Dendrocygna major, Jerdon.

Tadorna Bellonii v. vulpanser, Auct: the European Shieldrake, of which this is the second specimen I have met with in the bazaar; and lastly, I shall only further mention

Glareola torquata; the Collared Pratincole: a specimen of which I had the good fortune to procure alive, leading me at a glance to perceive its true affinities, which heretofore had constantly puzzled me, in common, I believe, with every student of Zoology who has bestowed attention on the classification of Birds. Linnæus arranged this bird as Hirundo pratincola; and Baron Cuvier included its genus among his Echassiers or "Stilt birds;" viz. the Grallatores, or "Waders" of modern English systematists, remarking-" Nous terminerons ce tableau des échassiers par trois genres qu'il est difficile d'associer à d'autres, et que l'on peut considerer comme formant séparément de petites familles." The three genera adverted to are Chionis, Glareola, and Phanicopterus; which are associated also by M. Temminck in his heterogeneous assemblage of odds and ends, styled by him Alectorides. Now, of these three genera, the first, or that of the Sheathbill (Chionis), has been satisfactorily referred by M. Blainville, on anatomical data, to the immediate proximity of Hæmatopus, an association of which the propriety is readily seen when once suggested*, and on similar data I have long been satisfied that the Flamingoes (Phænicopterus) should be ranged among the Lamellirostres or Anatidae, a position which has also been assigned to them by Mr. Swainson: this latter author, in common with most of the recent British writers on Ornithology, has referred the Pratincoles to the Charadriadæ, or Plover family, associating them more immediately with Cursorius; but Mr. Jenyns (in his British Vertebrata), really as if selecting the most outré position he could find, has included this genus in his Rallidet! There, too, Mr. Yarrell (in his British Birds') has followed him in grouping it; but this naturalist was so fortunate as to obtain an egg of our present species, which he has figured, and remarks that "the Pratincole has been arranged by some authors with the Swallows, by others near the Rails: but I believe, with Mr. Selby, that it ought to be included in the family of the Plovers; and had I known its Plover-like habits and eggs sooner, I should have arranged it between Cursorius and Charadrius." The figure of the egg which he has given, however, appears to me to accord still better with my view of the affinities of this genus. Several years ago, Mr. Gould called my attention to the fact that the Collared Pratincole had a slightly pectinated middle claw, and suggested to me whether, after all, the great Swedish naturalist was not right, at least in bringing this bird among the Insessores Fissirostres of Vigors; but at that time I inclined to hold a different opinion, and so far as the structure in question is concerned, that alone could scarcely influence the systematic position of the genus, as it occurs in widely separated families; and as I have further always held the opinion

• Allied to Chionis are the remarkable genera Attagis, d'Orbigny, and Tinochorus, Vieillot, from the South American Cordilleras, and the anatomy of these equally refers them to the same systematic station. Vide Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle under Captain Fitzroy.

↑ I need not ask what character it has in common with the Rails, but rather what it has not in direct and obvious opposition to them?

1 E. g., in many Caprimulgidæ, Ardeadæ, and Pelicanidæ; its intent being apparently to cleanse the rictus from such fish-scales, &c. as may adhere thereto, or, in the instance of the Caprimulgida, to detach the legs of beetles which may ditch, and thus impede the bird's swallowing them.

that the Pressirostres and Longirostres of Cuvier (corresponding to the Charadriada and Scolopacidæ of modern English systematists) composed but a single great series, essentially distinct from the Cultrirostres, Cuv. (vel Gruidæ et Ardeada), which the illustrious French zoologist interposed between the former, an analogous conformation was not wanting in that series, as instanced by the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa melanura), while no trace of it occurs in the Bar-tailed Godwit (L. fedoa). Examining, however, the entire foot of a recent Pratincole, it will be seen that the resem blance it bears to that of Caprimulgus extends to the peculiar scutation, to the general form of the toes, and especially to the circumstance of the back-toe being directed inward; and whoever has witnessed the creeping gait of a British Moth-hunter (Caprimulgus) on the ground, will not fail to recognise in that of the Pratincole an exact similarity: moreover, many species of Caprimulgus have the tarse as much elongated as in Glareola, and I have been informed that certain of these assemble mumerously on the mud flats near the shores of some of the West India Islands, where their habits would appear to resemble those stated of the Pratincoles. The mode of flight, too, of the latter is absolutely that of the Moth-hunters, and not by continuous flappings, as in all the Charadriada. But what first led me to perceive the affinity which this genus bears to Caprimulgus, was the expression of the physiognomy of the living bird, as I held it in my hand, and, to descend to particulars, the semi-tubulate form of its nares, and downward curvature of the short bill seen alike in both, though the latter is so much larger and stouter in Glareola; then, looking to the feet, the similitude was at least equally striking, while the form of the wings and tail, and mode of flight, were such as might be expected to occur in a diurnal modification of the family Caprimulgida, and together with the wide gape helped to remove this genus from the grallatorial order altogether. Even the egg, as figured by Mr. Yarrell, has not the pointed form at one end, characteristic of those of the Snipe and Plover series; but would appear to resemble nearly that of a Caprimulgus, in shape as well as in markings. On the other hand, the discrepancies of Glareola with any of the varied forms of nocturnal Caprimulgidæ are sufficiently obvious externally, while internally there are some very strongly marked differences; such as the configuration of the sternum, which is doubly emarginated posteriorly, and otherwise more approximates the form of this important portion of the skeleton of the Charadriada, while the tongue also is broad and flat, with a thin serrated tip, and the muscular coat of the stomach is considerably developed,—particulars at variance with the type of Caprimulgidæ, but which I only now briefly advert to, since I have not lately procured an example of the latter family with which to institute an anatomical comparison. Upon the whole, I have arrived at the opinion that the Pratincoles are more nearly related by affinity to Caprimulgida than to any other family in the class, but I hesitate as to whether they should be actually included therein, though, if so, I think that they should be regarded as at least constituting a very distinct sub-family, apart from the nocturnal genera, and thus I incline provisionally to arrange them.

REPTILIA.

All that I have to notice, in this class, among the donations of the past month, consist of two specimens of Testudo geometrica, very young, which were packed with the

Caprimulgus, Egotheles, Podargus, Steatornis, Nyctibius.

other specimens received from Lieutenant Tickell; and a small banded Gymnodactylus, from Afghanistan, nearly allied to a species formerly transmitted to the Society by Lieutenant Tickell from Midnapore, and for which we are indebted to Dr. Thomson. This I shall characterize when I come to notice certain others of the Gecko tribe, which I am now trying to collect.

PISCES.

For the only specimen of a Fish, the Society is under obligation to Dr. Spry, who has presented us with a small recent example of Zygona laticeps, Cantor, (‘Quarterly Journal of the Calcutta Medical and Physical Society,' for July, 1837, p. 316, and beautifully figured at p. 318): it was taken in the Hooghly.

MOLLUSCA.

The interesting series of Chusan Shells presented by Dr. Cantor to the Society, have already been enumerated in his letter, and accordingly need only here to be thus briefly mentioned.

Those presented by M. M. Liautaud and Reymoneng, consist of the following species, of which such as are marked with an asterisk, bear the names with which those gentlemen have favored me in determining some of the others, I have received the kind assistance of Dr. Cantor :

Bulimus gracilis, Lea, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. (n. s.), VII. 458, and pl. XL, fig. 6; being the third or white variety described by that naturalist; Luçonia.

Helix gigantea: Luçonia.

H. polychroa, Sowerby, P. Z. S., 1841, 87, subgenus Cochlogena, de F.; Bulimus virido-striatus, Lea, loc. cit., ante, p. 456, and pl. XI. fig 2.

H. luteo-fasciata, Lea, Ibid. p. 462, and pl. XII. fig. 13, but of a less flattened form than is there represented: Puerto Galera.

Cyclostoma Woodianum, Lea, Ibid. p. 465, and pl. XII. fig. 1.

Mytilus - ? (Brackish water.)

From J. G. Heatley, Esq., I have the pleasure to acknowledge the presentation of a large and interesting collection of Shells, chiefly marine, procured from both the Asiatic and Australian shores of the Indian Ocean. The number of species comprised in this collection is far too great for me to attempt a catalogue of them on the present occasion.

INSECTA.

A valuable box of Insects, collected in Afghanistan, and especially interesting from the attention which has been alike bestowed on all the orders, has been presented to the Society by Dr. Thomson. The general character of these, I may briefly remark, and as may be supposed, is European, with an admixture of tropical forms, analogous to those found on the Himalaya. A variety of British species occur, and among the very few Lepidoptera sent, are included the extensively distributed Cynthia cardui, little Polyommatus Alexis verus, which the Society also possess from Kumaon, Hipparchia Megara, of which also we have a Kumaon example, other species of this group-one common in the vicinity of Calcutta, and a handsome white-bordered species allied to H. Semele,- -a Thecla, which appears to be the European Batica figured by Boisduval, Thestia Pirene, Sphinx convolvulus, the domestic Bombyx mori, and five or six other species undetermined. The number of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera, and even Diptera, as well as Hemiptera, is considerable; but I cannot at present do more than notice them thus generally and briefly.

Again congratulating the Society upon the extraordinary number of donations with which it has been lately favored, indicative of the rapidly increasing interest taken in its Museum, and which, it may readily be conceived, has found me pretty ample employment in determining so many species as have been enumerated, not to mention various others, it now only remains to subscribe myself,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,
EDWARD BLYTH.

Accompanying plate Figs. 1, 2, 3, Skull of undescribed Bos, from the Keddah Coast, in the London United Service Museum (vide p. 447); 4, occipital view of Gaour's Skull; 5, Horns of the Banteng, or Wild Ox of Java (p. 446); 6, Head of Cervus niger, Blainville, from one of the late Dr. Buchanan Hamilton's drawings.-E. B.

Museum of Economic Geology.

Read the following report of the Superintendent of the Museum of Economic Geology on a specimen of Limestone, from Darjeeling, referred to the Museum by Lieut. BROOME, and his report on the Museum for April, 1842.