States in Northern Nigeria, where Hartert found them so plentiful, when the drought sets in there in autumn. They must go to some open country to the south, such as the lower Congo or Angola, passing over the forest-country between, and returning north in May. In passing over this country, so thickly covered with trees, these birds of the open plains are attracted by the bare ground in the villages. 337. Turtur semitorquatus. [Zum.] Streptopelia torquata Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 419. The “ Zum ” has two different calls, which are interpreted by the natives as a conversation, in a tone of mutual fault¬ finding, between a man and his wife. The woman says, “ The season is here, and no clearing made yet ” (for planting) ; the man says, “ And not a pot on cooking.” These sentences in Bulu, spoken with the proper intonations, resemble two calls — a longer and a shorter one — -made by this Dove. But I do not think that they are those of the male and the female, but both, probably, of the male. When I hear one call, apparently answered by another bird at a little distance, the second has the same call as that of the first, and it is not really an answer, but, rather, an imitation by another male, which takes up the tune as it were, while the female is probably close by and silent. In Mr. J. C. McLean's very interesting notes on the birds of New Zealand (f Ibis/ 1907, p. 535) he tells about the two different songs of the Tui ” bird in different localities. One song he first heard in the bush towards the end of September, and it was “ all the rage” on Oct. 14, while in the open country another song was “ the fashion.” He suggests possible reasons 10 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the for this, as difference of food. But it struck me that in the words “ the fashion” was suggested the true explanation. Birds’ songs and calls are often imitated from other birds, generally of the same species. The (i Zum ” builds in small trees in old cleared ground. In a nest found in February, in the thick top of a small tree not far from my house at Bitye, was one nestling ; it would be truer to say that it was on the nest, which was a mere bed of little sticks. This nestling was entirely covered with hair¬ like down of a pale tawny colour, like the hair of a “ yellow ” dog. Another nest, found in January, had one egg lying on it, which measured 32 x 24 mm. [The egg is of a nearly perfect oval shape, somewrhat glossy and pure white. — O.-G.] 383. Francolinus squamatus. [Okwah] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 418; Reich. Y. A. p. 469. To my note about the Okwal (‘ Ibis/ 1907, p. 418) I add here merely an account of some eggs. They were brought to me three times in December and January last. The boy who brought the first lot said that he first found six, lying on dry leaves on the ground, and left them. On going back afterwards to get them, he found only four, which he took. They were all nearly ready to hatch. They varied somewhat in size — from 45-49 mm. long by 33-34 broad. The next lot consisted of four — “ all there were.” They measured 42-43*5 mm. long by 34-35 broad. The last lot consisted of six, measuring 41*5-43 mm. long by 34-35 broad. About six must be a full clutch, and not two or three, as I thought before. These eggs have extremely thick and hard shells. [The nine eggs are of a broad oval shape, or sometimes slightly pointed. The shell is slightly pitted all over, almost devoid of gloss, and of a uniform buff colour. — O.-G.] 424. Francolinus lathami. [Obem.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 416. Here, again, I have only to add to my former note (f Ibis,’ 1907, p. 417) an account of some additional clutches of eggs brought to me. These have still been always two in Birds of Southern Kamerun. 11 the clutch, so that I think it is safe to say that two is the number usually laid. They vary a good deal in size — from 36-42*5 mm. long by 25-27 mm. broad. Only a few of them could be saved, as they nearly all had to be broken to get out the contents. The shells were very thick and hard. [Four eggs are of a rather long, pointed, oval shape, in¬ distinctly pitted and slightly glossy. They are uniform rich bulf, somewhat paler towards the poles. — O.-G.] 453 a. Kaupifalco monogrammicus. [Viol-Obam.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1905, p. 465. $ S ad. Bitye, Feb. 3 & 6, 1908. ^ ad. Akok, 35 miles from Kribi, April 12, 1908. The stomach of the last specimen contained a few bones, apparently of a small rodent, and the tail only, recently swallowed, of a skink. The tail had evidently been all that the Hawk had secured of the lizard. In the stomachs of the others were a variety of things — the foot of a skink, scales of a snake (not of a lizard), and remains of a small rodent. 499. Milvus ^gyptius. [Obam.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 103. Kites are abundant on the Ja, but are seen only during the months from November to April inclusive. They appear and disappear, not suddenly, but gradually, and stray indi¬ viduals may be seen in October, or even September, before the others come, or in May, after the others have gone away. Their coming and going are not timed in accordance with any change in the seasons here, for their arrival is in the midst of the second rainy season, and their departure is in the midst of the first rainy season. Their movements must be timed according to changes in the seasons in the country from which they come, and their presence in Southern Kamerun seems to coincide with the dry and wintry season in Northern Kamerun and Northern Nigeria. I have seen no indication that Kites breed at the Ja, and think the statement made in my former note that they do so, which I got from the natives (‘ Ibis,’ 1904, p. 602), was a mistake. They must have seen the nests of some other bird of prey, such as Polyhoroides. 12 Mr. Gr. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the Besides the refuse picked up around villages, the Kites eat palm-nuts and catch wild mice and young chickens. When I had a couple of monkeys' skulls drying on the roof of my kitchen I had to tie them to a heavy log to prevent them from being carried off by the Kites. On my homeward voyage, both in the Kamerun River and at Dakar, Kites were seen following in the wake of the steamer and catching up bits of refuse from the water, just like the Gulls. 501. Pern is apivorus. Sharpe, Ibis, 1905, p. 465. a. $ ad. Bitye, March 7, 1907. Under parts almost white. Stomach containing large insects, including some larvfe that looked like very large maggots, which my hunter found the bird digging out of a rotten log over a stream. b. $ . Bitye, Feb. 20, 1908. Abundant dark spots and bands beneath. This bird had some small ova in the ovary. Does it reach its breeding-place early in the spring ? 531. S COTOP ELI A BOUVIERI. Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 603. g . Bitye, Dec. 30, 1907. The stomach contained many bones of small fishes and some bits of prawns. 552. Syrnium nuchale. [Akung.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 427. When I skinned my specimen I was struck with the difference in size between the ear-openings on the two sides of the head. On measuring these, I found the lengths of the elliptical slits in the skin that form the entrance to the ear-cavities to be as follows : — right ear 20 mm., left 14*5 mm. In all specimens seen since then the same difference has been found, though not always to so great an extent. In one the ear-openings measured : right 19, left 13 mm. ; in another, right 19, left 14*5 mm. ; in another, right 17, left 14 mm. All of these happen to have been male birds. In the size of the ear-cavities in the skulls no difference was observed. Birds (if Southern Kamerun. 13 556. Glaucidium sjostedti. [Akung-minkan.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 427. I obtained a female specimen, which had been taken on its nest in a hollow tree in the forest, where it was sitting on one egg. The hole in the tree in which it had been caught was said to have been only about five feet from the ground. The time of year was August (dry season). The bird had been eating a wild mouse as well as beetles. The egg measured 34 x 28 mm. [The egg is of a wide perfect oval shape, almost devoid of gloss, and pure white.— -O.-G.] 612. Turacus zenkeri. [Mba.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 435. This is the Touraco of the Ja, while T. meriani is that of Efulen and the coast. When I have been walking along the road going to Bitye, I have often carefully observed where I first saw T. zenkeri , for the two species can be distinguished at a distance, if seen plainly, by their crests. Along the road I always saw the coast-species, and I think that the domain of T. zenkeri must begin about Bitye, but I have never found T. meriani there. There seems to be a sharply defined boundary between them. A nest was found in August (dry season). It was in the thick top of a low tree in a bit of forest near the village, at the edge of a small stream. It was built of tiny dry twigs laid loosely together, so that it fell to pieces when taken in the hand. There were two eggs, both of which measured 37 x 29 mm. [Two eggs of a perfect oval shape, devoid of gloss, and of a uniform creamy white. — O.-G.] 615. Centropus monachus. [Du’u, or Esil.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 439. Female, with an egg in the oviduct, Bitye, July 30, 1906. As has been said (‘Ibis,’ 1907, p. 439), this species is a characteristic bird of the second-growth trees and bushes 14 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the and jungle of old cleared land around villages. In such a situation was the nest found that has been already described. Subsequently another was found in a very different sort of place. It was in a small marsh surrounded by the forest, such as the people call “engas,” formed by the spreading out of the water of a little stream over several acres. The nest rested upon the coarse grass of the marsh, which was bent together to form its base, with a good many dry blades broken off and laid on for lining, and some standing stalks also bent and disposed over the nest to form a screen. One egg only had been laid, but another nearly ready to be deposited was found in the oviduct of the bird which was shot. Twice subsequently eggs of this bird have been brought to me which were said to have been found in an “ engas ” or marsh. Butler (‘ Ibis/ 1905, p. 356) states that in the Upper Nile district this species is a bird of the “ sudd.” In Kamerun it seems also to frequent marshes to some extent, though usually seen on dry ground. Three eggs appear to form the clutch. Leaving out one clutch of three, which were less surely identified than the others and were somewhat smaller, my eggs measure : length 35-37’5 mm., breadth 26-295 mm. [Nine eggs are of a blunt oval shape, practically devoid of gloss, and pure white. — O.-G.] Besides the insect food — usually grasshoppers — found in the stomachs of most specimens, and the larger prey already reported, I have found in the stomachs of birds of this species bits of the shell of a small speckled bird’s egg, like that of a Cisticola , and bits of the shell of a water mollusk. I have mentioned the native story that this bird adorns its nest with the heads of the snakes that it has killed. Though I have never found these, I have seen a poisonous snake — a half-grown African cobra four feet long — that had been killed by one of these birds. A woman called me to see the dead snake, which was found lying with its head bruised and pierced. She had seen the bird flv up from the place, and on going there had found the snake lying dead. 15 Birds of Southern Kamerun. 634. Cercococcyx mechowi. [Mon-Obam.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 436. This smaller Cuckoo with the remarkable tail closely resembles in some of its call-notes the common larger Cuckoo just mentioned. It also says “ Za-so-foe ” in a similar manner, though in a higher tone of voice. I have heard one of these birds making this call, and uttering at the same time other interpolated notes that seemed to be peculiar to itself. It appears to imitate the call of Cuculus gabonensis, which in its turn seems to imitate that of C. solitarius. The food of Cercococcyx consists almost exclusively of caterpillars. 637. Cuculus gabonensis. [Za-so-foe, or Mon-Obam.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 436. The note published in a previous paper Ibis/ 1907, p. 435) about the call-notes of the common Cuckoo of this country should, I suppose, have been under this name and not “ Cuculus solitarius.” Its characteristic call of tc Za-so- foe ” seems to fit exactly the descriptions which I have read of the call of the South- African “ Piet-mij myrow.” The other loud excited call described in my former note I have since watched a bird make while it chased another (probably its mate) from branch to branch of a tree. A hen bird (No. 1901) had an egg in the oviduct just ready to be laid, which got broken before it could be taken out. It was not larger than the egg of Pycnonotus gabonensis , if as large. [Judging from the fragments, I should say the egg appears to have been of a somewhat pointed oval form and almost devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is white, sparingly marked, chiefly at the large end, with small spots and dots of a dull purplish brown and lilac-grey. — O.-G.] 651. Indicator stictithorax. [Mali.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 440. All my four specimens of this bird were obtained on my collecting-trip to the heavily forested region near the coast in September 1906. They were shot in the tree-tops 16 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the near our camp, one at a time, on different days. They were seen, each time, sitting silently, watching the bees buzzing about the camp, I think, for bees are attracted to a little fresh clearing in the forest. The stomach-contents of the birds were mainly particles of wax, mixed with bits of insects, and had a smell of honey ; but sometimes there were only bits of insects. These birds have the toughest skin of any that I know ; it is like strong yellow parchment. All of them had much fat underneath it. The tough skin, and perhaps the fat also, must be a protection against bee-stings. I never heard these birds or any other Indicator make a sound. My boys told me that the “ Mali,” as they call all the species of this genus, makes a little cheeping cry of “Woe! woe” (“woe” means “honey”). They say that sometimes, on going to where the bird is, they find honey. But the natives here know nothing about following it through the forest; indeed, this would be a difficult thing, even for a native, to do. 653. Indicator conirostris. [Mali.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 440. A very young bird (No. 2416), obtained later than those which have been reported on in Dr. Sharpens paper, is interesting because of the place in which it was found. It was taken in the hole of an Ovol ( Heliobucco bonapartii). In other holes in the same dead tree were birds of that species; but the little Indicator was found in its hole alone, so that it formed, apparently, the entire family of its foster- parents. In its stomach was found, besides insects, the fruit of the “ asen ” tree, i. e . the usual food of the Barbet, but not of the Honey-Guide. This bird is too young to shew certainly to what species it belongs, except that it is already too large to be Indicator exilis. The only other species obtained thus far at the Ja is I. conirostris , and the young bird looks like that species. I have noticed in examples of different species of Indicator that the rim of the nostrils forms a raised ring, which is not seen in a specimen after the skin becomes di*y. (See my note in The Ibis/ 1904, p. 89.) Birds of Southern Kamerun . 17 657. Melignomon zenkeri. No. 2181. $ . Bitye, Jan. 19, 1907. Stomach con¬ taining a mass of fine flakes of wax, mixed with tiny black particles. 695. Gymnobucco bonapartii. [Ovol.] Beich. V. A. ii. p. 139. Heliobucco bonapartei Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 441. Several nestlings have been brought to me at different times, caught in their holes in decayed trees. These young birds always have the bill dull yellow at the base, and blackish at the tip — quite different from the uniform horn- colour of the adult. Besides that the feathers of the forehead, that become stiff and yellowish in adults, are soft and dark in the younger birds. Nine individuals, taken by my boys from one colony, were shown to me on the 1st of April — five adults and four young * of different ages. The boys had stopped up the holes the evening before, when the birds were inside and not alert enough to fly away, and had chopped the dead tree down in the morning. It was in one of the holes of this colony that the young Indicator was caught (see above, p. 16). Besides the birds, they brought a single egg that was found in one of the holes. It measured 22 x 18 mm. [An egg of this species is of a perfect oval shape, devoid of gloss and pure white. — O.-G.] 694. Gymnobucco peli. [Ovol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 441 ; Beich. V. A. ii. p. 138. I wish to give briefly my reasons for believing that there are really two species, G. peli with nasal tufts, and G. calvus without them, and that the one is not merely the young or immature form of the other. Though I found the two forms in the same locality at Efulen, as Dr. Sharpe has noted (‘ Ibis/ 1904, p. 616), I have found only the one with tufts at the Ja, and there I have found it of all ages. Young birds of this species, like those of Heliobucco , have the bill yellowish at the base and blackish at the tip ; and SER. IX. - VOL. III. c 18 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the the culmen less ridged than old birds, which have a sharp ridge reminding one of the incipient ridge in a small Hornbill. Now, supposing that these signs of youth, seen in the bill, hold good in G. calvus as well, there are five birds in the large series of the British Museum, of the form without tufts, that are young. As an additional proof that they are young, they all have a few small scattered feathers on the top of the head. Here we have birds both old and young with tufts, and birds both old and young without tufts. 710. Barbatula leucol^ema. [Omvek.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 442; Reich. Y. A. ii. p. 147. These little Barbets have several times been caught in holes in dead stumps or limbs. No. 1883 was caught thus in a hole in a small stump, only a few feet from the ground. The stump was half decayed and full of termites. The cavity excavated by the bird was 100 mm. in greatest depth and 55 mm. in greatest diameter, the largest part not being the bottom but a little over halfway down. The diameter of the round entrance-hole was 20 mm., just big enough to admit the fore-finger. In the bottom was a little bed of fine chips, on which lay two glossy white eggs, which were very thin-shelled and fragile and got broken. But one was measured before it got broken, and was 15 x 11*5 mm. in size. Other females of this species were brought by boys, who said that they caught them in their holes ; but no other eggs came to hand ; the eggs generally got broken before they reached me. In one case the boy reported finding three eggs. 715. Barbatula subsulphurea. [Omvek.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 441. A specimen (1985) was caught in its hole, which was in a small dead limb, 50 mm. in diameter. The hollow made by the bird ran downward about 70 or 80 mm., and was almost as large as the limb, leaving only a thin shell of wood around it. There was nothing in the hole but the bird, 19 Birds of Southern Kamerun. which, on dissection, proved to be a female, not yet very near the laying time. It must have been providing its breeding-hole long beforehand — unless these holes are made to live in, and not for breeding only. That these little birds do their own excavating there can be no doubt. While the bird I have just mentioned was kept a prisoner alive in its hole for a few hours, it did some vigorous hewing, trying to cut its way out. The wood was half-decayed. In the stomachs of birds of this species and the last have several times been found, besides fruit, what looked like small moth-cocoons. 738. Verreauxia africana. [Obo’o-Minkomkome.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 441. In my note in 4 The Ibis 3 (1905, p. 93) I spoke of seeing one of these tiny Woodpeckers peck the grub out of the heart of the stem of a small common endogenous plant. That this plant is the usual source of their food is proved by the Bulu appellation, for the long word forming the second half of the bird's name is that of the plant mentioned, while u Obo'o 33 means “ hewer." But I have also seen one of these birds pecking at the bark of a tree, making a tapping noise almost as loud as that made by an ordinary Woodpecker. One day a boy brought me a treasure in the shape of a section of the end of a small stump, about three inches in diameter, green up to about half a foot from the top ; and in this dry end, which was still hard and little decayed, a hole had been bored, in which were two tiny white eggs. He brought also the bird caught in the hole, a Verreauxia, which I skinned and numbered 2866 ; it was a male, and yet the abdomen shewed that it had been sitting. The cavity excavated in the dry end of the stump had a diameter of about 40 mm. and a depth of about 50 mm., and the entrance-hole, round as if bored by an auger, would just admit a 12-bore gun cartridge (about 20 mm. in diameter). Size of the eggs 14 x 12 mm. and 13*5 x 11*5 mm. [Two eggs are of a blunt rounded oval shape, slightly glossy and pure white. — O.-G.] c 2 20 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the Dendromus efulensis. [Ngomoko.] Dendromus efulensis Chubb, Bull. B. O. C. xxi. p. 92 (May 1908) . The food of these birds consists almost exclusively of the many small black ants that crawl on trees. One was found Text-fig. 3. Nest of Dendromus efulensis. to have used the ants in another and very peculiar way. These ants make large nests that look like great excrescences on the trunks of small trees, partly attached along the side and partly hanging, sometimes two feet or more in length. They are papery like a hornets* nest, though heavier and Birds of Southern Kamerun. 21 not so tough ; they are of material that will burn. When one is touched myriads of ants swarm out. One day my boy saw a Woodpecker enter a hole in one of these ants’ nests. He covered up the hole, and thrust a palm-stalk dart through the ants’ nest, transfixing the bird ; and then brought ants’ nest, bird and all tome. The bird was a male of this species, and forms my specimen No. 2871. The ants’ nest was almost deserted by ants, yet two or three were seen crawling over it. The bird and its mate must have first eaten the ants (which would make a number of meals, I should think), and then made a hollow in the deserted home and used it for their own breeding-hole. The cavity was large and would be easy to excavate. There were two eggs, which both measured 22 x 18 mm. [Two eggs are of a rather short and perfectly oval shape, slightly glossy and pure white. — O.-G.] 767. Dendropicus lafresnayi. [Ngomoko.] Deyidropicus camerunensis Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 443. Dendropicus lafresnayi Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 620. 776. Dendropicus gabonensis. [Ngomoko ] Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 619 ; 1907, p. 443. These are both birds of the open country and second- growth forest, and are never found in the primitive forest. D. lafresnayi was the commoner species at the Ja, D. gabonensis at Efulen. These Woodpeckers differ from Dendromus in their food ; for they were never found to have eaten ants. Small white grubs were the usual contents of their stomachs. The lively cry of Dendropicus lafresnayi was one of the commonest bird-sounds in the bushes and small trees surrounding Bitye. At Efulen, too, I heard a bird that looked like Dendropicus (probably D. gabonensis) utter a shrill piercing cry. 778. Colius nigricollis nigriscapalis. [NsesaL] Colius nigriscapalis Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 434. As I have already said something (f Ibis,’ 1907, p. 434) of the general habits of the Colies, I will speak only of 22 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the their nests and eggs here. Of no bird around Bitye is it so easy to find the nests (excepting, of course, those of the common Weavers) as of the Nsesal. These nests are usually set in the forks of thick bushes on waste ground or in the borders of gardens. They are merely thick flat pads of fibrous material of various kinds, piled up with little skill, but slightly hollowed out in the middle. A common material is the grey beard-like Usnea from the limbs of old trees. In the nest, among the eggs or the nestlings, are laid trashy fragments of various kinds, generally bits of leaves, which are sometimes still fresh and green ; but also pieces of bark, and once I found a grain of corn. A nest that has long been in use has more of this trash than a new one. The number of eggs laid is generally two, never more than three. They vary in size from 20-23 mm. long by 16-17*5 mm. broad. [The ten eggs examined are of a wide oval shape and more or less pointed towards the smaller end. They are pure white with a rather rough chalky surface entirely devoid of gloss. — O.-G.] 804. Ceratogymna atrata. [Ongung.] No. 2545. $. Akok (between Efulen and Kribi). June 20, 1907. Stomach full of fruits of the Rattan Palm. No. 2606. £ . Akok, July 9, 1907. Crop and stomach containing forest fruits. No. 2618. £ . Akok, July 11, 1907. Testes very large. No. 2635. $ . Akok, July 16, 1907. Testes large. No. 2659. ? . Akok, July 24, 1907. Small ova in the ovary. Moulting. These big black Hornbills are birds of the forest, and hence more often seen and heard in the dense forest near the coast than in the Ja district. Their clamorous calls (or squawks) and the rushing of their wings are familiar forest- sounds, as are the similar noises of the Miam ( Bycanistes albotibialis) , which have been already described Ibis/ 1905, p. 90). Big and ugly though the birds are, they are very amorous, and the harsh clamour that they make seems to be the mating-call of the male. I have known a male “ Ongung 23 Birds of Southern Kamerun. to he making such a clamour as to drown the sound of people crashing through the underbrush beneath him, till he was shot. No. 2618 was shot by my hoys while in the act of plastering up the hole in a tree where its mate probably was. There was clay on its bill and on its helmet, about the tip and sides. The hoys said that they heard the cries of the female inside the hole. I went next day to see the place and tried to get a man to climb the tree, but nothing vrould induce him to try it. The tree was large and tall, and stood apart from others, and was really unclimbable. The hole was so high up, and so hidden by a limb and by parasitic ferns, that it was invisible. Little bits of clay were strewn on the ground at the foot of the tree. While I was there a pair of these Hornbills, a male and a female, came flying round the place. Was one the female that was being enclosed the day before, which had got another mate? This male perched on the limb where the hole was, which was nearly upright, in the position of a Woodpecker, supported by its tail. A favourite food of this and other Hornbills is the fruit of the Calamus palm. 813. Lophoceros fasciatus. [Okwokwad.] Leich. Y. A. ii. p. 248. This is the commonest of the smaller Hornbills. Indi¬ viduals of this species are often seen in small parties, in the trees left standing in the clearings and in the second-growth forest, where their querulous, disagreeable cries are often heard. Their vrhole appearance and manner are unpleasant. Their flight is slouching and uncertain, and they seem scarcely able to manage their long wings and tails properly. A favourite food with them is caterpillars, especially the large kinds, which the natives also eat, and the birds gather around trees that are infested by them. 843. Halcyon radius. [Akwae.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 429. While the more typical small Kingfishers of this country live and breed along the streams, those of the genus halcyon 24 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the do not in any way shew a preference for the neighbourhood of water. A man once caught for me a bird of the commonest species, H. badius , in a hole in a tree, where it was sitting on the two eggs. The young inside the eggs were already cheeping and of course the eggs had to be broken, but I managed to leave one of them nearly whole so that it could be measured ; its size was 26 x 24 mm. [One egg (in which incubation was evidently far advanced) is of a perfectly circular shape, somewhat glossy and pure white. — O.-G.] 867 a. Melittophagus gularis australis. Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 431. No. 2904. ? . Breeding-organs and skin of abdomen indicating a sitting bird. Caught in its hole in a bank, in which were found also two eggs. One was broken, the other measured 24 x 20 mm. [The one egg is of a short oval form, somewhat glossy and pure white. — O.-G.] 868. Melittophagus muelleri. Merops batesiana Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 432. In habits this species resembles Melittophagus australis , for both of them are generally seen in pairs, never in flocks, and I have strong reason to believe that the present species, like M. australis, breeds in holes in banks, a single pair in a place. Thus they differ in habits from those species of the genus Merops which are gregarious. The young birds are mostly black, the brighter colours of the adults appearing but slightly. The females differ from the males only in the blue of the hind-neck being less extensive. 872. Merops albicollis. [Nso'olong.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 611. Aerops albicollis Reich. Y. A. ii. p. 317. This bird is surely a Merops in its way of life. When 1 wrote my first note about it (‘Ibis/ 1905, p. 91) 1 knew it mostly near the coast, where it is not so abundant as it is on the Ja. But even at the latter place, as also nearer the Ibis. 1909. PI. I. CAPRIMULGUS BATES 1 . 25 Birds of Southern Kamerun. coast, it appears only in the winter months of the north and does not breed. These birds, from their beauty and the grace of their movements, always arrest attention, and the occupation I was engaged in would have to be very absorbing indeed that I would not stop to watch a flock of these Bee-eaters. Their first appearance in November is an event of the season. They not only fly together during the day, but roost in flocks, in certain trees, at night. Just before their departure in the spring, especially, they gather in very large flocks, which may be seen going to their roosting-trees at evening, repeatedly flying away with a loud twittering, and circling back to the trees again. I saw the last of them about the first of April last year, and the year before about the same time. I think that they must breed on the banks of the rivers to the north. By November, as I understand, the dry season has set in there, and the means of life (that is, the supply of insects) may be lessened by the drought. In April it rains again there, and they go back. They are not influenced in these movements by the changes of the season in this country (Southern Kamerun), but rather by the changes in their other home. I have already spoken of the like appearance and disappear¬ ance of the Kites, and of the passage of the Egrets ( Bubulcus ) twice a year. These are migrations within the Ethiopian region. Caprimulgus batest. (Plate I.) [Mvomvot.] Caprimulgus batesi Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 432. No. 2937. $ ad. Bitye, R. Ja, March 7, 1908. Sex- organs and skin of abdomen as of a sitting bird. Though I have once or twice observed this Goatsucker hawking for insects at dusk, it is usually seen in the day¬ time, when scared up from the ground, where it may have been sitting on its one egg, in the edge of a garden or plantation. Sometimes the natives have sharp enough eyes to see it before it flies up, and have secured my specimens for me. Several eggs were brought to me, but always 26 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the without the bird, till a man shot the bird numbered 2937 and secured its egg. That all the Nightjar’s eggs I have obtained at Bitye belong to this species I feel sure, as no other species has been found there except as a temporary visitor. I am sure that this is the case with the Cosmetornis that I got, and the European Nightjar certainly could not have laid these eggs. Never more than one egg is found in a place. The egg that was accompanied by the bird measured 33 x 24 mm. The others varied in length from 31*5 to 34’5 mm., and in breadth from 24 to 25 mm. [Five eggs are of a perfectly oval form and somewhat glossy. The ground-colour is white or very delicate pubescent-white. In four specimens the markings, which consist of brown and pale lavender-grey blotches, are distributed over the entire shell : in a fifth specimen almost all the brown markings are concentrated into a cap at one end, while over the remaining part of the shell there are a few small blotches of pale lavender-grey and a few very small spots of brown. — O.-G.] 902 a. Caprimulgus sharpii Alexander. [Mvomvot. ] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 433. Caprimulgus trimaculatus sharpei Reich. V. A. ii. p. 358. My single specimen of this Nightjar was shot in the neighbourhood of a great bare rock several acres in extent, such as are found here and there in the forest. It was the same spot — a place I pass on the road to Bitye — where I shot the only specimen of CEdicnemus senegalensis that I have ever seen (f The Ibis/ 1907, p. 423). That the rocky locality was significant for the Nightjar first occurred to me when I read in Boyd Alexander’s book (‘ From the Niger to the Nile/ ii. p. 22) that he found the same or a closely allied species right across from the Gold Coast Hinterland to the Ubangai region, always in rocky places. 916. Cosmetornis vexillarius. Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 432. My three specimens of this Nightjar were shot within a lew days of one another, and were males without their long Birds of Southern Kamerun . 27 plumes. I was surprised when I saw Dr. Sharpe's paper to find what they were. The natives about Bitye certainly know nothing of the remarkable plumage of the breeding males. My specimens were shot in March, just at the end of the dry season and only in 1906; the bird has not been seen again. I think some of them must have been in that neighbourhood on a temporary sojourn, perhaps driven by the dry weather from the region further north or north-east. According to a trader, who had been in Bertua, far to the north-east of Bitye, where there is little forest, this bird lives and breeds there. 934. Cmtura sabinii. No. 2511. S- Bitye, May 15, 1907. Testes large. Iris brown ; feet bluish. This specimen was caught alive by a man who said that it and another one Hew into his house ! Some white-rumped Swifts have been several times seen coursing in the air, and were doubtless of the same species. 966. Hirundo gordoni. [Ngomeko.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 444. A note on this Swallow has already been published (‘ Ibis/ 1905, p. 467). Birds of this species are seen oftener than anywhere else about deserted village sites, especially those along the road to the coast. Here there is not enough stir of human life to scare them away, and yet there is the open space and the bare ground that they like. On a trip to Ebolwoa in December 1906, I saw two of these Swallows fly close over the bare ground of such a place, and perch on a plantain along the path. Then one of them was heard to sing , uttering a trill in a low, but very sweet voice, its throat swelling much at each utterance. This it repeated and continued to do so as long as I stood and watched. Its mate was perched not more than three feet away. 971. Hirundo nigrita. Specimens of this Swallow were shot on the water of the River Ja, or the small River Libi, where it joins the Ja, 28 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field- Notes on the where I went camping for a few days. (The village of Bitye is ten or fifteen miles from the Ja.) Swallows of this species were often seen during the four days passed in this camp, perched on snags or projecting dead branches over the water, or skimming over the surface of the river. They were never seen away from the water for a moment, and could only be obtained by fishing them out of the river after they were shot. 9 77. Psalidoprocne nitens. [Nguleyebe, or Nguleyem .] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 444. No. 2642. $ . Akok (between Efulen and Kribi), July 18, 1907. No. 2872. $ . Bitye, R. Ja, Jan. 20, 1908. The last is the first specimen of this species obtained at the Ja, where the common species of Psalidoprocne is P. petiti. I had supposed that P. petiti was the only species at the Ja, and P. nitens the only one near the coast. But my getting this specimen, and likewise seeing P. petiti , which is easily distinguished from the other by its forked tail, along the road more than halfway from Bitye to the coast, shews that the territories of the two species overlap. Both the specimens recorded above were sitting birds, dug out of their holes in banks of streams. (See note in ‘ The ibis/ 1907, p. 445.) In the hole dug out at Bitye were two eggs (which got broken) lying on a nest or a bed of the Usnea or “ beard of trees.” In the hole at Akok, which was near the top of a bank of loose clay, some four or five feet above the stream, and extended into the bank a foot and a half, enlarged as it penetrated in, was an ample nest of moss and Usnea , with two eggs. These both measured the same — 19 x 13 mm. [One egg of a rather long, pointed oval form, slightly glossy and uniform white.— O.-G.] In my former note I spoke of two of these birds visiting my house at Efulen, looking for a nesting-place. 1 have lately seen a much more remarkable though similar action. While sitting in the house of a missionary at Ebolwoa, 29 Birds of Southern Kamerun. halfway from the Ja to the coast, on my way to England last April, a pair of Psalidoprocne nitens (known by their square tails) entered and perched on a paper ornament hanging from the ceiling. Mr. Hope, who lives in the house, said that they had done this often during several days, and had brought mud and tried to stick it to the ceiling, which is covered with cloth, but the mud would not stick. This is all the more remarkable, since the usual breeding- place of the species is in holes dug in banks, and not in mud nests of tlieir own building. 1000. Fraseria ocreata. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 328. No. 2613. cT ad. Akok, between Efulen and Kribi, July 10, 1907. In my brief note on this bird (/. c.) I said “ I have been told it has a song.” I had been correctly informed. When on my collecting-trip to Akok, between Efulen and the coast, in July, one day about noon a bird-song of rare sweetness and variety was heard in the tree-tops over the camp. It was a surprising performance, and both I and my boys were soon looking to see the bird from which it came. We found it at length and followed it from tree to tree, as it went, continually singing in an excited manner. The song was made up of a great variety of notes, some imitating the call-notes of other birds (such as Dicrurus atripennis and Bias musicus\ Mingled in its song were also the buzzing call-notes that I already knew well as those of Fraseria ocreata. Soon another bird of the same kind, singing in the same way, was heard near by. It was shot, and its skin is No. 2613. But I had already seen the first one plainly enough to be sure that it belonged to this species. This song struck me as resembling that of Lanius mac - kinnoni. It is characteristic of a Shrike to sing only occasionally, and then with surprising sweetness. Reichenow puts this genus among the Flycatchers. 30 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the 1016 a. Alseonax epulatus fantisiensis. [Kula, or Okulebe.] Alseonax f ant esiensis Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 445. No. 2330. rj. Bitye, It. Ja, March 11, 1907. Testes large. Feet dark ; mandible dark-tipped. This specimen is recorded here because it was brought to me along with its nest, in which were two very young birds. These the boy said were being fed when he shot the parent with his bow and arrow. The nest was peculiar in that it was large and bulky for so small a bird, though the inside was a small cup lined with fine fibres, very much like the nests of Tchitrea and other common Flycatchers. But the outside part was a mass of dried moss, leaves, tiny sticks, and lichens, loosely piled, but held together by cobwebs running through it. The nestlings were naked except for some tufts of long brown down. Dr. Sharpe is certainly right in saying that this form is distinct from Alseonax epulatus, with its yellow feet and mandible, though they are both found at the Ja, as well as about Efulen. 1024 a . PcEDILORHYNCHUS STUHLMANNI CAMERUNENSIS. [Kula.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 447. In my note in ‘ The Ibis 9 (/. c.) I spoke of the eggs of this bird found in old Weavers’ nests. I have to record two eggs again found in the old nest of Heterhyphantes nigricollis , which had been supplied with a new lining of dry grass- blades or shreds of palm-leaf. These eggs measured the same as the former, 20*5 x 13 mm. I am glad to be able to give Mr. Grant’s description, as my statement of the colour of the eggs in the former note may have been wide of the mark. [Four eggs are of a long, slightly pointed oval form and moderately glossy ; three examples are uniform light olive- brown, but the fourth is densely and indistinctly marked all over, especially at the broader, end, with yellowish- brown. — O.-G.] 31 Birds of Southern Kamerun. The two young birds Nos. 1555 and 1555 a, which are entered under Alseonax epulatus in ‘The Ibis'* (1907, p. 445), had been taken in an old Weaver's nest, and must have been the young of the present species. Alseonax does not build in such places. If they had belonged, to Alseonax they would surely have shown rufous spots. Smithornis camerunensis. [Nom-Kup-Mef an, or Mba- mezok.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 451. This note is additional to the former (‘Ibis/ 1907, p. 451). I wish I could say now whether the peculiar rattling noise made by these birds is produced “mechanically," by which I mean in some other way than by the voice, or not. But I know no more than I did, except that I have many times watched these birds making it, as one can do by patiently and carefully creeping up into the thicket where the noise is heard; and I have always observed that the sound begins and ends with the little circuit-flight from the twig, and is never heard when the bird is not flying, and that on the short circuit-flight the wings seem to be moved much more rapidly than is necessary for the distance of a few feet. The nest has been described, though it should not have been called “little," and the long streamers from it were not mentioned. Others have since been found, and in two of them the sitting birds were caught— both females and each with two eggs under her. The two of these eggs which were whole, one from each nest, measured 23 X 15 ’5 mm. and 24-5 X 16 mm. [Three eggs are of a rather long and pointed oval form, distinctly glossy and pure white. — 0.-0.] Smithornis zenkeri Reich. [Mbamezok.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 452 ; Reich. Y. A. ii. p. 724. No. 2942. ? . Bitye, R. Ja, March 9, 1908. Abdomen and breeding-organs indicating a sitting bird. This specimen is here recorded because it was shot just after leaving its nest, and the nest and eggs were brought to 32 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the me. This nest, which was found on a bush in the forest, just such a situation as that of the one already mentioned in ‘The Ibis 3 (1905, p. 95), was similar to it. It was merely a large bunch of fresh moss hung from a twig, with a nest built inside of it, composed of dry leaves and stems and the black fibres so often seen in forest-nests. The two eggs measured 23*5 x 17 mm. and 25 x 17*5 mm. [Two eggs are similar to those of S. camerunensis. — O.-G.] 1071. Elminia longicauda. Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 456. I have to add to my note on this bird — 6 Ibis 3 (l. c.)} in which its nest was described — the discovery of another nest, similar to the former. It was found also in June, and contained two eggs, measuring 16 X 12'5 mm. [Two eggs of this species are of a slightly pointed oval shape and devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is white, thickly mottled and clouded in a wide zone round the larger end with lilac-grey and greenish grey. — O.-G.] 1083. Tchitrea viridis (Mull.). [Abelebele.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 454. I have to add to my note in ‘ The Ibis 9 (7. c.) that other nests with eggs have been found, on which the bird has been either caught or shot. These nests are all neat little cups, which differ from those of the two forest-species of Tchitrea in having no moss in their bases. The eggs were in every case two in number. They measure : length 18-19 mm., breadth 14 mm. [Five eggs are of a rather short, somewhat pointed oval shape and devoid of gloss ; the ground-colour is creamy- white spotted with light red and lilac-red, the markings being chiefly confined to a ring round the larger end, though a greater or less number of separate spots are scattered over the rest of the shell. In one specimen the markings round the zone are very indistinct and are wanting on the rest of the shell. — O.-G.] 33 Birds of Southern Kdmerun. ]081. Tchitrea rufocinerea. [Abelebele.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 456. In this case also I have merely to add to my former note the discovery of another nest with eggs, which this time I saved, though broken. They were taken in the nest, on which a male with large breeding-organs was shot. Three birds of this species have now been shot sitting on their nests, and two of them were males. [Two broken fragments of: eggs of this species closely resemble the eggs of T. viridis, but the markings are altogether smaller, those round the larger end taking more the form of spots of dark chocolate-brown and lilac-grey. — O.-G.] 1118. SlGMODUS RUFIVENTRIS. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 328. The birds of this genus have a strange appearance, which is heightened by the yellow iris; and have also strange ways. They go about in bands of half a dozen, flitting, one at a time, from one tree-top to another ; they have peculiar cries, and make a lond snapping noise, which sounds as if made with the bill. They shew little fear and are easy to shoot. They are not common, and as they always attract attention when seen and are remembered as peculiar, I believe I can count up the times that I have seen them. Sometimes they have been met with in the big forest, sometimes in the second-growth trees, but never very near a village. 1126 C. PoMATORHYNCHUS AUSTRALIS FRATER. [Nko’o- Bikotok.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 335. This is one of the commonest birds in the “bikotok” or old overgrown clearings, and even in the cassava-fields ; it is never found in the forest. Like all the common Shrikes of this country it is a bird of a conjugal disposition and is often seen in pairs. When mating it (probably the male only) utters a sort of song, which may be said to begin with a trill or rattle, and end with akeow ! keow ! keow \” all in a rich pleasant tone of voice. I have heard it also, while flying from bush to bush, make a sharp whip-snapping sound. SER. IX. — VOL. III. D 34 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the apparently with its wings, like that made by the little Fly¬ catchers Diaphorophyia and Platystira. This noise is made only occasionally, and seems to he, like the song, an ex¬ pression of amorous feelings, or made to attract attention. This Shrike shares with Laniarius luehderi the same native name, and both are common birds of the “ bikotok,” though their calls and actions are different (see f The Ibis/ 1908, p. 330). But the Laniarius hides its nest in some place where it cannot be found, while I have come across several of the Pomatorhynchus. One, on which the bird was caught, sitting on two eggs, was the only one where I got the bird and at the same time saved the eggs. The nest, like other nests I have seen of this bird, was a very shallow cup of dry leaf-petioles, grass and other stems, the finer ones inside. It was rather slight and thin. One I found myself was set on the forks of a cassava-stem. In my notebook I have described the markings on these eggs (the two I saved) as being like a lot of punctuation marks of print — commas, hyphens, brackets, &c. — jumbled together. The size of these eggs was 24 x 17 mm. [The two eggs are of a regular or slightly pointed oval form and very slightly glossy. The ground-colour is pure white, rather sparingly marked, especially round the larger end, with small blotches and irregularly shaped spots and lines of brown and various shades of grey. — O.-G.] 1134. Nicator chloris. [Ekong, or Ntyong.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 334. This bird lives in the borders of the forest, or among the higher trees of the second-growth, and generally keeps itself well hidden, for when it comes to the light its spotted wings make it conspicuous. The only sound ordinarily heard is a scolding noise, which is imitated in the explosive nasal sounds of the Bulu names. But on one occasion I watched it sing a song, in a loud clear tone, consisting of quite a variety of notes, some so much run together as to remind me of the peculiar trill of the Pomatorhynchus . The song was uttered languidly, a few notes at a time. 35 Birds of Southern Kamerun. No. 1999 was a sitting female, shot with bow and arrow on its nest. This fabric was a te poor excuse” for a nest — a mere pad of dry tendrils and weed-stalks mixed together, so small that the bird would completely cover and hide it. There was a little depression on the top, where the one egg had been laid. The egg reached me broken, along with a tiny nestling just emerged from the shell. [A broken egg, apparently of a rather blunt oval shape and very slightly glossy. The ground-colour is pale yellowish- clay colour, rather densely spotted all over, especially round the larger end, where the under-markings form an irregular clouded zone, with small spots and dots of dull reddish-brown , and dark grey. — O.-G.] 1136. Nicator vireo. [Ekong, or Ntyong.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 335. This smaller green Shrike, which I found only at the Ja, is not so shy as its larger relative, and its loud and pleasing song is very frequently heard. This song is one of the most striking sounds of the bird- world in that district. It may be likened to a bugle-call of half-a-dozen notes, mostly in one tone, but with one or two towards the end in a higher pitch, the last one or two dropping again to the pitch of the first. It may be heard at almost any time of the day. When singing the bird perches amongst the foliage of some tree, usually high and out of sight. Dryoscopus bocagii. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 331. Chlorophoneus bocagei Reich. V. A. ii. p. 557. It certainly seems fitting, from what I know of this bird in life, to have it placed in the same genus as D. senegalensis and D. tricolor. I became acquainted with the two latter (which I supposed were one, never suspecting that I had met with two species of these birds) at Efulen, and there learned to know their various calls, which I have since heard them (or one of them) make at Bitye, in the Ja region (see f The Ibis/ 1908, p. 333) . At Bitye I shot several of D. bocagei at different times. I found them skulking in the foliage of 36 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the trees, in exactly the same manner as the species I had collected at Efulen, and uttering the same calls. 1203. Lanius mackinnoni. [Asanze, or Asese.] Fiscus mackinnoni Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 328. I have a little to add to my note in f The Ibis 5 about this bird. Once in a cassava-patch, on a thorn-like twig of some dead bush, I found a partly eaten body of a young bird impaled. That I lay this crime at the door of the Asanze is only because I know that its relatives in other lands are “ butcher-birds.” But against the evil which I only suspect, I hasten to tell the good that I know of this bird. For, though usually silent and morose, when the right mood comes it is a sweet singer. Its notes are slow and scattering, but varied and sweet, and it introduces clever imitations of other birds. I have thus noted hearing the querulous cry of the Coly and the call of Pycnonotus gabonensis mimicked perfectly by this Shrike. Once, while an Asanze was watched singing, its mate was seen to come and perch close beside it, while the singer continued his song. 1235. Dicrurus atripennis. [Ebondi, or Fa-Beti.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 354. This is the common forest-Drongo in all localities. In my account of the ejak , or company of little birds wandering and feeding together in the forest (4 The Ibis/ 1905, p. 462), 1 named this as nearly always the most conspicuous bird of the ejak. On reading, in Mr. Swynnertom’s first paper on the Birds of Gazaland, of “ the habit of this species [ Dicrurus afer\ of assuming the leadership of the flocks of small birds so often met with 99 (‘ The Ibis/ 1907, p. 72), it struck me that my “ ejak 39 was something similar to what was mentioned there. It never occurred to me that the Dicrurus here in Kamerun was the leader of the ejak in any other sense than being the noisiest bird in it, the continual calling of which served to keep the company together, just as the gruff barking of a “ father 99 monkey keeps a troop of monkeys together among the tree-tops. 37 Birds of Southern Kamerun. 1237. Dicrurus sharpii Oust. [Fa-Beti.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 355. This smaller Drongo I never found about Efulen. In my former note I said that “ perhaps it does not venture out into the depths of the forest, where D. atripennis is at home/'* A longer acquaintance inclines me to modify this only by striking out the word “ perhaps.” A specimen shot just after leaving its nest proved to be a sitting female. The nest was a neatly woven little cup, composed of fine rootlets and stems with some lichens stuck in, and attached or slung, hammock-fashion, to two twigs, hanging between them, with the rim on a level with the twigs. It was held together and to the twigs by gossamer threads. The nest was small for the size of the bird, measuring 55 mm. in width inside. There was one egg in it and no trace of another. It measured 24 X 15*5 mm. [One egg of a long, pointed oval form and almost devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is of a pinkish cream-colour, with a very faintly marked zone of indistinct lilac spots round the larger end. — O.-G.] Lamprocolius splendidus glaucovirens. [Kwangv] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 357. The Kwang (the name pronounced in a high explosive tone to imitate the ringing call of the bird) is found in all places where I have collected. It visits trees which bear the fruits that it eats, especially the “ aseng ” ( Musanga smithii ), wherever they are found, but is more frequently seen in the opener country than in the forest. It perches high, and in this and in its brilliant dress and ringing cries exhibits a sort of proud, or martial, bearing. Besides its usual stirring call, it sometimes utters a loud but sweet piping note, like that of the American Red-winged Blackbird. When it flies it makes a rushing sound with the wings ; and it does not do so only occasionally and voluntarily, but always. The Kwang are inclined to gather together in flocks to feed, and sometimes collect in large companies to go to roost. But I have seen such flocks seldom. I once had a notion that 38 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the these birds go away at certain seasons, but find this to be a mistake. No. 2693, a sitting female of this species, was caught by a boy in its hole one evening in August. The hole was described as a large knot-hole in a living tree, only a few feet from the ground, but in a marsh (“ engas ” — see under Centropus monachus above, p. 13). The boy brought a rough, flat nest, composed entirely of leaf-petioles, which he said he took from the bottom of the hollow, and two eggs; these measured 31’5 x 245 mm. and 31 x 24 mm. [Two eggs are of a regular oval shape and almost devoid of gloss, the whole shell being somewhat rough to touch and slightly pitted. The ground-colour is pale greenish- blue, sparingly marked all over with spots and blotches of pale reddish-brown and lilac-grey. — O.-G.] 1264. Lamprocolius purpureiceps Verr. [Kwang- Metondo.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 356. This species is called in Bulu from the name of the small tree on the fruit of which it is fond of feeding. It is a rather retiring and quiet bird, never seen in numbers except in the wild fruit-trees where it feeds, and seldom using its voice, though I have heard it make what seemed a feeble imitation of the clanging call of its larger and more con¬ spicuous relative. One day in June, near Efulen, I saw two of these birds repeatedly enter a high knot-hole, coming every time from, the limb of a large tree, where there may have been lichens or moss ; they w7ere evidently building. I shot one (I am almost ashamed to say) and it proved to be a breeding male (No. 819). Two days after two more birds were seen to enter the same hole, and one was seen to have a little stick in its bill. Had the female whom my shot left a widow got another mate so soon ? 1287. Pceoptera lugubris. [Mboyom.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 356. These birds are most frequently seen in flocks of about 39 Birds of Southern Kamerun. two dozen. They have not often been heard to use their voices, but I have detected faint little cries, like feeble imitations of the ringing Si kwang ” of the chief of their family. Their quick flight in perfect unison, with their long tails all pointing the same way, reminded me of a lot of little fishes darting in a clear stream. The boy who shot my last two specimens, a breeding male and a breeding female, said that there were a number of them about a dead tree-trunk that had holes in it, like the holes of the Ovol ( Gymnobucco ). They eat the same fruits as the other Starlings. The colour of the iris is bright yellow. 1312. Malimbus nitens. [Nga'a-minkan.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 352. In the great forest, which reaches its fullest development in the hilly country around Efulen, the path of the hunter often leads him over the pebbly bed of a stream, where he wades through the clear water and dodges the overhanging branches and vines. Attached to these overhanging branches, not much higher than his head over the water of the brook, he often sees Weavers' nests, in size and structure much like those of the common village Hyphantornis , but woven of different materials — long rootlets or runners, such as would be found in the forest. These are the nests of Malimbus nitens. They are nearly always empty, for the builders never seem to use them but once, and are always seeking some new and more retired spot. There is never more than one nest in a place. The only egg I ever found has already been described (f Ibis/ 1908, p. 352). 1313. Malimbus cassini. [Nga'a-minkan.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 352. No. 1049. ? ad. In 4 The Ibis 3 (/. c.) this specimen has been put under Melanopteryx niyerrimus. Though the plumage is perfectly black, the bird differs from the adult male of Melanopteryx niyerrimus in the following particulars : — Bill slenderer and at the same time shorter (culmen 15*5 mm.), in Melanopteryx niyerrimus the culmen is never less than 40 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the 18 mm.; culmen ridged and narrow, while that of M. niger- rimus is rounded and broad ; smooth at base, while in every one of the score of specimens of M. nigerrimus examined the culmen is crossed near the base by wave-like wrinkles. Feet smaller and darker in colour than in M. nigerrimus. Besides, this is a female bird, and only the male of M. nigerrimus is black. And this bird was certainly the mate of No. 1048, a male Malimbus cassini , reported in f The Ibis ’ (l. s. c.). Nos. 1048 and 1049 were both shot by myself at their nest in the forest, high up in a Calamus or vine-palm. To quote from my notebook : — u The nest was in plain sight, but not conspicuous, because of its resemblance to the dry fronds of the palm. The long entrance pointed diagonally downwards, and its walls were so thin as to be transparent, so that the birds could be seen through it entering and leaving. The two birds were coming and going, as if feeding their young. The perfectly black specimen (No. 1049) was shot first, and the other when it returned, ten or fifteen minutes later. We could not get the nest.” I well remember the gallant efforts the two little boys with me made to climb the surrounding trees and so to reach the nest, for a vine-palm, with its stem thickly set with long prickles, is unclimbable. After giving that up we all tried to haul down the vine, but it was too firmly anchored to the surrounding tree-tops by the strong barbs on the tips of its fronds. The birds* castle was impregnable, as it certainly would have been, also, to pre¬ datory beasts and snakes. So far as I remember, the tubular entrance to this nest was two or three feet long. The nest seemed to be woven of narrow shreds torn from the leaves of the palm. Though the weaving was open, with many interstices, it seemed to be neat. No. 1538, $ (culmen 15*5 mm.), is exactly like No. 1049. No. 2515, $ (culmen 16*5 mm.), is exactly like No. 1049. My boy brought in along with this No. 2514, another male Malimbus cassini reported in f The Ibis'* (/. c.)} and said that he had shot the two together. This seems to be the first discovery of the female of Malimbus cassini , and also the first Malimbus that is entirely Birds of Southern Kamerun. 41 black in both sexes. In other species of the genus the females have more black than the males. Malimbus coronatus. [Nga’a-minkan.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 352, pi. vii. No. 1865. ? . This specimen is another perfectly black female, which was previously entered under Melanopteryx nigerrimus (‘The Ibis/ 1908, p. 350). It is exactly like No. 1049, and if I am right in considering it the female of the present species, M. cassini and M. coronatus have the females just alike. The evidence for naming it as I have done is less conclusive than in the case of No. 1049. I believe No, 1865 to have been the mate of No. 1864, the type of Dr. Sharpe’s Malimbus coronatus ; but I did not shoot the pair myself. The boy who brought them to me said that he shot the two at their nest, and he brought the nest along to shew me. I do not believe that he was either deceiving me or mistaken. The nest which the boy brought was quite different from that of M. cassini described above, being large, but with the entrance only six inches long, and was woven mostly of tendrils, with the ends bristling out, giving it a rough appearance. 1315. Malimbus malimbicus. [Nga'a-minkan.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 351. This red-crested species is perhaps the commonest member of this interesting genus of Ploceidse, in which the bright red colours blossoming out at some part of their ebony plumage remind one of the surprisingly bright flowers sometimes seen on the black forest tree-trunks ; both flowers and birds are characteristic of the great forest. No. 1625 was shot (by myself) near its nest, from which it had just come out. The nest was hung from the long thorny rhachis of a Calamus , or climbing palm, about 20 feet from the ground. It was in plain sight, but protected by its position on the long, swaying, thorny leaf-stalk. This nest was more roughly built than that of Malimbus cassini, and the downward-pointing opening was short and ragged. The material seemed to be strips of the leaves of the palm on which it was hung. 42 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the The Bulu name of all species of Malimbus means “Weaver of the vine-palms,-” from the favourite nesting-place of many of them. 1329. Ploceus bicolor. Beich. Y. A. iii. p. 34. Sycobrotus bicolor Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 349. A common inhabitant of the smaller sort of second-growth forest that springs up on land once cleared and then left for a few years — a sort of forest found very extensively in the Ja district. The bird was never seen at Efulen, where the primeval forest prevails. It seeks its insect-food in the tree- tops or the under bushes and brush, in the dry season making a great rattling among the dry leaves of the underbrush when foraging. Sometimes I have thought, from the beating and rattling noise I heard, that some antelope or pig must be walking about in a thicket, but have found nothing but one of these yellow birds. This species has a little song of a high pitch, ending in a long drawn out “ chee-e-e ! ” which sounds rather sweet. This it is continually singing. A male not breeding has been shot while uttering the little song ; and two female specimens, if my boys, who shot them, may be believed, were also singing when shot. Many of my specimens have been shot at their nests. The pair (Nos. 1562 and 1563) were killed at one shot, one being inside the nest and the other perched at the entrance. The nest is of the ordinary W eaver shape, i. e. a globe with a downward-pointing entrance or vestibule on one side, the latter short, not a long tube as in nests of some kinds of Malimbus . It is woven of small weed-stems and tendrils, and is rather bulky and rough. Nests of this bird are most frequently found in a kind of small thorny tree called “ bongo.-” Probably the thorns or prickles, which thickly cover the twigs or leaf-petioles to which the nests are attached, afford protection against marauders. The eggs, when found in the nests, were two in number, and two that I saved measured 20*5 x 14*5 mm. and 20 x 14 mm. Birds of Southern Kamerun. 43 [Two eggs are of a rather pointed oval shape and pure white. — O.-G.] 1335. Ploceus dorso-maculatus. Phormopledes dorsomaculatus Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 349. The specimens of this bird were all obtained recently around Bitye, killed by my boys. They seem to have been found in such places as the last species ( Ploceus bicolor ), and to eat the same sort of food, mostly insects. No. 2438 was killed along with its young, No. 2439, in a curious manner. The boy caught the young one first and tied a string to its foot, and held it thus tethered while he hid himself and waited. The old bird (the father, not the mother) came “ with a fruit in its mouth 99 to give the young one, when the boy killed it with a stick. The “ fruit 39 was probably a spider, a leg of which I found in the bird^s mouth. 1346. Ploceus nigricollis. [Ngas.] Heteryphantes nigricollis Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 348. This is one of the commonest birds in clearings and in small second-growth bushes in every place where I have collected. But though common it is rather silent ond retiring. In my note which was published in ‘ The Ibis J (1908, p. 349), but was written two or three years ago, in saying that it makes a great rustling of leaves,” I had confused Ploceus bicolor with this bird. Then I had likewise not learned to dis¬ tinguish the nests of the two species, and the words “ with a very short entrance and somewhat roughly made 99 apply better to nests of Sycobrotus bicolor. The nests of the “ Ngas 99 are somewhat smaller, have the entrance or vesti¬ bule a little longer, and are a little better woven and of finer materials — fine weed or grass-stems, although in general the nests of the two species look alike. Ngas^s 99 nests are found very often — generally old and deserted ones — hanging on bushes, not on trees. Other smaller birds, or at least the little Flycatcher Pcedilorhynchus camerunensis , use these second-hand nests to breed in, so that eggs found in a Ngas's nest are not always eggs of the Ngas. 44 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the But I have found undoubted eggs of the Ngas; never more than two in a nest. Measurements of seven such eggs vary but little, 20-22 mm. in length by 14-15 mm. in breadth. [Nine eggs are of a long, rather pointed oval shape, and possess a certain amount of gloss. They present three types of coloration, viz. : pure white ; pale bluish-green, finely and rather sparingly freckled all over with lilac-grey and umber- brown ; and pale pinkish-white, thickly freckled all over with light red and pale lavender-grey. — O.-G.] 1359. Ploceus cucullatus. [Nga’a (pi. Bengal).] Hyphantornis cucullatus Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 348. These Weavers follow man in all his migrations in this country as inevitably as do rats and sparrows. No sooner is a clearing made and stakes set in the ground for a new village than “ Benga'a ” begin to build in the nearest tree. A plantain or a palm-tree is chosen by preference, as furnishing not only a site but material close to hand for the nests ; but any kind of tree will do. The more populous the village and the greater the hubbub of village life, the better are the birds pleased, adding to the noise their own shrill chatter. This strange predilection for public and noisy places, so contrary to the instinct of most birds, is not hard to account for, since these birds thus incidentally obtain man’s protection against birds and beasts of prey. No place is so safe from hawdcs and snakes as the village street. Though boys kill a good many Bengal, especially at planting-time, when they pull up the young shoots of corn as soon as they appear above ground, in order to get the sprouting grain beneath, yet the number killed by man does not seem to affect the population of the colonies. Killing numbers of them will not frighten them away, and tearing down their nests only makes them build the more furiously. They have a perfect mania for building, and when not building new nests are all the time repairing the old ones. They often destroy palm-trees by stripping them bare of their leaves. One day I watched a boy pull down the BengaVs nests 45 Birds of Southern Kamerun. from a palm-tree by means of a long bamboo ” (really it was a palm-stalk) with a loop on the end. I made the following note: — CfNot an hour after the nests were torn down the birds were busy building again. A few old shells of nests the boy had left untouched, and the birds set to work to repair these. Both males and females were busy at it, though the latter worked so quietly that they were scarcely noticed at first. They seemed to find some difficulty in tearing off the tough leaves of the palm where the nests were, so, giving these up, they went to neighbouring plantations, where the leaves were much tenderer. One was seen to bring a ribbon of plantain-leaf nearly an inch wide, and enter an old nest with it. After the bird had been inside a few seconds, a loop of the ribbon was seen to emerge from the side of the nest. . . . The very beginning of a new nest was seen also. It consisted of a wreath of strips woven together between two separated palm-leaflets, with the rhachis of the frond for one side/’ Thus the birds began with the part of the nest thatwras attached to the palm-frond, and from this circle they wrould weave the body or sack of the nest on one side and the vestibule on the other.” This is doubtless the way in which the nests of all the larger Weavers are constructed. It is the males of the Nga’a that utter the incessant shrill chattering song, doing so usually while supporting themselves, partly by holding on with their feet and partly by fluttering the wings, at the entrance to the nest. Two eggs are found in a nest. They vary much in colour and markings, but, so far as I have yet seen, both eggs of the same nest are alike. Three eggs that I have saved, from three separate nests, shewing variations in markings and colour, agree remarkably in size, each measuring 25 x 16 mm. [Three eggs are of elongate oval form and are very slightly glossed. They are of three types, viz. : pure white; bluish- green, sparingly marked all over with spots of umber-brown and blotches of lilac-grey, some of which are very pale; and lastly white, marked rather sparingly all over with small spots of dull maroon and pale grey. — O.-G.] 46 Mr. Gr. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the 1350. Melanopteryx nigerrimus. [Eyeleso, or Evindi Nga/a.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908,, p. 350. Ploceus nigerrimus Reich. V. A. iii. p. 50. The note already published (‘ Ibis/ 1908, p. 350) gives in a few words nearly all that I can say of the habits of these birds. The Bulu often call them by the same name as Hyphantornis cucullatus , or “ Nga’a,” and for distinction “ Evindi ” [i.e. “ black") “Nga'a." The reason for applying to two birds of such different appearance the same name is evident when one knows their habits. The two species not only build nests exactly alike and in the same situations, but often mingle their nests together in the same colony. Moreover, the females and the young males of the two are much alike, and the two species live on the same farinaceous food, and have muscular stomachs or gizzards, while the other Weavers of the same size found here live mostly on insects. While the other Weavers build solitary nests, a pair in a place in an inconspicuous situation, and never go about in flocks, the present species, like Hyphantornis cucullatus , is seldom seen except in flocks, and builds in colonies in conspicuous places about villages. From seeing these birds in life it would seem natural to me to put them and Hyphantornis in the same genus, as the Bulu do, and not in the same genus with Sycobrotus, &c. No. 2000. I mm., sex ? Bitye, R. Ja, Oct. 25, 1906. Stomach full of insect bits. No. 2349. $ ad. Bitye, March 17, 1907. Small ova in ovary. Stomach not muscular, containing black scales. Iris whitish ; feet dark (not quite black). Length of culmen 18 mm. No. 2411. <$ imm. Bitye, March 30, 1907. Stomach (non-muscular) containing insect bits. Iris yellowish white. Nos. 2829, 2830. S ? ad. Bitye, Oct. 29, 1907. Both shot by a boy “ in ejak The stomachs of both contained insect bits, mainly grasshoppers. Both had the iris whitish, and the feet dark or black. Length of culmen of male 18 mm., of female 16 mm. Birds of Southern Kamerun. 47 No. 2834. <$ imm. Bitye, Oct. 31, 1907. Stomach con¬ taining hard dry seeds and bits of some large insect. Iris whitish ; feet dark. Length of cnlmen 17 mm. This bird is greyish and moulting, the new feathers being black. The first three of these birds were put under Melanopteryx nigerrimus m a previous paper (fThe Ibis/ 1908, p. 350) ; the other three have been collected since the lot reported on in Dr. Sharpe's paper. These birds, of which the adults are perfectly black and the young dark grey, differ from the black adult males of Melanopteryx nigerrimus as follows : — [a) In the colour of the iris, which in that bird is conspicuously yellow, while in these it is conspicuously whitish. This is the point that I first noticed, and is what led me to note other points of difference. ( h ) The feet of all six birds are dark or black ; those of M. nigerrimus flesh-coloured and also larger, (c) The culmen is ridged and narrow in these birds ; the pits for the nostrils are also very large. ( d ) Some of them are females, which in Melanopteryx would not be black, (e) These birds have non-muscular stomachs and seem to live largely on insects. These birds differ also from the perfectly black females of Malimbus that I have found : — (a) In the whitish iris — in Malimbus it is brown, so far as I have noted, and my attention was particularly drawn to that point ; ( b ) in the longer bills — note measurements above ; (c) in that some of them are males. I make this note of these six specimens to call attention to them. They do not seem to belong to any species that I know. I do not even know what genus to put them in, for they have no red in their plumage, not even the males, and so cannot go into Malimbus ; and they are debarred from Melanopteryx by the fact that the males and females are alike. Perhaps they are Alexander's Melanopteryx max - welli from Fernando Po (‘ The Ibis/ 1903, p. 355). 1354. Ploceus fusco-castaneus (Boc.). Cinnamopteryx fusco-castaneus Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 350. This species seems to belong to the solitary and insect- 48 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the eating group of Weavers, and not to be placed naturally so near to Melanopteryx nigerrimus as it is in the ‘Vogel Afrikas/ Nos. 1854 and 1855 were evidently a pair, shot together, as so many of my specimens of Malimdms have been. No. 2626, the young one, was in company with a Malimbus rubricollis in an ejak in the forest. Amblyospiza saturata. [Ko-Esong.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 353. This bird I have found only in the Ja district, and there only in localities where there are extensive patches of the big cane-like grass Fanicum maximum , or “ esong ” in Bulu. The Bulu name of this bird is the name of the grass combined with ee kos,” meaning “ parrot.” The name “ parrot” must be given on account of the big bill of these Weavers, or because, when perched, they hold themselves in a peculiar parrot-like erect position, made necessary, ap¬ parently, by the weight of their bills. Once, while watching one of these birds thus perched, I saw it open its mouth and heard it sing a pretty little canary -like song, consisting of some “cheeps” ending in a trill. Though the bird is not very plentiful here, a number of its nests have been found and shown to me, mostly by one man, who seems to have discovered a place where they nest, though they do not, I think, build together in a close colony. The nests are large globes, six inches or more in diameter, attached by one or both sides to stems of the hong grass or to other plant-stems. They are always woven entirely of fine shreds resembling flax both in fibre and in colour. From what plant the bird gets them I do not know, perhaps from the inner stems of the esong also, which the bird could bruise and fray out with its strong bill and then tear off in fine shreds. The weaving is closer and neater than that of most Weavers. In some of the nests the en¬ trance is a mere hole in the side of the globe, and the edges of the hole have a finished look, all ends being tucked in, and a “ selvedge edge ” formed. Seeing such a nest one would suppose that it was finished, and that this bird builds no vestibule as other Weavers do. But other nests have a 49 Birds of Southern Kamerun. vestibule built down two or three inches from this hole, growing smaller to the lower end, where the opening is not more than 30-35 mm. in diameter, and this vestibule shews traces of several selvedge edges at different heights, as if the bird had more than once intended to “ call the job done ” and then afterwards added further material. The number of eggs found in a nest when the clutch seems complete is two or three ; when a single egg is found it would probably be followed by one or two more. The eggs in a clutch of three measured 21-22x16 mm., but these were shorter than my other specimens, which measured 23-24*5 by 15*5-17 mm. [The eight eggs vary in shape from a rather blunt to an oblong oval, and are practically devoid of gloss. The ground¬ colour varies from white or creamy white to pale rufous, and is sparingly marked all over with spots and dots of pale brown, light red, or dull maroon-red, which are more numerous towards the larger end, where they are often more or less concentrated into a zone. — O.-Gf.] 1421. Pyromelana flammiceps. [Kuleso.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343. I have seen this bird only in the region of the Ja, where it is common, and at the breeding-season very conspicuous. The males change from the plain to the breeding-plumage in July. After that they are often seen, like great flaming red flowers blossoming on the bushes and tall grass of waste ground, for the remaining months of the year. I have seen nests and eggs in September, October, and November. The birds lose their gorgeous dress about January, and pass the following months in plain sparrow-like plumage, males and females looking alike. They go about then in small flocks and attract little attention. In a recent article in *The Ibis 9 (1908, p. 269) Mr. Ogilvie-Grant reports a bird in Mr. Carruthers’s col¬ lection, obtained at Kasongo on the Upper Congo, as having partially assumed the breeding-plumage ; the date was in January. With this agrees the statement of Bohm quoted ser. ix. — von. in. e 50 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the by Reichenow, that he found eggs at Kakoma from the be¬ ginning of April to the end of May. Kakoma, in German East Africa, is in about 6° S. lat., and Kasongo in about 4° S. lat. Thus, if the dates are correct, the times of breeding and changing plumage in this species at my place in W. Africa, a little north of the Equator, are exactly the reverse of those in Central and East Africa, a little south of the Equator. The breeding males use all means to attract attention. As if their flaming plumage was not enough in itself, they perch on the most prominent bushes and grass-tops, and fly from place to place slowly and with much fluttering of wings, all the while singing their little chattering, but rather sweet, song. The nests are about the size and something of the shape of those of the ATgas (Heteryphantes nigricollis) . But they are more loosely constructed than those of most Weavers, and have the entrance wide, and its edges with all the ends loose, giving them an unfinished appearance. In this and in the use of many fine grass-tops for the inside or lining of the structure, and more particularly in the fact that the nests are not hung or tied to a twig but merely set in the forks, these birds shew their relationship to the Spermestine division of the family rather than to the Ploceine. The number of eggs found in a nest is two or three. Five that were measured varied thus : 18-20 X 14-14*5 mm. [Six eggs of the species are of a somewhat oval form and distinctly glossy. The ground-colour is pale greenish-blue, and is generally very sparingly marked, especially towards the larger end, with rounded spots of purplish-black or deep purplish-lilac. — O.-G.] 1447. Spermestes cucullata. [Aseleke.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 345. With this bird we come to the first species of the tiny Weavers that go about in flocks when not breeding ,and here form such an interesting part of the bird-world in open grassy places ;they all avoid the dark forest. This 51 Birds of Southern Kamerun . particular species I never found at Efulen, but it is common on the Ja, where the open country is more extensive. On my way from the interior down towards Efulen and the coast, at many grassy and reedy places near the streams along the road, I saw little flocks of this species. Perched on grass- stems all around, they would wait till one was almost opposite to them on the path, and then fly up together with the faintest little twittering sounds, and move in perfect unison, like a squad of well-drilled little soldiers with their neat black and brown and white uniforms, to a new station a little further on. 1450. Sperm estes poensis. [Aseleke, or Ejile.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 344. This species is common in every district where I have been, including the Njiem (or Zima) country down the Ja, though, of course, it is confined strictly to the open village- clearings. Both kinds of Aseleke are caught by boys in snares baited with tender grains of corn. Nests of these birds are not infrequently found in the tops of the small trees about the villages. A very favourite site is in the thick tree-top formed by the sprouts that grow out from the tall stump left after a tree has been cut down some ten or twelve feet from the ground, as is the common practice near villages, for fear of the wind blowing the tall trees down on the houses. Into such a low and thick tree- top I watched a little Spermestes poensis fly repeatedly, each time bearing a long bunch of the grey beard-like XJsnea that it brought from the limb of a tall old forest tree not far away. It flew with evident effort, for the bunch was much longer than the bird itself. This plant is a favourite building-material of this species. Often the outside of the bulky nest is of this, and the inside, with the tubular entrance, is of fine adhesive and hair-like grass-tops. The nest is shaped like a water-bottle laid on its side, with the mouth and neck horizontal. Eggs of different species of Spermestes and Estrilda have been shown me a number of times in the nests, but usually it 52 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the is impossible to be certain to which species they belong. In one nest were five nestlings, and in another six, which in both cases were old enough to shew that they were those of Spermestes poensis. When the tiny things opened their mouths they displayed bright yellow palates and tongues, with circular black lines running around the inside of the mouth. 1488 e. Estrilda astrild occidentalis. [Zok-Osesang.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343. This is another bird which I have found only at the Ja, where there is so much country suitable for these grass¬ dwelling little Weavers. It is smaller than any of the other species found here, as its body after skinning proves, though measurements of the wing and tail shew no difference from its nearest relatives. It is in joking allusion to its size that the native boys name it “ Zok Osesang 39 (“zok;’ meaning “ elephant ") . 1496. Estrilda melpoda. [Osesang, Osanze, or Ejile.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 344. This is a common little species both about Efulen and at the Ja, but I have never found its nest — at least a nest that I knew certainly to belong to it. It has been heard on two or three occasions singing a pretty song. 1499. Estrilda atricapilla. FOsesang, Osanze, or Ejile.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343. This is the most abundant Estrilda in every place where I have collected. Two of my specimens (they were not breed¬ ing, for the month was March) were caught after dark by boys in an old Ngas’s nest {Heter hyp h antes nigricollis ), where they had gone to roost. Among the numerous nests of Estrildine birds shown to me that were not certainly identified, one nest, and I think two, undoubtedly belonged to this species. A little girl at Efulen found one nest and saw the bird go in ; she quickly closed the entrance with her hand and brought me the nest 53 Birds of Southern Kamerun. with the little prisoner in it, besides two egg s. This nest was of the water-bottle shape already described under Spermestes poensis, but was composed entirely of fine grass-tops, with no Usnea. The girl found it set in the forks of a shrub at about the height of her shoulders from the ground. Another nest at Efulen, which I have good reason to think belonged to Estrilda atricapilla , was very curious in that it was double. Above was a water-bottle-shaped nest like that just described, and it was empty. Below was an addition pressed against the main nest like a small growing onion flattened against a larger. The addition had an entrance of its own, and contained five little white eggs. It seemed to be used for breeding-purposes, while the main nest was used merely for a sleeping-place, probably by several birds. Different reasons make me think that in this and other Spermestince several of the little hen birds lay in the same nest. The five eggs just mentioned were all fresh, and if one bird had laid them all the first would already be somewhat incubated. The nests are extremely large for such small birds, and would probably be built by several in partnership. Five and six (note the six young of Spermestes poensis above) is an unusually large number to be the brood of one small bird in this country. The two eggs brought by the little girl mentioned above measured 13 x 10 mm. The five eggs from the double nest were just like them, but a trifle longer — 14-14*5 mm. long by 10-10*5 broad. [Five eggs are of a rather long and perfectly oval form, pure white and almost devoid of gloss. — O.-G.] 1539. Vidua serena. [Bendenga-Osesang.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343. Though found wherever I have collected much, this Widow- bird is nowhere abundant. Even the breeding males have not been seen very often, and of course the others attract very little attention. Whenever I have seen the plain birds they have been mingled in the flocks of little Estrildce. The breeding males fly with much jerking of their long 54 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the tails— for display, not because of any difficulty in supporting them. Sometimes an individual remains in the air at one spot for some moments, fluttering its wings and waving its tail. While doing this I have heard one make a vigorous twittering noise ; another, perched on a dead tree, was heard to sing a few notes that could really be called a song. These birds have been seen in their breeding-plumage and recorded in June, July, and August, while probably they keep it longer — perhaps for the same months as Pyromelana, of which an account was given above. 1545. Passer griseits. [Mvakumba.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 342. The nests of these Sparrows are loose piles of trash, including feathers of fowls. They are placed in all sorts of situations about a village, such as on the ridge-poles of houses under the projecting roofs, and in bunches of plantains and bananas growing behind the dwellings. Two eggs or nestlings are found in a nest. The eggs measure 21 x 15 mm. [The eggs are of a rather broad pointed oval shape and slightly glossy. The ground-colour is white or yellowish- white, heavily blotched and spotted over the greater part of the shell with dark lilac-grey and umber-brown. In one egg the grey markings predominate and a good deal of the ground-colour is visible; in the second the brown markings are numerous and cover the greater part of the shell. — O.-G.] 1614. Emberiza cabanisi. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 342. The Bunting of this country sings a well-marked little song — not very pretty, but a song in intention, — which can never be mistaken when once heard. It sings perched on a twig in some of the smaller trees of the open land around the villages. The white on its outer tail-feathers, seen from beneath, gives the tail the appearance of being forked. 1630. Motacilla vidua. [Amalaka.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 341. On the few occasions on which I have seen this (or a Birds of Southern Kamerun , 55 similar) black-and-white Wagtail, the bird has been walking with its characteristic motion on the mud or sand or drift¬ wood at the margin of a stream, or flying swiftly over the water from one such place to another, sometimes with a sharp cry. But my specimen (No. 1873) was obtained while walking in the village street. Wading birds are often seen in such a situation, but this bird was shot in J uly, and was probably a resident (unless it could possibly have been on migration from the south). 1636. Motacilla flava. [Amalaka.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 341. The Yellow Wagtail is often seen in the village streets and much-frequented paths in the latter part of October, in November, and even in December. I have not yet noted it in other months. If it goes further south and returns again in the spring, I have failed to observe it on its return. 1647- Anthus trivialis. Reich. V. A. iii. p. 311. No. 2910. $ . Bitye, near the River Ja, Feb, 23, 1908. Shot in a cassava-patch. 1743. Phyllostrephus clamans. [Mali.] Bleda clamans Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 460. In this paper I have not often departed from Dr. Sharpe’s naming of my birds. But I am glad of any authority that I can follow in removing this bird and others of Reichenow’s genus Phyllostrephus from such close association with Bleda not at a and B. syndactyla. These last are not only quite different in appearance, but are forest-haunting, insect-eating birds, often caught in snares among the dead leaves on the ground, whereas the species of Phyllostrephus mentioned in this paper are birds of the opener country, never caught in snares on the ground, while they live on fruit, and have lively and peculiar call-notes, in which the different species resemble each other. The present species is given by the Bulu the same name as the Indicator , 44 Mali,” probably from the resemblance in colour, and especially in the white outer tail-feathers. It is 56 Mr. Gr, L. Bates — Field-Notes on the a bird often found in the primeval forest, but still oftener in the second-growth forest, like that mentioned under Ploceus bicolor (above, p. 42), which consists largely of “aseng” trees ( Musango smithii), on the fruit of which it feeds. Its principal food is fruit, but it eats insects also. It has a call which I may express as “ pee-ew ! ” uttered with energy, and accompanied by the spreading of the tail so as to display the white feathers. It has another note which may be called its song, using the word “song” with some latitude. Once I came upon several of these birds in the tree-tops near together, answering each other with “ pee-ew ! ” But usually they are found singly or a pair together. No. 1869 was shot while crying “ pee-ew ! ” and spreading its tail ; it was a female and in breeding condition. After it was shot its mate was heard crying “pee-ew ! ” followed by a little song, though it was not seen. Nos. 1918 and 1919 were also mates that were answering each other. Phyllostrephus indicator (Beich. Y. A. iii. p. 390) probably has similar ways and a similar voice. It cannot be distin¬ guished from P. clamans unless it is in the hand, and some of the birds observed may have been P. indicator . But those that were seen and afterwards shot, so as to be identified, belonged to P. clamans . Phyllostrephus viridescentior. [Ntyando.] Pycnonotus viridescentior Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 464. No, 2509. ? ad. Iris brown ; feet blue ; bill black. Two large empty sheaths of ova in ovary ; oviduct large. Caught on the nest, at evening. The nest was a shallow cup exactly like that of Pycnonotus gabonensis , set in the triple fork of an “ okom ” bush, and was found not far from the village. It was composed of shreds of the bark of weeds and leaf-petioles, with fine grass-stems inside. It measured internally in the two diameters 65 and 55 mm. The two eggs found in it measured 25*5 x 17 mm. and 23’5 x 17 mm. [Two eggs are of an elongated pointed oval shape and slightly glossy. The ground-colour is pale greenish-white, Birds of Southern Kamerun. 57 with obscure clouded markings of olive and grey concen¬ trated into an irregular zone round the larger end; over these lie various irregular lines and scrolls of umber-brown, producing a marbled appearance. — O.-Gr.] 1754. PhYLLOSTREPHUS SIMPLEX. [NkeS.] Bleda simplex Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 459. The “ Nkes 33 is not a retiring bird. When I called it “ shy” in my former note (‘ The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 96) I ought to have spelled it “ sly.’3 Its peculiar “ talk 33 is one of the commonest sounds in the bushes about villages, yet it flits about so quickly and hides so adroitly that it is hard to shoot. And when I said uit goes alone or in pairs, 33 I might as well have omitted the word u alone. 93 I never saw any other bird so continually accompanied by its mate. A pair of them seem inseparable and are always very near each other. When one “Talks,” the other chimes in so promptly that the two often sound like one bird ; and in the days before I was fully acquainted with the “ Nkes ” I must have often supposed that I heard only one when there were really two. 1756. Phyllostrephus flavigula (Cab.). [Nkes.] Bleda flavigula Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 458. No. 2386. ? ; oviduct and abdomen of a sitting bird. Bitye, March 28, 1907. This bird is called in Bulu by the same name as P. simplex , and my boys, who have shot it, say that it is similar in habits and voice to that bird. My specimen (No. 2386) was caught on the nest. This much resembles that of Pycnonotus yabonensis except in material, for it is entirely made of rather coarse leaf-petioles, with a few dry leaves in the base, and some brown adhesive woolly fibre-like cobweb holding it together on the outside. It was set in the angle of a palm- leaf stalk. The one egg was too much broken to measure, but appeared to be about the size of that of Pycnonotus gabonensis. [A broken egg appears to have been of a blunt pointed oval shape and slightly glossy. The ground-colour is pale 58 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the creamy-white, covered all over with spots of umber-brown and with spots and small blotches of dark grey and lilac-grey, most numerous round the larger end. — O.-G.] 1759. Phyllostrephus orientalis. Phyllostrephus scandens orientalis Reich. Y. A. iii. p. 398. Nos. 2873. $ > 2874. $ , 2881. $ • River Ja, Jan. 25 & 28, 1908. These specimens were shot on the bank of the River Ja, where I was camping for a few days. The first pair were heard making a great racket in the tree-tops over my tent when 1 woke in the morning. Their noise was peculiar, being of the same sort of ringing and yet guttural tone heard in the “ talking ” of the Ngomejal ( Phyllostrephus leucopleurus), but with more of the ringing quality. The pair were making this noise together, both “ talking ” at once, like the “ Nkes ” (P. simplex). Their breeding-organs were much enlarged. These birds must keep to the river-bank ; else I should have got them where I had collected a great deal before, only a few miles away. 1760. Phyllostrephus leucopleurus. [Ngomejal.] Bleda leucopleura Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 460. I cannot characterize the “ Ngomejal” better than I have done already (‘ The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 97) . But I can add that a nest of the bird has been shown to me, though too badly torn up to be described. It was taken in October, on a swamp- palm-tree, and contained two well-grown nestlings. 1782. Andropadus virens. [Otok.] Reich. Y. A. iii. p. 412. Eurillas virens Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 462. Here, again, I use the generic name adopted by Reichenow, so as to have all the species of “Otok” in the same genus, for they are certainly much alike, My note under the head of “Eurillas camerunensis ” (‘ The Ibis/ 1907, p. 462) should have been attributed to E. virens. This is the commonest species. It is that of 59 Birds of Southern Kamerun. which the notes “ have a clear, ringing tone that is pleasing/’ as I said previously (‘ The Ibis/ 1905, p. 97) without knowing the species certainly. Besides the nest with eggs already reported (f The Ibis/ 1907, p. 462), another has been found. This was on a yam- vine in an old garden. There were two eggs in it, which measured 21*5 X 15 mm. and 22 x 15 mm. [Two eggs of a nearly perfect oval shape ; the ground-colour is pinkish-white, marked all over with rather obscure longi¬ tudinal reddish-brown markings and densely freckled and indistinctly clouded with obscure purplish-grey markings. — O.-G.] Anoropadus efulensis. [Otok.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 461. No. 2802. $ ; abdomen, ovary, &c. indicating a sitting bird. Shot on the nest. The “ Otok 33 with the yellow moustachial streaks is some¬ times called “Otok afan/’ that is, “forest Otok/’ because it is more inclined than the other species to the forest ; but it is not strictly a forest-bird. Its notes, which it utters with great persistency while hidden in a thicket, are not musical, and deserve the name of noise or racket rather than of song. The yellow streaks down the sides of the throat, as is the case with all such markings in birds, are more conspicuous in life than in the skin. This species spreads out the plumage of the chin and throat, giving the fullest effect to the yellow feathers. The nest (on which No. 2802 was shot) was a rough oblong cup of dried leaves and weed-stems, with fine horsehair-like vegetable fibre for lining, about 65 and 45 mm. on the inside diameters. Two eggs were in it, which measured 23*5 x 16 mm. and 24 x 16*5 mm. [Two eggs are of a slightly pointed oval shape and slightly glossy ; the ground-colour is white, rather sparingly spotted all over with purplish-brown and grey and with some larger blotches of paler and darker grey round the large end. — O.-G.] 60 Mr. G-. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the Pycnonotus gabonensis. [Nkwe’ele, or Kwalawata.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 463. No mistake was made in calling the Nkwe’ele “ a versatile bird ” The Ibis/ 1905, p. 98). It has many habits usually associated with other birds. It so frequently clings by its claws to the bark of a tree, using its tail for a support, that the tail-feathers become broken, and it is rather rare to see a bird with all its tail-feathers whole. It eats fruits, but seems to prefer insects. When an army of driver-ants spreads itself among the bushes of the open land around villages (the Nkwe'ele never goes into the forest), these birds may be seen busily pecking and eating something as they hop about to keep out of the way of the ants. But it is not the ants themselves that they eat, but the other insects — beetles, cockroaches, crickets, &c.- — that are driven by the ants from their hiding-places. This I know in one case at least by examining the stomach of a bird shot among the ants. An egg measures 24*5x17 mm. (See also f Ibis/ 1907, p. 463.) [Three eggs of the usual Bulbul type, of a rather bluntly pointed oval shape and slightly glossy ; the ground-colour is white, densely and finely mottled and freckled all over with pale lilac-grey and light red, the markings in some cases being more or less concentrated into a zone round the larger end.— O.-G.] 1829. Anthothreptes fraseri. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 340. This plain green Sunbird is a bird of the forest, and was more abundant at Efulen than at the Ja. It is a common member of the ejah (see fIbis/ 1905, p. 462). Its food consists of insects of all kinds, as well as spiders. The remarkable little song of some small forest-bird, to which I have often listened, I am almost satisfied is sung by this bird, as my boys say they have heard the bird sing it, and I myself have heard the song in places where it was to be expected. It consists of four musical notes in a 61 Birds of Southern Kamerun. descending scale, repeated, in a fine, sweet voice, with great rapidity, over and over again, for almost as long as a man will stand and listen, without a pause for breath. It is a performance that arrests the attention. It seems to have impressed the mind of the African Thrush also, for these notes have been heard to mingle in the Thrush's song. 1833 a. Anthothreptes hypodila. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 340. 1835. Anthothreptes tephrol,ema. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 340. These two species are easy enough to distinguish from each other when in the hand — the males at least. Yet in my notes they are not always distinguished, and so I speak of them together. Both are found in every place where I have collected long. They live among the bushes and smaller trees of the open cleared land, not in the forest. Their food is more varied than that of most Sunbirds. They often eat small fruits; and a certain kind of hard seed as large as a small pea is sometimes swallowed whole, almost filling* the little stomach. Among the insects most frequently found in stomachs are small moth-larvae and spiders. In the stomach of one bird ( A . hypodila) were four or five minute snail-shells. Besides many nests of small Sunbirds found and not identified was one which, from the well-grown nestling in it, was seen to belong to one of these two species. It was hanging from a slender bough, and was composed of fine libres ; it was decorated outside with whitish bits of dry leaves and lichen, and abundantly lined with very soft white plant-down. 1840. Chalcomitra obscura. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 338. This is probably the most common species of Sunbird here, considering that it is found not only in the bushes about villages where most of the Sunbirds are common, but also in the forest. Its little song has been already described 62 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the correctly The Ibis/ 1908, p. 338) . The food is nearly always found to be spiders. Sometimes in the stomachs I have found what looked like little particles — stamens, &c. — of flowers. An individual of this species was found caught in the web of a big black-and-yeilow spider, a sort of retribution for the many little spiders it had killed and eaten. Nests and eggs have now been certainly identified by having the bird caught on the nest, as Bulu boys well know how to do. These nests are hung from a twig and composed of fine fibres, some of which pass over the twig, mixed with dry leaves or grass in varying proportions, with little or no down inside, differing thus from the nests of some Sun birds. The eggs are two in a clutch. They measure 17-18 mm. x 13 mm. In my notebook I speak of some of them as of a dull (grey ?) colour, with blackish spots and irregular marks scattered sparingly over them. But the two eggs from one of the nests — just as certainly identified as the others — differed greatly from them in wanting the blackish spots and markings. (I seem, unfortunately, to have left behind the eggs of this species, and could not shew them to Mr. Grant.) 1848. Chalcomitra cyanol^ma. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 339. This is rather a common Sunbird, both about Efulen and in the Ja district. It is seen around flowering shrubs and vines. The food.found in the stomach was sometimes spiders, sometimes hard seeds resembling grape-seeds, sometimes what appeared to be bits of flowers, as if the flowers them¬ selves had been picked to pieces and swallowed. In the stomachs of these and other Sunbirds is often found a liquid, which may consist of the nectar of flowers mixed with the stomach juices. I did not feel like tasting it to find out. 1857. Chalcomitra angolensis. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 338. This Sunbird is rather common, and is seen most often about the flowering twigs of some tree standing in an open 63 Birds of Southern Kamerun . place. The stomach-contents consist mainly of insects, including spiders. These and other S unbirds do often hover on the wing before flowers, like Humming-birds, but only for a few moments at a time. The beautiful velvety dark brown of tbe males of this species becomes much faded, or bleached, when the plumage is worn, so that in the moult the new feathers are much darker than the old. 1866. Anabathmjjs reich enbachi. [Zesol.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 340. Of this little S unbird only two adults and one young specimen were obtained, all at the J a. The last adult and the young one were caught, along with a Cinnyris cliloro- pygius, by a boy, at evening, at their roosting-place among tall weeds near a village. Both the adult specimens were females and are wrongly marked “ B i*1 Dr* Sharpe's paper. This fact is remarkable, because they have the bright colours usually possessed by the males alone among the Sunbirds, including the yellow pectoral tufts. I was surprised at the time of skinning to see that they were females, and so looked carefully to be sure that there was no mistake. In both cases the ovaries shewed small ova. When I examined the second specimen and found it a female, I put the body in spirit and sent it to the Museum; but it seems not to have arrived there. Lately I have found in Beichenow’s f Vogel Afrikas' (iii. p. 468) the statement, under this species, that “ the female is like the male in colour.” 1874. Cinnyris superbus (Shaw). [Qdima-ZesoL] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 338. This, the most richly dressed and largest of our Sunbirds, makes its appearance, rather infrequently, about flowering shrubs and trees, and most often about the great opening buds of staminate flowers at the end of a young bunch of plantains or bananas. It frequently perches for a moment on the plantain-bunch, but when thrusting its bill among the flowers it often hovers on the wing as well. Though this 64 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the hovering, in the manner of Humming-birds, is never kept up for long at a time, it is a mistake to say that Sunbirds do not hover at all. The stomach-contents of these birds consist most fre¬ quently of spiders and a liquid. In my notebook, under one specimen, this liquid is stated to have been “ sweet 33 ; I must have ventured to taste it. In my paper on Breeding-Seasons” (‘The Ibis/ 1908, p. 568) are some remarks about the moulting of these Sun- birds. 1884. ClNNYRIS CHLOROPYGIUS. [Zesol.] deich. Y. A. iii. p. 486. Cinnyris preussi Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 338. As the little Sunbirds called “ G. preussi ” in the paper in ‘ The Ibis ; cited above have the upper tail-coverts green like the backs and not violet, they would seem to be referable to C. chloropygius. Most of my birds were too small to be C. preussi , but they varied in size a good deal. This, the smallest of our Sunbirds, is the most abundant species on the shrubs and flowering trees of the open country, though never seen in the forest. Many individuals assemble about the flowers, and a tree in blossom may actually be full of them, at a distance looking like insects flying among the flowers. They move very quickly. When one of these little fellows passes near it is scarcely visible, from its small¬ ness and the swiftness of its flight. They are rightly called Sunbirds, in that they seem to like the sunshine, even when it is hot. At mid-day, when other birds have sought the shade and are still, these little Sunbirds are flitting about as actively as ever. They are generally silent, except for a little chirping, like that of an insect, made in the smallest of voices as they flit by. But the males have a pretty little song that is occasionally heard. The food of this small species seems to be about the same as that of the larger Sunbirds, consisting mostly of small insects, mainly spiders. In some stomachs were found what looked like tiny bits of flowers that had been picked and Birds of Southern Kamerun. 65 swallowed. Sometimes tiny shells and grains of sand were found ! Many of the nests of Sunbirds found hanging on bushes probably belong to this species. Some of them have been identified by having the bird caught in them ; but the birds thus caught have always been females, and it is assumed that the plain-coloured females corresponding in measure¬ ments with the males of this species really belong to it. These nests are constructed, like those of other Sunbirds already described, of stringy fibres more or less mixed with dry leaves and lichens, and lined with fine white pappus- down. Though the entrance to the nest is very small (20 mm. in diameter, or just fitting the thumb) the inside is roomy for so small a bird. The nests with sitting birds were all found in the month of April, in different years. Though this was partly a mere accidental coincidence, since breeding birds were killed in several other months, yet doubtless it shews a preference for that month for breeding, when rains, but not the hard pouring rains, refresh the vegetation after the drought. The number of eggs of this Sunbird was never more than two, and they varied little in size; length 14-15 mm., breadth 10*5-11 mm. [Five eggs are of a pointed oval form and are more or less glossy. The ground-colour is pale bluish-white, with a strongly marked zone round the larger end, consisting either of separate spots or of confluent clouds and longitudinal streaky markings of dark grey, with a few minute blackish surface-markings. — O.-G.] (I wish here to mention a number of specimens of tiny Sunbirds which I have collected, in size and in the bill corresponding to this species, but with plain olivaceous plumage. They have been omitted from Dr. Sharpens paper. They might be thought to be females or young males of C. chloropygius ; but among them were many males with the testes large — sometimes extremely large. And some that were moulting shewed the new plumage that was just growing to be of the same colour as the old. These males in plain plumage appear to be very numerous. ser, ix. — vol. hi. F 66 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the Either the first plumage of Cinnyris chloropygius continues for a long time after the bird has begun to breed, and there is at least one moult before the changing moult ; or there exists another species of the same size having a plain olivaceous plumage throughout life.) 1914. Parus funereus. Pentheres funereus Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 337. The two specimens obtained were all that I have ever seen. The first was shot on a little tree at the back of my house at Efulen, where it was in the act of pulling to pieces a large caterpillar. In the stomach were found bits of the cater¬ pillar, just swallowed. When this bird was freshly killed, the nostrils were seen to have a raised ring round them, as in Indicator ; when the specimen dries, this is not apparent. The other example was obtained at the Ja, shot by a boy, who said that there were two together. 1943. Pholidornis rushite. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 321. These pretty little creatures, which would stand a good chance of a prize for the smallest of birds, are generally seen, three or four together, flitting about in the tree-tops, catching insects, or rather picking them off the twigs; for the insects most frequently found in their stomachs were the Cocci that adhere to the bark of twigs. A favourite foraging- place with them seemed to be the parasitic plants, like mistletoe, found on the branches of trees. When feeding they were heard to make a scarcely audible little twitter. One of these little birds was brought to me alive by a boy who said that he had caught it in his hands. The way in which he came to be able to catch it was evident when I examined the bird, for its wing-quills were found to be stuck together by the strong, viscid, yellow threads of a spider’s web. This is not the first small bird which I have known to be caught by becoming entangled in the web of a certain kind of large blaok-and-yellow spiders. Ibis. 1909. PI. II West, Newman imp. PARMOPT1LA WOODHOUSII 67 Birds of Southern Kamerun . 1944. Parmoptila woodhousii. (Plate II.) Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 323. Nos. 2130, 2130 a. Bitye, Jan. 4, 1907. Young, caught in the nest. The four small white wattles at the gape (see the upper figure in the Plate) were conspicuous. These birds are seen going about in little companies of half- a-dozen, both in the forests and in the bushes or open land. Their food is insects, largely small ants. The four specimens Nos. 1784-7 were killed at one shot while engaged in picking from a bush the small ants that were swarming over it. In my note already published in 4 The Ibis ^ (1908, p. 324), I refer to the large dome-shaped nests of these small birds. I have seen more of these nests since, and there is now no doubt about their belonging to this species. The four immature specimens Nos. 1356-9 were caught in such a nest. Another nest, shown me in a better state of preservation, was a rough mass as big as a half-gallon measure, composed of fine dry grass, with a quantity of green moss thrown loosely over the outside. It was placed on a forked twig which was growing out horizontally. The entrance was at one side and had a sort of portico covering. An egg, taken from a nest in which were also two young birds, measured 14*5 X 105 mm. [The egg is of a distinctly pointed oval shape, devoid of gloss and pure white. — O.-G.] 2002. Cisticola erythrops. [Abankwat, or Tinkwat.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 317. This lively and bold little bird has already been charac¬ terized in my brief note in 4 The Ibis ’ (/. s. c.). Its little song was spoken of, and also its sharp- toned notes, which are imitated in the name Abankwat /’ the last syllable being brought out with an emphasis almost like the crack of a whip. When these notes are abbreviated at the beginning, they resemble the shorter name “ Tinkwat Still another call often uttered by this Grass- Warbler remains to be described. It is merely a long-continued and rapid repetition of one sharp note. The bird, sitting 68 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the on some bush or plantain-leaf, starts with its rapid “ queek ! queek ! queek ! 99 &c., and continues without a pause for breath until you would think that it must be suffocated and tumble from its perch from exhaustion. It must be able to breathe while using its voice. Many nests of this bird have now been found. They are constructed like those of the Tailor-bird ( Orthotomus sutorius), as they are described, being set in a sort of basket or sack formed of large leaves sewed together. Leaves with an adhesive surface are preferred. They are united by stitches made by puncturing the leaf-edge and passing through it a thread of what looks like several united fibres of yellow-brown spider's web. The thread is often only passed through and knotted on the outside, but sometimes is brought round and passed through again, making a true stitch. The nest itself, set in this sack of leaves, is a deep cup of dry grass-blades, with the edge built higher on one side than on the other. Inside this cup is a lining of the fine brownish pappus or down from the seeds of some plant. Other related birds making similar nests use different materials. The nests of this species seem to be always of grass-blades, and the downy lining is brown, not white. The identification of the nests has been effected by shooting the bird on the nest, or catching it on the nest at evening. Usually only two eggs are found, sometimes three. My eggs vary in measurement thus : length 16-19 mm., breadth 12-13 mm. [In a series of eleven eggs the shape varies from a perfect oval form to a rather long pointed oval. The shell is distinctly glossy. The eggs are of two types. In the first the ground-colour varies from bright bluish-green to pale dull greenish-white, and the markings consist of rather large spots and blotches of pale red, reddish-lilac, and lilac-grey, which are either scattered over the entire shell or mostly concentrated round the larger end. In the second type the ground-colour is creamy-white, densely and minutely freckled all over, but especially in a zone round the larger end, with light red-brown and grey. — O.-G.] 69 Birds of Southern Kamerun. 2016. Calamocichla poensis. [Oto’o-Bisong.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 318. The Buhi name of this bird and the scientific name of the genus mean almost the same, “Otok” being the name of some of the common Bulbuls, and cf bisong ” meaning “ canes5'’ of the big cane-like grass Panicum maximum. Both names are appropriate, for the bird seems never to be seen or heard outside the thickets of this big grass, which grows ten feet high, with the stalks close together. In such places it may be heard, but seldom seen, until it flits about among the grass-stems to within a few feet of you, when, if you shoot it, it is of no use as a specimen. Its notes are peculiar, being uttered in a sort of ventriloquial voice, and sound like human conversation in an undertone ; sometimes they are sweet, reminding one a little of those of the Angokon [Cossypha) . 2050. Prinia bairdi. Burnesia bairdi Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 326. This is a lively little bird of the bushes and gardens about villages — lively in its movements, though generally silent. It is not always silent, however, for I have seen and heard it uttering a long succession of rapid notes without pause like Cisticola erythrops, as described above (see p. 67). When perched on a twig, this little Prinia lias a way of jerking up its long tail till it points forward, making an acute angle with its back. No. 1398 was shot in its nest, and No. 2538 was caught alive in its nest. Both the nests were brought to me torn from their setting, but I do not think that they were placed in a sack of leaves in the manner of Cisticola erythrops , but rather set in a great tangle of dried herbaceous vines. Both were made of dry strips of grass-leaves, with a lining of grass-tops — no down. They were deep, with one side so raised as to be partly roofed over, and were very large for the size of the bird. The eggs found in each nest numbered three. Those of one clutch all measured 17x12*5 mm.; those of the other, from 15 to 16 mm. long by 12*5 mm. broad. 70 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the [Six eggs are of a nearly perfect oval form and distinctly glossy. The ground-colour is pale bluish-green or greenish- white, either blotched and clouded, especially round the larger end, with pale light red and grey, or minutely and densely freckled all over with pale light red, forming a more or less distinct zone round the larger end. — G.-G.] 2073. Apalis binotata. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 320. This rather rare little bird has been obtained only at the Ja. There it is found in the open country of old clearings, where it has been seen in small trees, or in the tangle of vines hanging from trees, hopping and flitting from twig to twig, looking for insects. No. 1488 was shot with bow and arrow in its nest, and the bird and the nest brought to me. The latter was a loosely woven little pocket suspended from a twig, and composed entirely of the Usnea that fringes the limbs of old trees, with a very few brown gossamer-fibres to attach it to the twig, and a slight lining of fine grass. An egg in the nest was broken. 2093. Camaroptera griseiviridis. [Tinkwat.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 321. Very common amongst the brush of felled trees in plantations and gardens, through which it is continually threading its way, looking for insects. Its loud sharp-toned notes have already been described (‘The Ibis/ 1908, p. 322). The note is not always repeated just five times, but sometimes six or eight times. No. 1495 was shot with bow and arrow in its nest, which contained three naked young birds, just hatched. It was, with great ingenuity, attached to the stem and two large leaves of an “ ajom ” ( Amomurn ) in such a manner as to hang from them, one of the leaves being arched over it so as to form a perfect roof. The main material of the nest was very fine fibres ; over the outside was a covering of 71 Birds of Southern Kamerun. down like thistle-down, which in places was thrust through the leaves to form attachments. Another sort of wool, of tough yellowish-brown adhesive fibres, was used to form the stitches that held the edges of the leaves together, and also woven over the outside of the entire nest to hold the slippery thistle-like down in place. 2103. Hylia prasina. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 325. A very common little bird of the tree-tops in the opener country and the borders of the forest — never found in the depths of the forest. It flits among the twigs hunting for its insect food, which is often found to consist of the Cocci that adhere to the bark of the twigs. It never perches fully in sight, like the similar little Camaroptera. A bird-call I had often heard coming from the thickest tree-tops or tangles of vines, which I called the “ saw-filing note,’^ because of its piercing shrillness, and because it was double, like the drawing of a file across a saw and back again, though it was not so grating and harsh a sound as the comparison would suggest, was at last traced to this little bird. 2105. Stiphrornis gabonensis. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 325. 2106. Stiphrornis xanthogaster. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 325. Though Reichenow's arrangement is followed here as elsewhere, it seems strange to associate these two species (S. gabonensis found in the coast-region and S. xanthogaster at the Ja) with such birds as Camaroptera and Sylviella. These latter and other similar Warblers are birds of the bushes and brush of open land, not particularly secretive, but escaping hostile observation by their plain colours, small size, and lively movements. The species of Stiphrornis inhabit the dark forest and seek their food on the ground, while they light up the gloom with their bright colours. 7 2 Mr. G. L. Bates — Field-Notes on the My specimens were obtained in snares baited with termites, along with birds of the genera Alethe, Turdinus , Bleda, Neocossyphus , &c. Young birds have spots on the wing- coverts, as have those of Alethe . Sylviella batesi. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 319. Both my specimens of this species were caught or shot in their nests. The male (which had the testes very large) seemed to be sitting. The two nests were alike, and resembled those of some other small Warblers in being pocket-shaped ; but in materials and structure they were peculiar. These small pockets were made of short leaf- petioles, not woven together, but held together loosely by gossamer-threads (of spider’s or caterpillar’s web) running all among them, and extending up over the twig so as to form the attachment, which is not at one point of the twig, but extends along for several inches. Thus the whole structure is as flexible as a knitted bag. All over the outside are many particles of trash hanging to the gossamer-threads, that tremble at the slightest breath. Inside the bag are a few fibres for nest-lining. A single egg was found in each nest; the two were just alike, except in size, one measuring 19 X 12 mm., and the other 16*5 x 11 mm. [Two eggs are of a long pointed oval form and devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is yellowish-clay, thickly mottled all over with umber-brown and grey, the markings being more or less clouded and indistinct. — O.-G.] 2124. Sylviella virens. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 319. Two of my female specimens were caught in their nests, which were suspended in the bushes or grass. The nest is a nicely constructed little pocket like that of a S unbird. In one nest were three or four tiny eggs, which got broken when the bird was caught ; it could be seen, however, that they were speckled on a white ground. Birds of Southern Kamerun. 73 2152. Phylloscopus sibilatrix. Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 319. My specimens were shot at different dates during the months forming the winter of Europe, the latest being March 26. All that I have shot or seen were in the tree-tops of the open land, where they were busily flitting about, pursuing insects. They seemed to prefer a certain kind of tree with open, spreading foliage ; and more than once were seen in trees just coming into leaf, where the mucilage of the buds attracted insects. 2228 b. Turdus pelios saturatus. [Etyito.] Sharpe, Ibis, 1902, p. 95. Merula saturata Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 124. To my brief note about the Etyito in f The Ibis 3 (1905, p. 473) I have to add a description of the nest and eggs. But first I must say a word more about its song. Some individuals, at least, are as fine songsters as any Thrush that I know. One that I have listened to many an evening at Bitye could pour forth a song of endless variety, now mocking other birds, now uttering notes of its own, all in a full rich voice. Nests of this bird are not infrequently found on plantains or at the base of the palm-fronds, about villages. They are always in damp places, and have been most often found in the rainy season ; the base of the nest is always of damp, rotting fibres of weeds or plantains, and in one a weed-seed had germinated and was growing out of the side of the nest, which had eggs in it. The top part of the nest, however, is always dry — that is, composed of rootlets and small weed- stems. The number of eggs found was either two or three ; they vary in length from 24 to 28 mm., and in breadth from 20 to 21 mm. [A series of eight eggs, which vary in shape from a very wide blunt oval to a wide regular oval and are somewhat glossy. The ground-colour varies from bluish-green to pale bluish- white, and in one specimen it is warm cream-colour. Some 74 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds collected in specimens are mottled all over with pale red and lilac, others are similarly marked, but the markings are mostly confined to the larger end. The markings vary considerably in different specimens : in some they are larger and more distinct, in others they are finer and more clouded. — O.-G.] EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. Plate I. Caprimulgus batesi, p. 25. From the type. Plate II. Parmoptila woodhousii , p. 67. Adult (below) and young-, sliewing- the white markings on the bill (above). II. — Contributions to the Ornithology of the Sudan . — No. III.* On Birds collected by Captain E. P. Blencowe in the Bahr-el-Ghazal Province. By A. L. Butler, P.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Superintendent of Game Preservation, Sudan Government. In December 1907, Captain E. P. Blencowe, of the Army Service Corps, who was proceeding to the Bahr-el-Ghazal Province in connexion with the transport arrangements for supplying the various military posts, kindly agreed to take with him a native boy whom I had trained to skin birds, and to collect for me such specimens as he had time to shoot along his line of march. The following paper contains a list of birds which he obtained, with the localities and dates added and a few remarks. Captain Blencowe left the Nile at Shambe, and travelled first to Bumbek (distance about 90 miles), crossing the Lau and Naam Bivers; then he marched to the Tonj Biver, crossing the Gell Biver on the way (distance about 75 miles over flat forest-country with black cotton soil) ; thence to Wau (about 70 miles — undulating, forest-covered, ironstone country) ; from Wau to Ukanda (45 miles — country flat, all forest) ; * See ‘ The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 301, and 1908, p. 205. the Bahr-el-Ghazal Province , Sudan. 75 from Ukanda along the Sueli River to Raffile (30 miles — ironstone forest-country) ; south along the Sueh River to Kojali (63 miles — forest-country, black cotton soil, many “khors'” with high grass); from Kojali to Tembura (55 miles — country hilly, forest-trees smaller, many large granite rocks) : from Tembura he returned by the same route to Wau; travelled from Wau to Meshra-el-Rek (114 miles, over the route along which I collected in 1907) ; and journeyed from Meshra to Khartoum by steamer. The birds were thus almost all obtained between 7° and 8° N. lat. and 27° and 31° E. long. Many of them are not mentioned in my two previous papers on the birds of the Sudan (‘Ibis/ 1905, p. 301, and 1908, p. 205). I am indebted to Messrs. E. Hartert, Oscar Neumann, and Ogilvie-Grant for much kind assistance in identifying the skins. To Captain Blencowe my best thanks are due for his trouble in forming for me so representative a collection of the birds met with on his journey. Nectarinia pulchella (Linn.). > S' jj )) S' „ ? • if S • Near Wan, 18. 1. 08. Passer emini (Hartl.). 5 . Meshra-el-Rek, 10. 5. 08. Serinus icterus (Bonn, et Yieill.). s. Dug-Dug, 5.5.08. Hypochera ultramarina (Grn.). ? . Wau, 1. 4.08. ?. „ 1.4.08. 6. Tawela, 18.12.07. COLIOPASSER MACRURUS (Gm.). d . Raffile, 8. 2. 08. S. Kojali, 24.2.08. ? . Raffile, 14.2.08. $ . Kojali, 14. 3. 08. ? . Raffile, 14. 2. 08. $ . Kojali, 14. 3. 08. Urobrachya phcenicea (Heugl.). S ' Meshra, 10. 5. 08. S. 10.5.08. Pyromelana franciscana (Isert), ? . Wau, 30. 3. 08. S- „ 30. 3. 08. ?. „ 31.3.08. ?• „ 1.4. 08. 78 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds collected in Spermestes cucullatus Swains. S . Tembura, 5. 3. 08. S • }) Estrilda cinerea Swains. $ . Wau, 3. 4. 08. $ . Moyen, 4. 5. 08. ? . Wau, 30. 3. 08. Estrilda phcenicotis Swains. S ’ Kojali, 13. 3. 08. S . Wau, 25. 4. 08. S’ „ 3.4.08. S’}} }j Lagonosticta bruNx\eiceps Sharpe. ? . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Pytelia citerior Strickl. S . Wau, 3. 4. 08. $ . „ 24. 4. 08. Pytelia soudanensis (Sharpe) . S . Shambe, 3. 1.08. Ploceipasser superciliosus (Riipp.). (S - Baffile, 6. 2. 08. S. Wau, 1.4.08. Anaplectes melanotis (Lafr.). S’ Raffle, 9.2.08. Hyphanturgus ocularius (Smith). S . Tembura, 5. 3. 08. This bird belongs to the subspecies Ploceus ocularius crocatus oi Reichenow (Vog. Afr. iii. p. 46). Male in full plumage. SlTAGRA LUTEOLA (Licht.). s ’ Wau, 22. 4. 08. In nearly full breeding-plumage. Hyphantornis heuglini (Reichenb.). S . Kojali, 22. 2. 08. In full breeding-plumage. the Bahr-el-Ghazal Province, Sudan. 79 Hyphantornis t^eniopterus (Reichenb.). S . Kojali, 20. 2. 08. Out o£ plumage. Hyphantornis abyssinicus (Gm.). . Kojali, 29. 2. 08. In non-breeding plumage. Oriolus auratus Vieill. s . Raffile, 4. 2. 08. S • >> it „ 6.2.08. $ . Kojali, 1. 3. 08. Pholidauges leucogaster (Gm.). Nine adult males, two immature males, and two females. Wau, between 30. 3. 08 and 25. 4. 08. In 1907, when I was collecting in the same locality, I did not see a single specimen of this lovely Starling. Lamprotornis caudatus (P. L. S. Miill.). ?. Kojali, 22.4.08. Lamprotornis porphyropterus Rupp. £ . Tawela (on the Nile), 18. 12. 07. Lamprotornis ^neocephalus Heugl. ? $ . Raffile, 2. 2. 08. Lamprocolius chalyileus (Ehr.). £ . Tembura, 5. 3. 08. S . „ 6. 3. 08. S . Wau, 24. 5. 08. $ . „ 30. 3. 08. 7 . Tembura, 5.3.08._ ? . Tawela, 8. 12. 07. a 3^ Corvus scapulatus Daud. $ . Wau, 2. 4. 08. Cryptorhina afra (Linn.), c? . Wau, 30. 3. 08. $ . Doleiba, 5. 5. 08. 80 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds collected in Dicrurus afer (Licht.). ? . Tembura, 4. 3. 08. <$. W. of Tonj River, 15.1.08. Prionops poliocephalus (Stanl.). $ . W. of Rumbek, 10. 1. 08. Campophaga phcenicea (Lath.). S • Wau, 24. 4. 08. 3 •>> S • a )> Lanius paradoxus Brelira. ?. „ 14.2.08. ^juv. ,, 16.2.08. Lanius nubicus Licht. $ . Hillet Abbas (White Nile), 20. 12. 07. $ . S. of. Renk (White Nile), 21. 12. 07. Nilaus afer (Lath.). 5 . Wau, 20. 4. 08. 6 • )) )} Laniarius aethiopicus (Gm.). cJ . Raffile, 2. 2. 08. S • ? • }> ij the Bahr-el- Ghazal Province, Sudan. 81 Laniarius catharoxanthus (Neum.). g . Tembura, 6. 3. 08. g . W. of Rumbek, 10. 1. 08. Laniarius sulphureipectus (Less.). . Kojali, 29. 2. 08. c?. Raffile, 2.2.08. ? . Tembura, 5. 3. 08. $ . Kojali, 29. 2. 08. ? . Wan, 30.3.08. Laniarius erythrog aster Cretzsclim. . Wau, 30. 3. 08. ? • jj }} ? . Atwot, 7. 1. 08. Dryoscopus malzacii (Heugl.). £ . Ukanda, 28. 1. 08. £ . Kojali, 2] . 3. 08. S juy. Tembura, 3.3.08. ? . Ukanda, 28. 1.08. Telephonus senegalus (Linn.). g . Tembura, 4. 3. 08. Telephonus blanfordi (Sharpe). <£. Shambe (Upper Nile), 28. 12. 07. C rate ro pus plebeius (Riipp.). . Ukanda, 28. 1. 08. ? • >? )> 3 . Wau, 22. 4. 08. Pycnonotus minor Heugl. $ . Doleiba, 5. 5. 08. $ . Kojali, 25. 2. 08. • H-ob. ?. „ 24.4.08. Sylviella brachyura Lafr. ?. Wau, 24.4.08. Orthotomus erythropterus (Jard.). S. Wau, 31. 3.08. Prinia murina (Heugl.). ? . Renk (White Nile), 21. 12. 07. Prinia mystacea Riipp. $ . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Cisticola strangii (Fraser). $ . Doleiba, 4. 5. 08. Cisticola marginalis (Heugl.). d . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Cisticola ruficeps (Riipp.). d . M oven, 4. 5. 08. Cisticola ferruginea Heugl. d . Wau, 22. 4. 08. Melocichla mentalis (Fraser). ? . Tembura, 4. 3. 08. Hypolais pallida (Hempr. & Ehr.). d . Kojali, 23. 2. 08. Cossypha heuglini Hartl. d . West of Rumbek, 10. 1. 08. d . Shambe, 1. 1. 08. Ruticilla phgenicurus (Lima.). )> Saxicola melanoleuca (Giild.). S • Hillet Abbas (White Nile), 20. 12.07. The Eastern race, S. melanoleuca melanoleuca. Saxicola isabellina Cretzschm. c?. Wau, 18. 1.08. Melanornis edolioides (Swains.). ? . Raffile, 2. 2. 08. Bradyornis pallidus (v. MU11.) . c? . Wau, 22. 4. 08. > 1 >) ? . W. of Tonj, 17.1.08. ?. „ 16.1.08. the Bahr-el-Ghazal Province , Sudan. 85 Dicrocercus furcatus (Stanl.). $. S. of Kojali, 1.3.08. Merops pusillus P. L. S. Miill. £ . Gardein, 3. 5. 08. S • a )> ? * )•) 55 ? • y) jj Merops frenatus (Hartl.). s . Raffile, 18. 2. 08. $ . Kojali, 20. 2. 08. ? . Waii, 30.3.08. ? • ?5 55 Merops viridis Linn. S . S. of Renk (White Nile), 21. 12. 07, Merops nubicus Gm. ? . Raffile, 4. 2. 08. S' >> S . W. of Tonj River, 16. 1. 08. . Kojali, 1. 3. 08. $ . Tembura, 4. 3. 08. ?. „ 5.3.08. S' >, 3.3.08. Upupa epops Linn. S . S. of Raffile, 18. 2. 08. A very small specimen : culmen 37 mm. ; wing 130 mm. Irrisqr erythrqrhynchus (Lath.). S • Wau, 20. 4. 08. S' 55 Scoptelus aterrimus (Steph.). $ . W. of Tonj, 16. 1. 08. $ . Near Raffile, 1.2. 08. Lophoceros nasutus (Linn.). S. Raffile, 22.3.08. ? . Wau, 24. 4. 08. 86 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds collected in Lophoceros erythrorhynchus (Temm.). $ . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Ceryle rudis (Linn.). $ . Baffile, 14. 2. 08. CORYTHORNIS CYANOSTIGMA (Riippv. 3 . Baffile, 6. 2. 08. $. „ 18.2.08. > jj Halcyon semic^ruleus Forskal. 3 . Baffile, 6. 2. 08. ? . „ 20. 3. 08. 3 . „ 18. 2. 08. ? . „ 6. 2. 08. 3 . Tembura, 1.3. 08. ? . Kojali, 23. 2. 08. Halcyon chelicutensis (Stanl.). 3 . (Label lost.) Halcyon malimbicus Shaw. 3 . Tembura, 8. 3. 08. COLIUS LEUCOTIS Rupp. 3 . Kojali, 22. 2. 08. ? . „ 23. 3. 08. Turacus leucolophus Heugl. 3 . Tembura, 10. 3. 08. a a a a 4. 3. 08. 5 c? ? 6 $ the Bahr-cl-Ghazal Province, Sudan. 87 c? . Kojali, 23. 2. 08. d . „ 24. 2. 08. <£ . S. of Kojali, 1. 3. 08. ScHIZORHIS ZONURA Rupp. d • Tembura, 3. 08. ? . „ 4. 3. 08. <5 * 33 33 <3 * ?? 33 c? . W. of Tonj River, 17. 1. 08. Centropus monachus Riipp. ? . E. of Rumbek, 8. 1. 08. The head is glossed with green and not purple. There is a precisely similar specimen in the British Museum labelled “ B aroma, Abyssinia ; Lord Lovat.” Coccystes glandarius (Linn.), c?. Madal, 5.5.08. ? • 3? 33 d • W. of Rumbek, IT. 1. 08. Coccystes cafer (Licht.). S . Tembura, 3. 3. 08. ? • 33 33 Chrysococcyx cupreus (Bodd,). S . Meshra-el-Rek, 10. 5. 08. Indicator sparrmani Steph. cJ . Kojali, 1. 3. 08. Indicator minor Steph. S . Shambe, 28. 12. 07. Erythrobucco rolleti (De Filippi). ) Columba guinea Linn. S . Dug-Dug, 5.5.08. Turtur decipiens Finsch & Harth s . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Turtur vinaceus (Gm.). £ . Wau, 1.4.08. This Dove is Antinori’s Turtur vinaceus barbarus. I find that in my paper in the £Ibis/ 1908, p. 249, I erroneously entered it as T. roseigriseus (Sundev.). Turtur senegalensis (Linn.). $ . Tembura, 4. 3. 08. Chalcopelia afra (Linn.). S . Wau, 24. 4. 08. Pceocephalus meyeri (Rupp.). ) Hagedashia hagedash (Lath.). $ . Raffile, 16. 2. 08. Herodias ralloides (Scop.). £ . Wau, 2. 4. 08. Scopus umbretta Gm. $ . Raffile, 14. 2. 08. ? . „ 17. 2. 08. Francolinus icterorhynchus Heugl. S . Raffile, 4.2.08. ? . Ternbura, 4. 3. 08. 90 Major H. A. F. Mag-rath on the ? . Wau, 1.4.08. ? • >) a ? • » Ptilopaciiys ftjscus (Yieill.). Raffile, 10. 2.08. $ . Kojali, 20. 2. 08. Pterocles quadricinctus Temm. ? . Raffile, 18. 2. 08. Sarciophortjs tectus (Bodcl.). . cf . June 10, 1908. 17. Bhinoptilus chalcopterus. Rhinoptilus chalcopterus Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 329. *a. ? . Nov. 26, 1907. 18. (Edicnemus capensis. (Edicnemus capensis Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 315. a. ? . July 17, 1908. 19. Glareola melanoptera. Glareola melanoptera Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 333. a. Jan. 11, 1908. This example is moulting into the adult plumage, but it still shews traces of that of the young bird. 145 Bulawayo , Southern Rhodesia . 20. Lophotis ruficrista. Otis ruficrista Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 290. “ Umswiliswili.” Occasionally occurs close to the town. 21. Eupodotis kori. Otis kori Stark & Scl. Birds S. Air. iv. p. 308. “ Ichemi.” This Bustard occasionally approaches very close to the town and has several times been seen on the Commonage. 22. ClCONIA ALBA. Ciconia alba Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 37. %. $. Dec. 8, 1907. “ Ingabezane.” The White Stork appears in large flocks during ithe rains. 23. Scopus umbretta. Scopus umbretta Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 51. a. $ . Sept. 24., 1907. “ Tegwane.” This individual had a nest in a high tree close to the water’s edge at the Waterworks reservoirs. It was of the usual type — a huge mass of sticks, with an entrance- hole on one side. The bird has also been seen in the very heart of the town. 24. Leptoptilus crumeniferus. Leptoptilus crumeniferus Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 46. Three examples were seen near the town on Feb. 5, 1908* one of which was shot by Mr. E. Douglas. 25. Nycticorax griseus. Nycticorax griseus Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 82. Juv. July 21, 1907. 26. Butorides atricapilla. Butorides atricapilla Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 80. a. $ • Nov. 25, 1907. b. S' . June 9, 1908. SER. IX. - VOL. III. L 146 Mr. E. C. Chubb on the Birds of 27. Ardetta payesi. Ardetta payesi Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 86. a. $ . Jan. 11, 1908. 28. Dendrocycna vidua ta. Dendrocygna viduata Stark & Scl. Birds S. Afr. iv. p. 124. a. )> d. „ juv. Jan. 10, 1908. Very common and generally seen in large (locks. When a flock is feeding on the ground, first one bird and 17 2 Recently published Ornithological Works. then another will fly a foot or two off the ground and settle again directly. It may be that they are in this way looking out for danger. They always perch in very prominent positions on trees and for this reason are difficult to approach. I have heard them utter a very subdued continuous wailing cry. 161. CORVULTUR ALBICOLLIS. Corvultur albicollis Stark, Birds S. Afr. i. p. 10. “ Iwabai Fintaba.” This Crow has been seen flying around the granite kopjes at Hillside. It appears to be confined to the neighbourhood of hills, and more especially those of the granite formations such as we have in the Matopos about 40 miles south of Bulawayo, where I have seen this bird in great numbers. 162. CORVUS SCAPULATUS. Corvus scapulatus Stark, Birds S. Afr. i. p. 12. “Iwabai.” An extremely common bird in the town from January to June, but during the rest of the year only a few are seen occasionally. It frequently rests in trees or on the posts supporting the electric-light wires. Its foods consists of scraps of meat or other offal, and I have also seen it hunting for ticks on donkeys'7 backs. It has a harsh guttural croak. VII. — Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. 1. Allen on Baeolophus bicolor-atricristatus. [The Baolophus bicolor-atricristatus Group. By J. A. Allen. Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. xxiii. p. 467 (1907).] The Tufted Titmouse of the Eastern United States ( Baeolophus bicolor ) is replaced in Texas and Mexico by the quite distinct species B. atricristatus. The breeding-ranges of these two species, as it has recently been discovered, overlap in Southern and Central Texas, where intermediate forms are found and have been described as new subspecies. Recently published Ornithological Works. 173 Parus atricristatus castaneifrons and P. bicolor texensis. Dr. Allen discusses the true status of these birds at full length, and, after a careful study of all available material, accepts Mr. Ridgway's view that “ the birds shewing mixed characters are hybrids ” and not geographical intergrades. ^ A somewhat similar case in the Oriental Region is that of Coracias indicus and C. affinis (see Blanford, Fauna of Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 106). 2. Berlepsch on the Birds of Cayenne. [On the Birds of Cayenne. — Part II. By Hans, Graf v. Berlepsch. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 201.] We have now before us the second part of Graf von Berlepsch’s excellent memoir on the Birds of Cayenne, of which we have already noticed the first (f Ibis/ 1908, p. 616). In the two parts together 626 species are included. In the second part the author begins with the Trochilidse, of which he enumerates 38 species as found in Cayenne. Additions and corrections follow the List, and it is stated in a “ Summary ” that we may add about 140 more species which, although not yet recorded from Cayenne, are likely to be found there. We are therefore “ justified in comput¬ ing the number of species that belong to that country to be about 766.” “ Penelope granti ” is proposed as a new name for the species of Guan from British Guiana called P. marail by Mr. Ogil vie- Grant (Cat. B. xxii. p. 495), the P. marail of Gmelin being probably = P. jacupeba. 3. Cheeseman on the Lesser Frigate-bird. [Notice of the Occurrence of the Lesser Frigate-bird ( Fregata ariel ) in North Auckland District. By F. F. Cheeseman. Trans. New Zealand Inst. xl. p. 265 (1897).] In BullePs 6( Supplement ” to his f Birds of New Zealand ’ it is stated that there is only one authentic record of the occurrence of Fregata ariel in New Zealand. The capture of a second specimen of this bird in the peninsula north of Auckland and various particulars about it are now 174 Recently published Ornithological Works. described by Mr. Cheeseman, the Curator of the Auckland Museum. 4. Drummond on the Little-Barrier Bird- Sanctuary . [The Little-Barrier Bird-Sanctuary. By James Drummond, F.L.S. Trans. New Zealand Inst. xl. 1907.] After reading Dr. Fulton’s lugubrous account of tbe decadence of tbe Avifauna of New Zealand (see below, p. 175), it is pleasant to know that some steps have already been taken to alleviate the evil and seem likely to be, to a certain extent, successful. Little Barrier Island in the Gulf of Hauraki (about 10,000 acres in area) has been declared a “Bird-Sanctuary” and no bird on it is allowed to be destroyed, or interfered with in any way. Mr. Drum¬ mond spent a fortnight on the island in the beginning of 1907 and gives us a satisfactory account of what he observed. He had only to go “outside his tent to see scores of Bell- birds, Whiteheads, Tuis, Tom-tits, Fan-tails, and other small birds.” Many other native birds were observed, and the two migratory Cuckoos are said to arrive and depart at their regular seasons. Altogether some 41 species live and thrive in the island, and the experiment, so far as it goes, is an undoubted success. But we do not see that it will do much to help restocking the main islands with native bird-life. 5. Flower’s List of Zoological Gardens . [Zoological Gardens of the World. Reference List, 1st Oct., 1908. Capt. S. S. Flower, Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt.] Capt. Flower has sent us a copy of the new edition of his ‘ List of the Zoological Gardens of the World/ which we have great pleasure in introducing to the notice of our readers. It is arranged alphabetically under six heads — Africa, America North, America South, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Altogether 80 Gardens are enumerated — 4 African (Egypt and the Transvaal) ; 21 North American, in various States, the best-known being those of Bronx Park, New York, and Philadelphia; 3 in South America (Buenos Ayres, Para, and Rio) ; 8 in Asia (British India, Saigon, and Recently published Ornithological Works. 175 J apan, &c.) ; 4 in Australia (3 of which have members of the Le Souef family as Directors) ; and 40 scattered over Europe, no less than 18 being found in different towns in Germany. As we have often heard said, the establishment of a Zoological Garden is a very fair test of the progress of civilization in every country. We thank Capt. Flower for the trouble he has taken in preparing this useful list. We have already noticed his report on the Zoological Gardens in Europe which he himself visited in 1907 (see 4 The Ibis/ 1908, p. 619). 6. Fulton on the Disappearance of New Zealand Birds , [The Disappearance of New Zealand Birds. By Dr. Fulton. Trans. New Zealand Inst. xl. p. 485.] “ Owing to change in environment, alterations in food- supply, and disturbance of the balance of Nature by ridiculous importations of birds and animals,” Dr. Fulton tells us, “ our beautiful feathered friends are fast going to the wall.” He discusses the different groups of Land-birds of New Zealand, and gives ample proofs of this melancholy fact. The Birds of Prey “are now rarely seen,” the Tui is “ fast disappearing,” the Thrush is “very rare,” the Native Quail is “ absolutely extinct ” — such are the sad stories put before us. The same sort of process is, no doubt, going on in all civilized lands, but in New Zealand it is progressing more rapidly. 7. Godman’s 1 Monograph of the Petrels.’ [A Monograph of the Petrels (Order Tubinares). By F. DuCane Godman, D.C.L., F.R.S., President of the British Ornithologists’ Union. Part III. September, 1908. Witherby & Co.] The third part of this important Monograph continues the good work on the system described in our notices of the first and second parts (see 4 Ibis/ 1907, p. 515, and 1908, pp. 367, 527). The present part is mainly devoted to the widely spread genus (Estrelata , of which 23 species are recognized, and all but two are figured, with “ more to come.” They are far wanderers, as their name implies, and 176 Recently published Ornithological Works. one of them (CE. heesitata) has the honour of being in¬ cluded in the British List, on the faith of a single straggler. 8. Hartert’s 4 Miscellanea Ornithologica 1 : Part V. [Miscellanea Ornithologica — Critical, Nomenclatorial, and other Notes, mostly on Palaearctic Birds and their Allies. By Dr. E. Hartert. Part V. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 295 (1907).] Dr. Hartert shews that Acrocephalus inexpectatus of Berezowski and Bianchi, from Southern Kansu, is based upon a young specimen of Acrocephalus orientalis, the eastern form of A. arundinaceus . He also discusses the species of Scotocerca , and maintains — we fear correctly — that the form of Scotocerca lately met with in the Wadi Hof, near Cairo, by Mr. Nicoll, and characterized by him as new under the name Scotocerca inquieta innesi (Bull. B. O. C. xxi. p. 98), does not differ from the typical Scotocerca inquieta. 9. Hilgert’ s Catalogue of the Erlanger Collection. [Katalog der Collection von Erlanger in Nieder-Ingelheim-a.-Bh . Von Carl Hilgert. Berlin: Friedlander, 1908.] The great collection of birds formed by the late Carlo, Freiherr von Erlanger, who lost his life by a sad accident, when only just commencing his career *, has been carefully arranged and catalogued by Herr Carl Hilgert, his taxi¬ dermist and companion in travel. The 12,500 specimens are referred to 1419 species in the List, and the name, date, and locality are attached to each of them. Tije collection is specially rich in N.E. African species (where Erlanger made extensive researches) and contains many types. The catalogue will be very useful to those who are working on African Birds, and gives many references to Erlanger's publications. 10. Marriner’ s Notes on the Kea (Nestor). [Additional Notes on the Kea. By George R. Marriner. Trans. New Zealand Inst. xl. p. 534 (1907).] Mr. Marriner visited a Sheep-Station (Mount Algidus) in the North Island of New Zealand in July 1907, and * See ‘ The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 144. 1 77 Recently published Ornithological Works. quite convinced himself of the ravages of the Kea ( Nestor notabilis) upon the flocks (see ' The Ibis/ 1908, p. 382). He took photographs of the dead victims, and also of the nest- holes of the Keas, which breed in nearly inaccessible cavities in the highest rocks. We are not sorry to be told that with such breeding-places there seems to be little chance of these “ interesting but cruel birds ” being exterminated ! 11. Menegaux' s Ornithological Papers. [(1) Catalogue des Oiseaux envoy6s en 1906 du Tonquin et de l’Annam par M. Bouton. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d'H. N. 1907, No. 1, p. 6. (2) Liste des Oiseaux rapport^s en 1906 par M. Geay de sud-ouest de Madagascar. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d’H. N. 1907, No. 2, p. 102. (3) Ornithologie renseignements pratiques (i., ii., iii.). Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d’H. N. 1907. (4) Catalogue des Oiseaux rapport^s par M. et Mme. Ph. de Vilmorin de Soudan Egyptien. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d’H. N. No. 6, p. 385. (5) Liste des Oiseaux de la Guyane Fran^aise donnes au Mus6um par M. Rey. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d’H. N. 1907, No. 7, p. 493. (6) Oiseaux de l’Equateur donn&s au Mus4um par M. Gonessiat. Par M. A. Menegaux. • Bull. Mus. d’H. N. 1908, No. 2, p. 107. (7) Etude d’nne collection d’Oiseaux de l’Equateur donne au Museum d’Histoire Naturelle. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Soc. Phil, de Paris, 1908. (8) Sur les embryons, les poussins, et les jeunes oiseaux des Regions australes. Par M. A. Menegaux. Bull. Mus. d’H. N. 1898, No. 2.] M. Menegaux, who is now in charge of the Mammals and Birds in the French National Museum, has kindly sent us copies of the eight ornithological memoirs of which the titles are given above. No. 1 contains the names of 30 species of birds, examples of which were received from the French Colonies of Tonquin and Annam. No. 2 gives an account of a collection of birds made by M. Geay in Madagascar, which are referred to 19 species ; amongst them is a pair of that rare and singular form Uratelornis chimcera. M. Geay observed in the sands of the sea-shore near Cap SER. IX. - VOL. III. If 178 Recently published Ornithological Works. Sainte Marie in Southern Madagascar innumerable frag¬ ments of the eggs of AEpyornis. No. 4 relates to a collec¬ tion of birds from the Egyptian Soudan made by M. and Mme. de Vilmorin. Fifty-eight species are enumerated, and notes are added on each of them. In No. 5 we find the first and second parts of a list of birds forwarded to the Paris Museum by M. Rey, the Governor of the Colony of Cayenne. Most of the 74 species are well-known, but Vireolanius leucotis is rather a rarity. In Nos. 6 and 7 M. Menegaux transfers bis attention to Ecuador, and registers two collections made in various parts of that Republic. The former, presented by M. Gonessiat, con¬ tained examples of 47 species ; the latter was a set of duplicates from the Museum at Quito, which are referred to 47 species, many of them being rare and new to the Paris Museum. 12. Neumann* s Notes on African Birds. [Notes on African Birds in the Tring Museum. By Oscar Neumann. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 366 (1908).] Prof. Neumann begins his notes with a useful list of the Musophagidae, of which he recognizes 32 species and sub¬ species, belonging to the genera Corythaola^ (1), Chizcerhis (2), Corythaicoides ( 5), Gymnoschizorliis (3), Musophaga (2), Ruwenzorornis (2), Gallirex (2), and Turacus (15). Nearly all the Turaci are provided with three names, and the very distinct Musophaga rossa is made a subspecies of M. violacea ! Turacus living stonei loitanus is a new subspecies from the Loita Mountains, B.E.A. After disposing of the Touracos, Prof. Neumann gives us his “ List of the African Psittacidae,” with much information about their localities, recognizing 31 species and subspecies. Of these Poeocephalus gulielmi fantiensis, P. meyeri nyansa, and Agapornis pullaria Uganda are described as new sub¬ species. But he omits to mention Agapornis liliana and A. nigriyenis , both excellent and well-marked species, because, we suppose, they are not represented in the Tring Museum. It would, however, have been well to mention Recently published Ornithological Works. 179 their names in a footnote, if only to show that desiderata occur even in this excellent Collection. Of A. nigrigenis many examples have lately been imported alive to England, and it has been well figured by Goodchild in the f Avi- cultural Magazine’ (vi. p. 317, 1908). After examining these two articles we are more dissatisfied than ever with the practice of reducing what are quite valid and well marked species to subspecific rank merely because they are supposed to be representatives of each other in different areas. 13. North on new Birds from the South Pacific. [On Three apparently undescribed Birds from Henderson or Elizabeth Island, Paumotn Group. By Alfred J. North. Ilec. Austr. Mus. vol. vii. No. i. 1908.] Six specimens, in spirit, of birds from Henderson or Elizabeth Island, an outlier of the Paumotn Group, South Pacific, have been lately received by the Australian Museum, Sydney, from Mr. A. E. Stephen. They are referred by Mr. North to three new species, which he proposes to call Calliptilus (?) stepheni , Ptilopus insular is, and Porzana atra. Two plates are given to illustrate the natural features of the island, which belongs to Great Britain. 14. North on the Nesting of the Australian Black- and- White Fantail. [On an unusual Nesting-site of Sauloprocta melaleuca. By Alfred J. North. Pec. Austr. Mus. vii. p. 21 (1908).] A pair of this pretty bird nested in 1907 in the verandah of Mr. North’s house at Roseville, Sydney. As the nest was just opposite his sitting-room, Mr. North had good oppor¬ tunities of observing the habits of this species, which are here fully described. Mr. North noticed that both parents sit, but that after a remarkably short time each bird called to its mate to be relieved. The average time during which each bird sat was only a quarter of an hour. This species has not been previously observed to build in a house. 180 Recently published Ornithological Works. 15. Report on the Zoological Gardens, Giza, for 1907. [Government of Egypt. Public Works Department. Zoological Gardens, Giza, near Cairo. Report for the Year 1907 (Ninth Annual Report) by the Director. Cairo, 1908. 30 pp.] Like most of the other British institutions which we have introduced into the Land of the Pharaohs, the Zoological Gardens at Giza seem to be in a very flourishing state. Capt. Stanley Flower informs us that the year 1907 has proved a t( record ” for the Gardens under his charge in the number of visitors, in the amount of gate-money taken, and in the increase of the Menagerie. The donations of living animals (225) exceeded in number those received in any previous year, and among the species which bred in the Gardens in 1907 were the Koodoo and the Addax, two fine antelopes w'hich are not known to have reproduced their kind elsewhere in captivity. A new aviary has been built for the Ibises and allied birds, and a new enclosure has been made for the Flamingoes. Amongst the birds which bred in the Gardens in 1907 were the Crowned Pigeon ( Goura coronata ) and Hey's Partridge {Ammoperdix,heyi) . We need hardly add that no lover of natural history who goes to Egypt should fail to visit the Giza Gardens, which are situated on the tram-line leading to the Pyramids. The three Shoe-bills ( Balceniceps rex) are still alive and well ! 16. Rothschild on Casuarius bistriatus. [Note on Casuarius bistriatus Oort. By the Hon. Walter Rothschild, Ph.D. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 392.] Mr. Rothschild recognizes Casuarius bistriatus, lately de¬ scribed by Dr. Van Oort (see 'The Ibis/ 1907, p. 541), as a good subspecies, but maintains that it ought not to be compared with C. beccarii, but with C. sclateri. of which it is a smaller form. He now enumerates eight subspecies of C. galeatus. 17. Rothschild and Hartert on the Birds of Vella Lavella. [The Birds of Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands. By the Hon. Walter Rothschild, Ph.D., and Ernst Hartert, Ph.D. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 351.] Mr. Meek has now visited Vella Lavella, one of the Recently published Ornithological Works. 181 Central Group of the Solomon Islands, in which no bird has ever been obtained before, and has furnished the Tring Museum with a collection from it containing examples of 51 species. Although the majority of these are the same as those of the other islands of the central group, some inter¬ esting new forms have been discovered (see Bull. B. O. C. xxi. pp. 105-107). The peculiar races of Vella Lavella are remarkable as shewing “ a tendency towards melanistic coloration.” 18. Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from San Christoval. [On a Collection of Birds from San Christoval, Solomon Islands. By the lion. Walter Rothschild, Ph.D., and Ernst Hartert, Ph.D. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 359.] Mr. Meek has also been able to pay a short visit to San Christoval, in the southern group of the Solomons, and to fill up, at all events partially, a much-lamented gap in the fine series of the Avifauna of this group in the Tring Museum. The specimens in it are referred by the authors to 34 species, of which Halcyon perplexa , Monarcha castanei- ventris megarhynchus , and Zosterops alberti are characterized as new. Many of the species described from San Christoval by Tristram and Ramsay are likewise represented in the collection, but, unluckily, not Ceyx gentiana ! 19. Schaloiv on the Birds of the Tianshan. [Beitrage zur Vogelfauna Centralasiens von Herman Schalow. — II. Uebersicht der von Herrn Dr. Gottfried Merzbacher im Centralen Tien- schan gesammelten Vogel. Journ. f. Orn. 1908.] On a former occasion (see c The Ibis/ 1907, p. 511) we called attention to the collection of birds made by the great German traveller Dr. Merzbacher in Central Tianshan, and stated that an account of it was being prepared by Herr Schalow. This account has now been completed, and has been published in two parts in the ‘Journal fur Ormthologie> for 1908. Herr Schalow has favoured us with a separate copy of his excellent article, and we have great pleasure in saying a few words on it. 182 Recently published Ornithological Works. The Tianshan Range borders the great desert of the Tarim on the north, rising in places to a height of over 7000 feet and forming a portion of the central mass of the Asiatic continent. Being within the limits of the Palaearctic Region, although not far removed from the unascertained northern boundary of the Oriental Region, the Tianshan is of special interest to workers in Palaearctic Ornithology and deserves our closest attention. Herr Schalow has given us a list of the more recent authorities on the birds of the district, which are not numerous. It will be observed that Russian naturalists (Koslow, Loudon, Bianchi) are, as might have been expected, prominent among them. Herr Schalow does not state the exact number of speci¬ mens in Dr. Merzbacher’s collection, but we believe it was not very numerous. Dr. Merzbacher did not himself collect birds, but employed two taxidermists to do so. The speci¬ mens thus obtained are referred by Herr Schalow to about 1 50 species, which, as a rule, are well-known Palsearctic species, or, in some cases, we may say subspecies, for Herr Schalow is a strong advocate of trinomials, and gives three names to the greater number of the birds referred to. There are a few Himalayan forms in the list, such as Mycerobas carneipes , Carduelis caniceps, and Ruticilla grandis, but the majority are northern mountaineers. It is quite certain that there are many more species of birds in the Tiantshan than are represented in the present collection, and we are glad to hear that Dr. Merzbacher has returned to that country and may probably procure an additional series. 20. Stuart Baker on Indian Ducks. [The Indian Ducks and their Allies. By E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. With 30 coloured Plates, by H. Gronvold, G. E. Lodge, and J. G. Keulemans. 1 vol., large 8vo. 292 pp. Bombay and London, 1908. London : R. H. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W.] Mr. Stuart Baker has contributed to the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society a series of articles on the Indian Ducks and other Chenomorphae. He now reprints Recently published Ornithological Works. 183 these^ with additions and corrections to bring the List up to date, in a handsome octavo volume, which is further orna¬ mented by 30 coloured plates drawn by some of the best living bird-artists. Mr. Stuart Baker wisely follows nearly the arrangement and nomenclature used by Salvadori in the twenty-seventh volume of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds. He introduces the Bed-breasted Goose into the ludiau Avifauna mainly on the faith of specimens seen on the Brahmapootra. It is quite likely to occur there in the cold season, but we are not aware of there being Indian speci¬ mens of this Goose in any museum. The generic name of Rufibrenta, we may observe, which is here adopted for this species, is quite unnecessary, as it is a typical Brenta , except in colour. We do not find that Mr. Stuart Baker has solved the problem of what the Swan is that breeds regularly on the Lake of Seistan (see f Ibis/ 1906, pp. 397, 612, 737). 21. Stuart Baker on the Birds of the Khasia Hills. [Birds of the Khasia Hills. By E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Journ. Bombay N. H. Soc. 1907, pp. 783, 957.] The Khasia Hills in Assam, although separated from the Himalayas by the great valley of the Brahmapootra, are said to have nearly the same phase of animal life. All round the foot of the Khasias, as Mr. Stuart Baker tells us, the dense tropical woods contain much bird-life, but few forms of great interest. Towards Shillong there are immense stretches of grass-land, until, about five miles from that place, where the pine-forests begin, in the extreme east of the Khasias, there is another kind of country — grass-covered hills varied by scattered oak-forests. “ Towards Cherraponji and its vicinity there are many huge cliffs that afford breeding- places to several interesting birds, amongst which are the local Swift ( Cypselus acuticauda) and the Striped Swallow ( Hirundo striolata). Hirundo daurica also breeds in the houses in the native villages.” Other interesting birds of the Khasias, Mr. Stuart Baker tells us, are the Long-tailed Wren 184 Recently published Ornithological Works. ( Urocichla longicaudata ) and the local form of Laughing- Thrush ( Dryonectes subcceruleus ) . Mr. Stuart Baker’s List of Species is compiled from the collections of Hume, Godwin- Austen, and others, and from several collections made by his own men. He follows the arrangement and nomenclature of the ‘ Fauna of British India/ and gives short notes to each species. As regards the subfamily Brachypteryginse of the Crateropodidse, he remarks that, although for the sake of convenience he retains Oates’s classification, there is no doubt that the majority of the birds placed in this family in the f Fauna of British India ’ belong elsewhere. He would accordingly refer the genera Myiophoneus, Larvivora , and Drymochares to the Turdidse. Altogether Mr. Stuart Baker enumerates about S36 species as belonging to the Khasian Avifauna. 22. Stuart Baker on the Indian Cuckoos. [The Oology of Indian Parasitic Cuckoos. By E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S. Journ. Bombay N. H. Soc. 1906-8. (Parts I.-V.)] The abnormal breeding-habits of the Cuckoos are of special interest to all naturalists, and Mr. Stuart-Baker has done well to prepare a series of papers on the engrossing subject of their eggs, to which he has long devoted his attention. “ The great difficulty,” he observes, “ to be overcome in collecting Cuckoos’ eggs is not so much to get hold of eggs which are Cuckoos’ beyond all doubt, but to obtain proof as to what particular Cuckoo they belong to. To do this it is absolutely necessary to get eggs direct from the oviduct of the female, and because Cuckoos’ eggs vary so much it is of no use to get one egg only, but series are required.” The Indian Parasitic Cuckoos, to which Mr. Stuart-Baker con¬ fines his attention, are 17 in number, belonging to the genera Cuculus , Hierococcyx , Cacomantis , Penthoceryx , Chrysococcyx , Surniculus , Coccystes, and Eudynamis. The true Cuculi in India are four. Our familiar C. canorus , which heads the list, is stated to breed freely throughout the Himalayas and Sub-Himalayas, the Burmese Hills, Recently published Ornithological Works. 185 Chagpore, and the Neilgherries. Mr. Stuart Baker has seen about 40 Indian specimens of its eggs. A list of 20 species of Passeres in which its eggs have been found is given. The egg of C. saturatus has also been obtained, but is much scarcer than that of C. canorus ; it is white or very slightly speckled, and two coloured figures are given of it on plate i. Of both the tw'o other Indian species of true Cuckoo (C. poliocephalus and C. micropterus) authenticated eggs have also been obtained, and that of the latter is figured on plate ii. It is pale blue, but in some examples a few specks are visible. Of Hierococcyx nisicolor the eggs are quite different, being short and stumpy, and varying from dark brown to olive, but those of H. sparverioides are again of a uniform pale blue. The known eggs of the species of Cacomantis, Penthoceryx , Chrysococcyx3 Surniculus , Coccystes , and Eudynamis are all fully discussed by Mr. Stuart Baker in Parts II. and III. of this series of excellent papers, and many interesting eggs are figured and described. In Part IV. some additional notes are given, and the extreme abundance of our common Cuckoo in the Khasia Hills is insisted upon. In the spring of 1907 at Shillong the author had brought to him no less than 59 eggs of Cuculus canorus ! In Part Y. (1908) Mr. Stuart-Baker descants on an undoubted blue egg of Cuculus canorus , and shews that a remarkable egg found in a nest of a Sun-bird (JPthiopyga scherice) must have belonged to Chrysococcyx maculatus. 23. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses in 1907. [Fuglene ved de danske Fyr i 1907. 25de Aarsbere tiling om danske Fugle. Ved Herluf Winge. Vid. Medd. fra d. nat. Foren. Kbhvn. 1908.] This is the twenty-fifth annual report of Herr Winge’s series of papers upon the birds obtained and observed at the lighthouses which surround the coast of Denmark. In 1907 1738 specimens were forwarded to the Cophenhagen Museum and referred to 79 species, while the whole number of birds observed was estimated to be over 8000. The species of 186 Recently ’published Ornithological Works. most frequent occurrence were Alauda arvensis, Sturnus vulgaris, Turdus iliacus, T. musicus, Erithacus rubecula, and Fringilla moritif ring ilia. The commonest migrant of all appears to be the Song-Thrush, of which it is calculated that at least 4492 specimens were noticed. Yet this bird (in spite of what Newton told us long ago, see f The Ibis/ 1860, p. 83) is not usually considered to be a migratory species ! An excellent map, as usual, accompanies Herr Winge’s report and shews the position of all the Danish lighthouses. 24. Wollaston3 s ‘ Ruwenzori.3 [From Ruwenzori to the Congo. A Naturalist’s Journey across Africa. By A. F. R. Wollaston. London : John Murray, 1908. 1 vol., 8vo. 315 pp.] Dr. A. F. R. Wollaston was one of the expedition planned and financed by Mr. Ogilvie-Grant to explore the mountain- chain of Ruwenzori, and, as Medical Officer, to look after the health of his companions (Messrs. Woosnam, Dent, Legge, and Carruthers) and their followers, as well as to assist the good cause by helping to form botanical and zoological collections. We have given frequent notices of the progress of the Ruwenzori Expedition in this Journal and an account of its return, also of the mode in which it is proposed to publish the results*, but this volume is the first regular narrative of the Expedition that has been made public. Dr. Wollaston was not able to start along with the other members of the Expedition, and when he caught them up found them already well established in camp at Bihunga, on the eastern slope of Ruwenzori, in the Upper Mubuku Valley. Here the party remained for very nearly four months, and found no lack of occupation in any branch of natural history. For the first month the weather was uniformly fine. “Day succeeded day of bright sunshine and cloudless skies : it was neither too hot by day, nor too cold by night. Birds nested, butterflies were on the wing, and the liill-sides were ablaze with flowers/5 But suddenly * ‘ Ibis,’ 1908 p. 548. Recently published Ornithological Works. 187 the rain came, and thereafter, with the exception of a few occasional fine days, never ceased, so that the climate fell much below the ideal that had been previously formed of it. However, excellent collections were made both in zoology and botany in spite of the weather, and various excursions were carried out with the view of reaching the snowy summits of the main range. Among the birds met with at an altitude of some 13,000 feet was a splendid new Sun-bird, “ of a dark metallic green shot with a wonderful iridescent purple/” which has been named Nectarinia dartmouthi /’ after one of the most liberal supporters of the expedition. The next chief halting-place of the expedition was on the plains of Ruisamba, a very different kind of country, which flanks the Ruwenzori range on the south-east. Here a second base-camp was formed near a village called Muhokya and collections were again made. The next effort was to find a good resting-place in the Congo Free State district on the western slope of Ruweuzori. To do this it was necessary to go round the south end of Ruwenzori, and then turn northwards down the Semliki Valley to the Congo Free State Station of Beni, celebrated as the place where the Okapi was discovered by Sir Harry Johnston. Although the Ruwenzori Range was reached from this station, and the Butagu Valley was ascended to a height of 10,400 feet, the hostility of the natives — due, it seems, to the mismanage¬ ment of the Belgian officers — soon necessitated a hasty retreat to Fort Beni and thence to Toro. Here it was resolved to be impracticable to continue the exploration of the eastern slope of Ruwenzori in the then disturbed state of the country, and it was agreed to break up the expedition. Mr. Legge returned straight to England by Entebbe and Mombasa, Messrs. Woosnam and Dent made a direct journey to the West Coast down the Aruwimi and Congo, and Dr. Wollaston and Mr. Carruthers resolved to visit the volcanoes of Mfumbiro and Lake Kivu and thence to cross the Continent to the West Coast by a more southern route. How they accomplished this is well told in the present volume, which is one of the best-written and most inter- 188 Letters , Extracts, and Notes. esting books of travel that we have comeacross for many years. There are some, though not many, allusions to birds in it, but Dr. Wollaston was busy with his plants and insects and left the “ birds ” to his companions, from whom we shall, no doubt, get full information on this part of the subject when the general results are published. The volume is well illustrated by numerous full-paged plates taken from photographs, most of which are excellent. No one interested in Natural History of any kind should fail to read it. VIII. — Letters, Extracts , and Notes. We have received the following letters addressed tc To the Editors ” : — Sirs, — Some account of the breeding of the Golden-eye ( Ctangula glaucion ) in captivity may perhaps find a place in f The Ibis.’ I had kept a pair of these ducks for six or seven jears on a pond in my park together with a great variety of other water-fowl. The male courted the female every spring, but she had never laid any eggs. In May last the female was observed to frequent some of the nesting-boxes which are placed on poles in different parts of the pond, and in the latter half of the month two bright green eggs were found in one of the boxes and a third in another box. As the female Golden-eye shewed no inclination to incubate, being probably disturbed by some female Summer-Ducks which laid eggs in the same boxes, the three green eggs were put under a domestic hen. After being sat upon for twenty days, on the 26th of June the three eggs were hatched, giving birth to three black-and-white ducklings. One of these died the first day, but the two others have been doing well and are alive now. The downy dress may be described as follows : — -Upper parts black, crown of head glossy black. Throat and sides of head to almost under the eyes, but not meeting at the back of the neck, pure white. A white spot Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 189 on each shoulder and one lower down under each wing. At the root of the tail on each side of the back there is another white spot. Under parts grey, lightest on the belly. Bill black. Legs and feet black, with greenish along the toes. As will be noticed, the coloration of the chicks resembles in general character that of the chicks of the Velvet Scoter, but in the latter the six white spots which adorn the back of the Golden-eye chicks are wanting. The little birds were very active and soon got tame and intelligent. They lived principally on ants-’ eggs and duck¬ weed. On the 18th of July feathers became visible on the shoulders. On the 8th of August the birds were completely feathered; the flight-feathers, however, were only just be¬ ginning to grow. Their appearance may be described as follows : — Head chocolate-brown, belly and lower breast pearly white. The rest of the bird slaty black, darkest on the underside where it meets the white. The white wing-mark of the adults is present. The legs and toes are yellowish, the webs are black. The iris is chocolate-brown. The bills are rusty. About the 25th of August the birds were able to fly and practically full-grown. The young birds differ in size in the same way as the sexes do in the adults, and are evidently male and female. I am, Sirs, yours &c., F. E. Blaauw. u Gooilust,” ’sGraveland, Hilversum, Holland. September 8th, 1908. Sirs, — It may interest you to know that on the passage of my ship down the Bed Sea on October 2nd, 1908 (lat. 21° 25' N., long. 38° 15' E.), large flocks of Swallows settled on the vessel from about noon till about 4 or 5 p.m. The exact position, as you can see by the map, is at the narrowest part of the Red Sea and evidently chosen by the birds as the proper place to make their crossing. There would be nothing unusual in Swallows settling on the ship except on account of the large numbers on this 190 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. occasion. The birds seemed to have lost their usual instinct of direction. They roosted for the night under the awnings of the bridge deck, and many of them came into the music room, and even into the lower cabins of the vessel. At the first streak of dawn the next morning: almost all of the birds set off, steering almost due south¬ west, but some of the Swallows were so tired and utterly done up as to be unable to fly and remained on their perches under the awnings until they collapsed, falling off one by one and dying. There were three or four different kinds of Swallows in the same flock, some had black throats, some bronze, some white. Some had the long pointed tail, with a large white spot on each tail-feather and a few white feathers on the back, whilst many of the birds had the short tail, as seen in Indian House-Swallows and Martins. The Swallows were also accompanied by several yellow Wagtails, five or six Doves, and a few Hawks, which occasionally picked up a tired Swallow. We tried to revive some of the birds as they dropped helplessly on deck by giving them a little water — it did revive them for a time, but they soon died. I have been up and down the Med Sea eight or ten times per year during the last thirty years, but never before saw so many birds on passage, nor have I ever before seen a Swallow unable to proceed on its way after a night's rest on the ship. The weather was exceedingly hot at the time, but all other conditions were normal. The birds were all fully feathered and in good condition ; there was a considerable amount of droppings from them, shewing that they could not have been very long without food. I am, Sirs, your obedient servant, W. H. Haughton, Aden, October 3rd, 1908. Commander, R.N.M., Commander P. & 0. s.s. ‘ Persia.’ Sirs, — During a stay of thirteen months in Mussian Turkestan (from Sept. 1907 to Oct. 1908) and the Khanate of Bokhara, I formed a collection of about 730 specimens of birds and mammals in the Zarafshan Valley. 191 Letters , Extracts , and Notes. The Zarafshan is a typical river of inner Asia, having its source amongst giant mountain-ranges, and eventually drying up in a sandy desert. It follows that there is a great variety in temperature and flora, and therefore a corre¬ spondingly great variety of bird and animal life. The country that I actually worked varied in altitude from 150 ft. to 18,000 ft. above the sea-level. There is practically no wild forest in the Zarafshan Valley, and the fauna will, I think, be found to belong rather to Northern Afghanistan than to Turkestan proper. Animal life was especially numerous in the sandy deserts and tamarisk-swamps. A very strong and sudden north¬ ward migration of birds in the spring was also of great interest. It appears that no Englishman has ever made a syste¬ matic collection of birds anywhere in this neighbourhood, and Severtzoff’s work seems to include little about the south-western corner of Turkestan. The Transcaspian Railway made travel and work in the plains very easy, but the upper Zarafshan Valley is difficult of access, and the mountain-paths are particularly difficult and even dangerous. I also made a journey into the South-western Tian-Shan to the high plateaux of Chatir-kul and Ak-sai, north of Kashgar. On these high steppes bird-life was very scarce indeed, and mammal-life was almost entirely absent, except for marmots and one species of vole. But on the mountain- ranges which surround the plateaux there is a greater amount of life. The difficulties of travel, the lack of fuel and of fodder, made collecting exceedingly difficult, and I found all the birds at the end of August in such a bad state of plumage that they were scarcely worth the trouble of preserving. I am, Sirs, yours &c.. The American College, D. Carruthers. Beirut, Syria, Nov. 3rd, 1908. 192 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. Birds of Bear Island and Spit zber gen. — From the f Bericht 3 of the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft of Frankfort-on-the-Main for 1908 we learn that on January 18th, 1908, Prof. Dr. A. Konig, of Bonn, gave the members of the Society an account of his recent expedition to Bear Island and Spitzbergen. At Bear Island the rocks on the coast were covered with countless breeding-flocks of Guillemots ( Uria troile, U. ringvia, and U. bruennichi ) and other sea-birds. An excursion was made into the desolate interior of the island, where Charadrius hiaticola and Phala- ropas falicarius were found breeding, and Scoters {(Edernia nigra) were seen, while feathers of Sturnus vulgaris and Turdus iliacus and T. merula, eaten by foxes, were discovered. In Spitzbergen the party visited Prince KarPs Foreland and found Anser brachyrhynchus and Bernicla leucopsis breeding there. Two nests of Somateria spedabilis were obtained, and a pair of Xema sabinii with their nest and eggs were secured. Dr. Konig claims to have added Mareca penelope and Scolopax rusticula to the avifauna of Spitzbergen. Increased Fertility of the Domestic Fowl. — It would appear that in Australia the Domestic Fowl, under special treatment, can be greatly advanced in fertility. In the official report of the “ Egg-laying Competition 33 lately held at the Agri¬ cultural College, Roseworthy, South Australia, some sur¬ prising facts on this subject are given by Mr. D. F. Lawrie, excellent introduction to the natural history of a country which to most people is a terra incognita.” A FASCINATING NATURE STORY. THE CHANGELING By Sir DIGBY P1GOTT, C.B. The Story of a Boy who, under Fairy Guidance, leads the life of many Birds and Beasts. Fully Illustrated. Four Coloured Plates. Cloth Bound. 2s. 6d. net. The AT HEN/E LI M says : — “A valuable nature-story for boys and girls.” The BYSTANDER says : — “A sort of nursery * White’s Selborne.* A novel and instructive story for all little nature-lovers.” The GUARDIAN says : — “The idea is pretty and practical, and is worked out with a light touch and sympathetic insight.” HOW TO ATTRACT AND PROTECT WILD BIRDS By MARTIN HIESEMANN. With an Introduction by HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF BEDFORD. Many Illustrations. Stiff Boards, Is. 6d. net. It is a practical guide for all who wish to attract the birds to their doors and induce them to nest in their gardens, whether large or small. The MANCHESTER GUARDIAN says: — “Of all the voluminous literature on the subject it is the wisest and most philosophical we have seen.” The TATLER says : — “ The art of making friends with birds becomes simple and scientific in these pages.” London : WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn. Now ready. Price 21s. net. MY LIFE AMONG THE WILD BIRDS OF SPAIN, By Colonel WILLOUGHBY VERNER {late Rifle Brigade), The Book contains about 500 pp. Letterpress, size 9 by 7 in. There are 25 Plates and over 150 Illustrations from Photographs and Pen-and-ink Sketches by the Author. JOHN BALE, SONS, & DAN1ELSSQN, Ltd., 83-91 Great Litchfield Street, Oxford Street, W. Part III. now ready. A MONOGRAPH OP THE PETRELS (Order TUBINARES). Bv P. DU CANE GODMAN, D.C.L., P.R.S. The Petrels, Shearwaters, and Albatroses will be fully dealt with, and the Work will contain over 100 Hand-coloured Plates, drawn and coloured with the utmost care. Large Royal 4to (10 x 13). Printed on 'Hag Paper. In Eive Quarterly Parts, to be punctually issued. Only 225 copies will be printed. LONDON : WITHERBY & CO., 326 HIGH HOLBORN. To be issued in about 8 parts. Size., Imperial 8vo. Price to Subscribers, 21 s. per pari, net. THE BRITISH WARBLERS: A HISTORY AND PROBLEMS OF THEIR LIVES. By H. ELIOT HOWARD, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Parts 1 and 2 ready , with 4 maps , 9 coloured and lb photogravure plates. Part 3 will be ready in February. Complete in 4 Pols. Medium 8 vo. Cloth extra. Gilt Tops. THE FAUNA OF SOUTH AFRICA: BIRDS. By A. C. STARK, M.B., and W. L. SCLATER, M.A. With Portrait, Map, and over 500 Illustrations. Price £1 14s. Qd. net Great Britain, and £5 abroad. Also Pols. 2, 3, 4, to be had separately , as follows : — Vols. 2 and 3, price £1 Is. net Great Britain, and £1 2s. net abroad, each Volume, Vol. 4, price £1 lls. fid. net Great Britain, price £1 13s. 6 d. net abroad. Demy 8uo. Cloth extra, Gilt Top. Price 20s. net. SKETCHES OF SOUTH - AFRICAN BIRD -LIFE. By ALWIN HAAGNER, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., AND ROBERT H. IVY, F.Z.S. With over 120 Illustrations. B.0.IT. “LIST 0P BRITISH BIRDS,” 1883. Price to Members 2s. 6cL ; Non-Members 5s. {Postage 4 d.) LONDON: 11. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CONTENTS OE NUMBER IX.— NINTH SERIES. - Page I. Field-Notes on the Birds of Southern Kamerun, West Africa. By G. L. Bates, C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates I. & II. and Text-figures 1-3.) . . 1 II. Contributions to the Ornithology of-the Sudan. — No. III. On Birds collected by Captain E. P. Blencowe in the Bahr-el- Ghazal Province. By A. L; Butler, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., Superintendent of Game Preservation, Sudan Government . 71 HI. On the Birds of Kohat and Kurram, Northern India. By Lieut. C. H. T. Whitkhead, Indian- Army. With an Introduction by Major II. A. F. Magrath, Indian Army. (Plate III. and Text-figures 4 & 5.) . . . . 90 IV. Note on the Comus 'neglectus of Schlegel. By T. Salvadori, H. M.B.O.U. . . . . . 134 V. On the Decrease in Weight of Birds’ Eggs during Incubation. By Elizabeth Seymour Norton, F.Z.S. (Text-figure 6.) . 137 VI. On the Birds of Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. By E. C. Chubb, Assistant Curator, Bhodesia Museum, Bulawayo . . 140 VII. Notices of recent. Ornithological Publications: — 1. Allen on Bcsolophus bicolor- atricristatus . . . . . . . 172 2. Berlepscli on the Birds of Cayenne . I ^ 3. Cheeseman on the Lesser Frigate-bird . . . . . . . | 4. Drummond on the Little-Barrier Bird- Sanctuary . . . . ( ^74 5. I lower’s List of Zoological Gardens . . ( 6. Fulton on the Disappearance of New Zealand Birds . . .1 j-- 7. Godman’s ‘ Monograph of the Petrels ’ . . . . . . .( 8. Hartert’s 1 Miscellanea Ornithologica ’ : Part V . 1 9. Hilgert’s Catalogue of the Erlanger Collection . > 170 10. Marriner’s Notes on the Ivea (Nestor) . . j 11. Menegaux’s Ornithological Papers . 177 12. Neumann’s Notes on African Birds . . 178 13. North on new Birds from the South Pacific . 1 14. North on the Nesting of the Australian Black-and-White > 179 Fan tail . . . .4 15. Report on the Zoological Gardens, Giza, for 1907 . . . . j 16. Rothschild on Casuarius bistriatus . > 180 17. Rothschild and Hartert on the Birds of Vella Lavella . . ) 18. Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from San Christoval . .| -.01 19. Schalow on the Birds of the Tianshan ....... f 20. Stuart Baker on Indian Ducks . 182 21. Stuart Baker on the Birds of the Khasia Hills ..... 183 22. Stuart Baker on the Indian Cuckoos . . 184 23. Winge on the Birds of the Danish Lighthouses in 1907 . 185 24. Wollaston’s ‘ Ruwenzori ’ . . 186 VIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Heer F. E. Blaauw, Commander W. II. Ilaughton, and Mr. D. Carruthers. Birds of Bear Island and Spitzbergen ; Increased Fertility of the Domestic Fowl ; Mr. Bovd Alexander’s new African Expedition ; Pioposed Zoological Exploration of Dutch New Guinea . . 188 Covers for binding last year’s Volume may be had on application to the Publisher. Price Is. 6<7, post free. Communications to be addressed to the Editors, 3 Hanover Square, London, W. Advertisements &c. to the Publisher, R. H. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, London, W. 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' Chapman, P. M. A Contribution to the Life-Histories of the Booby (Sula leucoy astro ) and Man-o’-War Bird ( Fregota ciquila). (Pub. 103, Carnegie Inst. Washington.). 38. ‘ The Condor.’ (Vol. xi. No. 1. 1909.) 39. ‘ The Emu.’ (Vol, viii. Part 3. 1909.) 40. Franca, C. Le Professeur Barbosa du Bocage, 1823-1907. (Bull. Soe. Portugaise des Sci. Nat., tome ii. fasc. 1-2. 1908.) 41. Ghegt, Prof. Cay. A. Studi sul genere Trac/opan Cuvier. — Ricerche Sulla Morfologia della Piuma. — Intorno ad Alcune Razze di Uccelli Domestici. — Sopra un caso di Mutazione nel Gennceas swinhoii. And other pam- 1 plilets. (Bologna, 1908.) 42. Giza Zool. Gardens. Special Report - No. 3. Wild Birds of the Giza Gardens, 1898-1908. (Cairo, 1908.) 43. Grinnrll, J. The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. (Univ. of California Publications, vol. v. No. 1. 1908.) 44. ITanitsch, R. Guide to the Zool. Collections of the Raffles Museum, Singapore. (1908.) 45. Jourdain, Rev. F. C. R. The Eggs of European Birds. (Part iii. London, 1909.1 46. Knight, O. W. The Birds of Maine. (Bangor, U.S. A., 1908.) 47. North, A. J. Notes on the Nesting-site.of Genjg one per sonata, (Records Aust. Mus. vii. No. 3, 1909.) 48. North, A. J. Notes- on Newton’s Bower -bird and the Tooth-billed Bower- bird. (Victorian Nat. xxv. No. 10. 1909.) 49. ‘ Ornithologisches Jahrbuch.’ (xx. ITeft. 1, 2. 1909.) 50. Phillott, Lt.-Col. D. C. The Baz-nama-yi Nasirl. A Persian Treatise on Falconry. (London, 1908.) 51. Revista do Museu Paulista. (Vol. vii. 1907. Sao Paulo, 1908.) 52. Schalow, H. Uber den gegenwartigen Stand der Naumannforschung. (Journ. f. Ornith., Jan. 1909.) 53. STONHAM-j 0. The Birds of the British Islands. (Part xiii. March 1909.) 54. Tschusi ztj Schmidhoffen, V. R. v. Ornithologische Literatur Osterreich- Ungarns und des Okkupationsgebietes, 1907. (Verhandlungen zooh- bot. Gesells. Wien, 1908.) BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ ONION. PRESIDENT. F. Du Cane Godman, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S. EDITORS. P. L. 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Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1907 : also Xotes on the Migratory Movements during the Autumn of 1906. 1908 . . 6/- XXIII. Xos. cxlv.-cxlix . l/-each. LONDON: WITHERBY & CO., 326 HIGH HOLBORN, W.C. THE IBIS. NINTH SERIES. No. X. APRIL 1909. IX. — A Journey to British New Guinea in search of Birds-of- Paradise. By Charles B. Horsbrugh. (Text-figure 7.) The experiences here related are the result of a two months’ expedition into the interior of British New Guinea (or Papua, as it is now called), for which country I left England in December 1907. I had only a bare three weeks in which to organize my expedition and complete the innumerable arrangements regarding stores, medicines, ammunition, and other matters which a journey into the jungle always entails. My object in visiting Papua was to obtain as many living Birds-of-Paradise as possible and other birds that were deemed rare enough to be worth the trouble of transportation to England. Sir William Ingram stood sponsor for my journey, in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London; and I must acknowledge how deeply I am indebted to Sir William for the manner in which he spared no expense whereby I might attain my object. Although he warned me that I should meet with many difficulties in an expedition of this character, he said that he was convinced that I should overcome such as might arise, and reward the trust that he had in my capabilities and judgment. He kindly met me at Marseilles on my return on the 28th of June last, and, after inspecting the collection of birds on board the P. & O. s.s. ‘Victoria/ informed me that he was thoroughly satisfied with the results of my journey. I must also state that ser. ix. — VOL. in. p 198 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British owing to the assistance given me by way of useful introductions from the Zoological Society, I found my expectations far exceeded in the facilities afforded me for travelling in New Guinea, and, what was more important still, for procuring so many of the rarer birds which I went abroad to seek. I have never met with so much help and kindness as was shown me when I presented my credentials to His Excellency Judge Murray, the Acting Administrator of Papua, and the other Government Officials, who took the greatest interest in my expedition and did their utmost to promote its success. Before my departure from England I endeavoured to collect all available information concerning New Guinea, but it did not amount to very much, and two troublesome items — fever and cannibal natives — I was seldom allowed to forget. I left Tilbury Docks on Dec. 20th bound for Sydney in the P. & O. s.s. ‘ Britannia/ and had ample warnings as regards these matters throughout the trip from my fellow- passengers, who echoed each other’s ideas, and drew on their own imaginations to supplement them. I reached Sydney after a most enjoyable voyage on Jan. 31st, and after spending four days in that charming city, fully occupied in getting my stores unloaded and passed through the Customs, I boarded the A.U.S.N. s.s. f Aramac ’ bound for Cooktown. Two days were spent en route at Brisbane, and when inspect¬ ing the museum there I was informed that my companion Mr. Wilfred Stalker, whom I expected to meet in New Guinea, was intending to sail from Brisbane by the ‘Aramac’ the same day. For obvious reasons it was preferable that I should not travel alone in strange places, and Mr. Stalker, who, before my departure from England, had been employed in collecting mammals and birds for Sir William Ingram in the northern territory of Australia, had been advised by cable to meet me and accompany me to New Guinea. We quickly dis¬ covered each other at Brisbane, and throughout our travels were the best of companions and friends. I shall always entertain a high sense of appreciation and esteem for the plucky and cheerful companion to whose help I owe so much. 199 New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. Landing at Port Moresby, the seat of the Papuan Govern¬ ment, on February 28th, we had to wait for ten days before we could proceed to Yule Island, whence we proposed to enter the interior; and during this enforced halt we were daily engaged in getting together “ trade ” for the natives, and in endeavour¬ ing to persuade one or two “ boys ” to join us as interpreters and servants. This we found no easy matter. We would interview a certain number, and all arrangements would appear to be advancing satisfactorily until our destination was mentioned. Then the excuses came out. One had married a wife, another was busy in collecting a debt, and there were other antiquated and annoying reasons which we found it very difficult to overcome. It had so happened that some months previous to our arrival a native policeman had been killed and eaten somewhere in the vicinity of Mt. Yule, toward which our proposed route stretched, though miles away from the mountain itself. Our would-be guides and interpreters unanimously declined to take any commercial risks with their heads. Eventually we “ signed on ” three youths for a six months’ engagement, and straightway started them off into the bush to see what they could accomplish as entomologists. The results were poor, and the next day we f< signed off” one who was partially blind. Before leaving Yule Island we had to discharge a second boy, as the police there gave him so many harrowing accounts of carriers who had disappeared mysteriously for ever, added to other stories of a gruesome nature, that an annoying attack of “funk” rendered him useless in any capacity. Port Moresby lies inside a land-locked bay, the entrance to which is difficult on account of numerous reefs, while behind the town high and magnificent ranges and spurs of the Owen-Stanley Mountains stretch for miles parallel to the coast. Along the shore the foot-hills are clothed in dense vegetation, occasional open patches reveal¬ ing undulating slopes vivid with rank green grass. Large masses of misty clouds frequently divide the inland ridges and completely conceal the summits of many a lofty peak. The white residents at Port Moresby number about seventv. 200 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh— Journey to British and include Government Officials, Store-keepers, traders, and others of various callings. At this place what is known as the “ South-east Season ” generally extends from May to November, and during that period a continuous wind prevails, clearing the town of mosquitoes and lowering the tempera¬ ture, which reads in the mean about 79°. During the remainder of the year the {< North-west Season” prevails, with a temperature increasing to about 81°, and mosquitoes become very troublesome. The mean monthly rainfall is about 2 25 inches. Text-fig. 7. Having definitely decided on our route and completed our purchases of stores, we embarked with our two attendants and Stalker’s retriever pup on the f Lotus/ a schooner of about 25 tons. We landed on Yule Island on the fifth day, after a monotonous passage, which should have occupied only two days had we not been becalmed and experienced contrary winds. The headquarters of the Roman Catholic Mission are situated at the southern end of Yule Island, the 201 New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. majority of its members being French. Our vessel dropped anchor opposite this spot, where the surrounding views were very picturesque. We soon landed our packages, and Mr. N. Ii. M. Bowden, the Resident Magistrate, most hospitably entertained us and gave us all the assistance in his power. After a few days’ delay, during which we unpacked our stores and arranged them into convenient loads for porterage, we “ signed on” six more “ boys ” as gun-bearers and in other capacities. Our kind host had sent word across to the mainland that we required canoes to transport us to Bioto. This place lies about nine miles from the mouth of the Ethel River, which flows into Hall Sound opposite the south point of Yule Island. Judicial business demanded the Magistrate’s presence in Bioto, and we accompanied him thither, returning late the same day. The heat on the fine river I found very trying, but its beauty was marvellous, though the amount of bird-life hardly equalled our expectations. One or two large Eagles sailed over the many swamps which concealed the river’s banks, whilst the passage of the whale-boat disturbed Jacanas, Shell- ducks, Cormorants, Blue Coots, White Egrets, and a variety of Waders. We had frequent shots at crocodiles, which slid into the water unharmed, until we were about to turn up a tributary, at which spot I severely wounded a specimen about five feet in length, and as it dived Bowden finished it. On arriving at Bioto we passed the time in collecting butterflies and a few birds, which included a small Parrot, some Wood- Swallows, and Jacanas, as well as a fine Blue Coot, which one of the mission¬ aries shot for me in a swamp. An amusing scene occurred ere our return. The police, who formed our crew, had been busy capturing prisoners wanted for various petty offences and obtaining a few witnesses, who accompanied us back to Yule Island. Their friends and relatives surrounded us and uttered most harrowing lamentations, to which all the children and innumerable pariah dogs added their voices. The scene would have been piteous had we been a murderous press- gang, but the police treated it as an amusing spectacle, seeing 202 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British that these captives would all return at no very distant date. A few days later, when we again set foot in the village, several natives joined us as carriers. Travelling down the stream we occasionally bumped on a sand-bank, when the crew and prisoners jumped overboard and pushed the whale¬ boat into deeper water. Steering continuously from one side of the river to the other, we kept a look-out for more crocodiles, but failed to notice any. One of the police, however, observed a Cuscus feeding in some low saplings, and the boat being brought to the bank he and several of the prisoners scrambled through the reeds towards it and endeavoured to shake it down. Failing this, the man fired four bullets into the unfortunate creature, much to our disgust. Stalker, nevertheless, preserved the specimen for identification. On March 16th we quickly loaded up the canoes, which lay in a small cove below our host’s bungalow ; while the natives at once set sail across the channel, and not long afterwards we did likewise in the whale-boat, lent by the Magistrate, along with our personal luggage, staff, and puppy. Some crocodiles were seen, but caused no delay, as the police had forgotten their rifles, and were soundly rated for their neglect by the sergeant in charge. Before the morn had passed away we had taken possession of a house in the village at Bioto, wherein we found the natives had placed our stores, and proceeded to make ourselves comfortable. We proposed to feast on a duck which one of our te boys 99 had shot, but it was too tough for enjoyment. The natives were much interested in our proceedings, and one of them brought in a fine Cuscus alive, tied to a stick. It was creamy-white in colour with fairly large dull brownish spots. Although I tried to rear it the poor thing died a day or two later, and I have seldom skinned such a fat and tender-skinned creature as it proved to be. We determined to push on during the following day, as Bioto was a great stronghold for blood-thirsty mosquitoes, and the place is by no means a health-resort. We quenched our thirst with the milk from some delicious young cocoanuts New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. 203 and as tlie trees only grow along the coast we made the most of our opportunity. The missionaries whom we met during our first visit were away at the time, so we made arrange¬ ments with the native chief to use his village as a base for some of our supplies to be forwarded at a later date. Early next day we assembled our carriers to proceed to Epa, and having the loan of a government pony I led the advance, while Stalker brought up the rear. The track for a considerable distance was very swampy, owing to the recent heavy rains. Wherever a tree had fallen across our trail we had either to get over it in the best way we could or to make a semicircle around the branches. The over¬ hanging tangle of creepers and bushes sometimes dragged me out of the saddle and tore my clothes and flesh to an uncomfortable extent. The crossing of a small stream caused us much trouble, as the bridge which spanned it had rotted away. We could not persuade the pony to swim across, and the animal tried to climb into the remains of the structure, but slipped between the uprights and fell into the water. We released him by using our tomahawks, and he then managed to reach tbe opposite bank in a rather exhausted state. A partially submerged tree, over which 1 tried to pass, gave way and I fell into the stream, but the natives quickly helped me out of my difficulty. Shortly after this adventure the path became steeper, and we were continually ascending and descending, sometimes through open grass-covered slopes thinly dotted with Euca¬ lyptus trees, succeeded by belts of jungle of greater or less density. Frequently the track led over the brow of a slope, so that it was possible to look down for a little distance into the thick scrub on either hand without the necessity of stepping aside. Mosquitoes became less numerous than in the low country. Parrots, the Crowned Pigeon ( Goura coronata ), and other Pigeons and Paradisea raggiana could be heard in the higher trees as we marched along, though not often seen. Great masses of orchids hung from the branches and clustered on the trunks of the trees, but it did not appear to be the season for them to be in bloom. 204 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh— to British Occasionally we heard Cassowaries, which usually keep away from a track frequented by human beings. This bird's voice sounds to me like very distant and indistinct thunder. At this season rain is of daily occurrence, and innumerable streamlets crossing the track made it rough and slippery, but the porters took great care of our belong¬ ings and we found nothing damaged when we reached camp. Of how many miles that first day's march consisted I cannot state, but we both had more than enough of it and were pleased when we came to Epa. Here we invaded the mission -house and stored our personal luggage inside, while the natives made themselves at home underneath the house and on the wide verandah. Cooking-operations were soon started and everyone finally settled down, not, however, before the day’s events and a host of other subjects had been discussed far into the night. Before our start next morning I bought a Erogmouth ( Podargus intermedins) for a stick or two of tobacco. I kept the bird alive for a week, and it became fairly tame and readily ate grasshoppers of all sizes ; but I can say nothing of its habits in captivity, as it was a mournful-looking object, and sat silent and inactive all day in its cage. At this place Stalker deemed it wise to remain until he could get more of our impedimenta brought up from Bioto. We sent back the pony by the policeman, with a few carriers who would not go any further. The rice, which was intended to serve as food for our staff and carriers, had mostly been stored at our first halt, with several other items which might be required when we finished our marches. Stalker and some of our personal attendants were, therefore, left behind whilst I advanced to Eikeiki, which was reached the same afternoon. Where the village lay I had no time to discover, as none of its inhabitants came to meet us. The mission-house there stood on a little hill, from which was obtained a fine view of the mountains densely covered with vegetation. I made use of this dwelling, and while attending to preparations for the evening meal heard some shots in the surrounding jungle, and soon afterwards one of our boys returned with a fine male Paradisea raggiana . This bird 205 New Guinea in search of Paradise- birds. seemed fairly plentiful in the neighbourhood, judging by its continuous calling. I took a short stroll along the track and saw some White Cockatoos and Hornbills, and heard some Goura Pigeons. I also caught fleeting glimpses of smaller birds, with which I was unfortunately unacquainted. Towards evening a few carriers came into the camp with three walla¬ bies, which they had run down with their dogs. Heni-Keni worked hard in skinning one, but soon tired of this business, as I was too busy with the birds and could not give him much assistance. I boiled the heads of the other two for the sake of their skulls, while the men roasted and ate the bodies. The third and last day’s march began about 9 a.m., and we arrived at Madiu about 3 p.m. The track was very tortuous and crossed endless ravines, down which flowed numerous small streamlets. The jungle became grander if possible than anything I had so far seen ; and I observed many huge trees with their trunks split up into a network of roots some distance above the ground, while others were supported by means of huge flying buttresses. About midday the rain descended in torrents, and we became drenched and thoroughly tired by the seemingly endless marching. At the summit of a high hill, cleared of bushes, we found a large house into which we entered, while the carriers went to a tumbledown shelter or squatted down under the flooring of the first building. The view from this spot was exceedingly fine — wide and very precipitous ravines and mountain-slopes, with hardly a sign of any clearing with the exception of the small village of Ihaevala. This lay some considerable distance off across a deep valley, and was just discernible through the jungle. Far away to the north-west stretched several ranges, with Mt. Yule on the horizon. But the view was frequently concealed during the day by clouds or showers of heavy rain. Next morning I paid off about twenty-four carriers with tobacco and large knives, and they departed in great haste, whooping with satisfaction, down into the valleys immediately below our camping-site. Aihegetta arrived in the afternoon with eleven carriers and brought a note from Stalker stating that he expected to join me in a 206 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British few days* time. From this date till our return to the coast the villagers came in daily, bringing us bags of sweet-potatoes, bananas, taros, and sugar-cane as food for the camp, and we bartered for these commodities tobacco, salt, beads, or small strips of cloth. Our two gun-bearers were sent off to collect specimens, and I heard them banging away in the depths of the jungle. When they returned they proudly displayed one or two much-damaged small birds. They were rather disgusted when I limited their supply of cartridges and was not encouraging in my verdict on their marksmanship. Word soon went round the country that a white man had arrived with some excellent “ trade " to be bartered for various birds and beasts, but I had to wait a few days before serious business commenced. I did a little butterfly-hunting along the track, but failed to secure a good collection. Several large species of Orthoptera were fairly common, but usually flew at heights far above my reach. The natives call these insects “ Kow- pepper," which is a curious sounding name. Aihegetta’s party soon left, but were replaced by another of five natives accompanied by a policeman. They came in from Dilava, and brought me two small snakes and a chameleon alive. Aihegetta became sick with fever, but I soon cured him by a few grains of quinine, and took a dose myself, though as time passed I gave it up and never felt the want of it again. Before Stalker's advent I had stored all the heavy luggage under the house, and I was very glad when he walked into camp on the fifth day with the rest of the carriers and many store- boxes. He brought in a wounded Paradise-bird ( Paradisea rayyiana), which unfortunately did not survive the night, and a dead Channel-bill Cuckoo (. Scythrops novce-hollandice) , both of which he had shot on his way up the mountain. The remainder of the carriers were soon paid off with cloth and tobacco and left camp, while we skinned the birds, pickled the reptiles, and made further arrangements regarding the house. The shooting boys were very keen to go afield again, but we decided that it would be inadvisable to have the jungle New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. 20 7 disturbed, so forbade them. As this district appeared to be fairly rich in bird-life we determined to give it a trial; and in order that no time should be wasted in having a house built for us, we set out for the Mission Station at Dilava to request permission to occupy the house where we were. Starting soon after breakfast, accompanied by Heni-Keni and a villager, we ultimately arrived after a hard march of about three hours at Dilava, from which high altitude we obtained a grand view of many spurs of the Owen- Stanley range (particularly Mt. Chamberlain far away on the horizon), and of a great number of deep valleys all densely covered with jungle. The missionaries, of whom there were seven, gave us a most cordial welcome and shewed us what they were cultivating in their gardens in the way of vegetables. We had some delicious oranges and some fresh milk, as they had a small herd of cows and also went in for poultry-farming. After a sumptuous repast and the receipt of much useful information regarding the birds of our district from the converts, which our genial hosts kindly interpreted for us, we found it necessary to bid them farewell and return to our camp. The day passed without rain, which was exceptional. Our request that we might occupy the mission-house at Madiu was immediately granted, and during our residence there we did our best to repair it and to keep it in good order. At no great distance from Epa the track led down to a river about eighty yards wide, but two of my staff led me safely across and I got wet only up to my middle, though close to Dilava a mountain torrent took a considerable amount of negotiation. By means of a fallen tree, across which we manoeuvred Blondin-like, and by jumping from rock to rock we managed to reach the opposite bank, but I must say that after my last attempt I was glad we had no more of such obstacles to encounter. For the next three weeks our daily routine did not vary much. Live birds, mammals, and reptiles came in to such an extent that our collapsible cages were soon filled, and we had to build two large aviaries under the house. These measured roughly about 6x8x5 feet, and into one of them we turned all the 208 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British Hunstein’s Paradise-birds, wliicli soon became tame enough to feed from our hands. The other held several sorts of Doves and some BaggPs Paradise-birds. No single day passed without some addition to our collection, and in reviewing our united experience with European and other birds, Stalker and I agreed that we had never handled such confiding and fearless creatures as these. They would usually take food from our hands within three days of their capture. The Hunstein’s Birds-of-Paradise were the first examples of this family brought in. The males clear a small open space on the ground in which to display their beautiful plumage to a number of admiring females. It is an easy matter for the natives, who are all aware of this habit, to arrange a net near these “ dancing grounds 99 and at an opportune moment to frighten the birds into its meshes by a sudden shout and clapping of hands. We found that these birds were decidedly more delicate than the other species, but usually agreed very well amongst themselves when caged, and they were certainly more plentiful in this district than any of their other relatives. During our return journey from Dilava, Stalker fired at and missed a bird which must have been Lawes’s Bird- of-Paradise ( Parotia lawesi), but this was the only glimpse obtained of it in its wild state. We were therefore much delighted to receive afterwards at different dates about a dozen examples of this fine species. Unlike Hunsteiids Paradise-bird, they were as hardy as we could wish and quickly became very tame. One specimen was slightly more adult than the others, having the six wires from the head of full length and the gorgeous cravat covering the throat well developed. It unfortunately died from some complaint affecting its eyes soon after reaching Sydney. Our natives could not appreciate our wish to receive hen Paradise-birds, the numbers of males far exceeding those of the iatter sex. We had to offer double rewards for hens of P.raggiana, and even then we only obtained three specimens. So far as we could discover, no birds are kept alive as pets in any of the villages in this particular district, as their habits in captivity and the trouble of attending to their wants would New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. 209 not appeal to any native. Pity does not enter into their con¬ siderations concerning anything they capture, and to prevent escape their victim, whether a grasshopper or one of their own kith and kin, usually has the legs broken. Single examples were brought to us of Lophorhina minor , Pitta mackloti, and Rhectes dichrous , but owing to rough treatment at the hands of their captors these fine birds died within a day or so of reaching us. The same remark applies to a pair of exquisite Pigmy Parrots (Nasiterna) , which to my great annoyance had been put in a cage with some large Pigeons, a Cat-bird, and other species, and were therefore only just alive when they reached camp. Although the missionaries at Dilava had obtained for us many of the vernacular names of various birds, we supplemented them by a small collection of drawings of such species as we imagined might be found in the locality. These pictures were a source of great interest to the villagers, and were so readily recognised that we were supplied with examples of several of the birds that were portrayed for their guidance. One of the Bower-birds [JEluroedus melanocephalus) which we were rather anxious to possess, and which, as we were given to understand, was not uncommon, was shortly afterwards added to our acquisitions, but only six specimens of it came in. A few examples of Amblyornis subalaris and Phonygama purpureo-violacea and a single P. chalybeata also increased our collection. The first-named were delicate and we had very great difficulty in keeping a couple of the females alive; but the Manucodes were as strong as Parotia lawesi, and soon developed murderous tendencies towards each other, necessitating separate cages. The villagers one day brought me a young Cassowary, and we were rather puzzled for some time as to where we should keep it. We got our boys to construct a large run, which they quickly completed, and into this we put our captive, feeding it daily on figs, rice, and sweet- potatoes. But it ultimately escaped and the search-parties failed to recapture it. The natives called it “ Coco-Coco ” and Veo.” To our mammal-series we added several specimens of the Three-striped Phalanger ( Dactylopsila 210 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British triviryata), the Eastern Grey Cuscus ( Phalanger orientalis ), and other varieties of the latter family, with several species of rats which have not as yet been identified. Our spirit-jars were rapidly filling with crabs, frogs, chameleons, a few snakes, prawns, and other denizens of the jungle. In a very short time we had so many birds to deal with that we had absolutely no time to devote to shooting, and for that reason seldom stirred from the house. Even bread-making was voted a nuisance, and we often substituted biscuits for it. All our available cages and the two aviaries beneath the house now held as many inmates as was compatible with safety, so we began the construction, with the help of our staff and'numerous villagers, of a very large aviary for additions, which, however, time did not permit us to complete. New Guinea is not connected with Australia by cable, and steamers only call at Yule Island every tenth week, while a schooner brings the mails every fifth week. To entrust such delicate freight as birds to a schooner was not to be thought of, so that we had to settle the question whether we could catch the steamer that called at the island on April 19th. This meant that our collecting must end within less than a month of our arrival at Madiu, Nevertheless, considering the numerous birds which we had on hand and continued to receive daily, we thought it better to make active preparations for departure. Orders were therefore sent far and wide declining to receive further specimens, as we were very doubtful whether enough natives could be obtained to carry what we already had down to the coast. About a week before commencing our return-journey our boys were busily engaged in making reed cages for the various birds, which with the other cages previously brought out from England numbered twenty-three in all, and there were other packages besides. The bulk of our stores were left in our house, as Stalker proposed to return there when I had joined the steamer at Yule Island with the birds, and intended proceeding further inland in pursuit of the magnificent Prince Rudolph's Bird -of- Paradise [Paradis or nis rudolphi). 211 New Guinea in search of Paradise-hirds. On April 14th we were up before daylight attending to the last of the packing ; then, after fixing the cages to long poles slung between two men, I led off at 8.30 a.m. with the birds, while Stalker followed with our impedimenta. We reached Eikeild about 3.30 p.m., much tired with the long march, and just escaped the rain which fell heavily soon afterwards. Next day I got ahead of our noisy followers with my gun- bearer and shot a fine Zoe’s Fruit-Pigeon ( Carpophaya zoece). When we arrived at Epa a native missionary residing there gave us some fresh bread, and I tried some fried wallaby- meat, which was palatable enough, though somewhat tough. I observed plenty of beautiful butterflies in this district, and spent a little while in the village, which did not differ much from others that we had already seen. Signs of revolt here arose amongst our carriers, hut Stalker threatened to report them to the police, and they then came along quietly for the last march. This part of the journey was one of the most trying that I have ever undertaken, as we had received word from Bowden that the whale-boat and canoes would meet us below Bioto, and we therefore took a slightly different route to our former. We continually descended through the marvellous jungle and open patches of country until we found ourselves in a mangrove-swamp, where the mosquitoes became most annoying in their attentions. For a long while I fully believed that we had lost the way. The daily rains had flushed the banks of all the streams, and as a natural con¬ sequence the swamp wras rendered more difficult to traverse than at other seasons, so that I was happy to arrive at last at the small village of Nikora about 2 p.m. I immediately ordered fresh cocoanuts and had a change of clothing, Stalker arriving about an hour later, when we enjoyed some lunch and made preparations for a night's lodging. We were allowed but a short rest, however, for news was brought in that the whale-boat and canoes were awaiting us in a creek, having been sent up a day earlier than I had arranged with Bowden. Luckily we were within about two miles of the river, and we soon put our stores aboard the whale-boat, while the bird-cages were placed carefully on a canoe, and 212 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh — Journey to British in the midst of a very steady downpour of rain and heavy thunder overhead we paid off our carriers with a tomahawk each for the three days* march, with which they were quite satisfied. A canoe then took us off to the whale-boat lying outside the creek, and away we rowed for Yule Island. During the passage everything got soaked, but the birds, which had been well covered up with mackintosh-sheeting, came across the sound without wetting a feather. Bowden greeted us from his verandah, and we were very sorry to find him just recovering from an attack of fever. We again took possession of his house, and he was astonished to see the results of our labours, and gave us a most hospitable reception. The s.s. ‘Moresby* (Burns, Philp, & Co.) did not arrive till the 21st, when we went early aboard to make arrange¬ ments for the accommodation of the birds. I borrowed the launch to take my luggage and cages from the island, and about 1 p.m. bade farewell to Bowden and Stalker, much to my regret. Beaching Cookto wn on the third day I had great trouble in trans-shipping my precious freight, as regulations prohibiting the importation of birds, beasts, and plants into Queensland were in force. I despatched an urgent request to the Secretary for Agriculture at Brisbane for permission to proceed, and received his sanction just in time to catch the s.s. ‘ Wodonga/ of the A.U.S.N. line, to Sydney. During the remainder of our fortnights passage, which as regards weather was very enjoyable, the vessel put into many ports, and on May 4th landed me at Sydney. Here, in accordance with arrangements previously made, I took the whole of the collection off to the Zoological Gardens, where the authorities most kindly placed some large aviaries at my disposal, and the collection during its stay attracted many visitors. I owe a great deal to Mr. H. E. Peir, a well-known Aviculturist, for much excellent advice and assistance at Sydney. He took charge of some of my more delicate specimens, of the health of which I had some doubts. Before leaving New Guinea I received two splendid Rifle- 213 New Guinea in search of Paradise-birds. birds ( Ptilorhis intercedens ), bat one of them unfortunately died of a wound in the thigh. The second was always very shy, and caused me more anxiety than any of the other birds that I brought out of the country. I left Sydney on May 24th, with the collection in new and more commodious cages. I greatly dreaded crossing the Great Australian Bight, as the winter was advancing and 1 anticipated rough weather. As events turned out, it proved the most dangerous part of my long journey, and I had some fatalities that I could ill afford. At every port of call I obtained bananas, oranges, and other fruits easily enough, while I received the greatest courtesy from the Captain and Officers of the P. & O. s.s. f Victoria ’ all the way home. Travelling through Prance, I reached London on June 28th and immediately handed over my collection to the authorities of the Zoological Society. Appendix. List of Paradise-birds brought home by Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh and Mr. W. Stalker in 1908 from British New Guinea. July 3rd , 1908. 7 Raggi’s Bird-o f-Paradise ( Paradisea raggiana). 7 Lawes’s Bird-of-Paradise ( Parotici laivesi). 8 Hunstein’s Bird-of-Paradise ( Diphy llodes hunsteini). 4 Manucodes {Phony gama purpureo-violacea and P. chalyheata). 1 New-Guinea Rifle-bird {Ptilorhis intercedens) . 3 Black-headed Cat-birds {JEluroedus melanocephalus). 2 Subalar Bower-birds {Amblyornis subalaris ). October 5th, 1908. 1 Prince Rudolf’s Bird-of-Paradise {Paradisornis rudolphi). •5 Count Raggi’s Bird-of-Paradise {Paradisea raggiana ). 10 Hunstein’s Bird-of-Paradise {Diphyllodes hunsteini ). 2 Violet Manucodes {Phony gama purpureo-violacea). 1 New-Guinea Rifle-bird ( Ptilorhis intercedens ), £. 7 Lawes’s Bird-of-Paradise {Parotia lawesi). 1 Black-headed Cat-bird ( JEluro&dus melanocephalus). SElt. IX. - VOL. III. Q 214 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the X. — On the Birds of Kohat and Kurram, Northern India. By Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead, Indian Army. With an Introduction by Major H. A. F. Magrath, Indian Army. —Part II *. [558.] PIemichelidon sibirica. The Sooty Flycatcher. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 50 (Chitral, 4000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 427 (common above 8000 ft. on Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 479. 250. S ad. Kohat, 1768 ft., 9th May. Capt. Keen shot this bird in our garden on the 8th of May. In the course of the following week I came across several more. It nests commonly in the forests ot‘ the Safed Koh up to tree-limit. [561.] Siphia parva. The European Red-breasted Flycatcher. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 603 (Quetta : common in April) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 50 (common in Lowrer Chitral in winter, leaving in mid-April). 7J5. <$ ad. Kohat, 1768 ft., 20th March. Major Magrath has made the following notes on this species: — “ A winter visitor abundantly reinforced during the spring migration. The rush north-west is at its height in the middle of April and continues till the end of the month. The last birds remain till well into May. The adult males are the first to leave, the females and immature birds following two or three weeks later. The return migration commences in October. Few examples with chestnut breasts are to be seen at this season. This Flycatcher constantly descends to the ground to take its prey.5'’ In autumn I have seen it as early as Sept. 13th. We did not meet with a single adult male in winter, the first appearing about the middle of March. * Continued from above, p. 134. The arrangement and nomenclature followed are those of Oates and Blanford’s u Birds ” in the 1 Fauna of British India.’ The numbers in square brackets before each name are the same as in that work. Birds of Ko hat and Karr am. 215 [567.] Cyornis leucomelanurus. The Slaty-blue Fly¬ catcher. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 480 (very plentiful in Kashmir). 627. £ ad. Kohat, 1850 ft., 1st March. This solitary example was the only one met with. Its alarm-note ( tit-it-it ) attracted my attention. [568.] Cyornis superciliaris. The White-browed Blue Flycatcher. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 427 (common in Murree Hills) j Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 480 (plentiful). 528. £ ad. Kurram Valley, 7500 ft., 24th April. A rare bird. I shot one near Kohat on the 13th of April, and this was the only example seen in the plains. A second 1 got near the Peiwar Kotal, and believe that I heard one or two more close by. \_Calicicapa ceylonensis (Sw.). Major Magrath shot an example of this species, which is now in the National Collection, in Bannu, in October, and has since found it a fairly common winter visitor.] [589.] Alseonax rueicaudus. The Bufous-tailed Fly¬ catcher. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 50 (shot two in April) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 480 (breeds at high altitudes in Kashmir), Abundant in summer on the Peiwar Spur, and in the Spin Khwar Nullah of the Safed Koh, from 8000 to 11,000 feet. As Major Magrath has pointed out, it is quite likely that this species occurs in Kohat in winter, but, from its remarkable likeness to the female Ruticilla rufiveniris , has been overlooked. It may be distinguished from the latter by its not shaking its tail. It is a good songster with a great variety of notes. [598.] Terpsiphone paradisi. The Indian Paradise- Flycatcher. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 606 (shot one in May near Quetta) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 50 (an uncommon q2 216 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the summer visitor up to 5000 ft.) ; W7ard, op. cit. xvii. p. 480 (common in summer). A fairly common summer visitor, arriving early in April, leaving towards the end of September, and nesting freely in the shady orchards of Kohat. [608.] Pratincola caprata. The Pied Bush-Chat. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 339 (Thall : scarce) ; Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 603 (Quetta : common in summer) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. pp. 50 & 744 (resident in Chitral) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 687 (Seistan : a scarce summer visitor) ; Betham, t. c. p. 750 (common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 480 (rare in Kashmir). A fairly common summer visitor from the second week in March till October, but not found much above 3000 feet in the Ivurram Valley. [610.] Pratincola maura. The Indian Bush-Chat. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 339 (abundant at Thall in April) ; Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 603 (a few at Quetta in April) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. pp. 50 & 744 (shot one at 6000 ft.) ; Battray, t. c. p. 467 (common in Murree) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 480 (common up to 7000 ft.). 722. > » 1st March. 636. S ad. 37 39 2nd March. 646, 647. S ? ad. Samana, 6500 ft., 5th March. A winter visitor, and by far our commonest Pipit from early in October till about the 18th of March. It moults into the beautiful summer plumage before leaving. A few individuals are to be found on the dry rocky summit of the Samana all the winter. No. 568 is a dingy specimen. Anthus coutellii. The Persian Water-Pipit. Anthus coutellii Savigny ; Hartert, Yog. pal. Faun. p. 281. 387. ? . Samana, 6500 ft., 28th October, 1906. 245 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. Bill blackish, lower mandible yellowish ; iris dark brown; tarsus dark yellowish brown. Wing 3'4in. ; tail 2’oj in. ; bill '75 in. ; hind claw *48 in. 616, 647. S ? a(l. Samana, 6500 ft., 5th March. No. 387 was shot out of a flock which was feeding in a very dry spot amongst stunted scrub. Dr. Hartert says that the range of this bird has not yet been fully worked out, but that it is found in winter in Egypt and Palestine, as well as in Eastern Persia and Persian Baluchistan ; also that it breeds in the highlands of Persia and possibly in Lebanon and the Caucasus. [852.] Anthus japonicus. The Eastern Water- Pipit. 84. Kohat, 1760 ft., 14th January. 155. S . „ ,, 22nd March. 184. S- „ 4th April. 581. ? sex. „ „ 14th February. A somewhat scarce winter visitor, occurring singly with the flocks of A. spipoletta or in small parties by itself. [853.] Oreocorys sylvanus. The Upland Pipit. Rattrav, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 654 (common in the Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 723. 398. S ad. Samana, 4500 ft., 14th November. A resident on the Samana from 4000 feet upwards, but not common. Capt. Keen found several nests in July. [859.] Melanocorypha bimaculata. The Eastern Calandra Lark. Fulton, J. B. N. II. S. xvi. p. 56 (plentiful in Chitral at the end of February and beginning of March) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 724 (one shot in December). Large flocks visit Kohat in February and early in March. [860.] Alauda arvensis. The Sky-Lark. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 605 (common round Quetta in winter, a few stay for the summer) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 56 (a resident between 5000 and 11,000 feet) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 724 (a resident). 577. S ad* Jamrud, 2000 ft., lltli February. ser. ix. — vol. hi. s 246 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the 615. $ ad. Lachi, 1540 ft., 26th February. 704. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 18th March. 737. ? ad. ,, „ 25th March. A winter visitor, abundant from November till March. By the end of the latter month it is entirely replaced by the next species, which arrives in the second week in March. [861.] Alauda gulgula. The Indian Sky-Lark. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 724 (reported from the Jammu plains) . 695. <$ . Lachi, 1540 ft., 17th March. 728. $ . Kohat, 1760 ft., 23rd March. 752. $ . „ „ 27th March. A summer visitor, nesting freely on the grass-farm. It can be distinguished from A. arvensis by the harsh note uttered on rising and by the song, which is not so rich as that of the latter. 862. Calandrella brachydactyla. The Short-toed Lark. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 605 (abundant from winter till May 1st) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 56 (Chitral : many pass through in October). 613. ? . Lachi, 1540 ft., 26tli February. 621. (J. Kohat, 1760 ft., 29th February. 730,731. $ (J. Kohat, 1760 ft., 23rd March. Occurs commonly in Kohat and the Kurram Valley from the last week in February till the middle of April (last seen on the 19th), and returns in small numbers in September. [864.] Calandrella tibetana. — Major Magrath shot an example of this species at Bannu in December 1907. It has now been found to occur in Kohat; fairly common in spring. [869.] Miraera cantillans. The Singing Bush-Lark. 266. ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 19th May. Fairly numerous from the middle of May till September about grassy and bush-covered plains. Not observed in the Kurram Valley, though fairly common at Thall at the entrance. A most energetic songster ; many of its notes seem to be borrowed from Argija caudata. 247 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. [874.] Gale rita cristata. The Crested Lark. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (very common at Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 605 (Quetta : a very common resident) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 689 (Seistan : abun¬ dant) ; Perreau, op. cit. xviii. p. 186 (Chitral). 610. ? . Lachi, 1540 ft., 26th February. 687. $ . Kohat, 1760 ft., 16th March. 723. $ . ,, „ 21st March. 754. S . „ ,, 27th March. This species is abundant everywhere and resident up to 3000 feet. In the Kurram Valley it occurs up to 7000 feet in summer. It is a great mimic, as Major Magrath has noted, its rendering of the notes of Sarcogrammus indicus and Tot anus calidris being particularly good. [878.] Ammomanes phcenicuroides. The Desert Finch- Lark. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall : rather rare) ; Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 605 (Quetta : common in the low hills) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 689 (fairly common in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 724 (Kashmir). 609. S • Lachi, 1540 ft., 25th February. 761. $ . Kohat, 1850 ft., 30th March. Resident and abundant on stony wastes and liill-sides up to 3000 feet. The song reminds me somewhat of that of Anthus similis , being often uttered on the wing. [879.] Pyrrhulauda grisea. The Ashy-crowned Finch- Lark. 196. ? ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 8th April. The above example was one of the only pair met with. The male, a fine black-breasted bird, I failed to secure. [895.] Arachnechthra asiatica. The Purple Sun-bird. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall : common in summer). A common summer visitor, arriving in the middle of March and disappearing towards the middle of September. It occurs up to 5000 feet on the Samaria. 248 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the [946.] Gecinus squamatus. The Western Himalayan Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 57 (common in Cliitral from 4000 to 8000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 659 (common in the Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 724 (widely distributed in Kashmir). 565. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 6th February. 659. $ ad. Hangu, 2500 ft., 8th March. 713. £ ad. Koliat, 1850 ft., 20th March. A cold-weather visitor to the District from August to the end of March; fairly common in the Miranzai Valley, but scarce near Koliat. A resident on the Samana. Occurs sparingly in the Kurram Valley up to 9000 feet. I have several times seen this Woodpecker climbing up a cliff as if it were a tree. [961.] Dendrocopus himalayensis. The Western Hima¬ layan Pied Woodpecker. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 57 (Chitral : common from 5000 to 11,000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 660 (Murree Hills: abundant) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 724 (common). Common on the Samana from 4500 feet upwards, and on the Safed Koh up to tree-limit. [963.] Dendrocopus sindianus. The Sind Pied Wood¬ pecker. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall : not rare) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: common near Khojak). 655, 656. $ $ ad. Hangu, 2500 ft., 8th March. A fairly common resident throughout the District up to 3000 feet. Nesting commences early in April, a mulberry- tree being usually selected for the excavation. I have often observed this species in scrub-jungle some distance from trees. In this and the last species the colouring of the lower parts varies from white to a rich reddish buff, the white parts of the upper surface being also frequently tinged with fulvous. No. 656 represents this ruddy variety. Birds of Kohat and Karr am. 249 [969.] Dendrocopus auriceps. The Brown-fronted Pied Woodpecker. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 57 (fairly common in Chitral from 4000 to 10,000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 660 (breeds in the Murree Hills up to 7500 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (rare in Kashmir). 580. $ . Kohat, 1760 ft., 13th February. 654. $ . Hangu, 2500 ft., 8th March. 716. S ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 20th March. A common winter visitor to the District, including the Samana, from October till April (last seen on the 9th). [972. Liopicus mahrattensis (Lath.) is fairly common both at Rawal Pindi and Peshawar (an example from the latter place is in the British Museum), but has not been observed in Kohat as yet.] [1003.] Iynx torquilla. The Wryneck. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: occurs regularly in April) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 57 (Chitral : one obtained in May) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (nests fairly commonly in Kashmir). 80. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 11th January. 69. $ ad. „ ,, 18th April. Not common. The only other examples seen were observed on the 23rd of April near Peiwar, 7000 feet (Kurram Valley), with the exception of one on the 29th near Kohat. [986. Brachypternus aurantius (Linn.) . — Major Magrath observed one individual at Bannu in October 1908. It is common at Lahore.] [1022.] Coracias indica. The Indian Roller. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 724 (rare; occurs in the outer ranges). Resident, but partially migratory, being very common in summer and comparatively scarce in winter. [1024.] Coracias garuula. The European Roller. Rattray, J. B. N. II. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall : common in summer) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta : common in 250 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the May and early June) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 57 (passing through Chitral early in May) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 68(J (passing through Seistan in April) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii- p. 725 (summer visitor from May till November). A fairly common summer visitor to the District and the Kurram Valley, up to 3000 feet, from early in May till September, being particularly common round Thall, where it nests in colonies in the conglomerate cliffs. [1026.] Merops yiridis. The Common Indian Bee- eater. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (not common at Thall) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725. 756. $ ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 28th March. Abundant in summer, the majority arriving about the 20th of March and leaving in the middle of October. In a mild year odd birds and even parties of five or six are seen at intervals throughout the winter. [1027.] Merops philippinus. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall : June). We have not met with this Bee-eater in Kohat. Colonel Rattray, however, observed a pair at Thall in June. Major Magrath has found it not uncommon in Bannu in early autumn and has procured an example. It is also very common round Rawal Pindi. [1028.] Merops persicus. The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Major Magrath saw what he took to he this species in large numbers between Basal and the Indus, just outside our limits, in July 1907, and also observed an individual at Khushalgarh just inside. Another which he obtained in Bannu, where the bird is fairly common in summer, is now in the National Collection. [1029.] Merops apiaster. The European Bee-ea'ter. Marshall, J. B. N. II. S. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: common summer visitor) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 57 (a few breed in Chitral) ; Betham, t. c. p. 749 (nests freely round Quetta) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (abundant in summer). Birds of Kohat and Karr am. 251 Passes through Kohat in April and the beginning of May, returning in August and September. Possibly a few pairs nest round Thall ; several were certainly there up to the time that I left (May 20th), and Capt. Keen informs me that he saw some there in July. This species breeds freely in the Kurram Valley from 3000 to 7000 feet. Towards the end of July, when nesting-operations were over, flocks of from ten to forty used to fly up the valleys of the Safed Koh to tree-limit (12,000 feet) every morning, and return at dusk. [1033 ] Ceryle varia. The Indian Pied Kingfisher. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (common at Thall : nests in March) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (very common up to 6000 ft.). A resident, but not very common, though found along most of the streams of the District, and in the Kurram Valley at least up to Dandar (4700 feet). [1035.] Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall : an uncommon resident) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta : common in spring) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 689 (a common resident in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (abundant in Kashmir up to 6004 ft.). The Kingfisher is common in cold weather, even about cantonments, and, never being molested, shews little fear of man. It nests fairly commonly in the Miranzai and Kurram Valleys, but only a few pairs stay to breed in the plains around Kohat. It may often be seen hovering over water after the manner of Ceryle varia , if no perch is available. [1044.] Halcyon smyrnensis. The White-breasted King¬ fisher. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall: common); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 725 (occurs in Poonch). Abundant in Kohat and up to Sadda (3500 feet) in the Kurram Valley. A permanent resident. This bird picks up 252 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the lizards and insects from the ground like a Shrike. In Kohat its favourite food consists of freshwater crabs. Major Magrath has also observed it taking locusts and dragon-flies on the wing. [1066.] Upupa epops. The European Hoopoe. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: summer visitor) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 58 (Chitral : summer visitor, occurring up to 14,000 ft-) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 690 ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 726 (common in summer, rare in winter). Abundant in Kohat in the cold weather, but only a few individuals stay to nest. Occurs in the Kurram Valley up to 8000 ft., but is scarce. [1068.] Cypselus melba. The Alpine Swift. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall : May) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta : summer visitor) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 58 (common in Chitral m summer from 5000 to 16,000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 660 (found two nests : Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 726. Flocks of this fine Swift, often accompanied by the next species, pass through Kohat at intervals from March till the end of May, returning in August and September. They merely pass over and do not stay. [1069.] Cypselus apus. The Common Swift. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall: common in May; shot two); Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: common in summer ; found nests in caves) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 58 (Chitral : common in summer up to 14,000 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 726 (summer visitor; nests in cliffs). Occurs like the last species and often in company with it. Breeds in small numbers in the cliffs of the Safed Koh, and is fouud up to the summit. [1073.] Cypselus affinis. The Common Indian Swift. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 342 (rare at Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (common in summer) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 726. Abundant in the District from early in March till 253 Birds of Kohat and Kurram . November, and appearing at intervals throughout the cokl weather if the season is mild. [1089.] Caprimulgus mahrattensis. Sykes’s Nightjar. Rattray, J. B. N. Id. S. xii. p. 342 (Thall) ; Cumming, Of), cit. xvi. p. 690 (abundant in Seistan from April till September). Nightjars are not common in the neighbourhood of Kohat, but round Thall the country is better suited to their habits and they are plentiful. We did not meet with this species, and are indebted to Col. Rattray for the following notes he made at Thall : — “ Fairly numerous. The birds are not permanent residents, but arrive about the middle of May with C. europaus. I always found this species on the open hill-sides, and not; amongst jungle. It breeds in the more open nullahs during June and July. I obtained four nests with eggs, the female in each case being shot on leaving the eggs . ” Major Magrath procured an example at Bannu in September 1907. [1090.] Caprimulgus monticola. Franklin’s Nightiar. Kattrav, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 313 (Thall). The following details are again taken from notes made by Colonel Rattray at Thall : — “ Common and a permanent resident. I found it breeding plentifully ; all the eggs that 1 procured from five nests were laid without any depression, and were extremely highly coloured, being almost brick- red.” [1092.] Caprimulgus europ^eus. The Common Nightjar. Rattray, J. B. N. FI. S. xii. p. 343 (Thall : commonest Nightjar in summer ; found ten nests) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (fairly common at Quetta in summer); Rattray, op. cit. xvi. p. 661 (not common in the Murree Hills). Passes through Kohat in spring and autumn, and nests commonly in the scrub-jungle around Thall. I shot several examples. [1101.] Cuculus canorus. The Common Cuckoo. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 351 (Quetta: very common 254 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the in March and April) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 58 (Chitral : fairly common in summer) ; Battray, t. c. p. 661 (abundant in the Murree Hills); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 726; Magrath, op. cit. xviii. p. 296 (abundant at Thandiani, 9000 ft., Hazara District). The familiar call of the Cuckoo is heard in Kohat from early in April till nearly the middle of May. The bird is found up to the tree-limit on the Safed Koh, but is rather scarce. It continues calling there till well past the middle of July. Major Magrath (l. c .) records his finding Blue Cuckoo’s eggs. [1118.] Coccystes jacobinus. The Pied Crested Cuckoo. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 726 (Kashmir: not common, but several specimens were procured in the Valley). Occurs rarely during the autumn migration. I have met with it on three occasions, viz. in August and September. [1120.] Eudynamis honorata. The Indian Koel. AAard, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 726. I cannot do better than quote the following notes made by Major Magrath : — “A summer visitor in small numbers, much to the annoyance of Corvus splendens. In the early summer of 1905 there were probably not more than half a dozen birds in the station, but they made enough noise for a hundred. I picked up a dead fledgling in the month of August.” Arrives in Kohat about the middle of May. [1138.] Pal^eornis torquatus. The Bose - winged Parroquet. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 727. The following details are also from Major Magratli’s notes : — (i A resident, though scarce. There are probably not more than eight or a dozen in the District, all of which frequent cantonments. I know of only two trees where they nest, one a large cotton-tree (Simal) and the other a Cirrus. A tame example which I kept in a state of semi- freedom used often to mix with the wild birds, but the Birds of Kohat and Rttrram. 255 females, to whom lie made advances, he invariably found, to his cost, appropriated.” [1141.] Palasornis sciiisticeps. The Slaty-headed Par- roquet. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 58 (Chitral : summer visitor, occurring up to 7000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 661 (very common in the Murree Hills); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 727 (common in summer and autumn up to 7500 ft.). Flocks of this Parroquet visit the District during April (noted on various dates from the 8th to the 26th) and stay a few days. I came across a small nesting-colony on the 19th of June near Zeran, 5800 feet (Kurram Valley) ; the young birds had just flown. [1157.] Asio accipitrinus. The Short-eared Owl. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 727 (occurs in the plains). 456. d ad. Samana, 6500 ft., 5th March. Migrates through Kohat in March, but apparently only in small numbers. [1159.] Syrnium biddulphi. Scully’s Wood-Owl. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 58 (Chitral: not common, occurs up to 8000 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 727 (fairly common in Kashmir : eggs taken in April and May). 90. (4. Kohat, 1760 ft., 19th January. 637. S • Hangu, 2700 ft., 3rd March. Fairly common from November till April in the orchards and wild olive-groves of the Kohat and Miranzai Valleys. This species spends the day in evergreen trees, but without troubling much about concealment, being often mobbed by Crows, Mynas, Bulbuls, &c. An individual so mobbed was rescued and taken to Major Magrath, who kept it till dusk and then let it go. He says that it allowed him to handle it and scratch its head, and appeared to be of a gentle dis¬ position. He adds that the bird is a not uncommon winter visitor to Bannu. [1164.] Ketupa zeylonensis. The Brown Fish-Owl. 668. ad. Kachai, 2700 ft., lltli March. Probably not rare, as the streams of the District are full of 256 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the small fishes and crabs. The stomach of the above-mentioned example was crammed with fragments of crabs* shells and claws, with a few fish-bones. Besides this example I shot one of a pair at 'Kohat in November. [1168.] Bubo bengalensis. The Bock Horned Owl. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 343 (rare : Thall) ; Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 690 (Seistan : one young bird brought in) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 727 (common in Kashmir) . Major Magrath writes as follows on this species : — tc A resident and fairly common. An example I shot on the 13th of January, 1906, was put up in broad daylight from a nullah in which it had just pounced on a huge bull-frog. It flew away with its prey some distance and was killed on the ground. The vast flocks of Pastor roseus that roosted in the cantonments in August 1905 were much harried by Owls, this species being, as far as I could ascertain, the chief depredator.** This is the common Owl of the District. [1180.] Athene brama. The Spotted Owlet. Wrard, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 727 (Kashmir). 441. <$ . Kohat, 1760 ft., 19th February. 549. $ . Thall, 2550 ft., 15th May. A fairly common resident, not found about houses, as is usually the case, but only in cliffs in wild and desolate parts of the District, or occasionally in groves. In the cliffs near Thall it is particularly common, and this must, I think, be the species which Colonel Rattray took for A. bactriana. Curiously enough, in the adjoining District of Peshawar it occurs commonly about towns and villages. [1191.] Otogyps calyus. The Black Vulture. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 728 (far from common in Kashmir) . Rare. I met with a pair near Siau in November 1905, and a solitary individual on the grass-farm in February 1908. These are the only examples that I have observed. 257 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. [1192.] Gyps fulvus. The Griffon Vulture. Rattray, J. 13. N. H. S. xii. p. 343 (Thall : common); Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta : very common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728 (breeds in colonies and is resident). Common throughout the District, especially on the Samana, where it breeds and is resident. Observed in the Kurram Valley up to 8500 feet. [1196.] Pseudogyps bengalensis. The Indian White- backed Vulture. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 343; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728 (rare in Kashmir). Colonel Rattray recorded this species from Thall, and made the following notes on it : — “ Common on the plains round Thall ; they were feeding on the dead transport animals all along the road from Kohat to Thall.” This was during the Tirah Campaign of 1897-98, which doubtless attracted them to our part of the country, where in times of peace they are unknown. The nearest place where I have seen them is at Rawal Pindi, a hundred miles east of our limits, where, in October 1905, on the occasion of thirteen mules being shot, a great number, in company with Gyps fulvus and Neophron percnopterus , assembled in anticipation of the feast. [1197.] Neophron percnopterus. The Egyptian Vulture. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 343 (Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 351 (Quetta : common in summer); Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 59 (Chitral : summer visitor from March till September) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 662 (common in the Murree Hills) ; Gumming, t. e. p. 691 (occasionally seen in Seistan); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728. The common Scavenger Vulture of the District. A resident everywhere, except on the Samana and in the Kurram Valley, which it leaves on the approach of winter, returning early in March with Passer domesticus. Scarce 258 Lieut. C. II. T. Whitehead on the in the Kurram Valley, though we noted it up to the head (7000 feet). [1199.] Gypaetus barbatus. The Lammergeier. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 343 (common at Thall) ; Marshal], op. cit. xv. p. 352 (Quetta : very common and nests) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 59 (Chitral : a common resident); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 928 (common; nests in February and March). Common and found everywhere from the plains to the summit of the Safed Koh, though seldom seen in the plains from June till October. [1201.] Aquila heliaca. The Imperial Eagle. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 728 (an uncommon winter visitor). A fairly common winter visitor. Mr. Donald has seen one give chase to a Laggar Falcon, and finally force it to drop its prey. Immature birds of this genus are frequently seen about the grass-farm feeding on offal, mole-rats, &c. [1202.] Aquila bifasciata. The Steppe-Eagle. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 336 (abundant in Kashmir). 772. S imm. Kohat, 1900 ft., 1st April. Fairly common in winter, but those seen were mostly immature birds. [1203.] Aquila vindhiana. The Tawny Eagle. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 343 ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728. Fairly plentiful in the cold weather and probably resident. Mr. Donald told me that in May 1907, when swarms of young locusts were devastating Kohat, he counted in one spot alone thirty-five of these Eagles which had apparently been gorging on the locusts. Colonel Rattray writes that in the Tirah Campaign he often saw this species feeding in company with Vultures on dead transport animals near Thall. [1205.] Aquila maculata. The Large Spotted Eagle. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xviii. p. 464 (Badarwa, Kashmir). One pair observed on the grass-farm and another at the 259 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. Laclii reecl-bed in April and May. Probably breeds in the neighbourhood. [1207.] Hieraetus fasciatus. Bonelli's Eagle. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 352 (Quetta : some breed in the hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728 (not common in Kashmir). A fairly common resident, very destructive to game. Mr. Donald, who has trained several of these birds, says that they are most courageous and will hawk anything they are entered to ; but that they are wild and difficult to train, even when taken very early from the nest, and that through want of practice in flying they are usually rather un wieldly ; added to which, owing to their marked partiality for poultry, they are somewhat unsatisfactory from a falconer's point of view. In the wild state they have a bad reputation for pursuing and killing trained Goshawks when they get the chance, and are said to be the worst enemies of the wild Goshawk. They hunt in pairs ; their favourite quarry, if they can be said to have one, is perhaps the Wood-Pigeon, but little comes amiss, and they will snatch up a fowl when opportunity offers, or make off’ with a wounded duck. [1216,] Circaetus gallicus. The Short-toed Eagle. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 728. Fairly common in winter, and perhaps resident. [1220.] Butastur teesa. The White-eyed Buzzard- Eagle. 711. d ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 19th March. A summer visitor, arriving early in March and leaving towards the end of October. Breeds fairly commonly in the Miranzai and Samilzai Valleys. [1223.] Haliaetus leucoryphus. Pallas's Fishing- Eagle. Gumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 691 (Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 728 (Kashmir). Resident and common along the River Indus. Mr. Donald found four pairs nesting there in March. Rare elsewhere; occasionally seen between Chikarkot and Hangu. 260 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the [1229.] Milvus govinda. The Common Pariah Kite. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall: very common) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 352 (Quetta : common, scarce in winter) ; Rattray, op. cit. xvi. p. 642 (common in the Galis) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729. 532. $ ad. Peiwar Kotal, 8000 ft., 25th April. A very common resident up to 4000 ft., occurring up to 8000 ft. in summer. Major Magrath writes : “ The numbers of this species were considerably reduced in the winter of 1905 by the excessive cold. The unfortunate birds were induced to breed early in January by the mildness of the weather, and had actually commenced to nest when the intense cold, lasting well into March, fell on us.-” [1230.] Milvus melanotis. The Large Indian Kite. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Thall : rare; shot a female off a nest) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 59 (Chitral : April) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 663 (rare at Murree) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (common in Kashmir). Not common, more numerous on the Samana and in the Kurram Valley than elsewhere. [1232.] Elanus oeruleus. The Black-winged Kite. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 59 (common in Chitral in summer) . Fairly common in Kohat from early in April till October. In a mild year a few stragglers stay for the winter. I met with it as high as Dandar (4700 ft.) in the Kurram Valley. [1223.] Circus macrurus. The Pale Harrier. Marshall, J. B. N. LI. S. xv. p. 352 (Quetta : common in spring) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 59 (Chitral : April). 739. S ad. Kohat, 1760 ft., 25th March. This is the common Harrier of the District. Chiefly seen on migration from September till the end of November, and from February till May, only a few remaining for the winter. [1234.] Circus cineraceus. Montagu’s Harrier. Ward, J. B. N. II. S. xvii. p. 729 (winter visitor to Kashmir). Birds of Kohat and Karr am. 261 Rare. We both observed this species on the Samana during the spring migration. I also saw one near Laclii in March. [1235 ] Circus cyaneus. The Hen-Harrier. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 352 (occurs at Quetta in spring) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (common in winter). Fairly common on passage in spring and autumn. [1237.] Circus ^ruginosus. The Marsh-Harrier. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 352 (fairly common in winter); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (very plentiful; possibly breeds in Kashmir). Common about reed-beds and irrigated crops from September till the middle of May, especially in spring and autumn. Dresser, in his f Manual of Palsearctic Birds * (p. 504), writing of this species, says : “It is doubtful if it dares even to attack a rat/’ I once disturbed a bird feasting on a freshly-killed adult Nesokia hardwickii (a particularly fierce species of field-rat), which I think must have been killed by the bird. I believe that a pair nested on the grass- farm at Kohat in the summer of 1906. They were there up to the 14th of June, when I left for the Kurram Valley. On my return in August I found an immature bird in the same spot. [1239.] Buteo ferox. The Long-legged Buzzard. Marshall, J. B. N. IT. S. xv. p. 352 (common round Quetta in winter, chiefly the dark form; probably breeds close by). A winter visitor and very common from October till April. I have shot both the light and the dark forms, but the former is much the commoner. [1241.] Buteo desertorum. The Common Buzzard. Cumming, J. B. N. II. S. xvi. p. 691 (Seistan: one shot in February). 757. ? . Kohat, 1760 ft., 28th March. A winter visitor, but by no means as common as the last species. SEll. ix. — VOL. III. T 262 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the [1243.] Astur palumbartus. The Goshawk, Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 729 (rare). This species occurs on passage, but very rarely. Mr. Donald says that nets are set in four or five gorges in the independent territory north of Kohat. These nets average twelve feet in height, have a two-inch mesh, and are made to fit roughly the bottom of the gorge, while they are so arranged as to collapse when struck by anything. The Goshawk is thus occasionally taken in spring and autumn. Bonelli’s Eagle is its chief enemy and pursues both wild and trained birds for its prey. This is the favourite Hawk with the local Khans, but it is an expensive luxury, females costing from Its. 150 to Rs. 200 (£10-£13) , and males from Rs. 50 to Rs. 70. [1244.] Astur badius. The Shikra. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 729 (Kashmir: rare). A summer visitor, arriving towards the end of March. Nests commonly in the Samilzai Valley. Large numbers are snared by means of a light cage formed of fine netting stretched over supports, and covered with nooses ; a live Quail is used as a bait. They are used for hawking Quail, and their price varies from 2 d. to Is. [1247.] Accipiter nisus. The Sparrow-Hawk. Rattray, J. B. IN. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall : occasionally seen ; breeds in the Safed Koh) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 352 (not common ; occurs in spring at Quetta) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 59 (Chitral : shot one in May at 8000 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (a resident in Kashmir). Occurs on migration in spring and autumn. Colonel Rattray mentions a young bird in down being brought to Parachinar in July from the Safed Koh. Mr. Donald tells me that this species breeds freely in Tirah, which lies just north of our limits, and that every autumn some thirty or forty individuals are snared along the Kachai stream, by means of a drop-net set up in the open, with a fine network cage containing Sparrows suspended in front. The Hawk Birds of Kohat and Kurram, 2G3 seeing the Sparrows flutter up makes a dash and gets en¬ tangled in the net. The bazaar rate varies from 2 d. to KB*. [1254.] Falco peregrines. The Peregrine Falcon. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 729 (common in Kashmir). This species occurs chiefly on migration in spring and autumn, but is by no means common. Mr. Donald only knows of one instance of its being snared in the District, but has often observed it on passage. The bazaar rate for a good female is about Us. 30. [1255.] Falco peregrinator. The Shahin. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall : common along the foot of the hills') ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (occasionally caught near Srinagar). A resident, and after the Laggar the commonest of our larger Falcons. Mr. Donald generally keeps a pair for hawking Chukor, Partridges, Teal, &c. He speaks highly of their courage, and has known one strike and kill a Mallard, but says that, though comparatively easy to tram, after a year or two in captivity they deteriorate rapidly. There are many eyries scattered through the District. In J une and July Mr. Donald has often seen them taking Bats ; these he thinks must be young birds practising. [1257.] Falco jugger. The Laggar Falcon. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 352 (Quetta: fairly common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729. Resident and common in open, cultivated country. Mr. Donald says that this species is the most frequent lure for taking other and more valuable Falcons. It is usually trained to take hares, but is not thought very much of, being too slow. The bazaar price is R. 1 . [1258.] Falco cherrug. The Cherrug or Saker. The Cherrug occurs in open country like the last species, but is not nearly so common, and is a winter visitor only, arriving about October and leaving in April. Mr. Donald kept two birds which he trained very successfully to take Milvus govinda as well as Houbaras, Bustards, and Hares. t 2 264 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the After the Goshawk and Peregrine, this is the favourite amongst local falconers. The price ranges from Ks. 7 to Rs. 14 for a good female. [1260.] Falco subbuteo. The Hobby. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 60 (Chitral : one specimen obtained in May) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 663 (rare in the Murree Hills; breeds); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729 (breeds in the higher hills of Kashmir). Mr. Donald states that this species is fairly common in spring and that he has observed it as late as May. I came across three individuals in beautiful adult plumage in February near Lachi ; they were flying backwards and for¬ wards, sparring at each other, and occasionally perching in a tree close by, while constantly uttering a cry which sounded like “ gyak-gyak.” [1263.] iEsALON regulus. The Merlin. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 729 (widely distributed in winter). This bird is fairly common from October till the middle of March ; it is more often seen about the grass-farm and the Yarma and Lachi plains than elsewhere. It migrates over the Samana in March. It is seldom trained in this district. [1264.] iEsALON chicquera. The Red-headed Merlin or Turumti. An occasional visitor, but by no means common. I have only twice seen the Turumti ; on one occasion the bird shot down just in front of me to take a Starling flying in to roost, and started to tear it up close by, giving me a splendid view through my glasses. Mr. Donald says that he has met with this species in Kohat in most months of the year. He has a great opinion of its courage, and has trained it to take Rollers (a bird a great deal bigger than itself), while he has known a pair to tackle a Blue Rock-Pigeon. It is a fairly common resident, he says, in the adjoining Districts of Peshawar and Mianwali. Major Magrath has also found it not uncommon in Bannu. The wide open plains of these Districts are more to its liking than the confined valleys of Kohat. 265 Birds of Kohat and Karr am. [1265.] Tinnunculus alaudarius. The Kestrel. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (a common resident at Thai]) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 352 (Quetta : common ; found many nests) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 60 (Chitral : a very common resident from 4000 ft. upwards; one seen at 18,000 ft.) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 663 (common in the Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 729. 753. £ • Kohat, 1760 ft., 27th March. 764. <$ . „ „ 23rd March. Common in winter ; a resident on the Samana and in the Kurram and Miranzai Valleys (nesting regularly at Thall, 2550 ft., and Hangu, 2700 ft.). [1292.] Columba intermedia. The Indian Blue Rock- Pigeon. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall : common in winter) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 352 (a resident at Quetta); Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 60 (Chitral : resident, occurring up to 10,000 ft.); Gumming, t. c. p. 691 (occurs in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Kashmir). Occurs in large flocks in the District from August to April. A few appear to be resident round Thall, but the great majority leave in April. Colonel Rattray, in his article referred to above, says that “they were breeding in hundreds in a cliff near the Fort. About the middle of April they all disappeared suddenly/’ On the 19th of May, 1907, however, I found some still about the cliffs at Thall. [1293.] Columba livia. The Blue Rock-Pigeon. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall: large flocks occur in winter) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 352 (Quetta) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (the common Pigeon of Kashmir). Occurs with flocks of the last species in winter, but is much less common. Never observed in separate flocks. [1295.] Columba eversmanni. The Eastern Stock-Dove. Cumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 691 (Seistan : April) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Kashmir : rare, occurs on migration). 266 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the Migrates through Kohat in the latter half of April in small flocks, which feed chiefly on the mulberries that are then ripening. Less wary than other members of the genus. Appears to be scarce in the Kurram Valley, and probably only passes through. I shot an example at 6500 feet in I lex- scrub on the 2nd of May. [1298.] Palumbus casiotis. The Eastern Wood-Pigeon. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 352 (common on the hills round Quetta); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Kashmir). A resident species, collecting in large flocks in autumn in the scrub-jungle above Marai, about Shinauri, and in the wooded nullahs of the northern slopes of the Samana — these being its favourite haunts, but odd birds occur all over the District. Mr. Donald tells me that it nests freely near the Tera Kotal above Shinauri and north of the Samana. It occurs also in the Kurram Valley, and probably breeds there, but may still be seen in flocks in May. [1305.] Turtur ferrago. The Indian Turtle-Dove. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p, 60 (common in Lower Chitral in summer) ; Rattray, t. c. p. 663 (common in the Murree Hills); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (common in Kashmir). Small numbers migrate through Kohat from mid- April till the 3rd or 4th of May, returning in September and October. Mr. Donald has found it nesting on the Samana, while I shot a specimen there as late as the 4th of November. It is common in summer in the woods of the Safed Koh, from 7000 feet to tree-limit. [1309.] Turtur cambayensis. The Little Brown Dove. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall : common) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (resident at Quetta, largely reinforced m summer) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 60 (Chitral : probably common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Kashmir). A resident in the District and abundant at all seasons. Common in the Kurram Valley in summer up to 6500 feet, and occurring at least up to 8000 feet, at which height Major Magrath shot an example. 267 Birds of Kohat and Karr am. [1310.] Turtur risorius. The Indian Ring-Dove. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 344 (Thall : common) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 355 (common summer visitor) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 60 (common in summer) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 691 (very rare in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Kashmir). Abundant in summer, the majority leaving in autumn, though many stay for the winter. In the Kurrara Valley the bird is common up to Dandar, but rather scarce higher up. I have met with it, however, as high as 8500 feet. [1311.] CEnopopelta tranquebarica. The Red Turtle- Dove. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (rare at Thall) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (rare in Kashmir). A summer visitor to the District, and fairly numerous from the second week in April till August. [1316.] Pterocles arenarius. The Black-bellied Sand- Grouse. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Thall : passes through in March); Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (Quetta: common in autumn and spring); Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 691 (said, to occur in Seistan); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 943 (Jummu). Large flocks occur in the cold weather in the fields around Doaba and occasionally round Lachi and Dhano. I flushed a bird on the 21st of June, 1906, on the stony plain near Dhandar in the Kurram Valley, which was possibly breeding in the neighbourhood. [1317.] Pterocles fasciatus. The Painted Sand-Grouse. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 944 (Jummu). A rare bird, probably resident. Mr. Donald told me that he had frequently flushed a pair of strange Sand-Grouse in the scrub-jungle west of Shinauri (3800 feet), but that for a long time they managed to escape. Eventually, however, one was brought to bag and on being compared with Hume and Marshall's ‘ Game Birds of India' was found to corre¬ spond exactly with this species. This is not the first record of its occurrence west of the Indus. In 1902, Major Barton, 268 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the of the Guides, sent a skin to the Bombay Natural History Society, and in a note to the Journal (vol. xiv. p. 606) wrote that the bird was shot every year near Mardan and that it was said to be resident. [1321.] Pteroclurus exustus. The Common Sand- Grouse. A resident in Kohat, but not very common. Pteroclurus alchata should occur, but we have not met with it, nor has Mr. Donald. [1342] Lopiiophorus refulgens. The Monal. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 61 (common in Lower Chitral) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 944 (common in Kashmir), Fairly numerous on the Safed Koh from 9000 feet to tree-limit. I came across young ones fairly strong on the wing on the 27th of June. [1355.] Coturnix communis. The Grey Quail. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Tliall: passes through in spring and autumn, a few are resident) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p.* 353 (Quetta: a few occur in spring and autumn); Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 61 (Chitral: passes through in spring, a few stay) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 692 (Seistan: fairly common; nests in March and April) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 944 (summer visitor, nesting). Passes through in varying numbers from about the third week in March till the middle of May, and returns in August and September. Forty-six brace to two guns is the best morning's bag that I remember being made. Every year a few pairs stay to nest. Colonel Battray found four eggs on the 21st of April near Thall. Mr. Donald has come across several nests, on one occasion actually treading on the sitting bird. [1356.] Coturnjx coramandelica. The Bain Quail. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 944. (A rare visitor: has been known to nest in Kashmir.) Two or three examples are yearly shot in Kohat about May ; the bird probably nests in the District. 269 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. [1370.] Caccabis chucar. The Chukor. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Thall : a common resident) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (Quetta : very common) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 61 (very common, ranging up to 12,000 feet) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 944 (found every¬ where in Kashmir). 662. Sex ? Marai, 3000 ft., 9th March. 763. $ ad. Kohat, 1850 ft., 30th March. Resident, and fairly numerous from the plains up to at least 8000 feet in the Safed Koh. [1371.] Ammoperdix bonhami. The Sisi Partridge. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Thall : a fairly common resident) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (Quetta : very common) ; Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 692 (Seistan : scarce). A common resident on the stony hills of Kohat and the Kurram Valley up to about 6000 feet, and abundant in the more remote parts, where it is less persecuted. [1372.] Francolinus vulgaris. The Black Partridge. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Thall: abundant); Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (Quetta : occurs about the foot¬ hills) ; Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 692 (Seistan : abundant). A resident, and common in the Mazri scrub (dwarf-palm) of the Lower Kurram and Upper Miranzai Valleys, and, in fact, wherever there is plenty of Mazri. [1375 ] Francolinus pondicerianus. The Grey Partridge. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (Thall : very common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 944 (Kashmir: occurs in the plains). A resident and fairly numerous, but less so than the Sisi. It is found on much the same ground, though more frequently about cultivated spots, and up to about the same altitude in the Kurram Valley. [1378.] Tetraogallus himalayensxs. The Himalayan Snow-Cock. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : found in winter 270 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the down to 6000 ft. and in summer up to 16,000 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (common at high altitudes). This grand bird occurs in summeron the upper slopes of the Safed Koh, from about 9000 feet to the summit, but is rather scarce. Like the Chukor, it would often escape notice were it not so talkative. [1384.] Turnix tanki. The Indian Button-Quail. A summer visitor in small numbers, breeding on the grass-farm. [1387.] Rallus aquaticus. The Water-Rail. Ward, J. B. N. II. S. xvii. p. 945 (breeds in the Valley of Kashmir) . 402. rf . Dhand, 1200 ft., 17th November, 1906. This example, shot in reeds at Dhand Tank, was the only one met with. [1393.] Porzana pusilla. The Eastern BailkuPs Crake. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (large numbers pass through about the end of May) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (Kashmir). 692, 693. $ $ ads. Lachi, 1540 ft., 17tli March. Capt. Keen shot the first example on the 11th of February, 1906, and from then till mid-x\pril single individuals were met with at intervals. About the latter date the main body appeared, and up to the 20th of May large numbers continued to pass through, frequenting the grass-farm, irrigated crops, and cover near water. The bird has not been observed on the autumn migration, though common at Rawal Pindi (120 miles east) at that season. [1394.] Porzana maruetta. The Spotted Crake. 694. $ ad. Lachi, 1540 ft., 17th March. Passes through Kohat in fair numbers in March and April, frequenting reed-beds and irrigated crops. A great skulker, which may frequently be located by its peculiar loud call- note. [1398.] Amaurornis fuscus. The Ruddy Crake. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 945 (breeds in Kashmir). 281. S ad* Bandar, 4700 ft., 23rd June, 1906. 271 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. I found numerous nests of this species in a marsh near Dandar, in the Kurram Valley. They are usually fairly well concealed in clumps of reeds or grass, and are merely hollows scantily lined with bits of these plants. The first eggs are laid about the middle of June, the clutch varying from five to seven. In colour they are creamy- white profusely spotted with pale red, and the average measurements are 1*22 X *82 in. This species has brought the art of skulking to a high state of perfection, and it is only when the young have emerged from the shell that it shews itself at all. [14-02.] Gallinula chloropus. The Water-ITen. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 945 (Kashmir). A rather scarce winter visitor to Kohat ; more numerous at Dhand than elsewhere. It occurs chiefly on migration in March and April, when it is frequently caught. It breeds iu the Kurram Valley in small numbers. I found a nest at Dandar on the 9th of July. [1405.] Fulica atra. The Coot. Marshall, J. B. N. II. S. xv. p. 353 (Quetta: common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : shot in March at Drosh) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 693 (Seistan : a common resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (Kashmir). Abundant on Dhand tank throughout the cold weather, occurring also in other suitable places in small numbers. I met with a pair near Laclii as late as the 20th of May, so that a few are probably resident. [1407.] Grus communis. The Common Crane. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 345 (passes over Thall in great numbers : often driven back after storms) . Large flocks pass over the District from the third week in February till the end of March, returning in August and September, but rarely halting except in the Latammar Nullah or at Dhodha. Residents at Parachinar say that Cranes on migration flv straight over the Safed Koh Range (lowest point ll,760feet) and not round the western shoulder, but that they are fre¬ quently forced to turn back by storms. Major Magrath, too, 27 2 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead cm the has often observed them returning S.E. to Bannu after a storm. [1411.] Anthropoides virgo. The Demoiselle Crane. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 346 (Thall) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 693 (Seistan : a few occur in February and March) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (a winter visitor to Kashmir). This beautiful species passes through in big flocks from the end of March till about the middle of April (last flock seen on the 17th), returning in September. [1413.] Otis tetrax. The Little Bustard. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 945 (Kashmir: one shot in December). Very rare. We have never met with this species, but Air. Donald says that he has twice flushed the “ Butterfly” Bustard, as he calls it, from its peculiar flight, when hawking the Houbara. [1415.] Houbara macqueeni. The Houbara Bustard. Marshal], J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 (passes through Quetta in March and April) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 693 (fairly common in Seistan in spring : said to breed). A rather scarce winter visitor, but fairly plentiful on the spring migration in March. Mr. Donald frequently takes this Bustard with his trained Cherrug Falcon ( Falco cherrug), [1418.] (Edicnemus scolopax. The Stone-Curlew. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 (rare at Quetta) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (Kashmir). I only once met with this species in Kohat and that was near Sheikhan on the 22nd of August, 1906. Mr. Donald says that it occurs commonly in the desert-country between Yamrud and the mouth of the Khyber Pass, i. e. about 40 miles N.E. of Kohat. [1427.] Glareola lactea. The Small Indian Pratincole. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 346 (Thall) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 945 (said to occur in Kashmir). 273 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. A summer visitor from April till August. Col. Rattray found it breeding freely on the gravel banks in the Kurram River in April. It was very common when we passed through Thall in April and on our return in May. [1131.] Sarcogrammus indicus. The Red-wattled Plover. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 346 (common at Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (only one seen at Quetta, 5600 ft.) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (a few occur at about 5000 ft. in Kashmir). A resident in the plains ; abundant in summer, but scarce in winter. [1436.] Vanellus vulgaris. The Lapwing. Rattray, J. B. N. 11. S. xii. p. 346 (a few pass through Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (winter visitor to Quetta) ; Pulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : fairly common up to the end of May; probably breeds); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (winter visitor). Fairly common from October till the third week in March. [1437.] Chettusia gregaria. The Sociable Plover. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 346 (large flocks pass through Thall in April) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : common in winter ; saw some at Drosh, 4300 ft., at the end of May, probably breeds about there) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (scarce in Kashmir). I shot a solitary individual on the 6th of March on the parade-ground at Fort Lockhart, where it had alighted during parade. Many of those passing through in small flocks are in full plumage with black and chestnut on the abdomen. [1438.] Chettusia leucura. The White-tailed Plover. Cumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 694 (Seistan, 1700 ft.. May 6th). Mr. Donald shot a specimen on the grass-farm on the 31st of March, 1905, and sent it to Major Magrath for identification. This is the only occurrence in Kohat that I know of. In 274 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the Bannu, however, it is very common in winter about the larger marshes. [1446.] ^Egialitis alexandrina. The Kentish Plover. A somewhat rare spring visitor, arriving towards the end of February and disappearing before the end of March. Major Magrath has found it common in Bannu in spring and autumn. [1447.] ^Egialitis dtjbia. The Little Ringed Plover. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 346 (Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 353 (common at Quetta in spring); Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 694 (fairly plentiful in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (Kashmir). This species passes through Kohat in small flocks from about the end of February till the middle of May (last seen on the 20th) . The numbers vary a good deal. In the spring of 1905 Major Magrath noticed a great many passing through, but in the following year comparatively few were seen. On the gravelly shores of the Kurram it breeds abun¬ dantly from Thall up to Dandar, at lea^t Colonel Rattray found many nests near Thall, from the end of May onwards. I once saw an individual trying to escape observation by lying flat on the ground with head and neck extended, after the fashion of the Stone-Curlew. [1451.] Himantopus candidus. The Black-winged Stilt. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 (Quetta: common in March) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 694 (scarce in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (breeds in Kashmir). A rather rare visitor to Kohat from March till May (last seen on the 28th). Major Magrath says that it is very common in Bannu in spring. [1460.] Totanus hypoleucus. The Common Sandpiper. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 . (Quetta : occurs in April, but is rare) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : one shot on May 30th) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (breeds in Kashmir) . Occurs on passage in the spring and autumn, a few stragglers staying for the winter. 275 Birds of Kohat and Kurram. [1461.] Totanus glareola. The Wood-Sandpiper. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 62 (Chitral : one shot on the 6th of Mayj ; Cumming, t. c. p. 695 (common in Seistan in May) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (Kashmir). Occurs in numbers on the spring migrution in the irrigated fields round Kohat. [1462.] Totanus ochropus. The Green Sandpiper. Marshal], J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 (Quetta: common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 63 (Chitral : common in spring ; believed to breed in Chitral ; many found between 9000 and 14,000 ft. in July) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (Kashmir). Abundant on migration in April and May, and from the end of August till November; the majority leave about that time, but many stay for the winter in the plains, and a few non-breeding birds through the summer. It passes up the Kurram Valley in spring in great force, but does not stay to breed. [1463.] Totanus stagnatilis. The Marsh- Sandpiper. Not at all common, but a few individuals pass through every year between February and the middle of May, being generally found about the irrigated parts of the grass-farm. [1464.] Totanus calidris. The Redshank. Cumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 695 (Seistan); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946, & xviii, p. 464 (fairly common in Kashmir in winter ; breeds in Ladak). I have only met with one solitary example, and that was on the 17th of March near Lachi. Major Magrath, however, has found the bird very common in Bannu in winter. [1466.] Totanus glottis. The Greenshank. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 946 (Kashmir). A fairly common cold-weather visitor, arriving in October and leaving towards the end of April. [1468.] Pavoncella pugnax. The Buff. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 353 (Quetta : one shot in February) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (a winter visitor to Kashmir) . 276 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the Occurs in large flocks on the grass-farm and other suitable places from the end of February till the middle of May (I shot a single bird on the 17th). [1471.] Tringa minuta. The Little Stint. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 63 (common in Chitral in April and May); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (Kashmir). Appears in small flocks towards the end of March, and is abundant about irrigated fields and shallow tanks, in com¬ pany with Sandpipers, till the middle of May. Not met with in autumn. [1474.] Tringa temmincki. Temminck's Stint. Arrives and leaves about the same time as the Little Stint, but unlike that species is almost always found singly. I have only once met with it in autumn, on the 26th of October. [1482.] Scolopax rusticula. The Woodcock. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 354 (Thall : a rare winter visitor) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : winter visitor) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 63 (resident in Lower Chitral, but scarce) ; Battray, t. c. p. 663 (nests freely in the Murree Hills above 8500 ft.) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 695 (scarce in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 946 (breeds in Kashmir). A winter visitor from November till the middle of March, but not common : there are, however, several favoured spots in the District which can usually be counted on to hold one bird or more. In the gardens of Kohat itself some half- dozen are shot every winter. [1484.] Gallinago ccelestis. The Common Snipe. Battray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 316 (Thall : common in March) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : fairly com¬ mon) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 63 (Chitral : a few noticed in April) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 695 (Seistan : abundant from September to April) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p 947 (breeds in Kashmir) . Passes through in varying numbers from the last week in January till the middle of April. Few stay in Kohat, but 277 Birds of Kohat and Kurram . in the Kurram Valley, where there is plenty of good feeding- ground, bags of fifty and sixty couples of this and the next species are often made in a few hours. On the return passage in autumn comparatively few halt. [1487.] Gallinago gallinula. The Jack Snipe. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : occasionally met with) ; Camming, op. cit. xvi. p. 695 (Seistan : said to be fairly common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (Kashmir). The same may be said of this bird as of the last, but it is not quite so common. [1488.] Rostratula capensis. The Painted Snipe. Rattray, J, B. N. H. 3. xii. p. 347 (Thall in March); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (a resident in the Kashmir Valley). Rare in Kohat. Capt. Keen shot a specimen in April 1904, while Mr. Donald and Major Venour shot several early in July 1907 and saw others. In the Kurram Valley it is a permanent resident, but is not common. [1498.] Hydrqprogne caspia. The Caspian Tern. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall) ; Camming, op. cit. xvi. p. 696 (common in Seistan). Colonel Rattray saw a party of seven near Thall on the 22nd of May and shot one. Capt. Keen and Mr. Boyle observed a large solitary Tern on the Toi near Hangu between the 20th and 26th of March, 1906, and from their description it must, I think, have belonged to this species. [Major Magrath has also met with Larus ridihundus and L. cachinnans in Bannu, and as they both occur in Kashmir, they probably also do so in the Kurram Valley.] [1499.] Sterna anglica. The Gull-billed Tern. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall : common in March) ; Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 696 (Seistan : common). Small flocks pass through Kohat from the beginning of April till May (last seen on the 5th), and are then usually to be met with about the grass-farm or feeding in irrigated fields. SER. IX. — VOL. III. U 27 8 Lieut. C. II. T. Whitehead on the [1504.] Sterna melanogaster. The Black-bellied Tern. Cummin^ J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 696 (Seistan: not common). Major Magrath observed tliis species in some irrigated fields near Doaba on the 18th of May, 1907. In Bannu he says that it is common. [1526.] Phalacrocorax carbo. The Common Cormorant. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : a few seen in March). A fairly common bird on the Indus between Khushalgarh and Makhud. It also occurs occasionally up the Kohat Toi ; Capt. Lyall sent me a specimen that he had shot on this stream near Hangu. [1527.] Phalacrocorax fuscicollis. The Indian Shag. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347. Colonel Rattray shot an example near Tliall in February; 1898; after a heavy storm in the Kurrarn Valley: it was the only one that he saw. We have never met with this species. [1544.] Plegadis falcinellus. The Glossy Ibis. 1. Juv. Kohat; 1760 ft.; 22nd August. The only example that we have seen was a bird of the year which Mr. Donald shot in his garden on the 22nd of August, 1905, and sent to Major Magrath, who forwarded the skin to the Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society. Mr. Donald flushed another on the grass-farm. [1545.] Platalea leucorodia. The Spoonbill. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall : a big flock, at the end of May). I came across four Spoonbills on the grass-farm on the 30th of May, 1906. The following year, on the 30th of April, Major Magrath and I were standing on the Peiwar Kotal (8200 feet) when a flock of about twenty came up from the Kurrarn and passed close overhead ; but appa¬ rently not relishing the strong north-west wind which met them as they topped the Kotal (t. e. pass), they wheeled round and flew back down the valley. 279 Birds of Koliat and Kurram. [1546.] Ciconia alba. The White Stork. Occurs regularly on the spring migration either singly or in small parties. In the Kurram Valley we saw a flock of some two hundred near Dandar on the 20th of April. Single individuals continue to pass through up till the end of May. [1547.] Ciconia nigra. The Black Stork. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 947 (occurs early in spring in Kashmir). Not common ; but small flocks are seen every winter from January till the end of March. [1554.] Ardfa manillensis. The Eastern Purple Heron. I flushed three individuals out of the Lachi reed-bed on the 20th of May, 1906, while Major Magrath and I came on a small flock in the reeds at Dandar in the Kurram Valley in April 1907. These are the only occasions on which we have met with this Heron. [1555.] Ardea cinerea. The Common Heron. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall : one or two always about) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : com¬ mon, especially in March) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 63 (only a few seen in Chitral) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 696 (common in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (abundant in the Vale of Kashmir). Fairly common in suitable places, especially along the Kurram River. Probably a resident species. [1559.] Herodias alba. The Large Egret. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : fairly common in February); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (Kashmir). Colonel Rattray writes A few birds appeared at Thall in the middle of May for a day or two ; one was shot and brought to me, it was in splendid breeding-plumage V We have not met with this species ourselves in Kohat, though Major Magrath has found it quite common in Bannu in winter. u 2 280 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the [1565.] Ardeola grayi. The Pond-Heron. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 947 (breeds in Kashmir). Abundant in the plains in summer, arriving in the beginning of April, and nesting freely in the cantonments. A few stay through the winter, if fairly mild. [1568.] Nycticorax griseus. The Night-Heron. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (rare, but presumably resident at Thall) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 9 17 (breeds in Kashmir). Personally I have only met with this species in summer from April onwards ; but a few individuals appear to be resident, as Colonel Rattray observed it at Thall in winter, and Major Magrath at Bannu. It occurs in Koliat and the Kurram Valley (up to 4800 feet at least), but is not common. [1570.] Ardetta mintjta. The Little Bittern. Cumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 696 (Seistan : one speci¬ men) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (breeds in Kashmir). I found a nest with seven slightly incubated eggs in a reed-bed near Dandar on the 9th of July, 1906, and shot the male bird. The nest was a flat pad of reeds on a stump, three feet above the water. I have several times put up a Little Bittern, either this species or A. sinensis, in the reed- beds in the plains in April and May, but have not secured a specimen, so cannot say to which form it belonged. [1574.] Botaurus stellaris. The Bittern. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall : very rare) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 696 (Seistan : one shot in De¬ cember) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (a winter visitor, but not common). 72. Adult. Kohat, 1600 ft., 7th January. A fairly common winter visitor, both to Kohat and the Kurram Valley. Leaves early in April (last seen on the 8th). [1579.] Anser ferus. The Grey Lag- Goose. Cumming, J. B. N. H. S. xvi. p. 697 (common in Seistan in winter) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (abundant in winter). Birds of Kohat and Kurram,, 281 Mr. Donald has shot this species on the grass-farm ; but it is very rare in Kohat, though occurring regularly in the Kurram Valley in spring. [1588.] Casarca rutila. The Brahminy Duck or Ruddy Sheldrake. Rattray , J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (rare at Thall) ; Mar¬ shall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : occurs in February and March) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (a winter visitor to Kashmir, breeds in Ladak). Passes through Kohat from the middle of February till the middle of April, but is not common. [1587. Tadorna cornuta (S. G. Gm.). Major Magrath writes that the Sheldrake is a regular spring visitor to Bannu in small numbers.] [1592.] Anas boscas. The Mallard. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 347 (Thall : common in March) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 64 (passes through Chitral) ; Gumming, t. c. p. 697 (Seistan : common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 947 (a few nest in Kashmir). A winter visitor and one of our commonest Ducks; it disappears towards the end of March. [1595.] Chaulelasmus streperus. The Gadwall. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall: common in March) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 697 (not common in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir). Scarce in winter, but becoming fairly numerous in spring. Some stay very late : I shot an individual out of a party of three on one of the reedy tanks near Lachi on the 20th of May, 1906; they appeared to fly quite well. 1 was unable to visit this spot again before autumn, so cannot say whether the bird nests there or not. Colonel Rattray also writes : — “ One male was shot out of a party of three in June [at Thall] and brought to me/’ [1597.] Nettium crecca. The Common Teal. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall: very common 282 Lieut. C. H. T. Whitehead on the in spring) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta: common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 64 (Chitral : common on migration) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 697 (Seistan : abundant and apparently resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir: occurs in June and July in the Valley, but no eggs found). Quite our commonest Duck and the first to arrive. The 9th of September is the earliest date on which I have noted it. As with all Ducks in Kohat, it is much more numerous in autumn and spring than in winter. It leaves towards the end of April. [1599.] Mareca penelope. The Wigeon. Fulton, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 64 (passes through Chitral) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 698 (Seistan : winter visitor) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (fairly common in winter in Kashmir). Not common, but usually occurs in March and April. [1600.] Dapila acuta. The Pintail. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall : one flock seen in March) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : fairly common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 64 (Chitral : passes through in February and March) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 698 (Seistan: a winter visitor); Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (common on passage in Kashmir) . Passes through in small numbers in February and March. [1601.] Querquedula circia. The Garganey. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir : common on passage) . Mr. Donald shot one of a pair (a male) on the grass-farm in October ; this is the only occurrence of the Garganey in the District that I have heard of. [1602.] Spatula clypeata. The Shoveller Duck. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall : common in spring) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : fairly common in winter) ; Fulton, op. cit. xvi. p. 64 (Chitral : passes through in March and April) ; Cumming, t. c. p. 698 (Seistan : com¬ mon in wunter and probably resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir). 283 Birds of Kohat and Knrram. Not common in autumn and winter ; but large numbers pass through in spring. Some individuals stay very late, and I have noticed them all through April and up to the 20th of May. [1604.] Netta rufina. The Red-crested Pochard. Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall : occurs in March) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : common in winter) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 698 (Seistan : common in winter, probably resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir: common in February). Not common, but found throughout the winter at Dhand Tank, and occasionally elsewhere, up till the end of March. [1605J Nyroca ferina. The Pochard. Marshall, J. B. N. EL S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta: common in winter) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 698 (Seistan : common and doubtless resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 ( Kashmir) . Next to the Teal this is our commonest Duck in the cold weather. [1606.] Nyroca ferruginea. The White-eyed or Fer¬ ruginous Duck. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta: common in February) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 698 (Seistan: common in winter) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (Kashmir : a common resident). Less common than the last species, but fairly abundant on Dhand Tank in the winter. It leaves towards the end of March. [1609.] Nyroca fuligula. The Tufted Pochard. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : common in March) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 698 (a winter visitor in Seistan) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 948 (common, especially in March). I have only met with this Duck at Dhand, where it is abundant and occurs throughout the winter, at least up till the end of March. 281 On the Birds of Kohat and Karr am. [1611.] Erismatuba leucocephala. The White-headed Duck. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : February) ; Gumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 699 (Seistan : very common in winter^ perhaps resident) ; Ward; op. cit. xvii. p. 949 (not common, but a regular winter visitor in Kashmir). Very rare. I observed single birds at Dhand on the 18th of November; 1906, and the 21st of February, 1907, but could not get a shot ; it is, however, an unmistakable species. Capt. MacNab, I.M.S., shot one at Mardan (thirty miles north of our limits) on the 12th of November, 1899 {vide J. B. N. H. S. xiii. p. 182). [1612.] Mergus albellus. The Smew. Kattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 348 (Thall : February) ; Marshall, op. cit. xv. p. 354 (Quetta : common in winter) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 949 (Kashmir : often seen on the Wular Lake; breeds on the Shyoh). An immature bird was brought in to Major Magrath on the 26th of December, 1905. I also observed a big flock on the Indus on the 18th of February, 1907. [1613.] Merganser castor. The Goosander. Ward, J. B. N. H. S. xvii. p. 949 (shot on the Wular Lake and seen on the Indus). A rare winter visitor, occurring on the Indus, where Mr. Donald has shot it. [1616.] Podicipes nigricollis. The Eared Grebe. 403 & 404. Dhand, 1200 feet, 17th November. Occurs regularly every winter on Dhand Tank, staying at least up till the end of March. The first example that I saw was one Capt. Keen shot in November 1905 at Jand, just beyond our limits. [1617.] Podicipes albipennis. The Indian Little Grebe. Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xv. p. 354 (Quetta: common in spring) ; Cumming, op. cit. xvi. p. 699 (Seistan : resident) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 949 (resident in Kashmir). A very common resident at Dhand, while a few individuals occur in other suitable localities. Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt. 285 XI. — Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt. — No. II. Birds of the Province of Giza. Part 1. By Michael J. Ntcoll, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plate IV.) The following paper is chiefly based on a collection of birds made by myself during a residence of two and a half years at Giza, supplemented by notes from Captain Flower. I do not offer it as a complete list of all the birds occurring in the Province, as I have only mentioned such species as have come under my personal observation or have been vouched for by competent correspondents and friends, amongst whom I should specially mention Mr. E. W. Buckley, Mr. G. E. Burnett-Stuart, Capt. J. W. H. Seppings, and Capt. J. B. Jenkinson. Owing to the number of birds on which I have notes it will be necessary to divide the paper into three parts, in the course of which several species will be recorded for the first time from Egypt. The resident birds of Egypt are few in number as regards species, compared with the migrants, and are somewhat local in their distribution, for which reason it will be seen that several well-known Egyptian forms are not included in my paper. The Province of Giza extends for some seventy miles along the banks of the Nile, from about seventeen miles north of Cairo to about six miles north of Beni Souf. North of Cairo it is confined to the west bank of the river. Immediately above the town, however, both banks are included, while for about the last seventeen miles it includes the east bank only. The Province consists of a narrow strip of alluvium, varying from about six miles at its greatest breadth, which is on the west bank only, opposite Cairo, to three and a half miles at Kafr Ammar, where^'both banks are included. The rest is desert, the highest surveyed point being 330 metres (or 1083 feet) above the Wadi Hof near Helwan. 286 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions 1. Turdus music us Linn. Turdus musicus Shelley, Birds of Egypt, p. 66. The Song-Thrush is a regular winter visitor, arriving in late autumn and remaining till early spring. I have on several occasions counted from twelve to fifteen examples together on one of the lawns in the Giza Zoological Gardens about sunset. During the day they frequent the tops of the various species of Ficus , where they feed on the small figs. The examples which I have examined in Egypt are paler above than most British specimens. I have frequently heard the Thrush singing in the Giza Zoological Gardens. 2. Turdus iliacus Linn. The Redwing, which is not mentioned by Shelley or any other writer on Egyptian birds — so far as I can ascertain, — appears to be a winter and spring visitor here in small numbers. I have never met with more than two individuals together. I possess a male specimen, obtained in the Zoological Gardens on March 18th, 1907. 3. Turdus pilaris Linn. Turdus pilaris Shelley, p. 65. The Fieldfare seems to be a rare visitor to Egypt. On November 13th, 1906, I watched an example feeding on one of the lawns in the Zoological Gardens, and on the 21st of that month I saw five individuals flying high over the same part of the Gardens. A few days later I found a number of feathers of a Fieldfare — the bird had evidently been killed by a Sparrow-Hawk. 4. Turdus merula Linn., subsp.? Turdus merula Shelley, p. 66. The Blackbird is a regular winter visitor to Egypt. In some years it is more numerous than in others. All the individuals that I have met with have been very shy, and in the Zoological Gardens they keep to the thickest bushes and are rarely seen on the lawns. 5. Turdus torquatus Linn. Turdus torquatus Shelley, p. 67. I have an adult male Ring-Ousel in winter-plumage, which 287 to the Ornithology of Egypt. I shot on December 9th, 1906, in the Zoological Gardens. It was in company with severa. others. I have since heard and seen this species on two or three occasions during the winter months. 6. Monticola saxatilis (Linn.). Monticola saxatilis Shelley, p. 70. The Rock-Thrush appears to be migratory in the province. 1 have at present only seen it during the spring migration in April. 7. Monticola cyanus (Linn.). Monticola cyanus Shelley, p. 70. I possess two male specimens of the Blue Rock-Thrush — one shot at the Pyramids of Giza on November 9th, 1906, and the other from Abu Roash on April 6th, 1907. I have personally met with this species in spring and autumn in the province of Giza. 8. Saxicola cenanthe (Linn.). Saxicola cenanthe Shelley, p. 71. The Common Wheatear appears to be a regular spring and autumn migrant, though, so far as I have been at present able to ascertain, it does not visit us in large numbers. On arrival here in autumn the adult birds are in full winter- plumage — the feathers of the upper parts and the wing- coverts and quills are broadly edged with brown. I can at present see no signs of any spring moult in adults of this species ; the grey upper parts of the male are assumed by a casting of the brown edges of the feathers of the winter- plumage and the quill-feathers turn entirely black — in adult males — by the same process. 9. Saxicola cenanthe leucorrhoa Stejneger. This large form of the Common Wheatear passes through Egypt on both spring and autumn migrations, though it always appears later than the common form. I have from the province of Giza an adult male shot by Capt. J. W. H. Seppings on May 15th, 1907, and an adult male shot by myself on November 17th, 1908. 288 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions 10. Saxicola isabellina Ruppell. Saxicola saltatrix Shelley, p. 72. The Isabelline Wheatear seems to be resident in Egypt, for I have seen specimens shot in January, February, April, August, September, and December. This species frequents the cultivated lands more than the desert in the Giza Province. It is by far the commonest Wheatear found in the alluvial districts, and it is, in fact, the only Wheatear which is found on cultivated ground throughout the year. It moults in autumn. The sexes are indistinguishable, both as regards size and colour. 11. Saxicola occidentalis melanoleuca Giildenst. Muscicapamelanoleuca Giildenstadt, Nov. Comp. Petr. xix. p. 468, pi. xv. (1775). ? Saxicola eurymelana Shelley, p. 73. This form of the Black-throated Wheatear, which has the black extending to the upper breast, is a regular spring and autumn visitor to Egypt. I have seen it during both migra¬ tions in the province of Giza, but at present the only examples that I have are individuals shot during the autumn migration. A splendid white-backed male frequented the Zoological Gardens for several days during the spring migration of 1907. 12. Saxicola stapazina stapazina. Motacilla stapazina Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 331 (1766). Saxicola aurita Temm. Man. d'Orn. vol. i. p. 241 (1820). Saxicola amphileuca Shelley, p. 72. Saxicola stapazina Salvadori, Ibis, 1904, p. 75. The “ Eastern ” form of the Black-eared Chat seems to be a regular visitor in spring and autumn. I have examined the following specimens obtained in the Giza Province : — An adult male from Abbassia, April 10th, 1908 (Capt. J. B. Jenkinson) ; two adult males in full winter- plumage, obtained by myself at Giza, September 14th, 1908. During the spring migration of 1907 I saw an example of this form in the Zoological Gardens. to the Ornithology of Egypt. 289 In the spring the plumage of the Black-eared Chat becomes so much abraded that the feathers have an almost hair-like texture. There appears to be but one moult — in autumn. 13. Saxicola deserti Buppell. Saxicola deserti Shelley, p. 74. A male of this species frequented the Zoological Gardens for several days during November 1906; on December 11th, 1908, I shot an adult male near the Giza Pyramids, and on February 4th, 1909, 1 saw several others near the same place. 14. Saxicola lugens Licht. Saxicola lugens Shelley, p. 77. This is the most abundant Chat in the desert, where it is resident. I have nine specimens collected at different times of year, from the Giza Pyramids and the Wadi Hof; in the latter place it is abundant. The sexes are superficially alike, but the female has shorter wings and the black is not so intense as that of the male. A young bird (August lltli, 1908) is sandy brown on the crown and upper parts ; the wings and throat are, however, black, and at first sight it is possible to take it for an example of Saxicola deserti. The tail, however, is always more than half white. In the f Birds of Egypt 3 Shelley describes the present species as having the “ top of the head and nape pale dusky/'* This, however, refers to birds in winter-plumage, that is, directly after the autumn moult. In spring these parts, in old males at any rate, are pure white. 15. Saxicola leucopygia Brehm. Saxicola leucopygia Shelley, p. 79. At present I have only met with this species in the Wadi Hof. In habits it is very much more shy than S. lugens , though the two may be found in the same locality. There are two varieties of this bird. Some examples have the crown of the head white, while in others it is black like the remainder of the upper parts, but the difference does not appear to be due either to sex or season. I have an adult pair with white crowns which I shot in February 1908, an adult and a young bird with black heads obtained in August 290 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions of the same year, and three adults also with black heads obtained in December. Saacicola monacha I have not yet met with. 16. Myrmecocichla melanura (Temm.). On October 9th, 1907, I saw an example at close quarters, perched on a wire fence in the Zoological Gardens {cf. ‘ Ibis/ 1908, pp. 201 & 544). The species had not previously been recorded from Egypt. 17. Pratincola rubetra (Linn.). Pratincota rubetra Shelley, p. 81. The Whinchat passes through Giza on migration in small numbers in spring and autumn. 18. Pratincola rubicola (Linn.). Pratincola rubicola Shelley, p. 81. I have only met with this species during the winter months and have never heard of its occurrence during the summer. We have never met with P. r. hemprichi . 19. Ruticilla pikenicurus (Linn.). Ruticilla phcenicurus Shelley, p. 82. The Redstart is a regular spring and autumn visitor. In autumn it arrives in comparatively small numbers during the early part of September. The first arrivals are nearly always adults in full winter- plumage ; the immature birds follow a week or so later. In spring this species makes its appearance in far greater numbers about the middle of March. The first arrivals are invariably old males in full breeding-plumage and are followed later by females and younger birds. The migration lasts well into April. 20. Euticilla semirufa (Hempr. & Ehr.). Ruticilla semirufa Shelley, p. 84. I have not personally met with this species up to the pre¬ sent time, but have the skin of an adult male shot by Mr. A. L. Butler, near Giza, on February 16th, 1901. Capt. Flower, who was with Mr. Butler when this example was obtained, informs me that there were several Redstarts about that day. 291 to the Ornithology of 'Egypt. Doubtless they all belonged to this species, as it was at least a month too early for the arrival of the Common Redstart. Although this example very closely resembles specimens of R. rufiventris from India in the British Museum, I have thought it advisable to provisionally place it under the name given above, as it would seem that the present form is the more likely to occur in Egypt. 21. Ruticilla titys (Scop.). Ruticilla titys Shelley, p. 83. The Black Redstart is a winter visitor in small numbers to the Giza Province. 22. Cyanecula suecica suecica. Cyanecula suecica , Shelley, p. 85. The Red-spotted Bluethroat is a regular winter visitor to Giza Province. As regards its plumage and habits I have nothing to add to my former remarks (‘ Ibis/ 1908, pp. 492-3). 23. Cyanecula suecica leucocyana C. L. Brehm. Cyanecula wolfi Dresser, Man. Pal. Birds, p. 61. The White-spotted Bluethroat is a winter visitor to Giza, though in much smaller numbers than the typical form. I use the name leucocyana for this form, as the form or variety with an entirely unspotted blue gorget has been called wolfi ; and although the former name may not be in strict accordance with the laws of priority, it seems better not to make “ confusion worse confounded.” Of the entirely unspotted form I can say nothing. I have never obtained or seen a specimen in Egypt up to the present time. 24. Erithacus rubecula rubecula. Erithacus rubecula Shelley, p. 87. This form of the “ Robin ” is of regular occurrence during the winter months. In some years it appears to be more numerous than in others, but this may be on account of its habits. The Redbreasts met with here are comparatively shy, and in this respect maybe compared to the Bluethroats, The song is often heard during the winter. 292 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions All the Redbreasts that I have at present examined from Giza belong to the pale-breasted greyish-backed form, which differs considerably from the British E. rubecula melophilus. 25. Daulias luscinia (Linn.). Philomela luscinia Shelley, p. 88. Nightingales begin to arrive in Giza towards the end of March, and for about a fortnight they abound. Great numbers frequent the Zoological Gardens, and I have seen as many as fifteen together close to the verandah of my house. Very soon after their arrival they commence to sing. In the autumn I have only met with this species on three occasions. I think that it is probable that the birds follow a different route on their way south from that taken on the passage northwards in spring. In addition to its song the Nightingale utters in spring a curious shrill squeak, unlike anything I have heard in England. 26. Daulias Philomela (Bechst.). Philomela major Shelley, p. 88. I have only twice met with the u Sprosser 99 Nightingale in Egypt. On May 5th, 1907, 1 watched an example perched on a wire fence in the Zoological Gardens, and on November 1st, 1908, 1 obtained a specimen at Giza. The latter example had both feet considerably swollen, and this probably had retarded its passage southward. 27. Sylvia cinerea Bechst. Sylvia cinerea Shelley, p. 111. The Whitethroat appears to be a spring and autumn visitor in very small numbers. I saw a few during April 1907 in the Zoological Gardens, and obtained an adult male on the 12th of that month. I also have an adult female shot by Capt. J. W. H. Seppings on the 17th of April, 1907, at Giza, where I shot another adult male in winter- plumage on September 24th, 1908. 28. Sylvia curruca (Linn.). Sylvia curruca Shelley, p. 110. The Lesser Whitethroat is one of the most abundant to the Ornithology of Egypt. 293 visitors during the spring and autumn migrations. I have frequently heard it singing during the autumn. 29. Sylvia subalpina Temm. Sylvia subalpina Shelley, p. 109. The Subalpine Warbler is a regular visitor in spring, though not in any great numbers. The only record of this species during the autumn is of one example which I saw on November 27th, 1906, in the Zoological Gardens. 30. Sylvia conspicillata Temm. Sylvia conspicillata Shelley, p. 109. Capt. Shelley inserts this species with “ some hesitation,” as he did not meet with it in Egypt. Dr. Walter Innes obtained it in the Wadi Hof in the Province of Giza> and in the same place I have found it in Eebruary and December 1908. 31. Sylvia melanocephala Gm. Curruca melanocephala Shelley, p. 107. I have occasionally met with this species in spring and winter in the Zoological Gardens, but have as yet procured no specimens. 32. [Sylvia mom us. On March 14th, 1907, I watched a bird, which 1 feel sure was Bowman’s Warbler, in my garden, but was unable to obtain it. This species is not mentioned by Capt. Shelley.] 33. Sylvia orphea Temm. Curruca orphea Shelley, p. 104. Two birds which I fancy were Orphean Warblers fre¬ quented the Zoological Gardens during November 1906. I have no specimens of the species from Egypt, and at present agree with Capt. Shelley that it is of rare occurrence in that country. 34. Sylvia rueppelli Temm. Curruca rueppellii Shelley, p. 106. liiippelPs Warbler is a common visitor during the spring SER. ix. — VOL. III. x 294 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions migration. It makes its appearance during the last days of March. I have only one record for the autumn — an adult female, which I shot near Giza on August 21st, 1907. I believe this species to have but one moult in the year, namely, in autumn. 35. Sylvia atricapilla (Linn.). Curruca atricapilla Shelley, p. 105. The Blackcap arrives in September, and is one of the few Warblers that spend the winter in the Zoological Gardens. I have frequently heard it singing from November onwards till April, when it takes its departure. This bird moults in autumn, and undoubtedly some individuals moult again completely in spring ; I fancy, however, that these are young birds of the previous year. The same remarks as regards moult apply to the Lesser Whitethroat ( Sylvia curruca). 36. Sylvia hortensis (Gm.), Curruca hortensis Shelley, p. 104. I have once or twice seen Garden- Warblers in the Giza Zoological Gardens during the autumn migration, but have no specimens from Egypt. 37. Aedon galactodes (Temm.). Aedon galactodes Shelley, p. 85. The first Bufous Warblers make their appearance in March. The earliest date on which I have seen one is on the 17th, but the main body do not arrive till April, from which month onward, until they take their departure in September, they are abundant. 38. Phylloscopus bonellii (Vieill.). Phyllopneuste bonellii Shelley, p. 101. Bonelli's Warbler is a regular visitor in large numbers during the spring migration, and again in much smaller numbers during the autumn movement southward. 39. Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Bechst.). Phyllopneuste sylvicola Shelley, p. 101. The Wood-Wren appears to be a regular visitor in to the Ornithology of Egypt. 295 small numbers during the spring migration. At present I have only met with it in my garden, where during the month of April in 1907 and 1908 a pair or two frequented a mulberry-tree for several days. 40. Phylloscopus trochilus (Linn.). Phyllopneuste trochilus Shelley, p. 103. The Willow- Wren arrives in September, but only remains a short time, its winter-quarters evidently being further south. Very few reappear during the spring migration in March and April. I have not yet met with the northern subspecies P. trochilus eversmnnni (Bp.). 41. Phylloscopus rufus rufus. Phyllopneuste rufa Shelley, p. 102. Tne Chilfchaff arrives during September and spends the winter in Giza. I have heard it in song in November, but the majority do not begin singing before February *. By the end of April all have taken their departure. Some Chiffchaff s have a moult of the contour feathers in spring, but 1 have not as yet been able to ascertain whether this is restricted to yonng birds of the previous year or not. The first arrivals in autumn of this species are usually adult birds in full winter plumage. 42. Phylloscopus rufus, subsp. ? ? Phylloscopus collybita ahietina Hartert, Vog. d. pal. Fauna, Heft iv. p. 503. This northern 99 form of the ChiffchafF differs from the typical form in its slightly larger size and much whiter under parts ; in this respect it stands in the same relation to the typical bird as the Northern Willow- Wren (P. trochilus eversmunni ) does to the Common Willow-Wren (P. trochilus trochilus). This subspecies arrives here in October and remains till March. My attention was first drawn to the bird by its extraordinary call-note, which can only be * After the autumn moult the Chiffchaff and many other Warblers may be heard in song, but this seems to be restricted to adult birds. x 2 296 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions described as resembling the “ cheep 31 of a very young chicken in distress ; by this it may be easily distinguished from the typical Chiffchaff, and so loud is the note that the bird makes its presence known at some distance. All those that I have met with seem much shyer than the typical form, and conse¬ quently are much more difficult to obtain. They are winter residents here, and are smaller and darker than typical specimens. 43. Scotocerca inquieta (Cretzsch.). (Plate IV.) Malurus inquietus Cretzsch mar, in Ruppell’s Atlas. Curruca fumula Hemp. &Ehrenb. Symb.Phys.fol. bb, 1833. Drymceca eremita Tristram, Ibis, 1867, p. 76. Drymceca inquieta Heuglin,Ornith. Nordost- Africa's, vol. i. p. 244. Scotocerca inquieta innesi Nicoll, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xxi. p. 98 (May 1908). The Egyptian examples of Scotocerca appear to be iden¬ tical with birds from the typical locality — -Sinai, though they are quite distinct from Asiatic specimens. The latter are greyer above and lack the white superciliary stripe of the typical form. The Scotocerca inquieta innesi which I described from Egypt must therefore be referred to the typical form. When comparing my examples at the British Museum I — seeing only Asiatic specimens and finding that these were labelled “ Scotocerca inquieta 33 and that both Dresser (Man. Pal. Birds, p. 142) and Sharpe (f Hand-list/ vol.iv. p. 234) gave the range of Scotocerca inquieta (Cretzsch.) as from Arabia Petrsea to N.W. Pnnjaub and N.W. of the Indus — ventured to describe the Egyptian bird as a new form. Dr. Hartert subsequently pointed out my mistake to me and I take this opportunity of correcting it. The typical Scotocerca inquieta is found in Egypt near Cairo, and in Palestine and Sinai, the Persian and Trans¬ caspian birds belonging to distinctly different subspecies. At present I only know of one locality in Egypt where this “ Scrub- Warbler ” may be met with, i.e. the Wadi Hof, near H el wan in the Giza Province. This Wadi Hof is a Ibis. 1909. PI. IV. 297 to the Ornithology of Egypt . rocky valley in tlie hills. I believe the bird to be a resident in this locality, as I have met with it and obtained examples in February, August, and December. It is extremely wild and shy for a small bird, and specimens are obtained with considerable difficulty. It seldom, if ever, takes refuge in a bush, but flies ahead, occasionally settling on the top of a rock. When hard pressed it invariably either flutters up the steep sides of the valley or flies away out of sight. The call-note of this bird is a shrill chirp and the song a short trill. It is not included in Shelley’s * Birds of Egypt/ 44. Drymceca gracilis deltae (Rich.). Drymceca gracilis Shelley, p. 98. The Graceful Wren- Warbler is resident in the Giza Pro¬ vince. Numbers nest in the Zoological Gardens. 45. Cisticola cisticola (Temm.). Cisticola schoenicola Shelley, p. 97. The Fan- tailed Warbler is abundant aud resident in the province. [46. Hypolais polyglotta. Phyllopneuste hippolais Shelley, p. 103. Capt. Shelley did not meet with the Melodious Tree- Warbler in Egypt, and I have no positive record of its occurrence ; but I fancy that I have seen it once in September and once in March in the Giza Zoological Gardens.] 47. Hypolais pallida (Hempr. & Ehr.). Hypolais elaeica Shelley, p. 100. The Olivaceous Tree-WTarbler is the most abundant of our breeding birds. The first individuals appear towards the end of March and at once begin singing. The song at first resembles that of the Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus streperus), but after the birds have been here a few weeks their notes become richer. I believe the Olivaceous Warbler to have two moults in the year. The nests are placed in a varietv of situations, usually in tall clumps of flowering plants or shrubs, but I have found several in the lower branches of fir-trees aud one in a branch of Bougainvillia overhanging water. Ry the end of October all the birds have taken their 293 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions departure. I have eleven specimens of this species from Giza ; in all of them the tarsi and toes are lead-coloured with a tinge of brown. 48. Locustella n^eyia (Bodd.). On September 28th, 1907, I saw a Grasshopper- Warbler in the Zoological Gardens. I have no other record of the species from Giza or Egypt. Capt. Shelley does not mention it. 49. Acrocephalus phragmitis (Bechst.). Calamodyta schcenob&nus Shelley, p. 91. During the autumn migration (September 1908) I found great numbers of Sedge- Warblers in the cotton-fields near Giza, and obtained a pair of adults and one immature example. 50. Acrocephalus melanopogon (Temm.). Calamodyta melanopogon Shelley, p. 93. I saw one example of this species outside the Zoological Gardens on August 23rd, 1907. This is the only occasion on which I have seen it in the Province of Giza. Some six years ago Dr. P. L. Sclater shewed me the skin of an example which he had shot close to the same place. 51. Acrocephalus aquaticus (Gm.). Calamodyta aquatica Shelley, p. 92. I saw an undoubted Aquatic Warbler near Giza, in a patch of cotton, on November 17th, 1908. 52. Acrocephalus stentoreus (Ilempr. & Ehr.). Acrocephalus stentoreus Shelley, p. 95. The Clamorous Great Reed- Warbler is probably a resident in Egypt. I have only one record from the Province of Giza. I saw an example in the Gardens of the Government Aquarium in the autumn of 1907. 53. Acrocephalus turdoides (Meyer). Acrocephalus turdoides Shelley, p. 96. Capt. Shelley did not meet with this Great Reed-Warbler in Egypt. I have an adult male which I shot in the Province 299 to the Ornithology of Egypt. of Giza on August 25th, 1907. On the same day I saw numbers of Red-backed Shrikes ( Lanius collurio ) and imagine that the Reed-Warbler had arrived from Europe in their company. It is certainly only a visitor to Egypt on migra¬ tion, its place being taken in this country by A. stentoreus. The present species may be at once distinguished from the resident bird by its deeper and stronger bill. 54. Acrocephalus streperus (Vieill.). Calamolierpe arundinacea Shelley, p. 94. The only record that I have of this species in the Giza Province is of two individuals seen on August 23rd, 1907, by myself just outside the walls of the Zoological Gardens, in a bed of bulrushes. 55. Sitta sp. On February 10th, 1903, a Nuthatch was seen by Capt. Flower in the Zoological Gardens. 56. Motacilla boarula boarula. Motacilla sidphurea Shelley, p. 127. Motacilla boarula boarula Hartert, Vog. d. pal. Fauna, Heft iii. p. 298. The European Grey Wagtail arrives in Giza iu the autumn and remains until the following spring. I have never seen it in large numbers. A pair or two may be met with daily during the winter in the Zoological Gardens. I have seen examples with the black throats of summer plumage in March. 57. Motacilla alba Linn. Motacilla alba Shelley, p. 126. The White Wagtail arrives in Giza during the beginning of October, and the first to arrive are nearly always adult birds in full winter plumage. A very short time elapses before the immature birds put in an appearance, and from that time onwards until April this species is most abundant. Large numbers frequent the Zoological Gardens, and I have fre¬ quently seen them singing while perched on the tops of some of the cages and buildings. This species has a moult of the 300 Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Contributions contour feathers in spring, but I do not think that the quills are shed then. Capt. Jenldnson informs me that in March 1908 he saw an almost pure white example near Mazghouna in the Giza Province. 58. Motacilla citreola Pall. I include this Wagtail among the birds of Giza on the strength of a single immature example shot by Capt. J. W. H. Seppings, not far from the Pyramids, on September 18th, 1907, and now in my collection. I have matched this example with specimens in the British Museum. It was doubtless a straggler, as the winter-quarters of the species are much further to the eastward. It is not unlikely, however, that wanderers should occasionally reach Egypt, as specimens have been obtained as far west as Heligoland and in Italy. 59. Motacilla flava flava. Motacilla flav a Shelley, p. 128. The Blue-headed Wagtail is a common visitor during the autumn and spring migrations. I have several specimens shot in September at Giza. [60. Motacilla flava borealis. Though Capt. Shelley does not mention this form as occurring in Egypt, and though I have up to the present time obtained no examples here, I include it amongst the birds of Giza, as there can be no doubt of its occurrence on migration. Hartert (Yog. d. pal. Fauna, Heft iii. p. 292) mentions it as occurring in Egypt, and I have a skin of an adult male procured by Mr. A. L. Butler in Khartoum in autumn. Up to the present time I have had little oppor¬ tunity of collecting migrating Wagtails in Egypt, and though thousands pass through the Province of Giza, even within a mile of the Zoological Gardens, I have seldom seen them actually inside the walls.] 61. Motacilla flava melanocephala. Motacilla melanocephala Shelley, p. 130. The Black-headed Wagtail is a regular spring and autumn to the Ornithology of Egypt. 301 visitor on migration. Great numbers pass during both migrations. Adult males in autumn plumage have the greater part of the black head obscured by the greenish edges of the feathers. One-year-old males in spring are almost exactly similar in appearance. I have not yet met with M. f. melanogrisea (Horn.). 62. Motacilla flava pygm^ea (Brehm). Budytes pygmceus A. E. Brehm, J. f. O. 1854, p. 74. ? Budytes cinereocapilla Shelley, p. 129. Motacilla flava pygmeea Nicoll, Ibis, 1908, p. 495. This small form, which appears to be nearest to M. /. cinereocapilla , is, I believe, a resident in the Giza Province. I have seen specimens obtained from September to May ; those obtained during the latter month were feeding young. Capt. Shelley remarks on the difference of measurement between his “ Budytes cinereocapilla ” and B. flava from Egypt, and for this reason I believe that his specimens of M. cinereocapilla are referable to the present form. I have not yet obtained the true Motacilla flava cinereocapilla in Egypt- This bird does not appear to have a spring moult, all examples that 1 have obtained in spring are in much worn plumage. 63. Anthus trivialis (Linn.). Anthus plumatus Shelley, p. 130. The Tree-Pipit is a regular visitor during both spring and autumn migrations. 64. Anthus pratensis (Linn.). Anthus pratensis Shelley, p. 131. The Meadow-Pipit appears to be a regular winter visitor in some numbers. It arrives in autumn and remains till the spring. 65. Anthus cervinus (Pall.). Anthus cervinus Shelley, p. 131. The Bed-throated Pipit winters in very large numbers in 302 Dr. R. B. Sharpe on the Province. As regards the habits and plumages of this species I have nothing to add to my former remarks (£ Ibis/ 1908, pp. 495-6). 66. Anthus spipoletta coutellii. Anthus spinolettus Shelley, p. 132. Anthus spinoletta coutellii Hartert, Vog. d. pal. Fauna, Heft iii. p. 281. This form of the Water-Pipit is an abundant winter visitor to the Province. It arrives in autumn and remains till April. 67. Anthus campestris (Linn.). Anthus campestris Shelley, p. 134. The Tawny Pipit appears to be resident in the Province. I have never found the nest, but this is no doubt owing to lack of opportunity. I have obtained immature examples in first plumage in autumn and adults in winter and spring. 68. Anthus iiichardi Vieill. The only example that I know to have been obtained in the Province is an adult male shot by myself on November 17th, 1908, near Giza. For the recorded occurrences of this species in Egypt, cf. ‘ Ibis/ 1908, p. 496. [To be continued.] XII. — A Note on Molpastes magrathi Whitehead . By 11. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates V. & VI.) The Editors have asked me to write a few words on the curious species of Bulbul which Lieut. C. II. T. Whitehead has lately named after Major H. A. F. Magrath (see Whitehead, Bull. B. O. 0. xxi. p. 48 (1908) ; id. Ibis, 1909, p. 114). Thanks to Lieut. Whitehead and Major Magrath, the British Museum contains an ample series of specimens of the Bulbuls which have served for the interesting essay they have written on these forms. Ibis. 1909. Pl.V. MOLPASTES MAGRATHI West, Newman imp. 303 Molpastes magrathi Whitehead . Molpastes intermedius. (Plate VI.) Molpastes intermedius (A. Hay) ; Oates, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, i. p. 272 (1889) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1909, p. 111. The three specimens from Kohat mentioned by Lieut. Whitehead (Nos. 634, 733, 735) appear to me to be certainly M . intermedius. They differ slightly inter se , the male having brown stripes on the lower flanks, while the others (male and female) are uniform ashy grey on the latter ; all have the dark brown ear-coverts of typical M. intermedius. This species probably interbreeds with M. leucogenys, accord¬ ing to Major Magrath, and Mr. Donald has twice seen the two forms pairing together. I have again examined the series which is enumerated by Lieut. Whitehead (above, p. 112), and 1 confess that I have never seen a more wonderful example of the hybridizing of birds in a wild state. There can be no question that all these specimens contain a certain amount of admixture, one of the other. Typical M. leucogenys has the chest uniform like M. leucotis (PI. VI.), and both have lemon-yellow under tail-coverts and pure white ear-coverts, whereas M. intermedius has brown ear-coverts and crimson under tail-coverts, as well as a decidedly long crest. When the hybrids have a mottled brown chest (M. intermedius), the ear-coverts generally follow the brown ear-coverts of M. interm, edius, and the crest is also long. The under tail-coverts vary from orange to crimson. There is, however, no rule as regards colour, and, as Lieut. Whitehead says, “ some are more like M. inter¬ medius, and others more like M. leucogenys or M. leucotis. I quite agree with what Lieut. Whitehead and Major Magrath say about M. leucogenys, of which the breast varies in colour, some birds being more ashy grey than others, but the under tail-coverts are always lemon-yellow. Sometimes there is some brown mottling on the chest, but as a rule this is uniform, and the ear-coverts are pure white, very few having any shade of dusky. Major Magrath observes on one of these specimens : “ Consorts with M. leucotis ” -, and adds that it seems likely that the two species interbreed, though he has not actually observed a 304 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected fertile cross. The series collected by my two friends certainly points to hybridizing, the ear-coverts when sullied with brown being accompanied by a browner and longer crest (M. leucogenys) , while pure white ear-coverts accompany a shorter and blacker crest (M. leucotis). Molpastes magrathi (PI. Y.) has deep orange-coloured under tail-coverts, sometimes slightly inclining to crimson. The chest varies from uniform ashy grey to grey with more or less black mottling, the feathers being black in the centre, writh ashy margins. I agree with Lieut. Whitehead that, ou the present evidence, it is impossible to pronounce these birds to be hybrids. They could only be hybrids between M. leucotis and M. intermedius, but the latter does not occur in Bannu. XIII. — Notes on some Birds collected during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. By Percy 1L Lowe, M.B.O.U. The following paper is chiefly based on a collection of birds which I made during the winter of 1907-1908, while cruising with Sir Frederic Johnstone in his yacht f Zenaida/ It includes, among others, notes on the species met with in some little-known islands off the north coast of Venezuela. Thanks also to Sir Frederic Johnstone, I have previously been able to describe the birds of Margarita and Blanquilla Islands, while some years ago Dr. Hartert described the birds of Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba (f Ibis/ 1893, p. 318) ; so that my present notes on the birds collected and seen in the island groups of Los Testigos and Los Hermanos make another step towards completing the account of the birds of this interesting chain of islands — the true Leeward Islands. In an endeavour to make them still more complete, I have added a list of the birds which I met with in the Cariaco Peninsula; for not .only must the geological formation of this interesting strip of land be referred to the same primitive period as is represented in Margarita, Blanquilla, Ibis. 1909. PI. VI 1. MOLPASTES INTERMEDIUS. 2. MOLPASTES LEUCOTIS. West, Newman imp. . 305 daring a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. Los Hermanos, and Los Testigos Islands (and, so far as 1 am aware, in the Curasao Group also), but the flora and avifauna present the same general characteristics and differ in an appreciable way from those of the mainland as a whole. To one steaming up the Gulf of Cariaco nothing indeed could be much more striking than the strange contrast which is exhibited on the one hand by the Peninsula, with its arid, desolate, and schistose rocks only scantily clothed with cactus and mimosa scrub, and on the other by range after range of tall mountains, luxuriantly forest-clad, which mark the Secondary limestone formations of the mainland. We have, then, off the coast of Venezuela a chain of islands which, together with the Peninsula of Cariaco, represent the remains of what in all probability in a remote Primary age was one continuous and large tract of land, and exhibit an avifauna which in general can be distin¬ guished from that of the mainland. In an old French atlas this chain of islands is designated by the name > Curasao ,, 23 -{ (Ridgway, Birds of N. & Mid. Amer.j Grenada „ 17*5 )> Mr. Ridgway Birds of North and Middle America/ part iv. p. 236) describes this subspecies as ei similar to M. g. gilvus (West Indian specimens), but slightly larger, with bill much larger, and white of chest less tinged with grey.” I believe, however, that the amount of grey on the chest is indicative of age, for I have specimens which I shot on Curasao which are distinctly more grey than those from Grenada and St. Vincent, and the same remark applies to 320 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected my specimens from Blanquilla. My Testigos birds are, however, paler below than those I have obtained in Grenada. Two examples in my collection, one shot by me on Margarita and the other in Tobago, seem to correspond to M. gilvus columbianus. The wings and tails in these birds are notice¬ ably much longer than in those under discussion. The Tobago Mocking-bird has been distinguished as M. gilvus tobagensis. C(EREBA LAURiE. Coereba laurce Lowe, Bull. B. O. C, vol. xxi. p. 108 (1908). Pour males and five females. Soon after landing on Testigo Grande 1 was astonished to meet with a black form of this genus similar to Coereba atrata and C. wellsi from St. Vincent and Grenada ; and I quickly became aware that it was quite common and well established there, for we soon shot as many specimens as we required, and its nests were everywhere in evidence. Previous to this discovery, an entirely black form of this genus had only been known from the two above-mentioned islands, so that the discovery of one here was of some interest. I have ventured to separate the Testigos bird chiefly on account of the fact that the bright crimson and tumid rictus which is so conspicuous an object in the St. Vincent and Grenada birds, is in this form entirely absent. The bill is also less curved. The fact that the tumid rictus is absent in this form cannot, I think, be put down to a change at the breeding-season, for in some of the examples which 1 shot the sexual organs were enlarged and the birds were evidently soon about to breed, although I did not find any eggs in several nests I examined. A fortnight before I had found the black Coereba in St. Vincent and Grenada busily engaged in breeding-operations, and I found both young and eggs on Grenada. The brightly coloured rictus was then a conspicuous feature. The nest of the Testigos bird differs markedly in appearance from that found in the other two islands, a large amount of vegetable down being interwoven into the outside structure. 321 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. The average lengths of the exposed culmen of male speci¬ mens shot by me are as follows : — Four males from Los Testigos . . 14*5 mm. Five males from St. Vincent . . 14 ,, Four males from Grenada ... 13 ,, The average length of wings = 62 mm., and of the tarsi = 18*5 mm. Females are rather smaller. The measurements given by Mr. Ridgway (( Birds of North and Middle America/ part ii. p. 423) of the only specimen in the Smithsonian Institute of Cosreba atrata seem to be much larger than is usually the case. Holoquiscalus luminosus. Quiscaius luminosus Lawr. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., July 1, 1878, p. 162. Five males and one female. These specimens agree in every respect with those which I obtained in Grenada. It is to be noted that this bird is not found on Margarita Island, where its place is taken by Quiscaius insularis. It is well represented on the island. Cariaco Peninsula. We left Los Testigos in the early morning of J an. 3rd, 1 908, and after a short stay at Cumana for pratique, proceeded up the Gulf of Cariaco and arrived at the Laguna del Obispo at dusk. This extraordinary inlet of the sea is situated about halfway up the southern rock-bound coast of the Peninsula. The entrance to it is very narrow and easily missed. Once inside, the voyager finds himself on an irregular sheet of deep still water of the deepest blue, studded here and there with small islets. Surrounding it on all sides, in the fashion of a Scotch loch, are high hills. They present a series of colours which vary from rich deep red to deep yellow-ochre. In the distance the iron-tinted soil seems in places to be frosted with old silver, an effect produced by the patches of silvery-toned cactus- scrub. Along the shores, stretches of bright golden sand alternate with the deep green of the mangrove-belts. Here and there on the lower slopes patches of acacia-trees 322 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected and the candelabra-like inflorescence of the agaves relieve the more sober tones of the cactus-scrub. The Cariaco Peninsula is about twenty-eight miles long by a few wide. It is everywhere of an arid and hilly nature. The vegetation is similar to that found on the lower levels of Margarita Island, and towards the eastern end becomes more luxuriant and varied. Our stay at the Laguna was on this occasion limited to a few hours, but, thanks to Sir Frederic Johnstone, I have had, on a previous occasion, the opportunity of exploring the surrounding country along with Dr. Bowdler Sharpe. My investigations at the eastern end have also been very limited, but from what I have seen I feel convinced that a more extended visit would amply repay the ornithologist. There can be little doubt that this strip of land and at least the Island of Margarita were formerly one. The rocks of both consist of Archaic schists. I give a list of the birds which I have met with in this interesting stretch of land : — Ortalis ruficauda Jardine. Quite common. Fupsychortyx pallidus Richmond. A well-marked species. Chamcepelia perpallida Hartert. Rhynchops niyra, Linn. I present in enormou9 quantities. Phalacrocorax species ? ) Pelecanus fuscus Linn. Breeding in the lagoon during our visit. But or ides virescens robinsoni Richmond. Cathartes aura (Linn.). Catharista atrata (Bartram). Polyborus cheriwayi ( Jacquinot). Parabuteo unicinctus (Temm.). Conurus ceruginosus (Linn.). Chrysotis P ochroptera ? rothschildi. (See below.) Agapornis. Ceryle alcyon Linn. Bolei'omyia pallida Richmond. Melanerpes subelegans (Bonaparte). Formicivora intermedia Cabanis. Dendroplex longirostris Richmond. Subleg atus arenarum (Salvin). Myiarchus tyr annulus (Miiller). Coryphospingus pileatus (Max.). Stelgidopteryx nijicollis uropygialis (Lawr.). 323 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. Tachycineta albiventris, Sharpe. Mimus gilvus subspecies F Polioptila plumbeiceps, Lawrence. Pcichy silvia griseipes (Richmond). Ccereba luteola (Cabanis). Volatinia jacarini splendens Richmond. Euetheia bicolor omissa (Jardine). Cardinalis phamiceus, Gould. Tanagra palm arum melanoptera. Icterus icterus (Linn.). Icterus xanthornus helioeides Clark. Molothrus atronitens, Cab. Los Hermanos Islands. On Jan. 9th, 1908, we steamed across the ten miles of sea which separates Blanquilla from the Los Hermanos Islets. A fresh trade-wdnd was blowing, and a strong current was running between them, so that we had some trouble in landing on Orquilla, one of the more northern of the seven islets. The group is situated forty-five miles due north of the north-west point of Margarita Island, which is itself about twenty miles or more from the mainland of Venezuela. They together occupy a space of about eight miles in a N.N.W, and opposite direction, and consist of masses of a granite-like rock (diorite), which rise more or less abruptly from the sea. Orquilla, the only islet that we had time to explore, is, so far as we could judge, about two miles or more long by a mile wide. It rises to a height of 650 feet, and is covered with a thick growth of cacti, agaves, and tall coarse grass, while here and there are patches of sea-grape and fairly tall mangrove-trees. Near the top, dense masses of tall, upright Cerei grow to a height far above a man’s head. In the short time at our disposal (about five hours) at least two- thirds of the island was left unexplored, owing to the very great difficulty in making a way through the scrub, so that it is possible that there may be other land-birds there which we did not come across. At a height of 600 feet there is a long, saddle-backed ridge, nearly a mile long, which we had 324 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected to leave unexplored. The only other land-bird seen was a Peregrine Falcon. The whole island swarms with Iguanas. Sula cyanops (Sundeval). One adult male taken. These birds were nesting, but were not present in anything like the numbers of Sula sula or Sula piscator. I have seen them in far greater abundance on Arenas and Areas Cays in the Gulf of Mexico, where they seem to be more at home. On Orquilla they chose comparatively exposed and open spaces on the rocks. In no instance did they breed in trees or bushes. The nest, if such it may be called, is situated on the bare rock, and is not lined with either sticks or grass. In some cases I noticed a sort of ring of very finely divided pieces of rock formed round the shallow depression which does duty for the nest. These birds seem to breed rather later than either of the two other Gannets present on the Los Hermanos rocks. The colours of the soft parts, from notes taken on the spot, are as follows : — Tarsi greenish drab. Webs and feet dirty yellowish drab. Gular sac of an Indian-ink colour. Bill greenish yellow. . Iris yellow. These colours do not agree with those given by Mr. Cory in his f Birds of the West Indies/ Sula sula (Linn.). One adult male taken. Present in very great numbers, and nesting. The nests were invariably situated on the bare rocks, and lined with a few pieces of grass or twigs. The colour of the soft parts of this Gannet were taken on the spot, and are as follows : — Tarsi and upper surface of webs bright chrome-yellow. Under surface of webs greenish yellow. Gular sac bright chrome-yellow. Bill yellow at base, shading off into bluish grey. during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. 325 Iris pale grey. Eyelids edged with bright blue ; a patch of dark bluish green immediately in front of eye. These colours do not agree in any particular with those given by Mr. Cory in his f Birds of the West Indies/ Sula piscator (Linn.). This Gannet was present in greater numbers than either of the other two species. It appears to breed earlier, and, at the time of our visit, there were already young in all stages of down, a few being quite big birds. The nest is formed of twigs, grass, and sticks very roughly put together, and is ludicrously small in comparison with the size of the bird. It is invariably placed in either mangrove or sea-grape bushes. By far the greater number of nests were occupied by birds in the white-tailed stage of plumage, entirely white birds of the most adult stage being very scarce. One egg only is laid. The colours of the soft parts have been recently described by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Nicoll. Birds wrhich I obtained on Little Cayman Island, whence examples have been distinguished by the name of Sula coryiy do not appear to differ in any respect, sufficient to justify distinction, from birds obtained in other parts of the Caribbean Sea. I have found the Little Cayman Gannets breeding at exactly the same time as those on Los Hermanos. The cause which has led these three species of Gannet, so similarly circumstanced, to constantly build their nests in dissimilar positions would be an interesting subject for speculation. Fregata aquila (Linn.). These birds were present in numbers amounting to many hundreds. They were busy breeding, and the island was covered with nests which contained eggs and young in various stages of nakedness and down. The nest is formed of sticks and twigs, with a comfortable lining of dry grass, similar to the long coarse grass which ser. ix. — VOL. in. z 326 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected grows among the boulders amidst which they were breeding. The nests on this island were raised some little way off the ground, and rested, as a rule, on the centre of a thick tussock of loug grass or on some low spreading shrub. We found none until we had reached an altitude of about three or four hundred feet, and the birds chose ground of the roughest and rockiest description, so that they were partly hidden among boulders, long grass, and cactus. Only one egg appears to be laid. The young bird when hatched is naked. The parent birds were astonishingly tame and confiding. The commonest form of plumage which we noticed was that in which the head, neck, nape, and back were all black, relieved by a beautiful greenish-purple sheen, the throat and thorax being white. Next came a form in which the head, neck, nape, and breast were entirely white; while infinitely the rarest variety was that in which the head and neck were black, but the throat exhibited the conspicuous and remark¬ able red gular pouch. The first stage consists apparently of both young males and females, the next of older females, and the last of old males. I saw all three varieties incubating. So far as I have been able to observe, it is only the fully adult male that exhibits the extraordinary balloon-shaped pouch, which it can distend at will. I, however, noticed some birds, apparently not fully- adult males, with orange gular sacs, and some, apparently still younger males, with the white throat and breast, mottled and streaked with black, in a stage antecedent to the perfectly fully-adult male. These appeared to have no distens;ble gular sac, or at any rate it was not apparent. The fully-adult males were very shy, and I could not get near enough to take photographs of the few I found sitting on nests. As we reached the top of the island (650 ft.), some of these old males were soaring against the strong trade-wind just above our heads. The vivid red, almost translucent, and distended pouch waggled about in the breeze in a somewhat ludicrous way. It appears to have a constricted and elongated neck, which during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea . 327 allows it to e( flop about ” in an apparently purposeless manner. The colours of the soft parts in young males and young females are as follows : — Bill pale bluish grey, light lavender-blue at base. Interramal bare space pale lavender-blue, darker here and there. Iris sepia-brown ; circumorbital bare space dark cobalt-blue. Webs and feet pale flesh-coloured. The two birds from which the notes of these colours were taken were a male and female respectively, with the entirely black head and nape. I took them home in a frozen state to Mr. Py craft, and together we tried to distend the gular sac by artificial means, but after repeated efforts failed to do so. Phaeton ^thereus Linn. We found numbers of these beautiful birds breeding in holes among the broken masses of rocks which were strewn everywhere on the steep slopes of the island, but not until we had reached an altitude of about 300 feet. No attempt at making any sort of nest is made. At the time of our visit the nesting-places contained both eggs and downy young. The breeding-habits do not appear to differ in any particular from those of P. americanus , except in regard to the time of year at which the birds commence. I have found the latter species breeding in the Bermudas in the middle of May. ChAMjEPELIA perpallida. Columbigattina passerina perpallida Barter!, Ibis, 1893, p. 304. I noticed a fair number of these Ground-Doves. They were exceedingly tame and allowed us to approach within three or four yards of them. The specimens I secured are the palest I have seen. Margarops fuscatus (Vieillot). Margarops fuscatus fuscatus Ridgway, Birds North & Middle Araer. pt. iv. p. 265. 328 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected Two males and one female. The first specimen secured was shot at an altitude of about 400 ft., the other two on the central saddle-backed ridge (600 ft.). It was rather strange to come across these Thrushes on an island which is entirely waterless. They appeared to be well established there, however. Dr. Hartert has recorded them from the Island of Bonaire, near Cura5ao. My specimens agree in coloration of plumage with typical specimens in the British Museum, but the measurements are rather smaller. They are as follows : — ■ Wing. Exposed culmen. Tarsus. mm. mm. mm. 131 26 32 132 25 32 131 26 32 The average measurement of the tarsus of birds in the British Museum collection is 36’5 mm. ; the average measurement (of males) given by Mr. Ridgway (‘ Birds of North and Middle America ’) is 37’5 mm. Euethia bicolor johnstonii. ♦ Euethia johnstonei Lowe, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xix. p. 6 (1906) ; id. Ibis, 1907, p. 120. A fair number of these dark little Pinches were present on the island and I shot several specimens. They are in every way identical with those which I obtained on Blan- quilla, where they are very numerous. It is remarkable that this bird, which lives amidst such very similar sur¬ roundings to the Curasao bird ( E . bicolor sharpei), should differ from it in such a marked manner. I had the opportunity of shooting and examining some examples of the latter a fortnight after visiting Blanquilla and Los Hermanos, and was surprised to find it such a light- coloured form. The chin, throat, and breast are of a dull slaty grey, while the Blanquilla bird is the darkest of the genus. The wings of nine males of E. b. johnstonei average 53*6 mm., while the tarsi average 16*3 mm. 329 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. Holoquiscalus insularis Richmond. Quiscalus insularis Richmond, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xviii. p. 675 (1896). Holoquiscalus insularis Ridgway, Proc. Wash. Ac. Sci. iii. p. 151 (1901). Five males and three females. We met with many examples of this insular form, which has thoroughly established itself on the island. Strangely enough, it is not found on Blanquilla, which is only ten miles away — at any rate, I have never seen a single specimen there during three visits. The differences between this form and Holoquiscalus lugubris which inhabits the mainland are only slight ; the males are rather larger, and the females differ in the much lighter brownish-grey colour of the throat, while the back and head are also lighter. Mr. Richmond says that the colour and pattern of colo¬ ration in the female are very similar to those of the female of Molothrus atery but are slightly darker. The average measurements of my birds are as follows : — Wing. Tail. Exposed culmen. Tarsus. mm. mm. mm. mm. Five males . . 118 95 27 31 Three females . 102 83 23 28 Vo of my males are not fully adult. They are much browner above and below than adult birds, and some of the quill-feathers are almost pure hair-brown. All my specimens are in poor plumage, and the wings and tails are somewhat worn. These birds are apparently fond of a little animal diet, for I watched a female trying for a long time to break the egg of a Gannet which had just left its nest. It kept persistently hammering at the egg with its bill, and on being driven away quickly returned to the nest and commenced operations again. I saw them feeding on the flowers of the Agave, in the calyces of which they apparently find many insects attracted by the honey. Tn 330 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected Cuba I have also seen the candelabra-like flower-scapes of the Agave crowded with another Icterine bird, viz. Icterus hypomelas . Blanquilla Island. On January 7th we arrived at Blanquilla Island, which Sir Frederic Johnstone had very kindly consented to touch at again to enable me to get a series of specimens of the Parrot found there, which I had been unable to do during our previ¬ ous visit. In addition to securing seven of these birds, which are to be found in abundance on the island, I also obtained one or two examples of a Tyrant, Tyr annus dominicensis (Gmelin), which I did not meet with on our first visit to the island in 1906, and four more examples of the Myiarchus which I have referred in my paper on the birds of Blanquilla (f Ibis/ 1907, p. 118) to Myiarchus tyrannulus. I think there can be no doubt, however, that these birds should be called Myiarchus brevipennis Hartert. I have compared my examples with a series kindly sent to me bv Dr. Hartert from the Tring Museum, and mine appear to be identical with his. Chrxsotis rothschildi. Chrysotis rothschildi Hartert, Bull. B. O. C. iii. p. xii ; id. Ibis, 1893, pp. 123, 328; Lowe, Ibis, 1907, p. 117. Six males, two females, and one immature specimen unsexed. I have compared my series of Parrots from Blanquilla with a series from Bonaire, which Dr. Hartert kindly lent me for comparison from the Tring Museum. It included the two types of C. rothschildi. As noted above, I have referred my Blanquilla birds to this form, but the series is rather puzzling. Some of my specimens agree with C. rothschildi in that the green coloration extends to the lower mandible, and is seen as a bar on either side of the chin. The distribution of the yellow colour on the vertex and sides of the head also agrees with Dr. Hartert’s description of this bird; but, on the other hand, several of my examples exhibit 331 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. the rich golden or orange-yellow on the chin and throat which is present in C. ochroptera, whereas in C. rothschildi Dr. Hartert states that no yellow feathers are to be seen on the throat. As regards, too, the red coloration of the cubital edge , which Dr. Hartert makes a point of distinction between the two species, in some of my birds it is marked, in others not at all. As regards the yellowish-green coloration of the outer bend of the wing, my specimens agree with his description, and in all of them the feathers of the abdomen and back shew black edges, while in most the abdomen is tinged with blue. One has some bluish feathers mixed with the yellow on the forehead, a character which Dr. Hartert notes as also occurring in one of his examples from Bonaire. I agree with him in thinking this a sign of immaturity. To add to my difficulty I have a specimen which I shot on the Cariaco Peninsula which more closely corresponds with Dr. Hartert’s description of C. rothschildi than any of my Blanquiila birds, and two specimens from Margarita Island also have green on the cheeks and sides of the face, whereas others I brought from this island undoubtedly correspond with examples of C. ochroptera. It would be strange if out of all the nine birds I shot on Blanquiila there was not one in really fully adult plumage, and if the series actually illustrates different phases of the plumages of C. ochroptera. Swan Islands. On Jan. 19th, 1908, after a passage of over a thousand miles from the Island of Cura£ao, we came to anchor in a charming little bay at the western end of these two small twin islands. They are situated at the western end of the Caribbean Sea, and lie ninety-eight miles nearly due N.E. from Patook Point, which is the nearest part of the mainland of Honduras. Although in some respects disappointing from an ornitho¬ logical point of view, yet no island, however small, which is so isolated, can possibly be altogether uninteresting. The 332 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected two islands, which are separated by only a shallow channel two or three hundred yards in width, together stretch for four or more miles in an easterly and westerly direction. The easternmost has always remained uninhabited. The western island is now occupied by the owner and his family. Both islands, except where clearings have been made in the last fifty years, are densely wooded, and until about the year 1840 they had remained completely uninhabited ; but in the old buccaneering days they seem to have occa¬ sionally been visited by the sea-pirates, who used them as a rendezvous for cutting off Spanish vessels returning to Europe. The islands apparently owe their name to the famous Captain Swan. So far as resident and really indi¬ genous birds are concerned, the islands are, as 1 have indicated, disappointing ; but, considered from a migratory point of view, they would no doubt form an excellent point from which to observe birds in the spring and autumn migrations to and from Central America. I was informed by the owner that at these seasons they were visited by a great influx of birds. Similarly to what obtains in the Caymans (180 miles distant), Humming-birds are not represented, and, strangely enough, I did not come across a single representative of the Tyrant family, nor any examples of the genus Coereba . CoLUMBA LEUCOCEPHALA Linn. This is a common and well-established species. It breeds on both islands, and is not nearly so shy as such Pigeons usually are. On the eastern island it is, in fact, almost confiding, and I shot six or seven specimens with a small collecting-gun in less than half an hour. Colours of soft parts in the fresh state : — Iris white or creamy white. Cir cum, orbital bare space white on a pinkish background, which here and there shews through the white. Base of mandible and maxilla dull crimson-lake, dull crimson, or dark brownish purple, according to age. during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. 333 Tip of bill pale greenish white, horny white, or pearly green. Feet and tarsi bright crimson, claws brown. Columba corensis Gmel. Although I did not secure any examples, I was told that a second Pigeon was found on the island, and from the description given me I concluded it to be this form. Sula sula (Linn.). Nesting in quantities on the easternmost of the two islands. Young birds just able to fly are entirely brown ; u:ebs and feet dirty yellow. Bill slaty grey, not yellow at base. Irides pearly grey. Some of the nests on this island were made with a foundation of twigs and were lined with sea-grape leaves, while others were merely depressions in soft beds of a Mesembryanthemum-WkQ plant which covered the rocks near the shore. The island swarmed with iguanas, which were crawling about among the young Gannets. Sula piscator (Linn.). Many of these birds were nesting on the eastern island at the time of our visit. Fregata aquila (Linn.). A large colony of these birds was breeding on the eastern¬ most of the two islands, and, contrary to what obtains on the Los Ilermanos group, the nests were placed on the tops of fairly tall trees about twenty-five to thirty feet high, in some cases as many as eight or nine being found in one tree. The alarm-note (if such it is) of this bird while on its nest is peculiar, being a series of rapidly repeated half-guttural half-whistling sounds, very difficult to describe. While uttering these sounds the mandibles are alternately and rapidly opposed and separated, the interram al space being slightly distended. When alighting on its nest the Frigate- bird is extremely clumsy, and, if flurried, will often slip 334 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected through the branches and fall to the ground, where it is helpless and more often than not is unable to regain its native element through the thick overspreading branches. We found the desiccated bodies of several birds hanging by the neck from a forked branch, having evidently slipped down from their nests and been caught up by the fork as they fell. We had been previously solemnly assured by a West-Indian negro that Frigate-birds sometimes commit suicide. The owner of the island told me that these birds eat an enormous quantity of young turtles that have just taken to the sea, when they are unable to dive. I am not aware whether or no Frigate-birds are known to take draughts of water, but I watched for some time a band of about twenty hovering over a large pond of fresh water on the western island, and every now and then dipping down to it one after the other in the apparent endeavour to scoop some of it into their bills. The bill at each stoop was dipped lightly into the water, and I could discover nothing either on the surface or in the water on which they could be feeding. Dr. Adams, the son of the owner, assures me he has often seen Frigate- birds doing this, and he is convinced that they are then drinking. It is a mistake to suppose that they live entirely on animal-matter floating on the surface of the water, or on prey which they make Gannets and other birds disgorge, for I have myself seen one chase and capture a fine flying-fish which was skimming over the waves. If by any mischance a bird happens to find itself in the water, it is very seldom able to rise unless there is a fresh breeze, and it sooner or later perishes. Falco columbarius Linn. An American Merlin was seen and shot. The owner told me that he had been interested to note many Hawks of different species apparently following in the track of birds migrating during the autumn and spring. I have shot the present species in both the Grand and Little Cayman Islands. 335 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. Crotophaga ani Linn. I met with flocks of this Cuckoo in nearly every open space on the island. The only specimen I shot, a male, does not differ from those obtained elsewhere. In its stomach I found four lizards and the remains of several large beetles. This bird has probably established itself here recently, for it prefers open spaces, and sixty years ago the island must have been uniformly and densely wooded. jVIimocichla rubripes (Temm.). Mimocichla rubripes eremita Ridgw. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 575 (1887). This Thrush has been separated from the typical M. rubripes, which inhabits the western end of Cuba, by Mr. Ridgway on the ground that it 66 averages larger, has shorter toes/'’ and that “ the white of the chin and malar region is usually more extended.” During a stay of nearly three weeks various collecting- parties from the yacht hunted high and low and searched every corner of the island for this species, but without seeing a sign of it. It is strange if it has died out, for the owner of the island takes great care to preserve the birds. He tells me that occasionally he sees members of this genus in October; but that is a month of gales, and no doubt these birds have been blown over from Cuba, the Grand Cayman Island, or elsewhere. The measurements given by Mr. Ridgway (c Birds North and Middle America/ part iv. p. 85) would not, in my opinion, justify the creation of a new subspecies ; and the variation in extent of the white on the chin and malar region, which is the only other distinction given, does not seem to be constant according to Mr. Ridgway's description. Galeoscoftes carolinensis (Linn.). Several specimens taken. This bird was extremely abundant on the island, and I 336 Mr. P. E. Lowe on Birds collected was assured by the owner that it breeds there. It does not appear to differ from the form found elsewhere. Considering the distant localities in which this bird is found breeding, it appears to be a remarkably constant species. 1 have found nests and eggs in Bermuda. The eggs are of a beautiful Egyptian blue colour. Vireo noveboracensis (Gmelin). I shot a single example of this bird, which was the only one I saw. The throat and upper breast of this specimen are of a deep buff. Colours of soft parts : — Mandibles silvery white. Maocilla dark horn-coloured. Tarsi bluish grey. Claws whitish. I am rather surprised that Mr. Bidgway does not consider Vireo noveboracensis bermudianus Bangs a very satisfactory subspecies, for I have a series of nine examples that I shot in Bermuda, which, compared with birds from Florida shot at the same season of the year, are, strikingly and constantly, very much duller in coloration, and have not the same rich yellow of the under parts. Mniotilta varia (Linn.). I contented myself with ‘procuring two specimens of this Black-and- White Warbler, a male and a female. It was fairly abundant on the trees at the edges of the clearings. It is met with in the winter throughout all the West-Indian islands, and is far more like our Tree-creeper in habits than a Warbler. Helmitherus vermivorus (Gmelin). One adult male. This was the only example of this Warbler I saw. It is a winter visitor from the Eastern United States. 337 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. Dendrceca coronata (Linn.). I noticed several bands of these birds feeding in the recent clearings, and shot one or two specimens. I have also seen many of them on the Grand Cayman Island. This species is a winter visitor from North America, Dendrceca dominica (Linn.). I shot a male example of this Yellow-throated Warbler. It was the only example that I saw. It is a winter resident or straggler. Dendrceca vitellina Cory. Dendroica vitellina Cory, Auk, iii. 1886, pp. 497, 501. I obtained a series of thirteen of these little Warblers, which are peculiar to these islands and the Grand Cayman. It consists of adult males and females, and also of individuals in various stages of immature plumage. The bird is very abundant on both the Swan Islands and is extremely tame. It differs from D. discolor in being larger and in lacking the chestnut spots on the back. The broad black streaks along the sides of the breast and flanks which are so conspicuous in D. discolor are either entirely absent or are only faintly indicated by dusky streaks. It is incorrect, as Mr. Ridgway states / Birds of North and Middle America/ part ii. p. 610), to say that they are always absent, for in some specimens which I have obtained, both on these islands and the Grand Cayman, the faint dusky lines are easily observed. I have compared examples from the Swan Islands with my birds obtained on the Grand Cayman and also with those which Mr. Nicoll obtained on the same island, and they appear to me to be identical. They also differ from specimens which I obtained on the Little Cayman (D. craivfordi Nicoll) in the points which Mr. Nicoll has already indicated. D. vitellina would seem to be a well-marked and very constant species. According to Mr. Ridgway Birds of North and Middle America/ vol. ii. p. 610) the under parts 338 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected of the young of this species in first plumage are entirely white, washed with yellow, so that eight immature birds in my series from the Swan Islands would appear to be in an intermediate stage between the young in first plumage and the adult. My two most immature birds are ashy grey above, with a slight tinge of greenish yellow on the lower back and upper tail-coverts ; lores and superciliary stripe white ; sides of face dusky, fringed with yellow on the cheeks; throat white; fore-neck and entire under surface of body pale yellow. The next three are similar to the foregoing, but have the lores and superciliary stripe tinged with yellow, as also the chin and throat, leaving a more or less white band across the lower throat, which separates the yellow on the chin and upper throat from that of the breast and remaining portions of the under surface. The four remaining examples exhibit an increasing amount of yellow on the lores, superciliary stripe, and entire under surface of the body. No trace of the white band across the throat remains, and they approach more nearly to the bright yellow of the adult bird. Dendrceca palmarum (Gmelin). I shot one or two specimens of this Palm-Warbler for identification. It was not so well represented on the islands as D. coronata , but is very common on the Cayman Islands. / Geothlypis trichas brachydactyla. Geothlypis trichas brachidactyla (Swainson). I noticed a fair number of these pretty little “ Yellow- throats.” Having unfortunately shot only one specimen I am not sure that I am justified in referring it to the northern form of G. trichas. My specimen, however, seems to be identical with one I have in my collection from Eastern Mexico. The wing of this bird measures 57 mm. I have nine specimens which I collected on the north coast of Cuba in February 1907, the wings of which average 52*5 mm., and I consider that these birds should be referred to typical G. trichas trichas ; but Mr. Ridgway ('Birds 339 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. of North and Middle America/ part ii. p. 655) says, in dis¬ cussing the range of this form, “The only extra-limital specimens that I have seen which seem without douht refer¬ able to this form are from certain islands of the Bahama group.” It may be, however, that they should be referred to Mr. Chapman’s G. trichas ignota, with which I have not been able to compare them. Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.). I observed a few examples of this “ American Redstart ” and shot a female specimen. Of birds seen and identified, but of which I did not think it necessary to tajie specimens, the following is a list : — Arenaria interpres (Linn.). JEgialitis wilsonia (Ord). Ardea crerulea Linn. JBotaurus lentiginosus (Mont.). Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmel.). Falco peregrinus anaturn (Bonap.). Ceryle alcyon (Linn.). Besides these I was informed that, among many others that I was unable to identify with certainty from the descriptions given, the following birds constantly visited the islands : — Aristonetta valisneria (Wils.). 41 were once shot in one week. Nettion carolinensis Gmel. Querquedula discors (Linn.). Mareca americana (Gm.). Gattinula galeata (Licht.). Common in Grand Cayman Island. Passerculus sandwichensis (Wils.). Tyr annus dominicensis (Gmel.). I have unfortunately been unable to consult Mr. Ridgway’s notes on the birds of this island (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. 1888, p. 576), and so I am unaware of w7hat birds were met with by Mr. Townsend when he visited it in February 1887. Grand Cayman Island. Leaving the Swan Islands on the evening of Feb. 10th, we 340 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected arrived in the afternoon of the next day at the Grand Cayman Island, and anchored off Georgetown, the capital. Our stay here was limited to twenty-four hours, but in January 1904 Sir Frederic Johnstone had previously visited the Caymans in the yacht f Emerald/ and thanks to this I then had the opportunity, in company with Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, of making a more extended acquaintance with the many interesting insular forms with which these islands abound. As Mr. Nicoll (fIbis/ 1904, pp. 577-589) has lately given a description of the birds he met with there, I simply add some notes on some of the more interesting and peculiar forms. Neither Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, Mr. Nicoll, nor myself succeeded in finding any examples of Mimocichla ravida Cory, a Thrush peculiar to the Grand Cayman ; but I w^as informed by a squatter who lives on the northern side of the island, which is covered with tall trees and bush, that this bird breeds there and that he knows it well. Neither did we see anything of another bird which Mr. Cory has separated from Icterus leucopteryoc of Jamaica and to which he has given the name of Icterus bairdi. I covered a large amount of country where I should naturally have expected to meet with this bird, and I have read Mr. Ridgway’s description of it in his f Birds of North and Middle America \ (Mr. Ridgway has not seen an example), but I must confess to having some little doubt as to the status of the form. I make this remark because I am of opinion that, in these West Indian islands which are so often visited by hurricanes, when a bird is met with which is evidently quite rare and apparently struggling to exist we ought to feel quite sure that it is not merely a straggler from neighbouring islands or has been introduced, as is the case with Icterus icterus of St. Thomas, which I have found there but which does not differ from typical examples. Of the handsome Grand Cayman Parrot ( Chrysotis caymanensis Cory), I have never been able to shoot any examples, but I have seen it in the wild state and also in cages. It is quite common on the northern side of the island and is a well-marked species. during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea . 341 Zenaida spadicea Cory. Zenaida spadicea Cory, Auk, iii. p. 498. I have five specimens of this pretty Dove from the Little Cayman, where it is common. Unfortunately I have never been able to secure any specimens from the Grand Cayman. Mr. Cory has, on the strength of one specimen, provisionally proposed the name of Z. richardsoni for the Little Cayman form ; but, from the description he gives, his specimen is one not in fully adult plumage, and I prefer to think that the birds from the two islands are identical. This is a good species. Cham^epelia jamaicensis Maynard. Coluinbigallina passerina insularis Ridgvv. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. p. 574 (1887). Columbigallina jamaicensis Maynard, App. Birds West Indies, 1899, p. 34. I shot five or six of these Ground-Doves, which still appear to me to be identical with the birds found in Jamaica. I have previously (f Ibis,’ 1908, p. 107) given my reasons for preferring to drop Linnaeus’s specific name of passerina for this Dove and for calling it C. jamaicensis Maynard. During my last visit to the Grand Cayman I shot a Ground-Dove with the base of the bill crimson as in C. aflavida of Cuba, which was evidently a straggler from this island. I have over a hundred specimens of the genus from various islands in the Caribbean Sea in my collection, and this was the only occasion in which I have found the colour of the bill to vary from that normally found in the locality. Centurus caymanensis Cory. Centurus caymanensis Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 499, 502 (1886). I met with this Woodpecker in abundance, but only shot two examples. It differs from two specimens that I shot in Cuba in lacking the black superciliary mark. CoLAPTES GUNDLACHI Cory. Colaptes gundlachi Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 498, 502 (1886). I obtained six specimens of this very handsome Wood- SER. IX. - VOL. III. 2 a 342 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected pecker, which agree with Mr. Cory^s original description. I have never met w7ith its Cuban ally. El^nia martinica rush. Elainea riisii Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1860, p. 314. Elainea martinica Nicoll, Ibis, 1904, p. 582. Elcenia martinica caymanensis Berlepsch, Proc. Fourth Internat. Orn. Congr. 1907, p. 394. Count Berlepsch has lately separated this Tyrant on the ground that it “ differs from true E. martinica of the Windward Islands in being much paler and more uniform greyish-brown (less mottled) on the upper parts.” He says also, “ in colour they agree with E. riisii from St. Thomas and Curasao, but have the large measurements of E. martinica .” I have only three specimens from the Grand Cayman, but I have carefully examined a fine series collected by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Nicoll, while I have compared them with examples from St. Thomas in the British Muse jam and my owm collection, and they appear so similar that with all regard to such an authority as Count Berlepsch it appears to me that it would have been better to have referred this form to E. martinica riisii , which I venture to do. My examples from St. Thomas certainly give me the impression of being slightly smaller than examples from the Grand Cayman, but when measurements are taken the differences are very slight indeed. I notice that Mr. Ridgw^ay (£ Birds of North and Middle America,’ part iv. pp. 428, 429) has included examples of E. m. riisii with true E . martinica ; but the former bird is constantly and uniformly very much paler, and is also noticeably smaller, than examples from Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent. From a geological point of view this form, E. m. riisii, ought to be found in Porto Rico, Culebra, St. Thomas, St. John, and the whole of the Virgin Islands, which are all situated on the same submarine elevation. With the form or forms which are found in the happy 343 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. hunting-ground for new subspecies which lies between the islands of Anguilla and Montserrat, I have no personal field acquaintance ; but after cruising among these islands and observing how very close to one another and how small they are, and after studying charts of the surrounding submarine banks, I can only wonder if the creation of numberless subspecies is not a scientific mistake. Tolmarchus caudifasciatus caymanensis. Pitangus caudifasciatus Cory, Auk, iii. p. 502 (1886). Pitangus caymanensis Nicoll, Ibis, 1904, p. 582. Tolmarchus caymanensis Ridgw. Birds .North & Middle Amer. part iv. p. 681. I possess only one specimen of this species from the Grand Cayman. It agrees with Mr. Nicoll’s description of this insular form. Myiarchus sagr./E Gundlach. Myiarchus denigratus Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 500, 502 (1886). Mr. Cory says : u This is a very dark species, easily dis¬ tinguished from any other West Indian form.” I have compared my specimens, which I shot on the Grand Cayman, with six examples of M. sagrce which I obtained in Cuba, and I am in entire agreement with Mr. Ridgwray in not being able to distinguish the slightest difference between the two forms. My series from both islands were in very good plumage. MlMUS POLYGLOTTOS ORPHEUS. [ Turdus\ orpheus Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. x. i. 1758, 169. Two males which I shot are referable to this subspecies. I notice that Mr. Ridgway (‘ Birds of North and Middle America,’ part. iv. p. 232) does not admit the subspecific rank of Mimus p. portoricensis Bryant, from Porto Rico, but two birds in my collection from that island would seem to justify it. I found some low bush country near Guauica, in Porto Rico, simply swarming with this species, but unfortunately only shot two examples. 2 a 2 344 Mr. P. R. Lowe on Birds collected VlREOSYLYA CAYMANENSIS Cory. Vireo caymanensis Cory, Auk, iv. p. 7 (1887). Three males and one female. When compared with V. magister these birds differ in being paler green above and yellowish white instead of cchreous white below. Vireo crassirostris alleni. Vireo alleni Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 500, 501 (1886). Vireo crassirostris alleni Cory, Cat. W.l. Birds, pp. 116, 153 (1892). One male and one female. The nearest ally of this large-billed Vireo is V. crassi¬ rostris of the Western Bahamas, from which it hardly differs. The song of this bird is very similar to that of V. novce- boracensis ; so similar in fact that I shot these two individuals under the impression that they belonged to that species, and did not discover my mistake until getting back to the yacht. Otherwise I might have obtained several other specimens. Dendrceca petechia (auricapilla ?). Dendroica petechia auricapilla Ridgw. Birds North & Mid. Amer. part ii. p. 517. Dendroica aurocapilla Cory, Auk, vi. p. 31 (1889). Six adult males and one adult female. The Grand Cayman bird has been separated from D. petechia of Jamaica on the ground that it has decidedly shorter wing and larger bill and feet.” The measurements of four males which I shot in January 1904 are as follows : — Wing. Exposed culmen. Tarsus, mm. mm. mm. (!)••• ... 63 9-5 19-5 (2) . . . . . . 64*5 10*5 20 J8) • • • ... 64 10*5 20 (4) . . . . . . 625 10 195 According to the measurements given in Mr. Ridgway^s 'Birds of North and Middle America,’ the wings of male 345 during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. specimens of D. 'petechia from Jamaica average 65 mm., the exposed culmen 10*6, the tarsus 20 5. Dendrceca vitellina Cory. Bendroica vitellina Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 497, 501 (1886). One male and two adults unsexed. I have previously discussed this well-marked form in describing the birds of Swan Island. C(EREBA SHARPII (Cory). Certhiola sharpei Cory, Auk, iii. p. 497 (1886). Certhiola sharpei Nicoll, Ibis, 1904, p. 580. Seven adults and one immature specimen. An exceedingly common bird and met with nearly every¬ where, but especially in the outskirts of Georgetown, where it is attracted by the flowers. Its call-note reminded me somewhat of a Gold-crested Wren, but it is louder. These birds seem busy all the day through, creeping about among the branches and searching continu¬ ally for insects, which they seem to And as much among the leaves and their axils as in the interior of honey¬ laden flowers or pollen-laden inflorescences. The wings of my seven adult birds average 60*4 mm., while the exposed culmens of males only average 13*7 mm., which is a smaller measurement than that given by Mr. Ridgway (‘Birds of North and Middle America*), who states that the bill in C. sharpei is larger than in C. caboti from the Island of Cozumel, Yucatan. The plumage in nearly all my specimens is a good deal worn, so that the difference in wing and tail measurements between the two species must be very trifling. Two specimens which I shot on Little Cayman Island agree with those from the Grand Cayman. Melopyrrha taylori Hartert. Melopyrrha nigra Cory, Auk, iii. p. 501 (1886). Melopyrrha taylori Hartert, Nov. Zool. iii. p. 257 (1896). I have two males and one female of this insular form. One of the males is immature. They differ from the Cuban form M. nigra in the points indicated by Dr. Hartert. 346 Birds collected during a Cruise in the Caribbean Sea. I found this bird shy and not at all easy to procure. It frequents thick bush country. I found the Cuban bird fairly common at the eastern end of Cuba on the north coast, where it seemed to be more gregarious than in the Grand Cayman. Spindalis salvini Cory. Spindalis salvini Cory, Auk, iii. p. 499 (1886). I obtained four males of this fine species, which, owing to its skulking habits, is difficult to find. Mr. Cory has compared it with S. pretrei , but it is a much larger bird than that species. Mr. Ridgway, who has not seen any examples of this Cayman bird, very rightly says that, “ judging from the description, it seems to be more like S. benedicti than any other.” I have compared my specimens writh a series of the latter species in the British Museum collection and with eight examples of S. pretrei in my own, and I find that the chestnut coloration of the breast in S. salvini is more defined than in S. benedicti , the lower margin tending to be well differentiated from the clearer yellow of the lower chest, whereas in S. pretrei the colours blend imperceptibly and are lighter. The median throat-stripe is lighter in S. salvini as compared with S. benedicti and of a more yellowish tint, not “ more orange ” as suggested by Mr. llidgway, and the rump is paler — brownish orange as compared with chestnut. S. salvini is, in fact, generally less rich in coloration in every way than S. benedicti, but is far nearer to it than S. pretrei. The back in S. salvini is yellowish olive, and is distinctly lighter than m S. pretrei. I append wing-measurements of four specimens of each species : — S. salvini. S. benedicti. S. pretrei. mm. mm. mm. 88 80 72 88 81 69 85 79 74 85 82 73 The female has never been described. On attaching ( c Authorities ” to Scientific Names. 347 Holoquiscalus caymanensis (Cory). Quiscalus caymanensis Cory, Auk, iii. pp. 499-502; Ridgw. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1887, p. 574. Holoquiscalus caymanensis Ridgw. Proc. Wash. Ac. Sci. iii. p. 151 (1901). Three males and two females. This is a smaller bird than H. gundlachi, which is found in Cuba, and the contour-feathers in the male exhibit a bluish or violet-blue gloss as compared with a more purely violet gloss in Cuban birds. The quill-feathers have a beautiful bluish purple sheen, while the wing-coverts are shiny bluish green. Female (previously undescribed). Similar to the male, but distinctly smaller and duller and lacking the rich bluish purple gloss ; the black of the upper parts has a greenish hue, while the lower parts have a dull brownish tint, with hardly any gloss. Female examples of this genus which hail from the Greater Antillean Islands do not exhibit the brown coloration which obtains in those from the Lesser Antilles and further south. I append measurements of four males and two females. Wing. Tail. Exposed culmen. Tarsus. mm. mm. mm. mm. Ad. f the Heronries of fc Tweed/5 while the writer does not distinguish accidental cases of the breeding of a single pair from a Heronry proper. In the January number we find three consecutive ornitho¬ logical papers. Mr. Eagle Clarke reports the occurrence of Phylloscopus borealis at Fair Isle, the first record for Britain, and the second for Western Europe ; the Duchess of Bedford writes a couple of pages of Bird Notes from the Outer Hebrides, with notices of Muscicapa parva and Ruticilla titys ; and Miss E. Baxter continues her useful records from the Isle of May, and gives details of her observations and those of Mr. Maccuish in 1908. Blue- throats, Yellow-browed Warblers, Pied Flycatchers, Brani- blings, one Scarlet Grosbeak, and one Wryneck appear to be the most notable of the species met with. In the Zoological Notes we wish to draw special attention to the correction of a statement as to the Lesser Whitethroat nesting in the “ Tay 55 area, and to the records of the Blue- beaded Wagtail, Hawfinch, and Gadwall. 26. c Aquila? 1905-1907 * (vols. xii.-xiv.). [Aquila : Zeitsclirift fiir Ornithologie. Redact. Otto Herman. Tom. .xii.-xiv. Budapest, 1905-7.] ‘ Aquila/ as we all know, is the scientific organ of the Officium Hungaricum Ornithologicum/5 and the yearly volume is issued at Budapest with unfailing regularity. We have now before us those for three years — -namely, 1905, 1906, 1907. The Journal is naturally for the most part devoted to matters pertaining to the Birds of the Kingdom of Hungary; but it should be carefully studied by all who are interested in the Ornithology of the Western Palsearctic Region, as it contains a mass of infor¬ mation about species little known in the minute fragment of Europe which we inhabit. Bird-migration in Hungary is specially studied by a host of observers, and reports on this subject will be found in every volume of f Aquila.5 In that * See 4 The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 269. SER. IX. - VOL. III. 2 B 358 Recently published Ornithological Works. for 1905 is contained an excellent account by the late Prof. Newton of the three Naumanns and of the festival held in their honour at Cotheu, when the “Naumann-denkmal” was inaugurated. This is followed by a report on the “ Pro¬ ceedings ” of the International Ornithological Congress of 1905. W e may also call attention to Mr. Herman’s important essay on Geronticus eremita and its former existence in Europe in vol. xiv. (1907). 27. f The Auk.’ [The Auk. A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. Vol. xxv. Nos. 2, 3, 4 (April-October 1908).] The April number of our American contemporary begins with a long article by Mr. C. C. Adams on “ The Ecological Succession of Birds,” a title somewhat in the nature of a “hard saying” for the multitude. The author considers it high time that more attention was devoted to the nature of the birds’ surroundings, and to the effect of the permanence or change of those surroundings on the birds themselves. He also thinks that present works refer too exclusively to political or other convenient “ areas,” which are often of a highly com¬ posite nature — hill, moor, marsh, and so forth. He speaks for his own country, of course, and not for Britain, where we are deluged with books on the birds of the marsh, the birds of the shore, and the like ; but we quite agree with him in his estimate of the importance of a bird’s environment, and the changes which that environment makes in the creature itself, if indeed it does not necessitate its departure. In the April and October numbers, Mr. Buthven Deane gives details of a letter of Audubon to his family, of his letters of introduction carried on his Missouri River Ex¬ pedition, and of the fate of the copperplates of the folio edition of the f Birds of America/ coupled with a sketch of the engravers. Mr. Deane is a well-known authority on such matters, and w^e are glad to read the articles from his pen referring to the great American Ornithologist, and also that by Dr. C. H. Merriam on the “King Cameos of Audubon” in the October number. Recently published Ornithological Works. 359 Next we may allude to articles by Dr. J. A. Allen on the vexed question of Strix v. Aluco (wherein his conclusions agree with those of Prof. Newton and Dr. Coues), and on Columbina v. Chamcepelia ; while these serve to draw our special attention to the Fourteenth Supplement to the A. O. U. Check-List given in the July number. The chief distributional paper is that of Messrs. Beyer, Allison, and Kopman on the birds of Louisiana (Pt. IY. April, Pt. Y. October), a most useful piece of work and far more than a mere list of species. In the April number we have also articles by Mr, W. A. Dawson on the Avifauna of the Olympiades (a name he proposes for three reserves among the islands off the West Coast of Washington State), by Mr. H. G. Smith on that of Colorado, by Mr. E. S. Woodruff on that of Shannon and Carter Counties, Missouri ; in July others by Mr. R. H. Harlow on that of Eastern Pennsylvania and by Mr. C. J. Pennock on that of Delaware; in October by Mr. A. A. Saunders on that of Central Alabama, by Mr. J. M. Edson on that of the Bellingham Bay Region in the north-west of the United States, by Mr. E. Thompson Seton on that of Manitoba, by Mr. N. Hollister on that of the Needles Region, California, and by Mr. A. B. Reagan on that of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota. Returning to the April number we find Mr. Ruthven Deane again to the fore with a short paper on the Passenger Pigeon in confinement (cf. ‘ Auk/ xiii. p. 234) and the probability of its immediate extinction; in July Mr. E. S. Cameron gives ns the benefit of his experiences with regard to the Golden Eagle in Montana, Mr. J. H. Riley discusses the broad-winged Hawks of the West Indies, and describes as a new subspecies Buteo platypterus insulicola, Mr. E. J. Court writes on the Treganza Blue Heron (with two plates), Mr. F. H. Allen on Larus kumlieni and other northern Gulls at Boston, Mr. J. H. Fleming on the destruction of Olor columbianus at Niagara, and Mr. A. H. Clark on the Macaw of Dominica (which he provisionally terms Ara atwoodi). The last-named paper should be read in connexion with the 2 b 2 360 Recently published Ornithological Works . review of Mr. Roths child’s f Extinct Birds 9 in the April number. Finally,, in October, Mr. E. S. Cameron describes the changes of plumage in Buteo swainsoni. 28. 1 The Avicultural Magazine ? [Avicultural Magazine. The Journal of the Avicultural Society. New Series. Vol. vi. Nos. 11, 12, Vol. vii. Nos. 1-5 (Sept. 1908-March 1909.)] The Editor of this Magazine, Mr. D. Seth-Smith, has the first claim upon our attention for his attractive article on his visit to Australia on behalf of the Zoological Society. This article is continued from September to March, and gives an account of his sojourn in West Australia, with trips to the mining centre of Kalgoorlie, the Forest region, and the Mammoth cave; from Freemantle he proceeded by sea to Adelaide, and thence by train to Melbourne, the Zoological Gardens at both of these places being a great attraction, while at the latter he took a further trip to the Penton Hills. To an aviculturist the whole story is especially interesting on account of the large number of Australian species of birds that may be kept in confinement. The allusion to Zoological Gardens leads naturally to the mention of a paper in November by Mr. R. I. Pocock on the breeding-habits of the genus Crax , as exemplified in the mating of a female of C. hecki with a male of C. globicera at Regent’s Park. The nest of twigs in a tree built by the male, the period of incubation by the female, the two white eggs, the remarkable precocity of the young and the method of feeding them are all duly chronicled, and give much information to the ornithologist. Success in breeding rare species in captivity seems to be now almost more the rule than the exception, a fact which must be most gratifying to the Society and on which we congratulate it most heartily. In his well-known aviaries at Gooilust, Mr. F. E. Blaauw has reared many rare species, among which Gallus sonnerati may be particularized (Nov.) ; and at Woburn the Duchess of Bedford has been equally successful, especially with several species of Cranes (Sept.). Recently published Ornithological Works. 361 In February, Mr. W. H. St. Quintin gives us a coloured plate of the Waxwing and another of its egg, wdiile relating liis unfortunate failure to rear the young that were hatched in 1903 ; in March he follows this up with notes on the breeding of the Eider and other Ducks, Tragopans, Capercaillies, and so forth at Scampston. In October Mr. G. H. Gurney, a new member, signalizes his advent by a good paper on Centropus sup.erciliosus, brought by him from British East Africa, which is preceded by a shorter notice in October on the breeding of Aramides ypecaha in his aviaries. In October, November, and March those constant con¬ tributors Mr. H. D. Astley and Mr. R. Phillipps join forces to write of Agapornis nigrigenis (col. pi.), and give an excellent account of its breeding, wherein we wish to call special attention to the habit noticed in some members of the genus of carrying nesting-material among the feathers so as to leave the bill free for climbing purposes. In September, October, J anuary, and March, Mr. Astley also writes on the nesting of Turacus corythaix3 on rare birds from New Guinea (especially the Paradise-birds in Mrs. Johnstone’s col¬ lection), on certain Thrushes, and on Bower-birds. In September, moreover, Mr. E. J. Brooks gives an account of the breeding in captivity of Artamus super ciliosus, and Mr. Williams of that of Conurus ceruginosus ; while Mr. C. B. Smith has furnished a series of papers in the various numbers on the display of the Monal Pheasant, on the Bock Ptarmigan and Harlequin Duck, and the nesting of Nothoprocta maculosa and Francolinus vulgaris on his premises. In November and December Mrs. Johnstone and Sir William Ingram are once more to the fore with articles on Paradise-birds, the former writing on Cicinnurus regius , of which she possessed two males and three females (col. pi.), and the latter on Paradisea rudolphi brought from New Guinea by Messrs. Horsbrugh and Stalker. In October Mr. T. H. Newman describes his successful attempt at breeding Geophaps scripta. 362 Recently published Ornithological Works. Lack of space forbids us to give details of all the papers, but Dr. Butler should be mentioned as contributing two in January and February, and Capt. Perreau contributes Some Notes on Indian Ornithology ” to the same numbers; while Mr. B. B. Horsbrugh gives in September an account of the breeding of Turnix lepurana as observed by him in South Africa. 29. Brogger on Birds 3 Bones from the Norwegian Kitchen- middens. [Vistefundet en seldre stenalders kjokkenmodding fra Jsederen. Av A. W. Brogger. Stavanger, 1908. 102 pp., 5 pis.] At Viste, in the parish of Rendeberg, on the south¬ eastern coast of Norway, not far from Stavanger, the remains of an ancient dwelling-house of the older neolithic stone-age were discovered in the autumn of 1907. This was accompanied by a large kitchen-midden, containing masses of shells of the sea-mollusks which had been consumed for food. But with these were also exhumed, after a careful search, remains of numerous other animals — Mammals, Birds, and Fishes. The bird-bones have been examined by our Foreign Member, Dr. Winge, who has kindly supplied us with a copy of this interesting memoir. They are referred to 27 species, nearly all well-known inhabitants of the adjacent sea-coast. But amongst them are also numerous fragments of the bones of the Great Auk ( Alca impennis ), which prove that this bird was used there in past ages as a regular article of food. The memoir is well illustrated by five lithographic plates and numerous text-figures. 30. Carter on a supposed new Grass-Wren. [Description of a supposed new Grass- Wren. By T. Carter, M.B.O.U. Viet. Nat. xxv. p. 86.] Mr. Carter describes Amytis varia as a new species, comparable1 with A. gigantura Milligan, Viet. Nat. xviii. p. 27, but probably different. It is, we suppose, from West Australia, but the exact locality is not stated. Recently published Ornithological Works. 363 31. Chapman’s ‘ On Safari.’ [On Safari. Big-Game Hunting in British East Africa, with Studies in Bird-life. By Abel Chapman. With 170 Illustrations. London: Edward Arnold, 1908. 1 vol., 8vo.] “ Big-Game,” we must allow, is tlie principal theme of Mr. Chapman’s volume, hut the references to Birds and the text-figures which illustrate them, taken from the author’s sketches, are so numerous and so attractive that we are quite justified in calling it a Bird-book also. “ Safari ” is a new word, and, we are told, “ has no precise equivalent in our British tongue.” Yet, being in daily use in East Africa and apparently meaning a “ hunting- expedition after big game,” it is a convenient expression which Mr. Chapman has taken leave to introduce into “our common language.” The author, on his three trips, entered British East Africa — “probably the most glorious hunting-field still extant, and certainly the most accessible”— by the usual steam-route to Mombasa, and by the so-called “ Uganda Railway,” which, however, does not touch Uganda at all. He went straight up into the great “ equatorial trench,” and encamped at various places in the highland district which shuts off Lake Victoria from the Eastern Ocean. On each occasion he spent many happy days in pursuit of big game in that hunter’s paradise. We will not follow him into his account of the slaughter of many mammals, which are not only fully described, but splendidly illustrated by well-drawn pictures taken from life, but we must at once call attention to his frequent remarks on the bird-life of the country, to which, as a well-known Member of the B. 0. U., he was bound to attend. These remarks are scattered throughout the volume, and relate to Sun-birds, Louries, Whydahs, Social Weavers, Nightjars, Boilers, Shrikes, Touracos, and a host of other forms which the luxuriant Avifauna of Tropical Africa possesses in such abundance. Although there are numerous scientific articles on the Birds of British East Africa, few ornithologists (except perhaps Mr. E. J. Jackson) have given us such good field-notes. Much may be learned from what Mr. Chapman 364 Recently published Ornithological Works. writes on the subject, and much from the excellent little sketches which he introduces into his text. It has been stated elsewhere that the Wood-Hoopoe {Irrisor) climbs trees like a Creeper, but this has never been so clearly shown as in Mr. Chapman's drawing (p. 243), which we have kindly been allowed to reproduce. Text-fig. 8.. The appendix of “ rough veld-notes on bird -life in British East Africa/' which concludes the volume, is, in our opinion, by no means so “ valueless to the scientific ornithologist " as the author supposes. It presents us with a good general idea of the varied forms of Birds characteristic of this favoured portion of the Ethiopian Region, and contains many interesting observations on their habits. We have read Mr. Chapman’s adventures “ on Safari ” with pleasure Recently published Ornithological Works . 365 and interest, and are sure that many other Members of our Union will do the same. 32. Collett on the Great Auk in Norway . [Nogle Bemaerkninger om Alca impennis i Norge. Af R. Collett. Christiania Vidensk.-Selsk. Forhandl. 1907, No. 8. Christiania, 1907.] Dr. Collett here gives a sketch of our knowledge of the Great Auk in Norway, beginning with Linnaeus, who, in his f Fauna Suecica 9 in 1746, cautiously says iC habitat in mari Norvegico , rarius ! ” He then proceeds to the recent dis¬ covery of its remains in kitchen-middens on the Norwegian coast. There is only one complete stuffed specimen of the bird in any of the Norwegian museums, of which an uncoloured plate is given. The bones from the kitchen-middens now in the Museum at Christiania are likewise described and figured ; they consist of fragments of the humerus and coracoid. Dr. Collett moreover describes a considerable series of the bones of the Great Auk which were exhumed by P. Stuwitz in 1842 on Funk Island, north of Newfoundland, and are also in the Christiania Museum. 33. Dresser on P alee arctic Birds’ Eggs. [Eggs of the Birds of Europe, including all the Species inhabiting the Western Palsearctic Area. By H. E. Dresser. Parts XIII., XIV., XV., XVI.] These four parts of Mr. Dresser’s work: treat of the Corvidae , Cypselidae , Caprimulgidae, Picidae , Alcedinidce , Cora- ciidee, Meropidce, Upupidae , Cuculidce, Strigidce , Phalacro- coracidae , Sulidce , Pelecanidce , Ardeidce , Ciconiidae , Ibididce (with Platalea ), Phcenicopteridae, and Anatidce . The eggs figured are those of members of the same families, with the addition of Phasianidae , Tetraonidce, Rallidce, Gruidce, and Otididae. The plates, as a whole, are even better than their precursors, and the three-colour process of photography is fully justifying its use for the representation of Oological specimens. The letterpress contains much interesting 366 Recently published Ornithological Works. matter, especially as regards those species whose homes lie to the eastward, and is in most cases sufficiently full as well as accurate. But the author does not appear to have brought his information quite up to date with regard to the distribution of species in Britain, or, perhaps wre should say, might advantageously give more ample details of that distribution in cases where fresh information has been acquired by those so carefully working at the British Avifauna. The Little Owl has now a far more extended range in England than that here assigned to it, and Bewick's Swan is numerous every winter in parts of the north-west of Scotland, and not only in some winters. Further particulars, moreover, might be added in the case of such Ducks as the Gad wall, Shoveled, and Wigeon. Mr. Dresser seems to imply that the Shoveler's nesting in Scotland is a matter of doubt, though it is known to do so in several parts, and the woodcut given depicts a nest from Fifeshire. Again, the Gannet is said to breed on Sulisgeir and Suliskerry.'' Now Suliskerry is a flat island (as a “ skerry '' always is), and no Gannet would think of nesting there. As is well known to residents in Northern Scotland, and may be gathered from such works as ‘ A Vertebrate Fauna of the Orkney Islands/ p. 160, the bird only breeds on (f Stack ” (or East Sulisgeir) and West Sulisgeir. The Stack is an almost inaccessible precipitous island and has no connexion whatever with “ Skerry.” With a few such exceptions the work is excellent, and gives us much information as to the new subspecies that have recently been proposed, though not invariably accepted by our author. It will be noticed that Mr. Dresser no longer maintains the specific title of Corvus leptonyx for Irby's Haven (C. tingitanus) and that he upholds the specific distinctness of the Grey-backed and Carrion Crows, while he appears to doubt the fact of the egg of the Cuckoo shewing a resemblance to that of the foster-parent, therein differing from the great majority of ornithologists. A printer's error of some importance is to be found under Recently published, Ornithological Works. 367 Caprimulgus ruficollis , where “ Kellingworth ” should be “ Killing worth." 34. Giglioli on Italian Birds. [Avifauna Italica, nuovo Elenco Sistematico delle Specie di Uccelli, stationarie, di Passaggio o di accidentale Comparsa in Italia ; coi nomi volgari, colla loro distribuzione geografica, con notizie intorno alia loro Biologia, ed un esame critico delle Yariazioni e delle cosidette sotto specie. Dal Enrico Hillyer Giglioli. Florence, 1907. Pp. i-xxiv, 1-784.] In the year 1886 Professor Giglioli earned the gratitude of the ornithological world by compiling his first ‘ Avifauna Italica,’ consequent upon a shorter memoir in the Roman Annals of Agriculture. He now gives us, in what may be termed a second edition, the results of his labours from 1886 to the present time, pending the completion of his illustrated folio work, f Iconografia delP Avifauna Italica.’ Much new information has been amassed in these twenty years, and the aid of the Ministers of Public Works and Marine has been invoked, and not in vain, to the assistance of Orni¬ thologists, chiefly with regard to the Migration and the Distribution of species. Further statistics are, as the author tells us, still needed ; but we have here a very satis¬ factory account of the birds of the Kingdom of Italy. Proper attention is paid to the new subspecies or species that have occurred in the country, more especially where “ neogenesis," or the birth of new forms (e. g. Athene chiarardia), has been asserted ; due weight is also given to the question of geographical races. Several of the specific names used are not those with which we are most familiar, but it would be impossible in a short space to discuss their validity. We must, in conclusion, draw particular attention to the excellent Introduction, which gives an account of the progress of Ornithology in Italy and a statement of the Professor's creed. He declares himself an unsparing opponent of the fashion of founding new species or subspecies on very slight, or mere individual, characters, and considers that such characters are unfortunately often confounded with those 368 Recently published Ornithological Works. that are truly specific, while he also inveighs against the unnecessary multiplication of synonyms and the use of tautonyms, and reminds us, as is very necessary nowadays, that nomenclature in Zoology is a means and not an end. Given proper characteristics, he is as ready as another to propose a new species : he is neither a “ lumper ” nor a splitter.” 35. The Grouse Disease Inquiry. [Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. Grouse Disease Inquiry. Interim Report. London, 1908.] We have lately received a copy of this Report, the evidence in which tends to certain conclusions, though the Final Report alone will justify our adherence to them as absolute facts. It appears that there may be two forms of Grouse Disease : firstly, the chronic, wasting, and generally fatal form, where the parasitic worms normal to the bird become particularly harmful in its weakened condition ; and secondly, the acute form, considered by Klein to be an infectious pneumonia con¬ nected with a special organism. As, however, this organism is also found in healthy Grouse, and individuals said to be attacked by acute disease in their full vigour have proved to be in an emaciated condition, Klein’s views are open to doubt, and the existence of a second form of disease is held to be not proved at present. One fact, however, has been made abundantly clear from the evidence of owners of moors, keepers, and local corre¬ spondents in touch with the appointed “ head-centres ” : namely, that there is an intimate connexion between health and the food-supply, which consists, as is well known, chiefly, though not entirely, of the shoots of Calluna (Ling). Over¬ stocking a moor simply means keeping more birds than the food-supply can maintain. Minor points to which attention is drawn are that Grouse do not eat frosted heather, and that the cocks succumb chiefly in spring and the hens in autumn, when the sexes are respectively at their weakest. It would not be fair to judge the Commission on the strength of the work of the first two and a half years alone, Recently published Ornithological Works. 369 and we must await the Final Report before definitely criti¬ cizing ; but certainly a good beginning has been made by studying the bird in its normal state and the conditions on which the health of moors depends ; while beyond this Mr. E. A. Wilson reports on the specimens examined and their crop- contents, Mr. A. E. Shipley on the Parasites, Mr. J. C. Fryer on the Insect Life of Grouse Moors, Mr. H. Hammond Smith on the observation-area established at Frimley, in Surrey, and Mr. R. H. Rastall on grits found in the gizzards of Game Birds. Full discussions of the Bacteriology, the Causes of Mortality, the Economic Value of Grouse Shootings, and especially the subject of Heather-burning, so important a factor in the health of a moor, have been held over until the Final Report stage. 36. e Irish Naturalist.’ [The Irish Naturalist. A Monthly Journal of General Irish Natural History. January to December 1908.] Comparatively few papers on Ornithology are to be found in the pages of the ‘ Irish Naturalist 3 for last year, but in April Hr. Scharff writes on the Determination of Sex in the Woodcock, in June Mr. A. Williams discusses Bird- Protection in Co. Dublin, followed by an article in September on Bird Life in Dublin Bay, and in October Prof. Patten gives an accout of his ee Rambles on Achill Island/' Unfortunately Dr. ScharfF’s careful investigations were fruitless, and no reliable distinguishing character could be discovered between the male and female Woodcock. Mr. Williams’s papers will be read with interest, and the titles speak for themselves. Prof. Patten spent more than a fortnight in September in Achill, and occupied himself in watching and photographing the interesting birds he met with, but he does not furnish us with any new records. In the “ Notes ” we may call attention to accounts of the overland flight of Sea-birds by Messrs. Praeger, Harvie- Brown, and Ussher ; to the first occurrence of Richard’s Pipit in Ireland (p. 59) ; to observations on Great Shear¬ waters and Fulmars off the coast by Mr. Ussher; to notices 370 Recently published Ornithological Works. of migrants at Bockabill by Mr. Barrington, and of Stock Doves in Wexford by Major Barrett-Hamilton. The November number is devoted to a full account of the Dublin Meeting of the British Association. 37. McGregor on Philippine Birds. [Notes on a Collection of Birds from Siquijor, Philippine Islands. By Richard C. McGregor. Philipp. Journ. of Science, iii. no. 6, Sept. 1908.] Our American friends continue their excellent work in the Philippines. The establishment of a 66 Biological Laboratory ” and of a 44 Journal of Science” so soon after their arrival on the scene are feats that may well put other Governments to shame. As regards Birds at least they have an engrossing subject before them. The preparation of an 4 Avifauna Philippinensis/ and the correct working out of the numerous representative species in the different islands, will be a task of much labour but of intense interest. In the present paper, Mr. McGregor, who is now the leading ornithologist at Manila, gives us an account of a collection from the coral rock of Siquijor, a little island lying close to Negros, and apparently comparatively recently provided with bird-life. Three species, however, have had time to develop into well-marked representatives — namely, Dicceum besti, Loriculus siquijor ensis, and Iole siquijorensis. Mr. McGregor enumerates 87 species from this island, thus adding 9 to the list given by Worcester and Bourns in 1898*. Among these is Acanthopneuste borealis (Blasius), of which two specimens were obtained. 38. Mair’s ‘ Mackenzie Basin.3 [Through the Mackenzie Basin, a Narrative of the Athabasca and Peace River Treaty Expedition of 1899, and Notes on the Birds and Mammals of Northern Canada, by Roderick MacFarlane. 1 vol., 8vo. 494 pp. London : Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., 1908.] This volume contains in the first place the narrative of an expedition sent into the 44 Great Mackenzie Basin” in 1899, * Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xx. p. 564. Recently published Ornithological Works. 371 in order to come to terms with the native Indians as to the surrender of their land-rights to the Canadian Government. In the second half the valuable field-notes made by the author's friend, Roderick MacFarlane, for many years a Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company, are reprinted. They have already appeared in the c Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum’ (see ‘Ibis/ 1892, p. 335), but are well worthy of repetition. The specimens collected appear to have gone to Washington, not to Ottawa, which would have been a more appropriate destination for them. 39. Martens on Magellanic Birds. [Ergebnisse der Hamburger Magalhaenischen Sammelreise, 1892-3. Herausgegeben vom naturhistorischen Museum zu Hamburg. Vol. I. Hamburg, 1896-1907. Vogel bearbeitet von G. H. Martens (Ham¬ burg).] Among the articles on the results of the Magellanic Collecting-Expedition sent out by the City of Hamburg in 1902-3, under the leadership of Dr. Michaelsen, is a chapter on Birds, prepared by Herr G. H. Martens, of Hamburg. The collection made on this occasion is stated to have consisted of 60 specimens, referable to 42 species. The examination of these specimens, which were placed in the Natural History Museum of Hamburg, did not result in any new discoveries, but this, considering the small size of the collection and the well-known features of the Avifauna of the country visited, does not seem very wonderful. Herr Martens has consoled himself for his disappointment at the meagre results (as regards birds) of the Magellanic Collecting-Expedition by compiling a List of the birds of the South Polar area, which, according to his investigations, embraces about 299 species referable to 176 genera. But we think that he has been unwise to include in his List the land- birds of the islands adjoining New Zealand (Chatham Island, Auckland Islands, &c.). The sea-birds, it is true, are nearly the same all round the South Polar seas ; but the land-birds of the New Zealand Islands are quite distinct. 3 ^ 72 Recently published Ornithological Works . and belong entirely to the Australian Region. The List, therefore, presents rather an incongruous mixture of Neotropical and Australian forms of bird-life. 40. Martorelli on the Parrots in the University of Naples. [Elenco dei Papagalli del Museo Zoologico Universitario di Napoli con note ed illustrazioni. Dal Prof. Giacinto Martorelli. Ann. Mus. Zool. Univers. Napoli, n. s. ii. No. 4 (1908).] At the request of Prof. Monticelli, the Director, Prof. Martorelli has undertaken the arrangement of the fine series of Psittacidse represented in the collection of the Royal Museum of Naples. He wisely follows Count Salvadori’s nomenclature and arrangement, and gives a few notes on the rarities. Pionus reichenowi of Heine is figured. 41. Mullens on the Bibliography of British Birds. [A List of Books relating to British Birds, published before the Year 1815, from the Library of W. H, Mullens, M.A., LL.M., P.R.S. Exhibited at the Corporation Museum, Hastings, during June 1906. With Seven Plates. Hastings and St. Leonard’s Nat. Hist. Soc. Occasional Publications, No. 3. Reprinted, with additions and correc¬ tions.] Mr. Mullens has kindly sent us a copy of this pamphlet, which he hopes to make the precursor of a larger work on the Bibliography of British Birds. Such a work was originally planned by Mr. W. R. Butterfield, who, in a short preface, announces that he has withdrawn in favour of Mr. Mullens ; while, from the extent of the latter’s library, it is evident that a better successor could not have been selected. The word u additions 99 on the cover of the pamphlet leaves us a little doubtful whether the books recorded are all in the author's possession, but we believe that such is the case. We are by no means desirous of criticizing so useful a list, but wish to suggest the addition, in the larger work projected, of more information as to the writers, their birthplace, works, and so forth. Mr. Mullens will, no doubt, also include books that he may not himself Recently published Ornithological Works. 373 possess, and notes on writers on British Birds quoted by such authors as Aldrovandi ( e . g ., Elliot & Wotton) ; certainly he should add accounts of the later editions of White’s i Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne/ which he disposes of at present in one line. In connexion with the work of John Caius, Evans’s trans¬ lation in the Appendix to f Turner on Birds’ is not of the whole, but only of extracts. / 42. Penard on the Birds of Guiana. [I)e Vogels van Guyana (Surinam, Cayenne en Demerara). Door Frederik Paul Penard en Arthur Philip Penard. 1 vol., 8vo. Para¬ maribo. London : Kegan Paul & Co. 58 7 pp.] This is the first portion of a new and original work on the birds of Guiana, prepared by two brothers — Messrs. F. P. and A. P. Penard of Paramaribo. The book, we are given to understand, is the result of a long and arduous study of the subject under most difficult circumstances, of which the want of many necessary books was perhaps one of the smallest. It is chiefly noteworthy on account of the information which it contains on the life-history and habits of many species previously little known except by name. Besides recording their own observations, the authors have received great assistance in this part of their labours from numerous assistant observers, including native Indians, who make their home in the forests and on the rivers of Guiana, and live by shooting and fishing. Besides the systematic part, which, beginning with the Pygopodes, contains a survey of all the known species of the birds of Guiana up to the end of the Picarise, the authors give a general and very interesting account of the local distribution of the birds in the various districts and at different seasons of the year. They also endeavour to explain the rather startling ornaments borne by the males of some birds by suggesting their origin from “ mental peculiarities ” induced by dances, songs, fights, and other habits, and not simply from what is called ci sexual selection.” Thus the erectile frontal crest of certain Tyrant-birds is ser. ix. — vol. hi. 2 c 374 Recently published Ornithological Works. attributed to the result of the exertion caused by the capture of struggling insect- prey, which induces the energetic bird to erect its frontal feathers ! We will reserve our remarks on the general Avifauna of Guiana until the completion of the work by the issue of the second volume, which, we understand, has already reached Holland in manuscript, and will, we hope, be published with¬ out much delay. We are not sure that the authors have done well in writing in their native language. It is highly patriotic, no doubt, but we fear that it will interfere with the circulation of the book. English is well understood by all educated Hollanders, and especially by those who read scientific books. We understand that the collection of bird-skins made by the authors has been acquired by the Tring Museum, and that the accompanying series of eggs (which contains specimens referable to 273 species) has been presented to the Leyden Museum. 43. Py craft on Birds. [A Book of Birds. By W. P. Pycraft. London, 1908. Pp. i-viii, 1-155, with coloured plates and text-figures.] Mr. Pycraft has invariably something interesting to relate with regard to Ornithology, but we consider his talents wasted in writing letterpress to accompany the thirty inferior coloured plates contained in this volume, which consists of a general survey of the principal groups of Birds, with special reference to those of Britain and the rest of Europe. The forms included are for the most part selected with the view of bringing out the differences in anatomical structure, and in this connexion the author warns his readers that similarity of appearance does not necessarily imply close relationship. The instances are well chosen ; but for the general public it might have been better to have reduced the number of species and treated the remainder more fully, as may be seen in the case of the Megapodes and Cuckoos. Nearly thirty pages are devoted to an admirable Introduc¬ tion, which, after touching upon the descent of Birds from Recently published Ornithological Works. 375 Reptiles, proceeds to discuss their structure and development from the archaic Archaeopteryx to the present day. Here Mr. Pycraft is in his element, and gives a clear and sufficient account of the osteology, myology, ptervlography, feather- formation, mechanism of flight, moult, colour-change, air- sacs, digestive organs, eggs, and so forth. Excellent wood- cuts aid the reader to follow the explanations in the text. Finally, we pass chapter by chapter through the various Orders and Families of Birds, from the lowest to the highest ; hut this portion of the book is less successful than the former, scanty details being afforded in many cases and much information being omitted that might have easily been included by the addition of a few more pages. Some of the statements, moreover, are misleading, as when we are told that the Great Skua is “ well-nigh extinct, so far as these islands are concerned,” and that the Black Redstart is “ tolerably common in Great Britain during the summer months.’5 44. Richmond on the Generic Names of Birds. [Generic Names applied to Birds during the Years 1901 to 1905 inclusive, with further Additions to Waterhouse’s ‘ Index Generum Avium.’ By Charles W. Richmond, Assistant Curator, Division of Birds, U.S. National Museum. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxxv. pp. 583-655 (1908).] Mr. F. H. Waterhouse’s f Index Generum Avium/ con¬ taining a list of all the generic terms proposed in the Class of Birds from the time of Linnseus down to 1889, is a work of great value to the ornithologist and well known to all of us. In 1902 Mr. Richmond published a supplement to Mr. Waterhouse’s work * containing 675 additional names. Of these 475 had been instituted as new after the appearance of the f Index/ while the remainder consisted of terms over¬ looked by Waterhouse or requiring correction. Mr. Richmond * “ List of Generic Terms proposed for Birds during the Years 1890 to 1900 inclusive, to which are added Names omitted by Waterhouse in his 1 Index Generum Avium,’ ” Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxiv, no. 1267 (1902). 2 c 2 376 Recently published Ornithological Works. now gives us what may be regarded as a continuation of his former 'List/ drawn up in exactly the same way. It contains some 200 generic names introduced as new during the years from 1901 to 1905 inclusive, together with about 350 others of earlier date, the majority of which were not recorded by Waterhouse. For this new ( List,’ as for the former, ornithologists owe Mr. Richmond their most sincere thanks. It will save them many weary hours of severe labour by indicating exactly when and where any particular generic name has been first proposed. So far as we have been able to judge, it has been prepared with great care, and merits our warmest commendation. As in Mr. Richmond’s former 1 List/ each name is accompanied by an explanation of its origin. Of course, authors of new names do not always tell us from what they are derived, so in such cases the deriva¬ tions have to be guessed, but this is not usually a difficult matter. This part of the work, we are informed, is largely due to Mr. H. C. Qberholser, and was finally submitted to Dr. Theodore Gill for revision. While, however, we fully recognise the merits of Mr. Rich¬ mond’s work, we do not at all approve of the use that is likely to be made of it. Mr. Richmond and his friends, of what we may call the “ ultra-prioritarian ” school, have discovered some hitherto little-known works and memoirs, which, if recognised, would cause changes in some of our oldest and most familiar generic names. For example, it appears that Bechstein first proposed the name “ Accentor 33 for the Dippers, but afterwards transferred it to the Hedge-Sparrows and used “ Cinclus 33 for the Dippers. Mr. Richmond’s view is that “ Accentor 33 is, therefore, a mere synonym of Cinclus 33 and should not be used at all ! The Hedge- Sparrows are to be called “ Laiscopus 33 — the next earliest generic name given to them. It is difficult to realize the confusion that would arise from such a change in the name of one of our commonest and best-known birds. But this is merely a sample of many similar proposals to change well- established names for others that are practically new. We Recently published Ornithological Works. 3 77 venture to prophecy — at any rate, we hope — that such innova- ^ tions will not meet with much serious support. We recom¬ mend Mr. Richmond to study Mr. Boulenger’s paper “ On the Abuses resulting from the Application of the Rule of Priority in Zoological Nomenclature, and on the Means of protecting well-established Names/’ read before Sect. D at the Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at Dublin in 1908. 45. South African Ornithologists ’ Union , Journal of the. [The Journal of the South African Ornithologists’ Union. Yol. IV. Nos. 2, 3, and Supplement (Oct. 1908-Jan. 1909).] The third number consists merely of the Titlepage, Index, and so forth, but the six papers in the second number are of considerable interest. First, we have the Report of the Committee for Migration for the Years 1906 and 1907. The species selected for observation were six, namely the European Swallow, the Bee-eater, the Lesser Kestrel, the Greenshank, the White Stork, and the Black-winged Pratin¬ cole. Circulars were sent out to Members of the Union and others, but the results proved disappointing, as few of the accompanying cards were returned with the requisite details. A good beginning has, however, been made, and we may expect to gain much information in the future from the fifteen South African observing-stations. In a second paper Mr. J. A. Bucknill commences an account of the birds’ eggs in the Transvaal Museum at Pretoria, collected in many cases by Messrs. Austin Roberts, R. H. Ivy, Krantz, Wilde, and Major Sparrow. Both nests and eggs are described, and of the latter measurements are given. Special attention should be called to the eggs of the various Cuckoos, to that of Turdus cabanisi (apparently undescribed before), and to that of Poliohierax semitor- quatus (certainly new to science) . In a third paper Mr. C. G. Davies discusses the Wild¬ fowl and Water-birds of Matatiele, E. Griqualand ; while the remaining articles are from the pen of Mr. E. C. Chubb. These contain a description of the nest and eggs (with 378 Recently published Ornithological Works. plate) of Podica peter si, from the Umguza River near Bulawayo, a bird whose nesting-habits have not previously been recorded ; notes on Birds collected or observed at the Khami River in Matabeleland, and others on those obtained by the writer in the north of the same country, including the new species Poliospiza mennelli ( cf . Bull. B. O. C. vol. xxi. p. 62, 1908). In the “Occasional Notes ” will be found an interesting letter from Mr. Bucknill, now resident in Cyprus, on the Birds of that island, and a note on the colouring- matter of the remiges of Turacus corythaix by Mr. Draper. Lastly, the Supplement consists of Pamphlet No. 1 of the Bird Protection Committee, entitled “ The South African Birds-of-Prey, their Economic Relations to Man,” a par¬ ticularly interesting sketch of the subject being elaborated at some length, with illustrations, by that well-known South African ornithologist Mr. Alwin Haagner. 46. TJssher on Irish Birds. [National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin. General Guide to the Natural History Collections. A List of Irish Birds, shewing the Species contained in the National Collection. By Richard J. Ussher. Dublin, 1908. 54 pp.] No more capable person could have been chosen to compile this List than Mr. Ussher, the well-known joint- author of the ‘ Birds of Ireland/ and a worthy successor of A. G. More, who issued a similar catalogue in 1885, followed by a second edition in 1890. The records have been made as complete as possible, but we are informed that the Little Bunting and Pallas's Grasshopper-Warbler have been added to the Irish List since this pamphlet was published, and also that the Reed- Warbler has been taken on the coast. Mr. Ussher is careful to include in square brackets all the species which he considers either doubtful or, as in the case of American land-birds, to have probably received “ assisted passages,” and we notice that he thus brackets the recent record of the Canadian Crane. The reader is ’ Recently published Ornithological Works. 379 recommended to take special note of the Introduction, and in particular of the species now bracketed which were admitted by Mr. More, such as the Marsh-Titmouse and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We should hardly have considered it necessary, however, to bracket the Kite, so common in Great Britain of old, as individuals from Wales must surely at times have crossed (and even now may cross) the sea to Ireland. 47. Van Oort on a new Macruropsar. [On Macruropsar magnus brevicauda, nov. subsp., from the Island of Mefour. By Dr. E. D. Van Oort. Notes Leyd. Mus. xxx. p. 69 (1908).] Macruropsar magnus of Schlegel is represented in the Leyden Museum by a series of specimens from the island Soek or Soepiori,of the Schouten group, collected by v. Rosen¬ berg, which all agree with one another. On the other hand, all examples of the same form from Mefour, though similar in plumage, have shorter wings and tail. Dr. Van Oort characterizes them as constituting a new subspecies under the title M. m. brevicauda . 48. Van Oort on a new Chalcopsitta. [On a new Species of Chalcopsitta from N.W. New Guinea. By Dr. E. D. Van Oort. T. c. p. 127.] The “ magnificent new species of Chalcopsitta /’ which it is proposed to call spectabilis , is nearly allied to C. insignis of Oustalet, but differs in many respects. The type-specimen, a male, was obtained by La Glaize in 1876 at Mambrioe in N.W. New Guinea. 49. Van Oort on the Birds of the Netherlands. [Contribution to our Knowledge of the Avifauna of the Netherlands, being a List of all the Species of Birds hitherto observed, with Special References to Specimens in the Leyden Museum. By Dr. E. D. Van Oort. T. c. note xviii.] The Ornithology of the Netherlands is of special interest to the students of British Bird-life, and we are glad to see that more attention has been paid to it of late years. Besides the present paper, we have received a copy of 380 Recently published Ornithological Works. Baron Snouckaert van Schauburgh’s ‘ Aves Neerlandicse/ which we hope to he able to notice in our next number. Dr. Van Oort’s memoir contains a list of all the known birds of Holland, 335 in number according to his reckoning, with remarks, especially on those represented in the Leyden Museum. Schlegel, who ruled that Museum so long and so worthily, adhered stedfastly to the old-fashioned plan of having all the specimens mounted. The natural con¬ sequence was that the shelves became crowded with a large series of birds, wThich it was impossible for the Ornithologist of the present age to use. It has been left to his successors at Leyden to alter this inconvenient plan, and, if we understand rightly, Dr. Van Oort with the help of many friends is now hard at work on a “ collection of indigenous birds ” for purposes of comparison. We must not forget to mention that the Leyden Museum has lately received a very valuable addition by the bequest to it of the well-known collection of native birds of the late Baron van Wickevoort Crommelin. Following the recent inconvenient innovation, Dr. Van Oort commences his List of Netherland Birds at the bottom. After the name of each species he gives the number of specimens of it in the Leyden Museum, and particularizes special examples worthy of notice. He also gives the popular names in the language of Holland, which are more different from the ordinary English vernacular appellations than we should have expected. As regards nomenclature he is not a full-blown trinomialist, except in special cases, such as the Wagtails and Tits ; but he allows “ homonyms/’ which are ugly, especially when the same name is repeated three times over. He has also adopted the perverse practice of not altering the termination of a specific term when the genus is changed — hence such barbarities as Porzana parvus , Porzana pusillus , and Totanus maculata. There is not, so far as we know, any canon of the Inter¬ national (or any other) Code w7hich sanctions this obvious violation of the Laws of grammar — laws which, to our minds, are of far greater importance than those of Priority. Recently published Ornithological Works. 381 We will now add one or two remarks, as we turn over the pages of Dr. Van Oort’s paper. Two specimens of Gyps fulvus have been killed in Holland, and help to authenticate the occurrence of the single British example. Dr. Yan Oort recognises three forms of Parus palustris as found in Holland, and calls them Parus communis longi - rostris, P. montanus salicarius , and P. montanus borealis. According to Baron Snouckaert a specimen of the last-named race has been obtained in North Brabant. Mr. Ogilvie- Grant has lately recorded its occurrence in England (Bull. B. O. C. vol. xxiii. p. 34). Our author refers all the Dutch Creepers of which he has specimens at Leyden to Certhia brachydactyla. An example of Emberiza leucocephala, said to have been captured alive on May 3rd, 1873, and subsequently kept in the Zoological Garden at Rotterdam, is now in the Leyden Museum. We believe that a single specimen of this eastern form of Emberiza palustris has recently been obtained in Great Britain (see Bull. B. 0. C. vol. xxi. p. 101). 50. Verner on the Wild Birds of Spain. [My Life among the Wild Birds of Spain. By Colonel Willoughby Verner (late Rifle Brigade). London : John Bale, Sons, and Danielsson, Ltd., 1909. 1 vol., large 8vo.] All bird-lovers — especially if they happen to be, or have been, birds’-nesters— -will, we think, be delighted with Col. Yerner’s volume, which gives us the chief experiences of a life devoted to bird-hunting, profusely illustrated by the facile pencil and ready camera of the talented author. Of narratives of the pursuit and destruction of the larger game-animals we have had a large supply of late years. We confess to be nearly satiated with these tales of slaughter, although there is often much to be learned by the Naturalist from their perusal. But Col. Yerner’s book is quite of a different character. Yery rarely does he take the life of a parent-bird, although he helps himself to the eggs when they are specially required for his cabinet. In 382 Recently published Ornithological Works . fact, Col. Verner has supplied us with a complete manual of egg-hunting based on his own long experiences, and abundantly illustrated by his remarkable artistic talent. Before commencing the main part of his work Col. Verner devotes several chapters to the preparations required by him who would go egg-hunting, and describes the para¬ phernalia required, as shown by his experiences during thirty- four years. Not only is the ordinary camping-out furniture described, but the ropes and shoes necessary for rock- and tree-climbing are distinctly specified. The leader of the expedition must “ carry on his person ” aneroid, watch, silk-rope, whistle, hunting-belt, swivels, knives, note-book, field-glass, telescope, compass, sketch-book, and small hand- camera ; while ropes, canvas-sling, casting-line and weight, egg-boxes, and various other articles may be entrusted to his assistants. After these preliminaries come chapters on the lagunas, plains, woodlands, sea-cliffs, and sierras of Southern Spain, and on the birds that specially resort to each of them. The larger birds naturally occupy most attention, but the smaller species are not forgotten. “ Among those which abound on the vega in spring is the handsome Calandra Lark ( Alauda calandra ), a fine bird with a conspicuous black gorget. Both this and the Common Bunting are very numerous. The pretty little Crested Lark is also abundant, its sweet flute-like call being constantly heard. The smaller Short-toed Larks of both species ( Alauda brachydactyla and A. bcetica) are also met with. The Common Fan-tail Warbler ( Cisticola cursitans) is constantly to be seen and heard, its curious jerky flight and sharp staccato call making it easy to recognise.^ In Southern Spain the Crane is the typical bird of the laguna, the Great Bustard of the plains, the Osprey of the shore, the Booted, Snake- and White-shouldered Eagles those of the forests, and the Griffon Vulture and Lammer- geyer of the sierras ; although these birds occasionally intrude into each other's domains. Full accounts are Letters. Extracts, and Notes. 383 supplied of the habits of all these fine birds and of the adventures of the author and his friends in their forays on their nesting-places. Excellent and most characteristic pictures are given of all of them. We are particularly pleased to have such full details as to the nesting of the Black Vulture ( Vultur monachus ) and White¬ shouldered Eagle ( Aquila adalberti) . The latter is the Spanish representative of the Imperial Eagle of Eastern Europe, and though its eggs are usually “ white with a few faint rufous marks/' Col. Verner, in February 1878, obtained some eggs of this species “ richly clouded with purple and blotched with rufous -brown/’ So abnormal were they that the late Henry Seebohm, who was a great collector of birds’-eggs, tried to persuade Col. Verner to alter the labels on them to a Golden Eagle,” eggs of which they certainly closely resembled. But the Colonel was firm in his refusal to yield to this suggestion, having himself taken the specimens. We must now close our remarks on this excellent piece of work. It is not, of course, a strictly scientific book, and does not contain a learned description, even of a new subspecies ! But we have read every word of it ourselves and advise all who are interested in birds to do the same. XVII. — Letters, Extracts, and Notes. We have received the following letters addressed “ To the Editors of ‘ The Ibis ' ” Sirs, — Two young birds of Parmoptila woodhousii lately examined are younger than that figured in the last number of * The Ibis/ The little wattles at the gape in these specimens are very conspicuous, being quite white, while the margin of the skin on which they are situated is black. When the mouth is opened wide and the skin at the gape stretched, the open mouth appears to be bordered on each side by a row of white beads, strung, far apart, on a black string. The inside of the mouth, also, which is whitish in 384 Letters , Extracts, and Notes. colour, is marked with symmetrically arranged black spots — five on the palate, two on the tongue, and one under the tongue. The whole arrangement seems to serve the purpose of making the open mouth conspicuous. I am. Sirs, yours &c., Kribi, Kamerun, Geo. L. Bates. October 11th, 1908. Sirs, — I wish to bring to your notice three notes on oui New Zealand birds, which are, I think, worthy of record : — (1) In the Trans. N.Z. Inst. (vol. xxxvi. p. 119) is a reference to parasitic Cuckoos occasionally reverting to the habit of nest-building. I have just had a most authentic account of the feeding by two adults of five little Bronze Cuckoos (Chalcococcyx lucidus), the gradual teaching to fly, and, finally, the discovery of a nest with the feathers of the adult birds in and about it. This conduct by a bird so universally considered strictly parasitic is extremely interesting, and if you will refer to the Trans. Austr. Assoc, for the Adv. of Sci. (vol. x. p. 323) you will find reference to similar habits of Cuckoos in India. This is another step towards the elucidation of the strange habit of parasitism. (2) In vol. xl. of Trans. N.Z. Inst, now to hand you will find (p. 498) a most remarkable instance of sagacity or instinct in a pair of Paradise-Ducks ( Casarca variegata). They were surprised in the bush and instantly took to the water with ten little ones. Entering the rushing swollen torrent they sailed out diagonally, one with its beak to the other’s tail, and all the little ones settled against and above them as they battled across the stream. (3) The Dotterel of New Zealand ( Charadrius bicinctus ) is a clever deceiver and performs many curious antics to lead an intruder from its nest. A reliable observer says : — “ On starting a Dotterel out of her nest, her antics were of the usual kind, fluttering away in front of me, as though with a broken wing. Suddenly I saw her drop alongside of a Letters , Extracts , and Notes. 385 stunted white tussock and remain there until I was quite close to her. Judge of my surprise to find that her stoppage had been at a Ground Lark's ( Anthus novce-zealandia ) nest containing eggs. Three days later I was fishing on the same ground and the Dotterel again went through the same performance. This was the most cunning act that I have ever heard of in any of the feathered tribe." I may say that the observers in all three instances are well known to me personally and are thoroughly reliable men. I have done what I can to work out the parasitic problem, and have, I think, made some steps towards the elucidation of it. I have fairly well exhausted the subject of our Long¬ tailed Cuckoo, and am now engaged on a similar collective investigation on the Bronze Cuckoo. Hoping you may make some use of these notes on our interesting birds, which are fast disappearing from among us, I am, Sirs, yours &c., Robert Fulton, M.D. Dunedin, N.Z., October 29th, 1908. Sirs, — You have done me the honour of reviewing my * History of the International Convention of 1902 9 in your valuable periodical, for which I am very grateful. But I must regret that in all English reviews, and so in the present case in f The Ibis/ there occurs some misunderstanding. The Con¬ vention never meant to force upon anybody “ new methods," as rules §§ 1 and 9 admit of exceptions, in consequence of which every adhering State is allowed to draw up its lists {schedules) entirely in conformity with its own considerations . The chief object of the Convention is the protection of migrant birds, which, after they have left their homes, are exposed in the south (Italy) to the severest persecution and even extermination. This evil can only be remedied by international regulations. The English List of Birds comprises also a number of 386 Letter's, Extracts, and Notes. migrant species which leave the country and are therefore exposed in the south to the same persecution. It is deeply regrettable that a country so highly esteemed as England refuses its moral support in such a noble and useful matter, just when this is especially wanted. I am, Sirs, yours &c., Otto Herman, Hungarian Central Bureau for Ornithology, Budapest, October 12th, 1908. Sirs, — I have been invited to write a Life of the late Professor Alfred Newton, E.R.S., of Magdalene College, Cambridge. If any of your readers, who have letters or reminiscences or other interesting information about Professor Newton will be kind enough to communicate with me, I shall be exceedingly grateful to them. I will, of course, undertake to return all letters &c. to the senders. I am, Sirs, yours &c., A. F. R. Wollaston. Savile Club, 107 Piccadilly, W., March 1st, 1909. Sirs, — I have received from Mr. Frank Atterbury, Repression of Slavery Department, Roseires, Blue Nile, an aluminium ring taken off the leg of a Stork ( Ciconia alba) killed near there on October 30th, 1908. The ring, which measures 2§ in. by in. when flattened out, is marked “ Vogelwarte, Rossitten 1757, Germania/’ Communication with the Rossitten Ornithological Observa¬ tory, to which I have returned the ring, has elicited from Dr. J. Thienemann the information that the Stork No. 1757 was ringed in the nest at Goldap, E. Prussia, in July 1908. The exact position of Roseires is 11° 5P 22" N. lat.and 34° 23' 10" E. long. It will be remembered that the capture of a Rossitten Stork (No. 163), ringed at Koslin, in Pomerania, in July 1907, and killed at Fort Jameson, N.E. Rhodesia, in December Letters , Extracts , and Notes. 3 87 of the same year, was recorded in the 1 Field 3 of Jan. 25th, 1908, and the account quoted in the 4 Ibis 3 of April 1908, p. 389. I am, Sirs, yours &c., A. L. Butler. Khartoum, February 4th, 1909. Another German Stork in South Africa. — We have received from Herr Thienemann, the Director of the German Ornithological Observatory at Rossitten, in East Prussia, intelligence of the capture of another of their marked Storks in South Africa. The Stork in question was bred on the property of Herr Adam Sobottka at Lyek in Eastern Prussia, and was labelled, on July 7th, 1907, with a small aluminium ring on one foot, on which was engraved iC Yogelwarte Rossitten, Germania, 769/” In the autumn of the same year it was captured by some bushmen in the Kalahari Desert. The aluminium ring, which seems to have been considered by the bushmen to have been of heavenly origin, passed into the hands of a trader on the northern edge of the Kalahari, who sent it, with an account of the way in which it had been obtained, to the Editor of ‘ The Wide World 3 in London. This and the previous instance, in which one of the marked Storks of Rossitten was taken in South Africa and identified *, seem to establish the fact that Storks bred in nearly the most northern limit of their range cross the whole continent of Africa to pass the winter months south of the Equator. Arrival of Migrants in North-east Greenland. — In the account of the explorations of the eastern coast of Northern Greenland by the f Danmark/ under the command of the ill-fated Mylius Erichsen (1906-1908), which was read before the Royal Geographical Society in December last (see Geogr. Journ. xxxiii. p. 40), will be found the following description of the arrival of the spring-migrants at Cape Danmark, * See ‘ The Ibis,’ 1908, p. 389. 388 Letters, Extracts , and Notes. where the winter-quarters of the Expedition were established in 77° N. lat. “ The change into summer was quite sudden. Gradually the temperature of the snow had risen to zero, and then in one day it all melted. The rivers were rushing along, flowers were budding forth, and in the air the butterflies were flattering. It was a lovely time, bringing hard work for the Botanist Lundager, and the Zoologists Manniche and Johansen. The birds came nearly all on the same day, most of them even at the same hour. One day we had only had the ordinary Ptarmigan and the Haven ; the next day we had the Sanderling, the King-Plover, the Goose, the Eider-Duck, and many others. Young Sanderlings, Icelandic King-Plovers, and Sabine’s Gulls have been found by Mr. Manniche, our indefatigable ornithologist, and fine specimens were brought home.” We hope to receive, in due course, an account from Mr. Manniche of the birds obtained during this famous expedition. News from Mr. A. L. Butler . — Our excellent correspondent Mr. A. L. Butler passed some time last year on the Red Sea coast of the Anglo-Egyptian Soudan, and made many notes on the spring migrants. Writing from Khartoum in October last, Mr. Butler says that he still continues to obtain speci¬ mens of species new to that locality, while from Mongolia, on the Upper White Nile, he has lately received examples of the little-known Passer shelley i (Shelley, B. Afr. iii. p. 247) . The Booth Collection at Brighton. — Mr. Arthur Griffith, a Trustee of the “ Booth Museum” at Brighton, has lately visited Hastings, and has obtained there some valuable additions to the Collection. Amongst these are specimens of the Pine- Grosbeak, Red-footed Falcon, Little Gull (in adult summer plumage), Ked-necked Grebe, Whiskered Tern, Black Lark, Great Reed- Warbler, and Icterine Warbler, all well-authenticated examples from Kent or Sussex. We wish that all our provincial collections of birds were as well cared for and kept up to the mark as that at Brighton. TO BE PUBLISHED PROSPECTUS ON BY SUBSCRIPTION. APPLICATION. . . A HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF KENT BY NORMAN F. TICEHURST, M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S.Eng., M.B.O.U. WITH 24 PLATES DEPICTING TYPICAL HAUNTS AND NOTABLE KENTISH BIRDS, AND A LARGE MAP OF THE COUNTY. Square Demy 8vo (9 x 6J). A Handsome Volume Cloth Bound, Gilt Top. of about 600 Pages. <1 The Price to Subscribers is 16s. post free. A List of the Subscribers will be printed in the Volume. The Price will be raised on publication to One Guinea net should any copies remain unsubscribed for. KENTISH PLOVERS : A pair at their nest on Dungeness Beach. (Reduced reproduction of one of the Plates.) London : WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn, W.C. PjJRT IV. NOW REJT)Y. A MONOGRAPH OF THE PETRELS. By F. DU CANE GODMAN, D.C.L., F.R.S. The Petrels, Shearwaters and Albatroses will be fully dealt with, and the work will contain over 1 00 Hand-Coloured Plates, drawn and coloured with the utmost care. Large Royal 4to (10 by 13). Printed on Rag Paper. In Five Quarterly Parts. Only 225 copies will be issued, and each will be numbered. The Sub¬ scription price of each part is £2. 5s., and the Complete Work may be paid for in advance at the reduced price of £ 1 0. 1 Os* The Price will be raised on completion of the work. Full Prospectus on Application. PJ1RT V. NOW REjmY. DIE VOGEL DER PALAARKTISCHEN FAUNA, von ERNST HARTERT. Large 8vo. Complete in about 1 2 Parts. Price 4s. each. For the convenience of British Ornithologists, Messrs. Witherby & Co. have made arrangements to publish in England this well-known German work. It is the only work which treats of the local races of all Palaearctic Birds in a concise form. It is based on the examination of very large material. Most of the descriptions are original. In the synonyms each quotation has been verified, and the original locality of the species has been added. Special attention has been paid to Geographical distribution. B.O.C. MIGRATION REPORTS. By the Com¬ mittee appointed by the British Ornithologists’ Club. The Immigrations of Our Summer Resident Birds in the Springs of 1905 (published 1906), 1906 (published 1907) and 1907 (now ready) are detailed. The facts are concisely tabulated and are derived from very large material gathered by observers in all parts of the country. Many Maps. 6s. each Volume. London : WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn, W.C. NOW READY. Sunset Playgrounds Impressions of Sport and Scenery, and Men and Cities, gathered during a 20,000 miles trip in California and Canada. By F. G. AFLALO. With many Illustrations. Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d. net. A bright and lively account of a prolonged excursion to a wonderful sportsman’s playground. With many an amusing anecdote and witty criticism of American and Canadian life and ways. The glories of the Yosemite Valley, the majesty of the biggest trees on earth, the seductive beauties of Tahoe, the vastness of the Canadian National Park are among the subjects that will make a strong appeal. 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Magrath, Indian Army. (Part II.) . . . : . 214 XI. Contributions to the Ornithology of Egypt. — No. II. Birds of the Province of Giza. Part 1. By Michael J. Nicoll, E.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plate IV.) . . . . . . . . . 285 XII. A Note on Molpastes magrafhi Whitehead. By 11. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., E.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plates V. & VI.) . . 302 XIII. Notes on some Birds collected during a Cruise in the Carib¬ bean Sea. B}^ Percy B. Lowe, M.B.O.U . 304 XIV. Remarks on the Practice of attaching “Authorities” to the Scientific Names of Animals. By P. L. Sclater, B.Sc., E.R.S. . . . 347 XV. Obituary: Mr. W. H. Hudleston ........ . 350 XVI. Notices of recent Ornithological Publi cations. :< — 25. ‘ Annals of Scottish Natural History ’ . ... . . . 355 26. ‘Aquila,’ 1905-1907 fVols. xii.-xiv.) 357 27. { The Auk ’ ....'. . . 358 ; 28. ‘ The Avicultural Magazine \ . . 360 29. Broggei* on Birds’ Bones from the Norwegian Kitchen- I middens . . . . . . . . . . . .- . . . . > 362 30. Carter on a supposed new Grass-Wren . . . . . . ) 31. Chapman’s ‘ On Safari ’ . . 363 32. Collett on the Great Auk in Norwa_y ... . . .v,r 33. Dresser on Palsearctic Birds’ Eggs .... . . ' . . f '■ A 34. Giglioli on Italian Birds ... . . . . . . . . • 367 35. The Grouse Disease Inquiry . . . . . ... . . 368 36. f Irish NaturalLt’ . - . . . . 369 37. McGregor on Philippine Birds . . . '. ) . 07/y 38. Mair’s ; Mackenzie Basin ’ . .....( ° 39. Martens on Magellanic Birds . . . . . . ,371 40. Martorelli on the Parrots in the University of Naples .' I 079 41. Mullens on the Bibliography of British Birds . . . .( ^ 42. Penard on the Birds of Guiana . . ....... 373 ' 43. Py .craft on Birds . . . . . . . . 374 41. Richmond on the Generic Names of Birds . . . . . 375 45. South African Ornithologists’ Union, Journal of the . . 377 46. Ussher on Irish Birds . , . . . . . . .. . . . 378 47. Van Oort on a new Macruropscir . . . . . ... J 48. Van Oort on a new Chalcopsitta . . . ’. . . . . 379 49. Van Oort on the Birds 'of the Netherlands . . . . . ) 50. Verner on the Wild Birds of Spain . . , ' . . , . 381 XVII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Messrs. G. L. Bates, Robert Fulton, SI-1)., Otto Herman, A. F. R. Wollaston, and A. L. Butler. Another German Stork in South Africa j Arrival of Migrants in North¬ east Greenland ; News from Mr. A. L. Butler ; The Booth Collection at Brighton . . „ . . 383 Covers for-binding last year’s Volume may be had on application to the Publisher. Price Ls. 6d., post free. Communications to be addressed . to the Editors, 3 Hanover Square, London, W. Advertisements .&c. to the Publisher, R. H. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, London, W. Members of the B.O.U. are requested to keep the Secretary (J. Lewis Bonhote,' Esq., 3 Hanover .Square, London, W.) informed of any change of Address, so that the Numbers-of ‘ The Ibis ’ may reach them without delay. NINTH SERIES. Yol. III. No. 11 JULY 1909. Price 8s. net . T 11 E I B I S, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, D.Sc., F.R.S., AND A. H. EVANS, M.A., F.Z.S. Page CONTENTS OF NUMBER XI. {continued). XXVIII, Letters, Extracts, and Notes : — Letters from Messrs’. G. L. Bates, F. 0. Godman, II. E. Dresser, Count Arrigoni Degli Oddi, and Mr Boyd Alexander. News of Mr. Walter Good fellow ; Mr. A: 8. Neave’s Second Expedition to South Africa ; Mr. Douglas Carruthers’s Move¬ ments ; More marked Storks captured on Migration ; Mr. J. Buckland’s Lantern-slides of Birds ; Mr. R. Hay Fenton’s Collection of Eggs . . . . 561 Publications received since the issue of No. ID, Ninth Series, and not noticed in the present Number. 55. ‘The Annals of Scottish Natural History.’ (No. 70. 1009.) 56. ‘The Auk.’ (Vol. xxvi. No. 2. 1900.) 57. ‘ Avicultural Magazine.’ (Vol. vii. Nos. 6-9. 1909.) t)8. ‘ Bird Lore.’ (Vol. xi. Nos. 2, 3. Harrisburg, 1009.) 59. ‘Bird News.’ (Vol. i. Nos. 1, 2, 3, San Francisco, 1909.) 60. ‘ Bird Notes and News.’ (Vol. iii. No. 5. 1909.) 61. Boletim do Museu Goeldi (Museu Paraense). (Vol. v. No. 2. Para, 1909.) 62. Bonhotk, J. Lewis. Migration Notes from North Holland, (Oriiis, Eeb. 1909.) 63. ‘ British Birds.’ (Vol. ii. Nos. 1, 2 ; Vol. iii. Nos. 1, 2. 1909.) 64. ‘ The Condor.’ (Vol. xi. Nos. 2, 3. 1909.) 65. Cooper Orn. Club of California : Paciiic Coast Avifauna. No. 5. A • Bibliography of Californian Ornithology ; No. 6. Index to the Bulletin of the C. O. Club and ‘ The Condor.’ (California, 1909.) 66. Dewar, D., and Finn, F. The Making of Species. (London, 1909.) 67. Giza Zool. Gardens. Special Report No, 4. List of Animals. (Cairo, 1909.) — Report for the Year 1908. (Cairo, 1909.) 68. IIaagnf.r, A. K. A short Account of the Study of Ornithology in general, and that of South Africa in particular. (South African Ornithologists’ Union. Popular Bulletin No. 2. 1909.) 69. IIartf.rt, Dr. Ernst. D.e Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna. (Heft v. 1909). 70. Jourdain, Rev. E. C. R. Weitere Beitrage zur Kmntnis der Eier von Larus nudouini Payraud. (Orn. Jahrb. xx. 3, 4. 1909.) 71. ‘The Lancashire Naturalist.’ (Vol. 2. No. 13. A pi il 1909.) 72. Lodge, R. B. Bird Hunting through Wild Europe. (London, 1908. Brice 7s. tid. net.) 73. Manila Bureau of Science. Seventh Annual Report for the Year ending Aug. 1,1908. (Manila, ’ 1909.) 74. Marf.k, Prof. M. Einfluss von Wind und Wetter auf den Vogelzug. iGlasnik Hrvatskoga Prirod. Dm.stva, Baud xx. 1908.) 75. Morey, Frank. A Guide to the Natural History of the Isle of Wight. (Newport, I.W., 1909.) 76. New York Zool. Soc. Bulletin. (No. 34. June 1909.) 77. North, A. J. On Bird Protection and Bird Des ruction in N.S. Wales. (Agric. Gazette of N.S. Wales, xx. pt. 2, p. 141 . 1909. Notes on some Living Examples of Psephotus disshnilis. (Victorian Nat., March 1909 ) 78. ‘ Ornithologisches Jahrbuch.’ (xx. Heft. 3, 4. 1909.) 79. Report of the New York Zoological Society for 1908. (New Y ork, January 1909). 80. ‘ Revue FranQaise d’Ornithologie.’ (Nos. 1-3. Orleans, May 1909.) 81. Salvadori, T. (1) Nota intorno Garmlus melanocephalus Gen6. (Boll, Mus. Zool. Anat. Torino, xxiv. No. 607. 1909.) — (2) Estratto dal Vol. I. dell’ opera ‘‘11 Ruwenzori.” Uccelli. (Milan, 1909.) 82. Sedgwick, Rev. S. N. Birds’ Eggs and Nests, and how to identify them. (London, 1909.) 83. Shufeldt, R. W. Osteology of Birds. (New York State Mus. Bulb - No. 130. Albany, 1909.) 84. Stone, Witmer. A Review of the Genus Piaya Lesson. (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil ad. Oct. 1908.) 85. Stonham, C. The Birds of the British Islands. (Part xiii. May 1909.) 86. Thayer, J. E., and Bangs, Outram. The present State of the Ornis of Guadaloupe Island. (Condor, x. No. 3. 1908.) 87. Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, V. R. v. Der Zug des Rosenstars, Pastor roseus (L.), ini Jahre 1908. (Falco. 1909.) BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. PRESIDENT. F. Du Cane Godman, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S. EDITORS. P. L. Sclater, Esq., D.Sc., F.R.S. A. H. Evans, Esq., M.A., F.Z.S. SECRETARY. J. Lewis Bonhote, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. COMMITTEE. The President. b The Editors of 'The Ibis/ > Ex officio. The Secretary. ) Ernest Gibson, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1907.) W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1908.) David Seth-Smith, Esq., F.Z.S. (Elected 1909.) The British Ornithologists5 Union was instituted in 1858 for the advancement of the science of Ornithology. Its funds are devoted primarily to the publication of ' The Ibis/ a Quarterly Journal of Ornithology, of which eight series, of six volumes each, have been completed. The Union consists of Ordinary Members, Honorary Members (limited to ten), Honorary Lady Members (limited to ten), Extra¬ ordinary Members, Colonial Members (limited to ten), and Foreign Members (limited to twenty). Ordinary Members pay an admission fee of £ 2 , and a contri¬ bution of £1 on election; and jgl on the 1st of January of each subsequent year. 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Vol. IV. 1904. Vol. V. 1905. Vol. VI. 1906. THE IBIS, A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Edited by Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., and A. H. Evans M.A., F.Z.S. ; Ninth Series. Vol. I. 1907. I Ninth Series. Vol II TnhiW - . - — . Vol. II. 1908. I Supplement, 1908. Ninth Series. Vol. III. Nos. 9, 10, 11, 1909. LONDON : E. H. POETEE, 7 PEINCES STEEET CAVENDISH SQUAKE, W. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Price. Yol. I. (Session 1892-93). 1893 6/- II. On Some of the Main Features in the Evolution of the Bird’s Wing. By Edward Deoen. 1894 . .. 2/6 III. (Session 1893-94). 1894 6/- IY. (Session 1894-95). 1895 6/- Y. (Session 1895-96). 1896 6/- VI. (Session 1896-97). 1897 6/- VII. (Session 1897-98). 1898 6/- VIII. (Session 1898-99). 1899 6/- IX. Avium Generum Index Alphabeticus. 1899 . 2/6 X. (Session 1899-1900). 1900 . 6/- XI. (Session 1900-01). 1901 .. . . 6/- XII. (Session 1901-02). 1902 6/- XIII. (Session 1902-03). 1903 6/- XIV. (Session 1903-04). 1904 6/- XV. 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I spent the month of May in 1908 on the Bed Sea coast in the vicinity of Port Sudan, and the ornithological notes then made form the subject of this paper. The dates on which migratory birds were met with were carefully recorded daily. The great number of Blackcaps, Garden -Warblers, and Barred Warblers seen was remarkable, and the main line of migration of these three species seems, in the Sudan, to lie along the Bed Sea coast. None of them is ever abundant at Khartoum, and I often saw more of them in half an hour than I have seen in eight years in the Nile Valley. I was surprised to find them still in such numbers in Africa late in May. Possibly these late individuals are the birds from the most northern parts of the range of the species. Port Sudan lies about forty miles north of Suakin. A fiat scrub-covered plain extends from the sea to the ranges of barren mountains twenty or twenty-five miles inland, sandy near the coast, and becoming stony as the hills are neared. Through these rocky hills runs a narrow valley known as the Khor Arbat, in which is that delightful rarity in the Sudan, a permanent flowing stream. This loses itself in the sands of the plain shortly after emerging from the hills. I found the * See 1 The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 301, 1908, p. 205, and 1909, p. 74. SER. IX. - VOL. III. 2 d 390 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed vicinity of the stream a capital camping-place and collecting- ground, where birds were abundant. In some places the little river ran twenty yards wide and a foot deep, babbling over grey, water-rounded stones ; in others it formed narrow, dark, deep pools under precipitous faces of rock, and offered me the delightful luxury of a swim in cool water. On both sides of the Khor rose high, rocky hills, intersected by little winding valleys descending to the stream. The hills them¬ selves were very barren and almost entirely composed of rock, but along the stream there was plenty of cover, chiefly consisting of fringes of various thorny acacias and of tamarisks forming dense thickets. The stream teemed with a tiny fish, Cyprinodon dispar , of which the sexes are so unlike in appearance that I at first imagined that they were two quite different species. They were literally in millions; I have never seen water so full of fishes anywhere, and their presence in every little stagnant pool, as well as in the main stream, doubtless accounted for the almost total absence of mosquitoes. I saw one albino of this fish, but, though I tempted him repeatedly to swim over a submerged handker¬ chief, he always eluded the raising of this primitive net. In the deeper, darker pools water-tortoises, Pelomedusa galeata, moved slowly about or scuttled in and out of rocky crevices ; at dusk they came out to the shallows. They were very numerous, and I counted thirty, and captured thirteen for the Giza Zoological Gardens, on my last evening. A toad, Bufo dodsoni} was plentiful under stones along the water's edge, and a bluish lizard with an orange-red head, the name of which I do not remember, was common and conspicuous on the rocks. Of mammals in this neighbourhood, the principal was the Nubian Ibex, which was fairly plentiful on the larger hills ; I shot one on Jebel Bawati, a good male with horns of 38^- inches. The Isabelline Gazelle was met with here and there in valleys among the hills, but was not very plentiful in this particular locality. I obtained specimens of that large-eared, slender-limbed Fox, Vulpes famelica, of the pretty, but evil¬ smelling Zorilla ( Ictonyx erythrere), of a Hyrax ( Procavia ruficeps), a Spiny Mouse, and a Gerbil. 391 on the Red Sea Coast in May 1908. Jebel Bawati, or Bawateb (5514 feet) , is one of the largest eminences in the near vicinity. It lies back among the other hills some forty miles north-west of Port Sudan, and is about one march from the Khor Arbat. The natives of this district are Hadendowa of the Amarar tribe. 1. Nectarinia metallica Licht. a-h. Five adult males, one young male, and two females. Khor Arbat, 1. 5. 08 to 6. 5. 08. The Metallic Sun-bird was very abundant and the males were in perfect breeding-dress. Beautiful little parties of this species and the Abyssinian Sun-bird used to collect on trees in flower near the water. One male, though otherwise in perfect breeding-plumage, still retained the short dull- coloured tail ; it appeared, on dissection, to be breeding. 2. Cinnyris habessinicus (Hempr. & Ehr.). a-g. Three adult males and four young males. Khor Arbat, 1. 5. 08 to 8. 5. 08. The Abyssinian Sun-bird was very plentiful in the Khor Arbat. The males had not quite completed the moult, and shewed many quills about the head and neck. 3. Motacilla alba Linn. The only White Wagtails I saw were two in the Khor Arbat on May 13th. 4. Motacilla flava Linn. I saw very few Yellow Wagtails in the Khor Arbat, and only obtained four specimens. Black-headed birds were seen on the first five days in May, and various grey-headed birds up to the 16th. In treating these birds subspecifically I do so with hesitation, and will, for the present, keep a note of interrogation after each. (i.) Motacilla flava flava Linn.? a. $ . Khor Arbat, 13. 5. 08. This was the last Yellow Wagtail I saw, excepting one on May 16th. From its very marked pale supercilium and a touch of whitish on the ear-coverts I ascribe it to this form. 2 d 2 392 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed (ii.) Motacilla flava cinereocapilla Savi? a. £ . Khor Arbat, 6. 5. 08. Mr. M. J. Nicoll, who has kindly noted his opinions on the labels of a large series of Yellow Wagtails collected by me in the Sudan, has marked this bird M. f. flava . It has, however, much more white on the throat than any of my large series of that form, and, though it has a broad and distinct white eyebrow, the lores and ear-coverts are very dark blackish grey, and the ear-coverts shew no traces of white. I should call it M. f. cinereocapilla with an unusually well-defined superciliary stripe. The testes were of the size of hemp-seeds. (iii.) Motacilla flava pygmcea A. E. Brehm? a. $ . Khor Arbat, 12. 5. 08. I have atypical specimen of this well-marked small resident Egyptian race, with a wing of 73 mm., kindly given me by Mr. M. J. Nicoll. My Khor Arbat bird almost exactly agrees with it, but has a wing of 78 mm. ; it was apparently paired with a female which I did not get. There were only two birds in all, in what seemed quite a likely breeding- place, near permanent running water. The testes of this bird were enlarged to about the size of hemp-seeds, as in the bird referred to M. f. cinereocapilla. These are the only two Yellow Wagtails that I have shot in the Sudan in the spring in which the testes have been at all enlarged. I notice that in Mr. NicolPs Egyptian specimen of M . /. pygmcea the longest secondary exceeds the longest primary by 1 mm. I have before me some fifty skins of Yellow W agtails, including M. /. rail, M. f. flava , M. f. melon ocephala, M. f. melanogrisea , M. /. borealis, &c., and this is the only bird in which this is the case. I do not know if this is the rule in M. /. pygmcea, but if so, the slight difference in the proportionate length of primaries and secondaries in the non- migratory bird would be interesting. In my slightly larger Khor Arbat bird, however, the secondaries fall short of the primaries by 7 mm. 393 on the Red Sea Coast in May 1908. (iv.) Motacilla flava melanocephala Licht. ? а. ? . Khor Arbat, 5. 5. 08. A few Black-headed Yellow Wagtails were seen along the stream for the first five days of May. This female was with two or three of these, and probably is of the same subspecies. There is hardly any trace of a pale eyebrow. 5. Al,emon alaudipes (Desf.). Fairly frequent round Port Sudan and along the coast plain. б. Galerida cristata (Linn.). a-d. Three males and one female. Port Sudan, 19.5.08. Crested Larks were very common round Port Sudan and along the coast. I took my examples to Tring to get them subspecifically identified, and they appeared to agree best with G. c. brachyura Tristr., of Palestine. 7. Ammomanes deserti (Licht.). a. S • Jebel Bawati, 11.5.08. b. $ juv. Khor Arbat, 1. 5. 08. c. $ . Khor Arbat, 1.5. 08. Pairs and small parties of these little Desert-Larks were met with daily among the rocky ground near the hills. 8. Pyrrhulauda melanauchen (Cab.). a. S. Port Sudan, 25.5.08. These Finch-Larks were abundant near the coast. I met with one or two very large flocks of some hundreds. They all seemed to be in full moult. 9. Emberiza septemstriata Bdpp. a. $ . Khor Arbat, 2. 5. 08. Pairs and small parties of this little Bock-Bunting were fairly frequent among the hills. I noted them on eight of the first sixteen days of May. 10. ^Edemosyne cantans (Gm.). a. ? . Talgwareb Station, 29. 4. 08. I shot this bird at a station on the Red Sea Railway on my way to Port Sudan, but I did not note it on the coast. 394 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed 11. Hyphantornis galbula Rupp. a-f. Five males and one female. Khor Arbat, 2.5.08 to 6.5.08. These Weavers were very plentiful, and busily engaged in building nests on the tamarisks and acacias near the stream. 12. Oriolus galbula Linn. I only noticed the Golden Oriole twice in the Khor Arbat, on May 4th and 17th. Both individuals were adult males. 13. Corvus appinis Rupp. This Crow was seen at Jebel Bawati and among the hills. 14. Corvus umbrinus Sundev. This species was the common Crow round Port Sudan and on the coast. 15. Lanius leuconotus Brehm. a. g (breeding). Khor Arbat, 13.5.08. b. g (breeding). Jebel Bawati, 9. 5. 08. These birds were noted daily throughout the month, and I think that most of them were breeding. On May 16th I found a nest containing four young, placed about four feet from the ground in a “Marakh^ bush ( Leptadenia spartium ) . 16. Lanius isabellinus Ehr. a. g • Khor Arbat, 4. 5. 08. An adult male in very perfect plumage. This was the only Isabelline Shrike I noticed during the month. 17. Lanius nubicus Licht. The Masked Shrike was common in the Khor Arbat. 18. Bhodophoneus cruentus (Hempr. & Ehr.). a. g, Port Sudan, 18. 5.08. b. % . ), C- g juv. „ Seen a few times on the plain between Port Sudan and Khor Arbat. In the young male the pink of the breast extends up on to the throat, as in the adult, but is there 395 on the Red Sea Coast in May 1908. bordered by a narrow black line on each side — an inclination towards the plumage of the female. 19. Argya acaci.® (Licht.). a. $ . Jebel Bawati, 8. 5. 08. b- c?- „ „ c. B juv. Port Sudan, 22.5.08. Lichtenstein’s Desert-Babbler was common in the bush between the coast and the mountains. A female shot on May 9th contained a perfect egg, and I took a clutch of five fresh eggs from a nest in a thorn-bush in the town of Port Sudan, on May 24th. 20. Pycnonotus arsinoe (Hempr. & Ehr.). This Bulbul was common round Port Sudan and in the Khor Arbat. 21. Prinia gracilis (Licht.). a. $ . Khor Arbat, 4. 5.f8. b. ?. „ 4.5.08. Fairly numerous in the tamarisk-thickets near water. The two specimens shot were in breeding condition. 22. Cercotrichas podobe (P. L. S. Mull.). a. B • Khor Arbat, 2. 5. 08. b. ?. „ 14.5.08. The Black Bush-Robin was common in the scrub along the coast plain, and in the tamarisk-thickets of the Khor Arbat. 23. Ackocephalus streperus (Vieill.). I shot a Reed- Warbler on May 5th, and perhaps over¬ looked others among the Pallid Warblers, but the bird was certainly not plentiful. 24. Hypolais pallida (Hempr. & Ehr.). a. $ . Talgwareb Station, 29. 4. 08. The Pallid Warbler was numerous round Port Sudan and in the Khor Arbat for the first ten days of May, and was noted less frequently up to the 24th. 396 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed 25. Sylvia hortensis (Gm.). a. $ . Khor Arbat, 1.5.08. b. $ . „ 4.5.08. Garden-Warblers were, perhaps, even more numerous than Blackcaps. Their numbers shewed no diminution until the 16th of May, when there was a great decrease, and on the 18th I noted only a few individuals. 26. Sylvia atricapilla (Linn.). a. $ . Khor Arbat, 2. 5. 08. Immense numbers of Blackcaps assembled along the coast during the first half of May, together with Barred and Garden-Warblers. These three species seemed every¬ where, and abundant as the Barred Warblers were, the Blackcaps and Garden-Warblers greatly outnumbered them. I saw very great numbers of this species daily from May 1st to the 11th, and large numbers again on the 14th and 16th. I spent the next few days looking for sea-birds, and saw no more Blackcaps afterwards. 27. Sylvia nisoria Bechst. a . S • Khor Arbat, 4. 5. 08. b. $ . ,, 5. 5. 08. c. $ . ,, 5.5.08. d.