452 Baron de Sclys-Longchamps 07i various 



nient, where, in March 1838, I had been initiated by the same 

 savani in the ornithological wealth of the Italian fauna. 



This time he showed me some new acquisitions among birds of 

 accidental passage in Italy : — the American Coccyzus erythro'ph- 

 ihalmus (Wils.), killed at Lucca*; Po7-phijrio alleni, ThomY>s., 

 taken also at the same place, an immature specimen, in color- 

 ation agreeing with the young of Rallus aquaticus ; Hypolais 

 elaica, killed at Sarzana, and the subject of a memoir by Dr. 

 Francesco Magni-Groffi, professor at Cremona. In the mu- 

 seum at Pisa there is a bird that differs from Turdus merula in 

 that the male never becomes quite black, and that the female 

 has the breast of a more lively red. Prof. Savi calls it the 

 " Merle maritime," and believes that it comes from Africa. I 

 saw also a female of Loxia curvirostra, from Pisa, with a bill still 

 more slender than that of the American race named L. americana. 



Without speaking of Budytes cinereocapilia, the common 

 Italian race, and B. melanocejj/iala ; which is seen there acciden- 

 tally, I remarked two curious varieties ; — the first a B.flacus, with 

 a yellow throat, as in the common type, but wanting the white 

 supercilium as in B. cinereocapilia ; the second a B. melano- 

 cephala, with a white throat as in B. cinereocajjilla. The more I 

 consider the Motacilla and Budytes of the types alba andflaviis 

 in a Linnsean sense, the more I am persuaded that in Europe 

 one must regard M. yarrclli as a race of M. alba and B. cinereo- 

 capilia, B. melanocephala and B. fiaveolus as races of B. flavus. 



These races are local ; but as is the case with migratory 

 birds, it happens that the different races come in contact, and 

 that, in localities where individuals find themselves separated, 

 they mate with individuals of the local race proper to the 

 country. Of these matches crosses are the result, which, ac- 

 cording to my views, are mules and not hybrids; still less are 

 they new local varieties. In my collection I have examples 

 intermediate between the races I have just mentioned; and 

 these seem to justify my theory. I have likewise collected 

 a pretty good number of specimens of Motacilla and Budytes 



* It wouW be important to ascertain if, among the examples of Coccyzus 

 Idlled in Treland and England, and referred to C. americmius, there may 

 not be some of C. erythrophthahnus. 



