( 457 ) 



hazardous to suppose that Bnton was an error for Bntan, the bird coming from the 

 Himalayas, or that some other mistake had been made. Gmelin quotes Seba, 

 Brisson, and Latham. Latham took his description only from Seba. Brisson says 

 that Seba's figure is fairly correct (" satis accurata "). This may lead one to think 

 that he knew tlie bird, but I am inclined to believe that Brisson too only took his 

 knowledge from 8eba, as he also describes the undonbtedly fictitious crest. It may 

 be added that a mistake for the " Cardinal " is out of the question, as that bird was 

 well known to both Seba and Brisson. 



In the " Catalogue of Birds " //. sipahi is placed in the genus Carpodacm. 

 This is not consistent, as Dr. Sharpe cnt the genera of the Frinqillidae generally 

 very fine. Ilaematospiza differs from Carpod.acus in having a much harder, 

 shorter body-plumage ; the tail is comparatively shorter, the wing very long, but not 

 so much pointed ; the distance from the tips of the primaries to those of the 

 secondaries is less (only 22 — 23 mm.), the first (developed) primary is 7 — 10 mm. 

 shorter than the longest, the coloration peculiar. 



3. The proper name of the Sinaitic Rose-Finch. 



This bird has been described by Temmiuck (I'L Col. 375, 1825) as Pyrrhula 

 synoica, the latter name, of course, meaning " social," a fact that might have been 

 guessed even by those who knew no Greek from Temminck calling the bird 

 " Bouvreuil social."' Why the " Catalogue of Birds," and almost all modern works, 

 call this species Carpodacus sinaiticus — Bonaparte et Schlegel, Monogr. Loxiens, 

 p. 17, 1850 (!) — is difficult to understand, unless it was suspected that synoica 

 should have meant sinnitica ? 



Among the synonyms of Carpodacus synoica Dr. Sharpe includes Carpodnciis 

 nropygialis Licht. This is a nomen nudum, and would therefore best be quoted 

 with a query, but the specimens in existence show that it should have referred to 

 Serinus xanthopygius, where, in fact, it was also quoted by Sharpe ! Then Dr. 

 Sharpe quotes Erythrospiza yitliaginea, Ibis, 1874, p. 108. There the author tells 

 of a party of birds seen by him iu Egypt. That was, of course, not C. synoica, 

 which is only known from the Sinai peninsula, but really E. githiiginen, which 

 occurs in Egypt. 



4. Notes on the genus PASSER. 



The despised House-Sparrow, the " Avian Rat " of Mr. Tegetmeier, is scientifi- 

 cally as interesting and as difficult as many other birds of greater rarity. As it is 

 so common and easily collected — often easily enough from one's bedroom windows 

 — one might expect to find large series from every country in every museum. 

 This, however, is not so, as many collectors do not think it worth while to trouble 

 about so common a bird — in fact, specimens in various plumages from various 

 countries are most insufiiciently represented in most museums. A few — mostly 

 synonymical — notes which should be added to the short r6sam6 in my " VOgel der 

 palaarktischen Fauna " might here find a place. 



With the exception of the chestnut-headed Italian sparrow, I cannot at present 

 separate any forms on the continent of Europe, but the North-west African birds 

 are separable. The name tingitanus Loche (ex Bp. nom. uud. !) might be accepted 

 for this form. The differences are described in my book on the Palaearctic birds. 



Among the list of synonyms in Gat. B. xii. p. 309, figures Fringilla pyrrko- 

 ptera Lesson, in Belang. Voy. Ind. Or. p. 274 (1834), but doubtless erroneously, for 



