398 Di". E. Lonnberg on the Linnean Names 



rightful owners, and that in such cases the Cuckoos' eggs 

 have contrasted very strongly with the others. Such nests I 

 have come across in the case of species of Suya, Cisticola, 

 Horornis, Garrulax, Mesia, Liothrix, Anthus, and, finally, 

 Lanius ; and in this last case it looked as if the Shrike, in a 

 fury at the deception attempted on itself, had itself broken 

 the Cuckoo's as well as its own eggs, since all were smashed, 

 evidently by a bird's bill. 



In another case two nests of Anthus striolatus each con- 

 taining a Cuckoo's egg were found deserted. The nests 

 were close together on " Tlie Peak" near Shillong, and the 

 Cuckoo's eggs, evidently laid by the same Cuckoo, were of the 

 white boldly speckled type, quite unlike the dull brown eggs 

 of the Pipit. Again, it must be remembered that deserted 

 nests with eggs are not often found, which is hardly to be 

 wondered at, for vermin soon dispose of any eggs which are 

 not well protected. Again, nests found only a day or two 

 after desertion do not iu any way show the finder that they 

 have been deserted, for the parent birds often hang about 

 the site of a deserted nest for days after they have made up 

 their minds to leave it. In addition to all this, however, 

 it must be noted that there are also occasions on record in 

 which a bird has built a second nest actually on the top of 

 the first, rather than hatch a Cuckoo's egg laid in that first 

 made. 



XXII. — On the Linnean Names Strix funerea and Anser 

 erythropus, and on the Species which should be referred to 

 them. By Dr. Einar Lonnberg of Stockholm. 



In the tenth edition of the ' Systema Naturse,' 1758, the 

 name Stri.r funerea was given by Linneeus to a Swedish Owl, 

 which, according to the quotation by the author himself, is 

 described as no. 51 in the 'Fauna Svecica,' 1746. In the 

 latter work we find for species no. 51a short diagnosis, a 

 quotation " Rudb. pict." . . . , and a description. "Iludb. 

 pict." refers to the coloured plates which Professor Olaf 



