﻿On 
  the 
  Javan 
  Species 
  o/Zosterops. 
  217 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  Aristotle, 
  oj). 
  cit. 
  ch. 
  ix. 
  15, 
  intended 
  

   to 
  describe 
  our 
  Alcedo 
  is^nda, 
  but 
  that 
  lie 
  erroneously 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  it 
  the 
  myth 
  of 
  the 
  Halcyon 
  days, 
  which 
  really 
  be- 
  

   longed 
  in 
  popular 
  belief 
  to 
  the 
  Tern 
  (^Sterna 
  fluviatilis) 
  . 
  In 
  all 
  

   the 
  other 
  passages 
  referred 
  to, 
  he 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tern, 
  placing 
  it 
  next 
  the 
  Divers 
  and 
  Gulls 
  (aWvia 
  and 
  \dpo^) 
  , 
  

   The 
  specification 
  which 
  he 
  gives 
  of 
  the 
  colour 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  back 
  

   is 
  Kvdveo^, 
  i. 
  e. 
  sea-coloured, 
  a 
  terra 
  which 
  is 
  best 
  rendered 
  by 
  

   " 
  slaty 
  grey,^^ 
  being 
  applied 
  elsewhere 
  to 
  clouds, 
  human 
  hair, 
  

   and 
  dark 
  masses, 
  never 
  to 
  blue. 
  This 
  exactly 
  agrees 
  with 
  

   the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  Sterna 
  hirundo. 
  Aristotle 
  adds 
  that 
  

   there 
  are 
  two 
  species, 
  a 
  larger 
  and 
  a 
  smaller, 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   colour, 
  and 
  the 
  smaller 
  one 
  breeding 
  in 
  rushes. 
  This 
  well 
  

   corresponds 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  most 
  common 
  in 
  Greece, 
  

   S. 
  fluviatilis 
  and 
  S. 
  hybrida, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  latter 
  and 
  smaller 
  

   species 
  breeds 
  in 
  marshes, 
  the 
  former 
  on 
  the 
  sea-shore. 
  It 
  

   is 
  true 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  Kingfishers 
  common 
  in 
  Greece, 
  but 
  

   evidently 
  the 
  second 
  species, 
  Ceryle 
  rudis, 
  was 
  not 
  considered 
  

   by 
  Aristotle, 
  its 
  coloration 
  being 
  entirely 
  different 
  from_:the 
  

   other. 
  My 
  concluding 
  inference 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  poetic 
  tales 
  of 
  

   the 
  Halycon 
  must 
  be 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  graceful 
  Sea-Swallow, 
  

   and 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  Kingfisher 
  of 
  our 
  river-banks. 
  

  

  XIX. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Species 
  of 
  ZosteYO]}s 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  

   Java. 
  By 
  Henry 
  Seebohm, 
  F.Z.S. 
  

  

  Ir 
  the 
  legends 
  respecting 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  and 
  the 
  

   Chatham 
  Islands 
  by 
  the 
  Australian 
  White-eye, 
  Zosterops 
  

   carulescens, 
  be 
  true, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  the 
  White-eyes 
  

   have 
  a 
  genius 
  for 
  emigration. 
  Wherever 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  

   they 
  are 
  extremely 
  common, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  

   in 
  their 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  many 
  emigra- 
  

   tions 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  since 
  the 
  original 
  differentiation 
  of 
  

   the 
  ancestors 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  

   genus 
  in 
  Norfolk 
  Island 
  and 
  tAvo 
  on 
  Lord 
  Howe 
  Island 
  ; 
  

   New 
  Caledonia 
  possesses 
  two 
  species, 
  and 
  Lifu 
  (one 
  of 
  

   the 
  Loyalty 
  group) 
  is 
  inhabited 
  by 
  three. 
  The 
  island 
  of 
  

   Java 
  is 
  inhabited 
  by 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  six 
  species 
  of 
  Zosterops. 
  

  

  