Mr. E. L. Layard on a new Species ofMerula. 305 



^ the oral disk of tlie parent to the perfect corallite ; 1 a, the 



central corallite of the preceding, enlarged, with two young 



corallites. Main Limestone (Lower Carboniferous), Boghead, 



Lesmahagow. 



Ftff. 2. Lonsdaleia diiplicata, Mart., transverse section of a small slab ; 



2 A, two of the corallites enlarged. Lower Carboniferous, near 

 Muii-kirk. 



Fiy. 3. Lonsdaleia Jloriformis, Flem., transverse section of a small slab; 



3 A, two of the corallites enlarged. Lower Carboniferous, Bath- 

 gate, Linlithgowshire. 



Plate XVII. 



Ftg. 1. Lonsdaleia rugosa, M'Coy, longitudinal section of three corallites, 

 taken from a large slab ; 1 a, a corallite, showing the acutely 

 conical boss formed by the columella in the floor of the calice, 

 and the columellary line in the centre ; 1 B-1 F, corallites in 

 various stages of growth, arising from the outer vesicular tissue.. 

 The different appearance presented by different portions of the 

 section is due to the flexuous foi'm of the corallites. Main Lime- 

 stone (Lower Carboniferous), Boghead, Lesmahagow. 



XXIX. — Description of a new Species oj the Genus Merula 

 from the Fiji Islands. By E. L. Layard, C.M.G., H.B.M . 

 Consul for^Fiji and Tonga, F.Z.S., &c. &c. 



Merula vittensis, n. sp. 



Some months since my kind friend Mr. A. Tempest, among 

 a collection of birds made by him for me at Bua, on the large 

 island of Vanua Levu, gave me a specimen of a " Blackbird," 

 which at the time I identified, from the short description in 

 the ' Ornithologie der Viti-, Samoa- und Tonga-Inseln ' of 

 Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub, as Merula vanicoroensis. The ac- 

 quisition by myself, at Samoa, of specimens of that bird, at 

 once, however, showed me that I had committed an error ; and 

 I hasten to rectify it. 



The Fiji bird, which I propose to call Merula vitiensis, is 

 of a silky smoky brown above, not nearly so dark as vanico- 

 roensis ; below, it is grey-brown, with the same silky lustre ; 

 throat and side of neck grey ; the centre of the belly has some 

 feathers tinged with ruddy brown ; bill and legs bright pale 

 yellow. Length 7" 6"', wing 4" 3'", tail 3" 2'", tarse 1" 5'", 

 bill!" 2". 



Mr. Tempest describes ^^this bird as being extremely shy 

 and difficult to procure, in notes and habits resembling the 

 European bird, scratching on the ground under bushes. The 

 nest also is said to resemble that of M. vulgaris. 



