48 Zoological Society. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL. SOCIETY. 



January 14, 1845. — William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. 



Mr. Gould exhibited to the Meeting a number of Birds from China, 

 being the first collection forwarded from Amoy to this country. 

 He described the following new species : — 



CoRvus PASTiNATOR. Cov. plumis ptHose saturate purpurascente- 

 nigris ; caudd virescenti ; scapulariis tectricibusque caudce maculd 

 semilunari nigrd ad apices ornatis ; rostra tarsisque nigris. 



The entire plumage deep shining purplish black or plum- colour, 

 glossed with a greenish hue on the tail-feathers ; the scapularies and 

 upper tail-coverts with an obscure crescent-shaped mark of black at 

 the tip ; bill and feet shining black. 



Total length 18 inches ; bill, 2| ; wing, 12 ; tail, 7 ; tarsi, 2^ ; mid- 

 dle toe and claw, 2^. 



Hah. Chusan. 



Remark. — ^This species is closely allied to the Rook of Europe, but 

 differs from it in the hue of the plumage, which is of a beautiful pur- 

 ple or plum- colour where the European bird is green ; the bill is also 

 straighter and the face much less denuded, the fleshy base of the 

 nostrils being the only part destitute of feathers ; the feet and claws 

 are also larger. 



Mergus orientalis. Mer. (Foem.) capite cristd colloque rubi- 

 ginoso-rubris ; mento alba ; corpore superiore, caudd, alis, lateri- 

 busque griseis ; primariis ferrugineo-nigris ; secundariis albis ; 

 corpore inferiore pallide cervino ; tectricibus caudce albidis. 



Female. — Head, neck and crest dark rust-red ; chin white ; all the 

 upper surface, wings, tail and flanks grey ; primaries brownish 

 black ; secondaries pure white ; under surface cream-colour, fading 

 into white on the under tail-coverts. 



Total length 23 inches ; bill, 2| ; wing, 9| ; tail, 5 ; tarsi, 2. 



Hab. Amoy. 



Remark. — Nearly allied to the Goosander of Europe, but smaller 

 in size and more delicate in colour than that bird. I believe a male 

 of this bird is in the British Museum ; the female is in my own col- 

 lection, and is the only one I have seen. The specimen in the Mu- 

 seum assimilates as closely to the male of the European bird as the 

 one here described does to the female. 



Pica serica. P. capite, collo, pectore et tectricibus caudce saturate 

 nigris; tectricibus alarum cinereo-cceruleis, ventre et scapulariis 

 albis ; caudd metallice nigro-viridi ; rostro et pedibus nigris. 



Head, throat, chest, upper part of the back, upper and under tail- 

 coverts deep black ; secondaries and greater wing- coverts shining 

 steel-blue ; spurious wing and edges of the base of the outer webs of 

 the primaries shining deep green ; inner webs of the primaries white ; 

 the tips of the primaries and the margins of the inner webs for a 

 short distance from the tip black ; scapularies and belly pure white ; 

 tail greenish black, with bronze reflexions ; bill and feet black. 



