162 Proceedings of the Wernenan Society, 



Africa, and New Holland 3 ; Europe Asia, and North America, 5 ; 

 if, however, the Circus cineraceus exists in North America, which 

 is not at all improbable, we will have 6 ; Europe, Asia, and South 

 America, 1 ; Europe and North America 3, To these conclusions, 

 Mr Jameson remarked, he had come, principally from an examina- 

 tion of the magnificent collection in the Museum of the University 

 of Edinburgh. After some other general observations on the iden- 

 tity of particular species of rapacious birds, in which it was stated, 

 that the Falco cherrug of Gray, is the female of the Falco islandicus; 

 the Circus pallidus, Sykes, the young male of the Circus cyaneus ; tlm. 

 Circus variegatus, the Circus ruf us, &c. ; Mr Jameson exhibited spe- 

 cimens of the Gallus bankiva in its various stages, and remarked, that 

 it is probably one of the originals of the domestic fowl, which seems 

 to have originated not from one, but from many species; Bucco gran- 

 dis; Phasianus albo-cristatus in its various stages; Parus (Leiothrix^ 

 furcatus, Temminck ; Cinclus Pallasii, Temminck. With regard to 

 the characters assigned to the genus Leiothrix by Swainson, of which 

 the Parus furcatus is the type, and which has been justly separated 

 from the true Pariadse, some observations were made, shewing that 

 several of these are quite inapplicable to the type of the genus. 

 lo exhibiting the Cinclus Pallasii, Mr Jameson remarked, that ther 

 genus was confined for many years to but one species, the exist- 

 ence of the Pallas dipper being called in question, and that not 

 found out of Europe. Now, however, we have three, and probably 

 a fourth (a bird existing in the collection of the University of Edin- 

 burgh, which may be placed in this genus, or rather forms a connect- 

 ing link between the genus Cinclus and that of Pitta), some of which 

 are found in all the great continents of the world, with the excep- 

 tion of New Holland. That the Cinclus Pallasii is the same as the 

 Cinclus Americanus, an opinion advocated by L. Bonaparte, can 

 only be maintained by those who have not had an opportunity of 

 comparing the two species, being very apt to bo misled by the- 

 meagre description of the former by Temminck; one character alone, 

 distinguishes the two species, viz. the Pallas Dipper is more than a 

 third larger than the American ; moreover, the latter never as- 

 sumes the colour of the former, at least Mr Jameson was unable 

 to detect, in a series of specimens of the Cinclus Americanus, in the 

 Museum of the University of Edinburgh, the slightest approach 

 to the tinge of colour assumed by the Pallas Dipper, A specime» 

 of Wryneck (Yunx torquilla) was exhibited, which was killed in 

 February last in Fifeshire. 



