232 [December, 



21. Carpophaga bicolor, (Scopoli.) Sonnerat's Voy. iii. pi. 103. Knip and 

 Prev. fig. ii. pi. 7. 



Columba bicolor, Scop. Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii. p. 94 (1786.) 



Columba alba, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 780 (1788.) 



Columba littoralis, Temm. Hist. Nat. Pigeons, p. 7. 



Carpophaga casta, Peale. Zool. U. S. Ex. Exp. Vincennes, Birds, p. 204 (first 

 edition, 1848.) 



No frontal knob. Entire plumage of tbe bead and body white. Tail white, 

 with a wide terminal band of black ; primary and secondary quills black, faintly 

 tinged with ashy ; tertiaries white. Resembles the preceding, but is rather 

 smaller and without the black markings on the ventral region. 



Of this beautiful bird several specimens are in the Coll. Acad, and are labelled 

 as from Ambrina. One specimen in Coll. Ex. Exp. is from the Sooloo Islands. 



22. Carpophaga norfolciensis (Lath.) Temm. PI. Col. 186. Gould B.of Aust. 

 v. pi. 59. 



Columba norfolciensis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. 60. 



Columba leucomela, Temm. PI. Col. iv. p. (liv. 32.) Knip and Prev. Pig. 

 iii. pi. 28. 



No frontal knob, but with the membranes of the nostrils large. Head, neck 

 and wide medial portion of the under parts white, in many specimens tinged with 

 dull yellowish. Upper parts of the body, wings and tail brownish black, tinged 

 ashy; plumage of the back, rump, upper tail coverts and upper wing coverts 

 tipped with metallic purple ; sides, flanks and under tail coverts dark cinereous 

 mixed with dull yellowish. Other specimens, apparently young, with the head, 

 neck and under parts mixed with light brown, which predominates on the abdo- 

 men. 



Numerous specimens in Coll. Acad, from Australia. 



There are in the collection of the Academy various other species that have 

 been included in the genus Carpophaga by authors, but the above are those only 

 of which I have seen specimens, and which appear properly to belong to it. 



Colurnba gidaris, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Astrolabe, Ois pi. 29, which is in the 

 Coll. Acad., is a JPtilinopus, Columba vitieksis, of the same authors, Voy. 

 Ast. Ois. pi. 28, of which the adult is in the Coll. Acad., (the young bird being 

 represented in the plate in Voy. Ast.) is more properly a true Columba. 



In the above list I have stated the presence or absence of the frontal knob or 

 protuberance, which appears to be characteristic of some species, but not with- 

 out suspicion that its presence, or at least its size, may depend on season, and 

 may then be sexual only and confined to the male birds. It has to me much 

 the appearance of an appendage indicative of the season of courtship, and its true 

 value as a character is an interesting problem. 



The species above alluded to, of which the specimens are in the collection of 

 the Exploring Expedition, will be figured in the Atlas to the volume on the 

 Quadrupeds and Birds of that Expedition, which I am preparing, and which will 

 be published during the ensuing year. 



Ilerrerite, identical with Smithsontie. 



By Dr. F. A. Genth. 



When Herrera described an apple green mineral from Albarradon in Mexico- 

 having a distinct cleavage parallel with the planes of a rhombohedron, as a com- 

 bination of 55 58 p. c. of tellurium, 12.32 p. c. of sesquioxide of nickel and 

 31.86 op. of carbonic acid, all mineralogists, who were conversant with the 

 laws of chemical combination, considered it as nothing more than a mechanical 

 mixture, though the description appears to have been that of a simple substance. 

 Afterwards, Del Rio pronounced it " carbonate of zinc, with some nickel and 

 cobalt," and this being a very probable composition, which also answers ver} r 

 well to the physical properties, it was generally considered aSmithsonite, though, 



