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Show 1880.] PROF. AGASSIZ ON THE SYNONYMY OF ECHINI. 33 ultramarine-blue at the top succeeded by verditer-blue ; the last secondaries are uniform sandy-brown instead of fuscous and sandy-brown shot with greenish; in the tail the two middle feathers are black instead of dusky bronze-grey, and the feathers next to them on each side ultramarine glossed black instead of verditer-blue clouded with blue-grey ; and the white forehead and eyebrows are very much broader and more conspicuous. The under surface colouring is deficient in the rich lilacine-purple which adorns the throat and entire breast of C. caudatus, though it exhibits traces of a similar hue on the sides. In comparison with C. abyssinicus, the upper surface differs more markedly than it does from that of G. caudatus, for in C. abysrinicus the head and neck are greenish-blue sharply separated from the uniform rufous-brown back ; but on the under surface the coloration is the same, except that C. abyssinicus does not present either the lilacine or brownish which vary the sides of the face, throat, and breast in C. spatulatus. The tail-feathers (with the exception of the two middle and two outermost) have their colours just reversed in relative position, C. abyssinicus presenting pale-blue feathers with dark-blue bases, and C. spatulatus feathers pale blue at the base, but blue-black at their extremities. Dr. Bradshaw informs me that C. spatulatus was not seen far from the Zambesi except once or twice, when he noticed it at about 80 miles distance to the south of the river. The species chiefly frequents the so-called " Sand-veldt," a tract of heavy sand-ridges, keeping about the tallest timber. In the winter months it makes its appearance in small companies of from four to ten or a dozen, but is out of plumage and very scarce during the rainy season, viz. from November to April. In flight and action these birds resemble the other Rollers, and are usually difficult to approach. They have a most peculiar harsh cry, which differs from that of the other species, and when once heard is easily recognized on repetition. The male specimen brought down was shot on the 23rd May, 1878, on the western boundary of the Leshumo valley, through the whole length of which water only runs during heavy rains. All the specimens seen had the extremities of the long tail-feathers expanded into the battledore form. I have never before seen any example of this Coracias in the numerous collections made in the interior. The species is probably limited in its range and may thus have escaped notice ; while it is not unlikely that the less observant collectors may have passed it by as C. caudatus. 3. Note on some Points in the History of the Synonymy of Echini. By ALEXANDER AGASSIZ, F.M.Z.S. [Received January 10, 1880.] The ' Proceedings' of the Society for March, May, and June, 1879, contain three short articles on Echini, by Mr. F. J. Bell, of the British Museum (see pp. 249, 436, and 655). As these articles are PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1880, No. III. 3 |