ANDALUSIAN HEMIPODE. 411 



This species differs from the true Quails in having no 

 hind toe ; in the greater length and more slender form 

 of its bill, and in the very probable circumstance of its 

 laying only four eggs : in all of which points it exhibits 

 an affinity to the Bustards, the Coursers and the Plovers. 

 I have adopted Mr. Gould's term Hemipode for this bird 

 as at once expressive of an obvious peculiarity. 



Mr. Gould possesses four very interesting letters written 

 by Linnaeus from Upsal to the Rev. John White, then 

 at Gibraltar, one of the brothers of Gilbert White of 

 Selborne. I have at page 235, under the article on the 

 Swallow, referred to a Natural History of Gibraltar in 

 M.S. by John White, which unfortunately remains still 

 unpublished. In the first of these letters, dated Upsal, 

 20th January, 1772, Linnaeus congratulates John White on 

 his being an admirer of the works of the GREAT CREATOR of 

 ALL. In the second, dated the 7th of August, 1 772, in 

 reference to John White's Natural History of Gibraltar, 

 Linnaeus writes, Fauna tua Calpensis esset mihi et omnibus 

 exoptissima. 



Mr. Gould very kindly allows me to make further 

 extracts in reference to three very rare British Birds. 

 John White appears to have been in the habit of sending 

 Linnaeus specimens, some of which were new to him. Of 

 our White-bellied Swift, page 266 of this volume, Linnaeus 

 writes Hirundo melba, quam antea non vidi, affinis H. apus, 

 Of the little Three-toed Quail, the subject of the present 

 article, Linnaeus writes, Coturnix tridactilus, an ex ordine 

 Gallinarum aut Grallarum. His notice of our Pratincole 

 will be given with the account of that bird. 



Of the genus Hemipodius, South Africa produces two 

 species ; Madagascar one ; India two ; Sumatra and the 

 Philippine Islands two ; but Mr. Gould has shown me 



