402 DR. SCLATER ON THE OCELLATED TURKEY. [DeC. 10, 



believe that in the years when the Lemmings swarm in the moun- 

 tains, they usually breed far in the interior of the country ; for this, 

 as well as the allied species of Lestris, preys much on these little 

 rodents. It is perha|is worthy of remark that, in the full-plumaged 

 Pomerine Skua, the middle tail-feathers have a kind of twist in their 

 shafts, which brings the lower surfaces to meet together towards 

 their extremities in a vertical direction ; and this peculiarity gives 

 the bird, when on the wing, a very singular appearance, as we bad 

 several opportunities of observing. 



Having profited so largely by the generosity of Dr. Baldamus, 

 it is only fitting that I should close these remarks by saying that 

 in August last I bad the pleasure of looking over his egg-cabinet, 

 which, in the numljer of European species it contains, is the richest I 

 have ever seen. He has not, it is true, a very large series of any 

 one sort ; but he has now been collecting for many years with un- 

 remitting care, especially with regard to the genuineness of the spe- 

 cimens he has obtained. Hence not only are the results very va- 

 luable, but, in critically inspecting the contents of his cabinet, one has 

 no cause for exercising that restraint on one's remarks which is un- 

 fortunately so often the case when viewing collections interspersed 

 with examples manifestly spurious, owing to the want of attention 

 to the great principles of identification and authentication. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXXIX. 



Fig. 1. ligg oi Si/rrkapies paradoxus, 



2. „ Squatarola helvetica, 



3. „ Leslris pomerinus. 



4. „ Somateria stelleri, 



5. „ Honiara macquceni. 



6. ,, Egretta alba. 



4, Note on the Ocellated Turkey of Honduras. By- 

 Philip LuTLEY Sclater, M.A., F.R.S., Secretary to the 

 Society. 



(Plate XL.) 



The drawings which I now exhibit (Plate XL.) are the results 

 of careful studies by Mr. Wolf of the heads of the male and female 

 of the Ocellated Turkey of Honduras {Meleagris ocellata, Tem- 

 minck). The upper figure represents the head of the male bird, 

 and the lower that of the female. It will be at once observable liow 

 peculiar the wattles are in this Turkey, and how different from those 

 of the ordinary Meletigris gallopavo of the United States, and the 

 closely allied M. mexicana of Mexico. 



The first Ocellated Turkey in the Society's possession was a female 

 bird, presented by the Earl of Ilchester in 1831. 

 ' In 1856 three Ocellated Turkeys were obtained in Honduras, and 

 brought over to this coimtry in the August of that year, by the com- 

 bined care and skill of Mr. George ]M. Skinner and Capt. Wilson of 

 the Royal Mail Steamship Company. They were placed by Her 

 Majesty the Queen, to whom in the first instance they «'ere presented. 



