Bibliographical Notices. 275 



many interesting observations on their habits, and critical remarks 

 on the labours of other authors in the same field of research. The 

 latter department is one in which naturalists, writing like Mr. Jerdon 

 at a great distance from home, always experience much difficulty, 

 from the want of access to scientific libraries and museums. Never- 

 theless Mr. Jerdon has turned to good account such works on Indian 

 zoology as lay within his reach, and his identifications of species are 

 in general correct. We will proceed to notice briefly the contents 

 of the number before us. 



Plate 1, Nisaetus grandis, Hodgson, a species which is now consi- 

 dered to be synonymous with the Aquila Bonelli of Europe. 2. Leu- 

 cocerca alhofrontata, which, like the other species of Mr. Swainson's 

 genus Leucocerca, it seems impossible to separate by well-marked 

 generic characters from Rhipidura. 3. Zanclostomus viridirostris, 

 Jerdon, a species which seems to be in fact a Phoenicophaus, though 

 the compressed beak and diminution of the bare space round the 

 orbits indicate an approach to the nearly-allied genus Zanclostomus. 



4. Accipiter besra, Jerdon ; this appears to be the young state of the 

 A. virgatus, Temm. 5. Picus Hodgsoni, a new and handsome spe- 

 cies, distinguished from the P. javensis, Horsf., by its white rump, 

 and referable to the genus Hemilophus. 6. Prinia cursitans, Frankl., 

 a small bird closely allied to the Drymoeca cisticola of Europe, and 

 generically identical with it. 7. Muscipeta paradisi; the specimen 

 here figured is interesting as showing a state of plumage interme- 

 diate between the chestnut- coloured bird called M. indica and the 

 pure white plumage of the adult M. paradisi, and thus proving their 

 specific identity. 8. Turdus Wardi, Jerdon, a rare and beautiful 

 thrush, typical in form, but anomalous in coloration. 9. Scolopax 

 nemoricola, Hodgson, a large species of snipe, presenting in many 

 respects an approach to the woodcock. 10. Pterocles quadricinctus, 

 the true quadricinctus of Temminck and indicus of Gmelin ; but its 

 earliest specific name is fasciatus, given by Scopoli. 1 1 . Phoenicornis 

 flammeus ; this is certainly the true Muscicapa fiammea of Temminck, 

 and consequently inhabits Java and Sumatra as well as Ceylon and 



5. India ; but it is not the Oranor of Levaillant, Ois. Af. 155, as Mr. 

 Jerdon supposes, that bird being the P. peregrinus. 1 2. Falco shaheen, 

 Jerdon, a handsome species long ago noticed by Brisson as a sup- 

 posed variety of F. peregrinus, and first defined specifically by Sun- 

 devall under the name of F. peregrinator. 



Such works as this of Mr. Jerdon are deserving of every en- 

 couragement, for they supply us at small cost with accurate deline- 

 ations and original descriptions of new species, and thus furnish sci- 

 ence with materials intrinsically as valuable as can be found in the 

 most expensive publications. 



Salictum Britannicum exsiccatum, Fasc. II. By the Rev. J. E. Leefe. 



We have recently received this fasciculus of Mr. Leefe's very valu- 

 able collection of dried specimens of British Willows, and have much 

 pleasure in stating that it is fully as deserving of approbation as that 



