196 Prof. H. H. Giglioli on the 



of my ' Avifauna Italica/ although there may be good reasons 

 for distinguishing local races amongst the European Dippers, 

 I cannot bring myself to admit of specific distinction. This 

 species is subject to considerable individual variations of 

 colour; and, although Italian specimens may generally be 

 referred to what is called C. albicollis, I have from the same 

 localities (and it is a sedentary bird) specimens which have all 

 the characters of C. meJanogaster, and I have seen others 

 quite undistinguishable from typical C. aquaticus. Now I 

 can scarcely admit the presence in Italy of three species of 

 Cinclus, two of them actually breeding together in the same 

 locality. I opine therefore that it is safer to return to the 

 old notion, and to include the three forms under one specific 

 denomination. 



??TURDUS SIBIRICUS, Gm. 



Strange cases now and then startle and puzzle the working 

 ornithologist ; and amongst the strangest which have happened 

 to me is, no doubt, the present one. On the 22nd of January, 

 1878, Signor Magnelli picked up in the Florence market, 

 from amongst a lot of common Thrushes, the subject of the 

 present notice, shot the day before near Grosscto (Maremma) . 

 At the moment I could refer it to no known species, but, after 

 much searching and comparing, found that it nearly agreed 

 with the young T. siUricus figured in the ' Fauna Japonica/ 

 I therefore set it down provisionally as that species, having 

 no specimens for a better comparison. On dissection it 

 proved to be a female ; and before it w^as skinned I took the 

 following measurements : — Long. tot. 260 millimetres, rostri 

 32, alae 115, caudse 100, tarsi 33. The inside of the mouth 

 and the naked skin around the eye were orange-yellow ; the 

 bill horn-colour, yellowish at the base and along the edges ; 

 the tarsi and feet were dark horn-colour, lighter in front on 

 the tarsi; claws black; iris chestnut- brown. Wings short; 

 bill and legs heavy. The upper parts are of a grey colour, 

 tinged with olivaceous, except the two external upper tail- 

 coverts, which have a triangular white terminal spot. A 

 broad but not clearly defined whitish eyebrow ; a light circle 



