OCR Text |
Show 1871.] MR. P. L. SCLATER ON ANIMALS IN THE MENAGERIE. 495 determination of the raptorial birds in the Society's collection, a careful examination decided that they were referable to the allied species described by Dr. Salvadori in 1865 as Buteo auguralis (Atti Soc. It. viii. p. 376) ; and I have altered the name in the new List of Animals accordingly. 33. SPILORNIS BACHA, Daud. In May 1865, Mr. A. Grote sent home to us from Calcutta two young specimens of a bird-of-prey of the genus Spilornis, received by him from the Andaman Islands, and considered to be typical of " Hcematornis elgini, Tytler," as described by Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii. p. 87 (1863), and 'Ibis,' 1863, p. 118. These birds lived long in the Gardens, and were constantly examined by Mr. J. H, Gurney, who eventually purchased one of the dead specimens for the Norwich collection. Mr. Gurney pronounced them to be without doubt identical with Spilornis bacha (Daud.) of the Malay countries. I think it right to call attention to this, as in his list of Andaman birds, published in 'The Ibis' for 1867, Mr. Beavan has stated that the specimen received by us from Mr. Grote was referable to Spilornis cheela oi India-an error subsequently corrected by Mr. Blyth (Ibis, 1868, p. 131). It would appear therefore that both S. cheela and S. bacha occur in the Andaman Islands. 34. CROSSOPTILON MANTCHURICUM, Swinhoe. In the last edition of the List of Vertebrates (p. 141) and hitherto generally I have called this bird Crossoptilon auritum (Pall.). But from what Mr. Swinhoe informs me there seemed to be little doubt that the newly described Crossoptilon ceerulescens of Pere David (C. R. lxx. p. 538) will turn out to be the true Phasianus auritus of Pallas ; and we must therefore adopt for the present bird Mr. Swinhoe's alternative name mantchuricum, proposed P. Z. S. 1862, p. 286. The genus Crossoptilon will therefore now comprehend four species:- 1. C. tibetanum, Hodgson, from Eastern Tibet. 2. C. drouyni, Milne-Edwards, C. R. April 20, 1868, from Western Szechuen. 3. C. auritum, Pallas, from the Gobi Desert. 4. C. mantchuricum, Swinhoe, from China, north of Pekin. As regards our living specimens of the latter bird, I regret to say that our hopes of introducing this fine bird permanently into Europe appear likely to be miserably disappointed. Nearly all those in our Gardens, both introduced and bred, alike have sickened and died, and at the present moment we are left with two females only. In most of the Continental gardens, so far as I can make out, nearly the same event has taken place. 35. NUMIDA EDOUARDI, Hartl. Last year, as recorded in these 'Proceedings' (1870, p. 383), we purchased of the Societe Zoologique d'Acclimatation a pair of |