426 Mr. R. B. Sbarpe on Dr. von Heugliu's 



Gold Coast. Circus maiirus (p. 106) is a good South- African 

 species, and quite distinct from the melanism of C cineraceus, 

 which occurs in Europe as well as in Africa, and was named by 

 Vieillot C. ater. 



Otus habessinicus (p. 107) is a rare bird, apparently, and is not 

 represented in any English Museum. Mr. Gurney's interesting 

 identification of Bubo dilloni, Des Murs and Prevost, with the 

 South-African B. capensis, A. Smith {cf. Ibis, 1869, p. 463), must 

 not be lost sight of, as it confirms the occurrence of this rare spe- 

 cies in North-Eastern Africa — a fact the author seems inclined to 

 doubt, though he has very properly accorded it a place in his work. 

 The southern B. verreauxi, given (p. 112) as a synonym of the 

 northern B. lacteus, is permanently distinguishable by its larger 

 dimensions. B. cinerascens of the " Voyage en Abyssinie" (pi. 4) 

 is made (p. 114) a synonym of B. maculosus ; but this is appa- 

 rently the true and very distinct Huhua cinerascens. The colour 

 of the eye in the work just mentioned is wrongly given in the 

 plate and right in the text. 



Caprimulgus infuscatus and C. isabellinus are referred 

 respectively to C. nubicus, Licht., and C. a'fjyptiv^, Licht. 

 (Verz. Doubl. p. 59) ; and these identifications, which appear 

 to rest on good grounds, have been adopted by Mr. G. R. 

 Gray in his " Hand-List." C. inornatus, Heugl., now really 

 "published" for the first time, seems to be a good species, 

 of which there were specimens in the Abyssinian collections 

 of Messrs. Blanford and Jesse. The identification of C. po- 

 liocephalus, Heugl. {nee Riipp.) with C. tamaricis, Tristr., 

 (Ibis, 1866, pi. ii.) is interesting, as it extends the range of the 

 latter species. The fact that the Berlin Museum contains, as is 

 stated (p. 134) an example of Scotornis longicauda marked as 

 coming from " Ost-Indien " is singular, and this very vague 

 locality requires confirmation ; for I am inclined to doubt the 

 appearance of Scotornis away from the Ethiopian region, of 

 which it may be regarded as a typical genus. The relegation of 

 Cosmetornis vexillaria to the genus Macrodipteryx is one to 

 which I cannot agree ; for the former and M. longipennis should 

 certainly be referred to separate and distinct genera. It is inter- 

 esting to know that Caprimulgus europcjeus extends as far south- 



