338 Mr. J. Ball on the Botany of Sicily. 



et Avium,' published in 1811, had the rashness to found a genus, 

 Burhinus, on Latham's imperfect description of a rude drawing, and 

 the consequence has been that for the last thirty years our systems 

 of ornithology have been haunted by a " Burhinus magnirostris " — 

 a vox et preeterea nihil, unknown both to nature and to science. The 

 original drawing which led to all this confusion has now assisted in 

 dispelling it. 



Charadrius griseus, Lath., is I conceive the Charadrius virginia- 

 cus, Borkh. (C. marmoratus, Wagl., C. pectoralis, Less., C. affinis, 

 Boie). 



The following remarks refer to some additional species of Latham 

 not in Mr. Gray's list : — 



Falco ponticerianus , var. Lath., is the Haliastur leucosternus 

 (Gould). 



Corvus melanops, Lath., is the Graucalus melanops. 



Gallinula porphy rio, var. B. Lath., is Porphyria melanonotus, 

 Tern. 



Falco melanops, Lath., is the Accipiter torquatus, Tem. {Nisus 

 australis, Less.) As the black round the eye which suggested the 

 specific name of melanops seems to be an invention of the artist, I 

 would reject that name on the ground of its serious incorrectness, 

 and retain the later one of torquatus. 



Falco albicilla, var. Lath., is the Ichthyaetus leucogaster (Lath.), 

 young (Haliaetus sphenurus, Gould). 



Falco clarus, Lath., is perhaps the young of Astur novce hollandite 

 (Lath.). 



Falco pacificus, Lath., is perhaps a peculiar state of Milvus isurus, 

 Gould, with the head pure white. 



Muscicapa erythrogastra, var. 2. Lath. Syn. Sup. ii. p. 216, is 

 perhaps a new species of Petroica, differing from P. multicolor by 

 having a white eyebrow. 



(Cuculus flabelliformis, Lath., may perhaps be the Cuculus cine- 

 raceus, Vig., J . G.) 



Ardea antigone, var. Lath., is Grus antigone (Lin.) (Grus orien- 

 talis, Frankl.). 



Lanius curvirostris, Lath., is Cracticus torquatus (Lath.) (Vanga 

 destructor, Tem.). 



Ardea maculata, Lath., is Nycticorax caledonica, young. 



Besides the above there are several other species which Latham 

 originally described from these drawings, but which, having been 

 long since identified and made known to naturalists, it is unnecessary 

 to enumerate. 



XLVIII. — Notes on the Botany of Sicily. By John Ball, 



B.A., M.R.I.A. 

 Having observed in a recent number of this Magazine a 

 paper upon the Botany of Sicily, containing a list of spe- 

 cies observed or recorded as belonging to that island, I have 

 been induced to refer to some notes made during a very hasty 



