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Show 1874.] DR. MURIE ON FREGILUPUS VARIUS. 479 study of the bird in skin, placed it among the Sturnidse alongside of Hartlaubia. Schlegel * has indorsed the latter position in his ornithological contribution to M M . Pollen and Van Dam's work on ' The Fauna of Madagascar and Dependencies ;' and I find him stating, in an earlier popular treatisef, that it is a kind of Starling. In the ' Genera of Birds,' G. R. Gray allows that the Fregilupus of Lesson may be a Upupa ; but in his later ' Hand-list' he has totally altered this opinion, and made it come last in the subfamily Juidinas, the Icteridae having successive proximity. Lastly, and anew, Sundevall acquiesces in its Pastorine affinities, but in the light of an old friend with a new garb. With reference to the Cambridge skeleton, I may here insert a note concerning it from Prof. Newton, to w h o m I had transmitted m y drawings with the name Fregilupus madagascariensis upon them. H e writes m e : - " I a m afraid I have led you astray as to the specific name of the bird. There is no doubt, I think, of its being the Upupa varia of Boddaert, whose specific name has accordingly priority of superioribus subrufescentibus; rostro longiusculo, gracili, subarcuato, acuto, pedibus et orbitis flavis, unguibus fuscis. Long, circa 10", rostr. 1" 8'", al. 5" 5'", caud. 3" 9'", tars. 1" 6'", dig. med. 9'"." Then follows synonymy. " Hab. Madagascar, Bourbon, Isle of France." H e further observes:-" In collections it is always of the greatest rarity. Wanting, for example, in the rich Museums of Vienna, Berlin, and Dresden. In Leyden, old and poor. Very beautiful and fresh in Florence and Pisa: three examples from Madagascar. Also in Stockholm. The assertion of Bowdich, that' Upupa capensis' has been got at Porto Santo, arises naturally from a mistake (Excurs. Port. Sant. & Madeira, p. 93). [Here it m ay be stated that there is also a specimen in the Museum at Port Louis, Mauritius.-Newton.] " I measured a beautiful new specimen in the Paris Museum from Bourbon. Entire length 11$", beak 13$'", wing 5" 7'", tail 4" 10'", tarsus 1" 5£'". The only true systematic place of this bird is that long ago adjudged to it by Temminck and Wagler [that is, among the Pastors, though Hartlaub is wrong in quoting Temminck as an authority. See footnote p. 487]. " In this place I call attention to the known matter of fact, that the Indian Acridotheres tristis [Common Mynah] has, a long time since, been introduced into Mauritius and become domesticated. This species there also proves itself an indefatigable extirpator of grasshoppers &c."-Ornith. Beitrage z. Fauna Madag. pp. 53 & 54. * Professor Schlegel's memorandum bears intrinsic value, being almost the last, certainly the most authoritative, testimony following Hartlaub, as bearing witness to the extreme rarity, if not total extermination, of the bird in question. M y quotation is that contained in Pollen and Van Dam's volume, p. 1 0 4 :- " Fregilupus madagascariensis.-" Cette espece est devenu tellement rare a la Reunion qu'on n'en a pas entendu parler depuis une dizaine d'annees. Elle a ete detruite dans toutes les parties du littoral, m e m e dans celles des montagnes peu eloignees de la cote. Des personnes dignes de foi m'ont cependant assure q'elle doit encore exister dans les forets de Finterieur pres de Saint-Joseph. Les vieux Creoles que j'ai consultes a ce sujet m e disaient que, dans leur jeu-nesse, ces oiseaux etaient encore communs et qu'ils etaient tellement stupides qu'on les pouvait tuer a coup de baton. Les Creoles de File donnent le n o m de Huppe. Ce n'est done pas a tort qu'un habitant distingue de File de la Reunion, M . A. Legras, s'exprimait sur cet oiseau dans les termes suivants:-' La Huppe est devenue tellement rare qu'a peine nous en avons vu une douzaine dans nos peregrinations a la decouverte des oiseaux; nous avons m e m e eu la douleur d'en chercher vainement un specimen dans notre Musee.'" f Handleidung der Dierkunde (1857), p. 338. |