On the Birds of Santander. 1 73 



guendus. Long, tota 5*3, culminis '65^ alse 3*4^ caudse 

 1"85, tarsi '55. 

 Hab. iu Europa meridionali-orientali et iu Asia Minore. 



The second species which I bring under the notice of the 

 readers of ' The Ibis ' is from Gaboon, and has been known 

 to ornithologists for some years, and has always been con- 

 sidered the young of Dendropicus africanus (Gray). The 

 last-named species, which was described by Dr. J. E. Gray 

 (Zool. Misc. 1831, p. 18j from Sierra Leone, has never been 

 recognized by any subsequent writer ; but I have little doubt 

 that, whatever Gray^s species may ultimately prove to be, 

 the Gaboon bird is not the young of it, but is really a 

 totally distinct species. The absence of the red rump, which 

 is a feature in D. africanus, is alone of sufficient importance 

 to separate the Gaboon bird, of which I add a short diagnosis. 



Dendropicus xantholophus, sp. n. 

 D. scapis remigum et rectricum nigris ; uropygio et supra- 

 caudalibus flavicanti-olivaceis ; plumis frontjtiibus albo 

 terminatis ; sincipitis plumis flavo apicatis ; occipite toto 

 flavo. Long, tota 7, culminis 1'15, alse 4<'3, tarsi '75. 



Typus in Mus. Brit. 



XX. — Notes on the Birds of Santander, Northern Spain. 

 By Lieut.-Col. L. Howard Irby, F.Z.S. 



In May 1876 I accompanied Lord Lilford in his yacht ' Zara,' 

 H.Y.S., to the north of Spain. We anchored on the 4th in 

 the harbour of Santander, which is some four miles long and, 

 in places, nearly two miles wide, with large extent of sands 

 and mudflats, bare at low water, forming an excellent resort 

 for aquatic birds. Two small rivers fall into the harbour, 

 one of which, on the north-east, the Cubas, flows through 

 many marshy places ; but this stream is, in some spots, im- 

 passable for a small boat at low water. The west side of the 

 harbour, mostly occupied by houses, is useless to an orni- 

 thologist. On the east side the level ground is but slightly 

 cultivated, and chiefly consists of sandy ''dehesa," with here 



