188 Zoological Society : — 



gives the lower surface of the body of this bird ; while in the Old 

 World form (Baltenieeps) one pair only exist, as we have seen in 



It is worthy of notice, that the true Herons, which inhabit both the 

 Old and New World, and which have generally been regarded as the 

 type of the group, have three pairs of these patches ; the little and 

 certainly aberrant form of Heron, Eurypyga, has only one pair of 

 these down patches ; while intermediate between this bird and the 

 Herons come the Bitterns, in which two pairs of these patches 

 exist*. 



By these remarks one is naturally led to observe the often-noticed 

 correspondence of forms in the Old and New World, — as, for instance, 

 the Ostrich of Africa represented by the Rhea of America, the Camel 

 of the Old World by the Llama of America, the Lion by the Puma, 

 and many other similar representations. 



In the work on * Pterylographie,' published by Ch. L. Nitzsch, 

 the author, who evidently has paid great attention to the subject, 

 says that "these powder-down patches are found (but in a much 

 smaller degree) in the genus Tinamus'\, one or two Parrots, and also 

 in some of the Birds of Prey." I have not, however, met with them 

 in any group except the Ardece and their allies. I can assert most 

 positively that no traces of these patches exist in the Pelicans, 

 Storks, or Cranes. I have also taken considerable trouble with Sco- 

 pus. This bird is considered by Prof. Reinhardt to be closely allied 

 to Balceniceps. I cannot find anything to justify such a belief ; the 

 skins and skulls of the two birds are so entirely different, that it is 

 useless to enter into any further details respecting them. 



There is one thing, however, that I wish to remark, and I do so 

 with considerable uneasiness lest I should be accused of casting a 

 doubt upon the veracity of the gentleman to whom we are in- 

 debted for the first living specimens of this rare bird ; and this con- 

 sideration would have prevented my making the remark, had not my 

 great desire been to call attention to the subject in the hope of ob- 

 taining a truthful explanation of what appears to me inexplicable. 

 I refer to the statement, made by Mr. Petherick, that Balceniceps 

 runs about in search of food immediately after it is hatched. If this 

 be true, it is one of the most extraordinary facts I have yet met 

 with. 



* Having had many opportunities of studying the habits of the living examples 

 of Eurypyga and Botaurus, I have observed a striking resemblance in these birds, 

 particularly in the drooping and spreading out of the wings, in which position 

 the beautiful markings upon every feather are finely displayed. I have so frequently 

 seen this attitude assumed by both these birds, that I am satisfied it was not merely 

 an accidental thing. 



t Since writing the foregoing I have examined Tinamus. The structure re- 

 ferred to by Nitzsch appears to differ so widely from the down-patches of the 

 Ardeine family, that I shall describe it in another paper upon this subject, which 

 I hope to have ready shortly. 



