354 Mr. E. Newton on the Land-Birds 



must have seen between fifty and a hundred) were in the same dull 

 plumage. T have but little doubt that the male in breeding- 

 plumage would assume a yellow dress. In habits these birds 

 are gregarious, and, I should imagine, live chiefly on grass- 

 seeds ; they are said also, as their name implies, to eat rice. 

 The proprietor of Marianne told me the species was also found 

 at Ladigue, but was not plentiful there. I also shot some " Co- 

 libris," which I at the time thought, as stated before, were of 

 a different species from those in the other islands. 



While I was skinning these birds Mr. Nevill went out with 

 my gun, and returned shortly with examples of the " Tourterelle 

 rouge," " Pigeon hollandais," and " Serin." The " Tourterelle 

 rouge" I was pleased to find was not, as I had been led to expect, 

 Turtur picturatus, its larger bill and broader white bar on the 

 under surface of the tail showing it to be a different species ; and 

 I had hoped it would be new, but I subsequently found it to be 

 the T. rostratus of Bonaparte (Consp. Av. ii. p. 62) . The wood- 

 cuts of the head and wing of this bird, and of those of T. 

 picturatus, will show the great difference between the two, and 

 it is interesting to see the shortened wing of the island form. 



The " Serin " proved to be a second new species of Zosterops^ 

 which I have called Z. semijlava^. Mr. Nevill saw a flock of 



Descr. maris adulti vestitu hiemali. — Supra fusco-brunnea, fronte occipi- 



teque aureo tinctis, nucha olivacente; capitis lateribus olivaceis; subtus 



pallidior, meuto et gula flavescentibus ; remigibus rectricibusque 



fuscis olivaceo limbatis ; rostro nigTo ; pedibus fuscis. 



Mas juvenis vel foemina aureo caret colore in fronte et mento, aliter 



colores vividiores prtesertim in remigaim margiuibus habet ; rostro pedi- 



busque liepaticis. 



Long, tota circa 4-9, alse 2-95, caudfe 2-1, acrotarsi 0'85, dig. med. sine 



luigue 0-52, ballucis sine ungue 0'41, maxillae a fronte 0-67, mandibulsD 



ab articulo 0-98 poll. Angl. 



* ZOSTEROPS SEMIFLAVA. 



Zostero])s Z. j)olio(jastr(e (Heuglin, Ibis, 1861, p. 357, pi. xlii.) simillima, 

 sed epigastro abdomineque omnino flavis, et bypochondi'iis badiis. 



Descr. maris aduJti. — Supra fiavo-olivacea, uropygio flavo; subtus flava, 



liy]")oncbondriis badiis ; annulo perioplitbalmico niveo ; remigibus 



rectricibusque atro-fuscis, illis externe fiavo limbatis et interne albido 



lato marginatis ; rostro podibusque plnmbeis. 



Long, tota circa 4-8, aire 2-28, caudae 1-85, acrotarsi 0-75, dig. med. sine 



ungue 0-.39, hallucis sine ungue 0-3, maxillae a fronte 0-47, ejusdem arictu 



0-64, mandibulae ab articulo 0*92 poll. Angl. 

 Foemina mari similis. 



