48 Zoological Society. 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. . 
January 14, 1845.—William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. 
Mr. Gould exhibited to the Meeting a number of Birds from China, 
being the first collection forwarded from Amoy to this country. 
He described the following new species :— 
Corvus pastinaTor. Cor. plumis ptilose saturate purpurascente- 
nigris ; caudd virescenti; scapulariis tectricibusque caude maculd 
semilunari nigrd ad apices ornatis ; rostro tarsisque nigris. 
The entire plumage deep shining purplish black or plum-colour, 
glossed with a greenish hue on the tail-feathers ; the scapularies and 
upper tail- coverts with an obscure crescent- shaped mark of black at 
the tip; bill and feet shining perk: 
Total length 18 inches ; bill, 23 ; wing, 12; tail, 7 ; tarsi, 21; mid- 
dle toe and Dee 22. 
Hab. Chusan. 
Remark.—This species is closely allied to the Rook of Europe, but 
differs from it in the hue of the plumage, which is of a beautiful pur- 
ple or plum-colour where the European bird is green; the bill is also 
straighter and the face much less denuded, the fleshy base of the 
nostrils being the only part destitute of feathers ; the feet and claws 
are also larger. 
Mercus ortentaLis. Mer. (Foem.) capite cristd colloque rubi- 
ginoso-rubris ; mento albo ; corpore superiore, cauda, alis, lateri- 
busque griseis ; primartis ferrugineo-nigris ; secundariis albis ; 
corpore inferiore pallide cervino ; tectricibus caude albidis. 
Female.—Head, neck and crest dark rust-red ; chin white ; all the 
upper surface, wings, tail and flanks grey; primaries brownish 
black ; secondaries pure white; under surface cream-colour, fading 
into white on the under tail-coverts. 
Total length 23 inches; bill, 25; wing, 92; tail, 5; tarsi, 2. 
Hab. Amoy. 
Remark.—Nearly allied to the Goosander of Europe, but smaller 
in size and more delicate in colour than that bird. I believe a male 
of this bird is in the British Museum; the female is in my own col- 
lection, and-is the only one I have seen. The specimen in the Mu- 
seum assimilates as closely to the male of the European bird as the 
one here described does to the female. 
Pica serica. LP. capite, collo, pectore et tectricibus caude saturate 
nigris ; tectricibus alarum cinereo-ceruleis, ventre et scapulariis 
albis ; cauda metallicé nigro-viridi ; rostro et pedibus nigris. 
Head, throat, chest, upper part of the back, upper and under tail- 
coverts deep black; secondaries and greater wing-coverts shining 
steel-blue ; spurious wing and edges of the base of the outer webs of 
the primaries shining deep green ; inner webs of the primaries white ; 
the tips of the primaries and the margins of the inner webs for a 
short distance from the tip black; scapularies and belly pure white ; 
tail greenish black, with bronze reflexions ; bill and feet black. 
