18G7.] DR. G. HARTLAUB ON THE BIRDS OF ZANZIBAR. 823 



Ardea elegans, Verr., is identical with A. garzetta, he is certainly 

 greatly mistaken. A. elegans, of which two fine adult specimens 

 are in the Bremen collection, has nothing whatever to do with A. 

 garzetta. It helongs to another group ot the Ardece — to that of A. 

 coniata. The structure of the long dorsal ])lumes is very different ; 

 and so is the colour of the two birds, A. elegans having the head, 

 neck, and the long dorsal plumes of a fine fulvous-isabelline hue, 

 which colour may possibly disappear in specimens which have been 

 for a length of time exposed to the light. Ardea elegans is also a 

 much smaller bird than A. garzetta. The dimensions of our spe- 

 cimens are:— Rostr. 2" 4'", al. 8" 3'", tars. 2" 3'", dig. med. cum 

 ung. 2" 5'". 



"Again, when Prof. Schlegel says that Ploceus sakalava certainly 

 does not come from ' Madagascar,' I should like to know from what 

 source he gets his knowledge. Certainly not from M. Pollen's travels, 

 this traveller having explored only a comparatively small portion of 

 that large island. I can only say this, the specimen, of which I 

 possess a full and good description in an old MS. of my friend Jules 

 Verreaux, was given to that ornithologist by M. Victor Sganziu on 

 his return from Madagascar to the Cape. He collected it during his 

 prolonged stay on that island. Mr. G. R. Gray, when he directed 

 my attention to the specimen in the British Museum, told me that 

 he believed it came from Madagascar. It is of a very different form 

 from Nelicurvius pensilis." 



Mr. W. H. Flower read a Memoir on the Osteology of the Ca- 

 chalot, or Sperm-Whale, completing his account of the osseous 

 structure of this animal. Mr. Flower came to the conclusion that 

 there was no sufficient evidence of the existence of more than one 

 species of Sperm-Whale, for which he was of opinion Liunseus's 

 name, Physeter macrocephalus, ought to be retained. 



This paper will appear in the Society's 'Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Report on a Collection of Birds formed in the Island of 

 Zanzibar by Dr. John Kirk. By Dr. G. Hartlaub"^. 



1. Elanus melanopterus (Daud.). 



2. Strix flammea, L. 



3. Cypselus parvus, Licht. ; Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, 

 p. tiOl. 



Two adult specimens and a younger bird. This latter shows the 



* This collection was sent home to me by our Corresponding Member Dr. 

 Kirk, with a request that I would get the specimens worked out and an account 

 of them put in the ' Proceedings.' Dr. Hartlaub has most kindly inidertaken 

 this task. Dr. Kirk states that of two raptorial birds {Haliaetus vocifer and 

 Milvus (pgi/pthia) which are common at Zanzibar he has not thought it worth 

 while to transmit specimens. — P. L. S. 



