496 Mr. Tristram on some Old- World 



I have been not a little surprised at the identification of Ixtis 

 nigricans of South Africa with /. ocanthopygius, H. & Ehr., to 

 which Mr. Sharpe has called attention in his recent review [supra, 

 p. 432) . I possess a large series both of Palestine and Cape spe- 

 eitnens, and two from the east coast of Africa : the most cursory 

 glance is sufficient to decide the distinctness of the northern 

 and southern birds. Equally erroneous^ as Mr. Sharpe has 

 observed {supra, p. 430), are the identifications comprised 

 under Sylvia nana, II. & Ehr. S. nana is not clearly described 

 by Hempricb. But S. delicatula, Hartl., and S. deserticola, 

 xm\n, both of which I have before me, are widely different — 

 the median rectrices of the former being bright chestnut, of the 

 latter the whole of the rectrices of an uniform brown-black. 



I trust I am not given to unnecessary "splitting'^ in ornitho- 

 logy ; but there is yet another identification of Dr. von Heuglin's 

 to which I must demur, although it has been confirmed by Mr. 

 Sharpe {loc. cit.), for which perhaps 1 am partly responsible, viz. 

 Aedon galadodes with A. familiaris. Not only is it impossible 

 to overlook the difference in size, even if we could get over the 

 grey back and still darker head, while the head of A. galadodes 

 is one-coloured with the back ; but the white patch at the extre- 

 mity of the tail-feathers is much n^vrowtx in A. fannliaris, while 

 the black bar behind the white is double the width of that of 

 A. galadodes. 



While upon North -African birds, were I a "splitter," I 

 should be strongly tempted to describe the Cinclus aquaticus of 

 Mount Atlas as a distinct species. This bird is exceedingly 

 rare. Loche only obtained two specimens, which are in the 

 Museum of Algiers, and have not been compared with European 

 specimens. I never saw the bird in life in Algeria ; and the only 

 Qther specimen I know of was shot by Mr. J. H. Gurney, Jun., 

 in his recent expedition to North Africa, and by him most kindly 

 presented to me. 



In coloration it exactly coincides with the true C. aquaticus, 

 but in size it is as follows : — whole length 5'75 in., wing 2"9, 

 tail ]'9, bill from gape '65. 



The measurements of the British bird are; — whole length 

 7 inches, wing 3*25, tail 2*25, bill from gape "75. 



