296 On the Natural History of Corfu and its vicinity. 



inglorious kind, as they have not resulted from the exertions of my own 

 arm or the shots of my own gun, but in great measure have quietly 

 dropped in to the lure of a silver whistle. Had Capt. Drummond 

 confined his list to Corfu alone, I should have hesitated to record 

 them, as the exact localities might be doubtful ; but as it takes in the 

 coast of Albania, the birds I have now to mention can without hesi- 

 tation be added to it, as they were certainly all killed either on the 

 island or on the opposite Albanian coast. 



1. Falco THEvius. In the plumage of an immature bird or as 

 F. maculatus, the Spotted Eagle. Killed by my friend Dr. Mountain, 

 R.A., at Butrinto, in December 1845, and presented to me. Tem- 

 minck mentions it as inhabiting the woody and mountainous regions 

 of Germany, as being very rare in France, more abundant in Russia 

 and the eastern parts of Europe, and common in the south, as also 

 in Africa, especially Egypt. Several of the gentlemen of the coun- 

 try say that they have seen the mature bird. 



2. Merops Savignii (VieilL). This beautiful and well-marked 

 species, the Meropa Egiziano of Bonap., is stated to be abundant in 

 Persia, Egypt, Tripoli, and as far as Senegal. The species was 

 founded on specimens obtained at Genoa ; another specimen was pro- 

 cured by Sig. Gangadi, and it is thus fairly incorporated amongst 

 the birds of Corfu. 



3. Himantopus nigricollis. From the marked character of one of 

 the specimens before me, I am obliged to class it with the American 

 species ; and I shall state therefore my reasons for so doing, and 

 then point out the peculiarities of a second specimen, which lead me 

 to think that the natural history of these birds is yet imperfect. 



Wilson says, " back, rump and tail-coverts also white, but so con- 

 cealed by the scapulars as to appear black ;" and such is the case : 

 again, "line before the eye, auriculars, back part of the neck, scapu- 

 lars and whole wings deep black, richly glossed with green ;" and 

 " in some the white from the breast extends quite round the neck, 

 separating the black of the hind neck from that of the body." Now 

 in these remarkable and striking particulars my bird is identical with 

 that of Wilson. 



Wilson says, tail " of a dingy white," whereas in my specimens 

 the shade is beyond a dingy white, and approaches to a light slaty 

 tinge ; this however neither removes it further from the European 

 species, in which the tail is also more or less white or ashy, nor ap- 

 proximates it to it. In my second specimen, which is probably a 

 female, a young bird, the plumage is not so deep a black, but rather 

 approaching to brown ; and the neck, instead of exhibiting the com- 

 plete black or brown-black, is blotched with those hues, showing 

 distinctly an approach to the definite marking, but proving either 

 immaturity of plumage or a state of seasonal change. 



I cannot find any record of such changes, and as Wilson states the 

 arrival of the birds to be in April, and their departure in September, 

 it is evident he describes the summer plumage. By Yarrell one is 

 recorded as seen by Mr. Ball at Youghall in the winter of 1823 ; but 

 the greater number of specimens described by him appear to have 

 been procured in summer, so that the plumage as described must be 



