110 MISCELLANY. 



serves, in the twelfth part of his Birds of Europe, — " A single specimen of this 

 interesting little bird has been sent us by the Baron De Feldegg, of Frankfort, 

 to whom our acknowledgments are due, not only for this instance of his liberality 

 in consigning to our care, at the risk of loss and injury, a bird probably unique 

 in the collections of Europe, but for many similar instances of disinterested gene- 

 rosity. — The only history of this bird which we have been able to collect, was 

 that written on the label attached to it by the gentleman above-mentioned, arid 

 is as follows : — ' I shot this bird, which on dissection proved to be a male, in 

 Dalmatia, in the year 1829.' Its most conspicuous characters are the three yel- 

 low stripes which ornament the head ; the brighter and most highly-coloured of 

 these marks, contrary to what obtains in any of the other lieguli, being that 

 over each eye, while the coronal stripe is palest, and consists of feathers similar 

 in length to those which cover the rest of the head." The same bird is, very 

 judiciously, figured in two different attitudes, " to exhibit more clearly its cha- 

 racters and colouring." The lower figure is a perfect gem. — Analyst for January, 

 1838, No. xxii., Vol. VII., p. 261. 



• Importance of Phrenology to Naturalists. — We conceive that Compara- 

 tive (or Animal) Phrenology ought to enter into the plan of every zoological 

 periodical ; for surely the mental characteristics of animals, as indicated by theii 

 habits and organization, must afford a subject of study to a philosophical natu- 

 ralist at least equally interesting as is an examination of the various colours in 

 the feathers of birds, or the shape and size of their toes and bills ; or an enume- 

 ration of the number of teeth in the jaws, or bones in the tails of quadrupeds. 

 But whatever interest Animal Phrenology might afford to philosophical natural- 

 ists, the fact is that zoologists pay no attention to it as yet ; and the Magazine 

 of Zoology, as far as we remember, has never alluded to the subject. Still, the 

 phrenological gleaner may occasionally find a few grains of corn for himself,, and 

 we have introduced this slight notice of the work for the purpose of presenting 

 one of these grains to our own readers, as a striking illustration of the influence of 

 external circumstances in modifying the habits of animals. Every boy in Eng- 

 land is aware of the shyness or timidity of the persecuted Magpie ; indeed, so 

 .great is the caution of these birds in some districts, that an inexpert marksman 

 finds it difficult to approach within his own gunshot distance of them ; yet we 

 have only to cross a narrow sea, for the opportunity of studying the character of 

 the Magpie in a totally opposite condition with respect to timidity ; and we 

 should be glad if any of our ornithological friends could compare the skulls of 

 English and Norwegian Magpies, so as to ascertain whether the difference of 

 habit is not accompanied by some difference in cranial configuration. In an ar- 

 ticle on the Ornithology of Norway, in the number of the Magazine above-men- 

 tioned, Mr. Hewitson thus speaks of this species : " The Magpie is one of the 



