Mr. P. L. Sclater on a new species of Bird. 465 



pollen to be pushed on to its own stigma, I am inclined to specu- 

 late a little further. It is, I think, well ascertained that very 

 close interbreeding tends to produce sterility, at least amongst 

 animals. Moreover, in plants, it has been ascertained that the 

 male organs fail in fertility more readily than the female organs, 

 both from hybridity and from other causes, and further, that they 

 resume their fertility slower, when a hybrid is crossed in succes- 

 sive generations with either pure parent, than do the female 

 organs. May we not then suppose, in the case of leguminous 

 plants, after a long course of self-fertilization, that the pollen 

 begins to fail, and then, and not till then, the plants are eagerly 

 ready to receive pollen from some other variety ? Can this be 

 connected with the apparently short duration and constant suc- 

 cession of new varieties amongst our Peas, and, as is stated to be 

 the case on the Continent, with Kidney Beans ? 



These speculations may be valueless ; but I venture earnestly 

 to request any of your correspondents who may have noticed any 

 analogous facts connected with sudden and large variation in 

 their seed-crops of any leguminous plants (including Sweet Peas), 

 or any facts bearing on such plants having kept true for many 

 consecutive generations when grown near each other, to have 

 the kindness to take the trouble to communicate them to the 

 ' Gardeners' Chronicle/ or to the following address, C. Darwin, 

 Downe, Bromley, Kent. 



LI. — Description of a new species of Bird from Palestine. 

 By Philip Ltjtley Sclater, M.A., F.L.S. 



Amydrus Tristramii. 



Saturate purpureo-nitens, ventre obscuriore ; alis caudaque obscure 

 nigris viridi-nitente marginatis : alarum primariis omnibus clare 

 ochracescenti-fulvis, nigricanti-fusco late terminatis, extimo quoque 

 eodem colore extus partim limbato : rostro et pedibus nigris. 

 $ mari similis, sed paulo minor, obscurior, et preecipue in capite 

 et gutture fusca. 



Long, tota maris 1 1*0, alse 5*9, caudse 4*5, rostri a rictu 1*4, tarsi 

 1-25. 



Ilab. in Terra Sancta. 



A pair of this fine species, which belongs to the brilliant group 

 of Lamprotornithince, or Glossy Starlings, was obtained by the 

 Bev. H. B. Tristram in Palestine during the present spring, and 

 I have called it after its discoverer. It forms a third of the 

 small group to which Cabanis's term Amydrus is now restricted. 

 It is rather larger than Amydrus fulvipennis (Sw.) of Western and 

 Southern Africa } and the primaries are of a uniform pale buffy 



