THE IBIS. 



FOURTH SERIES. 



No. XVIII. APRIL 1881. 



XV. — Notes on the- Avifauna of Italy. By Henry Hillyer 

 GiGLioLi, Sc.D., C.M.Z.S., F.M.B.O.U., Professor of 

 Zoology and Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates in the 

 R. Istituto di Studii Superiori, Florence. 



These notes are based upon the extensive ornithological 

 series of the Central Collection of Italian Vertebrates in the 

 Royal Zoological Museum of Florence. I began such a col- 

 lection about five years ago, for the purpose of illustrating the 

 vertebrate fauna of Italy. I have been most fortunate, and in 

 that short period have been able to get together and place in 

 systematic order more than 16,000 specimens of Italian Ver- 

 tebrates, representing 1052 species, of which no less than 150 

 are new to the Italian fauna. As I take the utmost care only 

 to accept for this collection specimens the localities of which 

 are well authenticated, the value of the collection itself is 

 patent. 



The Italian birds are represented in the collection by 1695 

 specimens, belonging to 390 species ; they are all mounted 

 by my excellent taxidermist, Signor Magnelli ; but, besides 

 many skins, I have a good collection of skeletons and sterna 

 kept separately, and an incipient collection of eggs and nests. 



SER. IV. VOL. V. o 



