j iK> A duress. [ F B B. 



species are described as new, and these ai-e figured. They are, a 

 Woodpecker, (Gecinus gforii, Hargitt) ; a Sparrow (Passer yatii, Sharpe) ; 

 and a Pheasant (Phasiaiius principalis, Sc\?iter). 123 species belonging 

 to 82 genera are catalogued, the birds observed being, with few excep- 

 tions, migratory. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Mr. Seebohm com- 

 inunicates a note by Herr Theodor Pleske on examples of Phasianus 

 shawi, collected by Prjevalsky in the valley of the Tarim river, and on 

 an example of a new species of Pheasant from Lob-Nor. 



In the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Lieut. H. E. 

 Barnes publishes four papers on " Nesting in Western India " illustrated 

 •with coloured plates. Mr, Newham furnishes notes on the Birds of 

 Quetta, and Mr. J. 0. Anderson contributes ornithological matter in his 

 *' Sporting rambles about Simla." 



Mr, H. Nevill gives notes on Scops sunia, Hodgson, and Scops 

 minutus, Legge, in the third volume of the " Taprobanian." 



Turning now to foreign sources, we have to notice Herr Theodor 

 Pleske's revision of the Avifauna of Turkestan, published in the Memoires 

 de V Academic Imperiale de St. Petersburg. According to this memoir 

 the known species of birds found in Russian Turkestan amounts to 419. 

 The first part of an illustrated quarto work by the same author, entitled 

 " Ornithographica Rossica ", has appeared and it contains plates of three 

 species of birds found in India, 



In " Ornis " Drs, Radde and Walter publish an important contri- 

 bution to Palaearctic Ornithology entitled " Die Vogels Trans-Caspiens." 

 A few species of birds from Northern India are included in the list of 

 297 species enumerated, and almost the on\j noxelty is Lanius raddei 

 already alluded to, as having been described by Mr. Dresser in the Phis. 



Reptiles and Batrachians. — The Taprobanian contains notes by Mr. 

 Haly, of the Colombo Museum, on new Ceylon Snakes, Dendrophis gregorii 

 and Odontomus fergusonii. 



The Reptiles and Batrachians collected by Dr, Aitchison with the 

 Afghan Delimitation Commission are described, by Mr. G, A, Boulenger, 

 in the Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, and comprise 35 

 species, including a Tortoise, 21 species of Lizards, of which three are 

 new, and 13 species of Ophidians of which one is new. Among the 

 latter there are fine specimens of the little-known Naia oxiana, hereto- 

 fore only recognised from young and undeveloped specimens. Of 

 Batrachia, there are two species — Rana esculenta and Bufo viridis. 



The Reptiles and Batrachians collected by Dr. J. Anderson, F.R.S., 

 in the Mergai Archipelago have been described by him, in the Journal 

 of the Linnean Society, and comprise 53 species of Reptilia and 12 of 



