Recent Ornithological Publications. 225 



think, induce Prof. Schlegel to alter his opinion as to the species 

 oi Zosterops which inhabit the Mascarene Islands. Mauritius and 

 Reunion possess each two species of this genus, the two found in 

 the first being Z. chloronotus, Hartl.*, and Z. mauritiana (Gm.) — 

 noi mauritanica (!), by the way, as our authors have it, — and the 

 two inhabiting Reunion being Z. hasitata, Hartl. and Z. borbo- 

 nica {Bodd.)t- Now these four species form two beautiful pairs of 

 representatives, Z. chloronotus and Z. hasitata on the one hand, 

 and Z. mauritiana and Z. borbonica on the other ; but that each 

 of these four is distinct there can be no question. Our authors, 

 probably not having compared specimens of both pairs from both 

 islands, allow the existence of three species only, imagining that 

 Z. chloronotus and Z. mauritiana are synonyms, and that Z. borbo- 

 nica inhabits Mauritius as well as Reunion. Another case in 

 which they have decidedly erred is in ascribing the bird mentioned 

 by Dr. Roch in this journal (Ibis, 1862, p. 267) under the name 

 of Falco radama to F. peregrinus. We hope shortly to give a 

 figure of this specimen ; and then, we doubt not, the truth of what 

 we now allege will be fully admitted. 



We must make one more remark before leaving this in- 

 teresting work. What can be the object of printing the 

 manuscript names applied by M. Pollen "in litteris" to species 

 which had been previously described ? Of course that gentleman 

 was quite right in sending home descriptions of his specimens 

 as he collected them, and quite right in putting names to those 

 descriptions. Some of them were published from time to time 

 by Prof. Schlegel in the Dutch journal (now, alas ! extinct) to 

 which we have already referred, and many of the names there 

 applied stand ; but as for the others, they merely encumber the 

 memories and mislead the imagination of ornithologists. Let us 



* Whether this is the Certhia chloronotus of Vieillot (Ois. dor, p. 61, 

 pi. 28), as Dr. Hartlaub supposes, we do not pretend to say. Prof. Schlegel 

 asserts that it is not. If he be right, the species will probably require a 

 new name. 



t Prof. Schlegel identifies the " Grimpereau de I'isle de Bourbon " of 

 BufFon (PI. enl. No. 081, fig. 2), on which is based the Certhia borbonica 

 of Boddaert (Table PI. enl. p. 42), with the MotaciUa borbonica of Gmelin 

 (S. N. i. p. 981), founded on " le Figuier de I'lsle de Boui'bon " of Brisson- 

 (Orn. iii. p. olO). 



