464 Recent Ornithological Puhlicatiom. 



sphenurus. Mr. Bree seems to think it out of the question that 

 they can be referable to Riippell's bird, the dimensions given 

 by Riippell being considerably less than those of the Syrian 

 specimens. But knowing how great is the variation in the 

 dimensions of skins according to the way in which they are 

 prepared, we cannot allow that this single fact is sufficient to 

 prove the distinctness of this bird. Having a second time 

 examined the skins and referred to Riippell's plate, we are still 

 inclined to believe that the Syrian skins are in all probability re- 

 ferable to Accipiter sphenurus of Riippell. In every respect except 

 size they agree well with RiippelFs figure ; and Mr. Bree would, 

 we think, have done better to defer describing his "new species" 

 until he had had an opportunity of comparing them with 

 authentic examples of Riippell's bird. 



" The claim of Falco gurneyi to a place in the European avi- 

 fauna," Mr. Bree informs us, " rests at present on a single im- 

 mature specimen received by Mr. Gurney from Athens." 



Mr. Blyth^s Report on additions to the Zoological collection 

 of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, published in the first number 

 of that Society^s Journal for the present year (p. 73 et seq.), con- 

 tains some notes on the species of birds collected by Mr. W. T. 

 Blanford, of the Indian Geological Sm-vey in Burmah, amongst 

 which are several new species or distinguishable local races — 

 MUlleri-picus feldeni, Picus blanfordi, Sturnopastor super ciliaris, 

 Turnix blanfordi, &c. Rhodophila melanoleuca, the new Saxi- 

 coline form lately discovered by Dr. Jerdon on the Ganges (cf. 

 Ibis, 1862, p. 386), was also met with by Mr. Blanford in 

 Arakau. 



Mr. Blyth's Report also contains descriptions of the novelties 

 lately obtained by Lieut.-Col. Tytler in the Andaman Islands, 

 which have been already noticed, antea, p. 119. The specific 

 name of the new Dendrocitta is bayleyi (scr. bayleii), and not 

 bazlei, as printed in p. 119. 



Dr. Mouat's volume on the Andamans* concludes with an 



* Adventures and Researches among the Andaman Islanders. By Fred. 

 J. Mouat. M.D. London, 1863. Hurst and Blackett. 



