310 Mr. 0. Salvin on Mr. Lawrence's 



in the British Museum (the history of which has been forgotten, 

 but which was probably one of the treasures obtained in the voyage 

 of the '" Erebus ' and ' Terror'), and one in the Museum at the 

 Jardin des Plantes, Paris (which is the type-specimen figured 

 and referred to in the 'Voyage de FAstrolabe'). 



It now only remains for me to add what little information I 

 have been able to collect with reference to the habits of this 

 curious bird. 



We learn from MM. Quoy and Gaimard {he. cit.) that, 

 like most other shore-birds^ it is gregarious, frequenting the 

 sea-coast in small flocks, and living probably on food similar to 

 that sought by marine Sandpipers. Imitating the Turnstone 

 [Strepsilas) in its search for this, its peculiar form of bill enables 

 it with ease to probe the crevices of the rock or shingle and 

 seize any lurking insect or small crustacean, aff'ording us, in this 

 respect, a remarkable illustration of structure adapted to the 

 peculiar mode of life which the bird pursues. 



XXVIII. — Notes on Mr. Lawrence's List of Costa-Riea Birds. 

 By OsBERT Salvin, M.A. &c. 



About a year ago Mr. Lawrence communicated to the Lyceum 

 of Natural History of New York a paper on the birds of Costa 

 Rica, which was afterwards published in the form of a cata- 

 logue"^, being based chiefly upon specimens in the Smithsonian 

 Institution of Washington. Mr. Lawrence's own collection 

 furnished additional material; and the names of some birds 

 mentioned by Dr. Cabanis were also introduced, as well as others 

 which were, so far as I can recollect, communicated by myself 

 to Prof. Baird, in a rough list I once drew up of some of Arce's 

 collections, more with the view of giving some idea of what 

 we possessed in this country than with the intention of its ulti- 

 mate publication. Amongst the last-mentioned species are 

 some whose names were erroneously determined, others are in- 

 cluded which should have been omitted, whilst some, again, are 



* [This is the Catak)g-ue before mentioned in these pages {siqyrd, pp. 110, 

 222.— Ed.] 



