454 Baron de Selys-Longchamps on Birds in Italian Museums. 



it, or regard it as an accidental variety of the half-wild C. livia 

 crossed with tame Pigeons. I examined a specimen in the Mu- 

 seum at Pisa ; and Prof. Savi is now inclined to the opinion I 

 have just expressed. 



It may be mentioned that, to found and name this race or 

 doubtful species, Bonaparte (Consp. Av. ii. p. 47) has taken as 

 his base the article of Prof. Savi (Orn. Tosc. ii. p. 160), 

 where, under the name of Columba livia, "Piccion Torrajolo," 

 he in 1829 described and gave a good figure of C. turricola, re- 

 marking at the same time on its difference from Temminck's 

 C. livia. Later, in 1831, he {op. cit. iii. p. 227) noticed the 

 true C. livia with the white I'ump. 



Bonaparte refers to C. turricola, a Pigeon from Persia, in the 

 Museum of St. Petersburg, which I have also seen in that of 

 Count Turati, but have not been able to compare with the C. 

 turricola at Pisa. I somewhat doubt whether these Asiatic ex- 

 amples differ from the C. intermedia of Strickland (1844). M. 

 Gerbe (Orn. Eur. 2me ed. ii. p. 11) regards also C. tiaricola as a 

 variety of C livia, and says that if it were a species it would be 

 necessary to restore the name of saxatilis, Brisson ; but it seems 

 to me that Brisson speaks of numerous black spots on the wings, 

 which I have not seen either in C. livia or C. turricola. 



From what has been told me by a personage of the highest 

 rank, a game-keeper in Sicily killed there a Porphyria much 

 resembling P. hyacinthinus (P. veterum, Bp.), but having a deep 

 green back. This I should suppose to have been P. chloronotus, 

 Brehm, jun. [P. hyacinthinus, Riipp., P. agyptiacus, Heugl.), 

 which, according to Bonaparte, is found in Algeria. 



A word in conclusion on Passer italia {P. cisalpina) . On my 

 way to Italy by the Corniche road in 1838, I first noticed this 

 race or species at Savona. Returning in 1866 by the same route, 

 I first encountered the typical P. domesticus at Mentone, In 

 1840 I collected P. italice at Turin, in September, it is true. 

 These types were but slightly characterized, the top of the head 

 being variegated with red and greyish. 



Such is the sum of the notes which I took during my last 

 journey to Italy, in January 1866. I revisited these fine mu- 

 seums, enriched and augmented; but, alas ! how many of the 



