354 Zoological Society, 



in May, when these birds were common in small flocks about the 

 moist turf near the river. Shy. 



Nycticorax Europccus, Steph. Procured March 29. Shot at the 

 river, perched on a tree. Total length 24? inches. Iris bright scarlet. 



Gallinula chloropus, Lath. Procured April 14. Found in the 

 stomach very small black seeds. Anterior half of the bill yellow, 

 with a greenish tinge ; the remainder, as also the plate on the fore- 

 head, bright red, inclining to scarlet ; iris bright red, with two very 

 narrow rings round the pupil, the inner one being dark yellow and 

 the outer one black ; legs yellowish green, with a patch of bright 

 orange red above the knee-joint. Fell with a few others into the 

 yard of a house, where it was caught alive. 



Totanus hypoleucos, Temm. Procured April 6 in a burying- 

 ground, near a pool of water. Another shot on the 19th, near a mill- 

 stream. 



*Scolopax major, Gmel. Procured April 19. Total length 11*5 

 inches. Common in boggy grounds. 



Charadrius minor ^ Meyer. Procured in March. Found in the 

 stomach insects. Only three seen. 



Platalea leucorodia, Linn. Procured May 24. Found in the sto- 

 mach grass and feathers. Seen at the river, where it breeds : seve- 

 ral nests are placed near each other, about the middle of the river. 

 They are made of reeds, bound together by weeds, which are piled 

 up a few inches above the water's edge. Over this foundation dried 

 reeds are placed in various directions, to form the body of the nest, 

 which is not lined with anything, and is just large enough to allow 

 one bird to sit, and the other to stand beside it : we found four eggs 

 in each ; they are white, spotted with brown. Turkish name, Cashik 

 Booroonoo (Spoon-bill), and Taktar Boornoo (Broad-bill). 



Zapornia pusilla, Steph. Procured April 19. Bill green, with 

 the margins of the gape red. Boggy ground near the river. Another 

 shot May 5. 



*Anas Boschas, Linn. Procured May 12. Very common at the 

 river : breeds here. The ducklings seen on the 1st of August 1838 ; 

 these birds arrived on the 5th of April. Early in spring a few were 

 seen in the fields near town ; they afterwards feed in wet fields near 

 the river. 



Dafila cauddcuta, Leach. Procured April 1. Found in the sto- 

 mach small seeds. Shot in a brook near the river. Total length 

 26 inches. Upper mandible bluish, with slate-coloured sides near 

 its base, and black culmen ; under mandible brownish black ; legs 

 slaty colour, with the webs and claws dusky. 



