Avifauna of Italy. 211 



and Aleria. It has repeatedly occurred on the continent ; 

 and, besides the cases mentioned by Salvadori (Faun. d^Ital. 

 Ucc. pp, 236, 320), I have seen a specimen shot at Ancona, 

 which was found in the Florence market during the wiuter 

 of 1872. This and, I believe, all other species of Porphyrio 

 have a rudimentary spur on the wing. 



Porphyrio smaragdonotus, Temm. 



This is of rare occurrence in Italy ; our collection pos- 

 sesses but one specimen, caught in the marshes whence 

 flow the livers Cyane and Anapo, near Syracuse, in October 

 1851. Besides two specimens from Sardinia in the Turin 

 Museum, and several living ones received by the King of 

 Italy from Sicily ten or twelve years ago, which are men- 

 tioned by Salvadori, I have seen two specimens in the Naples 

 University Museum, said to have come from Lentini (Sicily); 

 and there is another in Finger's collection at Vienna, caught 

 on the Narenta in Dalmatia. 



Hydrornia ALLENi (Tliomps.). 



Our collection possesses the fine nearly adult specimen 

 which I have figured in part ii. of my ' Avifauna Italica,'' 

 shot on the 20th of December 1874, at Massaciuccoli, near 

 Lucca, by Count G. Ottolini. I have since examined again 

 the first specimen of this species captured in Italy (autumn 

 1857) and now in the Pisa Museum ; it is a young bird with 

 scarcely any trace of the blue and green, and in a condition 

 which precludes the doubt that it may have escaped from 

 captivity. It is strange indeed that both these specimens 

 should have been captured near Lucca. 



Fulica atra, Linn. 



Our collection possesses two interesting specimens of this 

 very common species. One, shot at Cagliari in November 

 1877, has the underparts white and looks like a young bird; 

 the other, caught at Massaciuccoli on the 3rd of January 

 1879, is a female, and has the wings curiously tinted with 

 rose-colour. 



FuLICA CRTSTATA, Gm. 



This is a very rare species with us, but appears to have 



