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Show 448 MR. R. SWINHOE ON CHINESE Z O O L O G Y . [June 9, A. bactriana (Blyth) of Thibet, by its short tarse covered with long down, and by its well-clothed toes. I propose to distinguish it as the ATHENE PLUMIPES, sp. nov. Throat white, the white extending in crescent-form up each cheek in rear of ear-coverts (the lower white neck-ring of A. noctua is wanting); lores, round eye, and middle of belly also pure white ; upper parts light reddish brown, with drops of reddish white on the head, and marked and spotted much as in A. noctua ; underparts, leg-, and feet-feathers cream-colour, on the breast and flanks broadly streaked with reddish brown, like A. glaux (A. noctua being spotted with white on a dark ground and wanting the white on the centre of the belly) ; bill yellow tinged with green ; irides light yellow ; claws blackish brown. Length about 8*5 inches; wing 6*2, of similar-proportioned quills to those of A. noctua ; tail 3*6, of twelve equal feathers ; tarse to base of hind toe *85, densely clothed with down-like feathers, *65 long; feet covered with shorter hair-like feathers, just showing scales at end of toes ; soles bare and yellow. Towards evening, as we drew near to Shato, very large flights of Erythropus amurensis (Radd.) and Falco cenchris (Naun.) appeared in the skies overhead, flying high to and fro and round like Swallows about the temples in the western hills ; they were also to be seen at this season in large numbers preparatory to their migration. They must, however, wind away south-westwards, as they do not appear on the southern coast of China. In the Nankow Pass we saw Eagles again, a small number of Urocissa sinensis (L.), and a single Eophona personata (T. & S.). One of m y comrades shot the last, and had a piece of his finger nearly bitten out by the formidable mandibles of the bird. I noticed that the Crows here pursue and torment the Eagles just as fearlessly as they do the Kites in Southern China. On the 30th of September we reached Peking just before the shutting of the gates. In the last visit I paid to the museum I found a native with a live Nutcracker for sale. I engaged this man to collect for me, and through him got some very good things. He had worked for Pere David. It was a pity that I had not got hold of him before, as now my time was getting short. He brought m e three Nutcrackers, all females, of the European Nucifraga caryocatactes (Pall.), called by the Chinese the Tsung hwairh, or " Onion-flower." Irides dark, liver-brown, the same colour as the crown of their heads; bill, legs, and claws blackish brown. Hawfinch, Coccothraustes vulgaris, § '• iris light yellowish brown tinged with grey. Zosterops erythopleura, mihi : the female has less red on the flank than the male; bill light bluish grey, marked with black on upper mandible; legs deeper bluish grey. Accipitor palumbarius, cS • Bill brownish black, bluish grey at base; cere king's yellow marked with blackish brown, rictus king's yellow ; inside of mouth light purplish blue marked with black ; eyelids |