20 On the Peregrine Falcon from Sardinia. 



IV. — On the Peregrine Falcon from Sardinia. By R. 

 BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c., Senior Assistant, 

 Zoological Department, British Museum. 



For the last two years I have been endeavouring to show 

 that, owing to the insulated position of our native land, a ten- 

 dency to vary from the continental forms exhibits itself more 

 or less in all our resident birds ; and that this will be found to 

 be more and more the case I am firmly convinced, if ornitho- 

 logists will view the matter calmly and endeavour to get 

 together good series for comparison. Great difficulty exists to 

 some minds in believing that our insular forms do really vary ; 

 and this scepticism is the more curious because, if we had been 

 considering the avifauna of some distant land, every one would 

 have exjiectedj rather than otherwise, that an island lying off 

 the coast of a large continent would possess a more or less 

 modified fauna : but the difficulty consists in recognizing the 

 fact after it has been ignored for nearly a century by every 

 English wi-iter on birds ; and I have been called to task by 

 several ornithological friends because, as I contend, I refuse 

 to disbelieve the evidence of my own eyesight, which proves 

 to me the distinctness of some of the British birds from their 

 continental relations. What I do maintain is, that ornitholo- 

 gists commit an error in applying to our English birds the 

 titles which Linnaeus bestowed upon his Swedish species. 

 Whetlier the birds which I have from time to time named 

 with Mr. Dresser will ultimately be recognized as distinct 

 species, or will merely be considered climatic races or sub- 

 species, the futm-e will decide ; but as long as those differences 

 exist it will be wrong to affix " Linnteus " as the namer of 

 birds he never saw. 



It is with regard to the differences exhibited in a like 

 degree by the avifauna of Sardinia tliat I have been led to 

 make the above remarks ; and I believe that the latter island 

 will be found to contain a modified fauna from that of the 

 mainland. We know that it contains a species of Warbler 

 almost, if not quite, peculiar to itself. So nearly does Sylvia 

 melanocejjhala resemble the true MelizophHus sardtis in some 

 of its plumages, that I have reason to believe that it has often 

 been mistaken for it, I myself have never seen an example 

 of the latter bird from any other locality but Sardinia ; nor do 

 I know any one else who has done so. Until the fact of its 

 wandering is clearly proved, therefore, I think we may look upon 

 S. sarda as peculiar to the island of Sardinia ; and we may 

 expect from this to find other modifications in its avifauna. 

 My friend Mr. A. Basil Brooke has lately lent me two 



