126 



5. Crossopus (part) Wagler, 1832. Hydrosorex (part) Du- 

 vernoy, 1835. Pinalia, Gray, MSS. 



Head elongate. Ears hid in the fur, valvular. Tail elongate, 

 squarish, with short close pressed, rigid hairs, grooved, and with a 

 row of long bristles beneath the tip. Hind feet ciliated with mo- 

 bile bristles. Cutting teeth g, the two upper central strong, equally 

 nicked ; hinder upper rapidly decreasing in size : the two central 

 lower cutting teeth flattened, sharp edged, and toothed above. 



Crossopus Dauhentonii, ( White-bellied water shrew). 



Sorex fodiens, Pallas ? Duvernoy. S. carinatus, Herm. Geoff. 

 A. M. — S. canaliculatus, Lyuge. «S'. Daubentonii, Erxl. 



Europe, France. Brit. Mus. 



Brehm has described what he considers three German species 

 allied to ^S". fodiens under the name of S. amphibius, S. natans, 

 and S. stagnalis; Wagler, two others which he calls C. mnsculus 

 and C. psilurus. Duvernoy refers to Hydrosorex, Sorex tetrago- 

 nurus, Hermann and Geoff. Ann. Mus. xvii. t. 2. f. 3, which being 

 a land shrew, I have referred to the genus Corsira ; see also Sorex 

 fimbripes, Bachman. 



A small collection of birds from Erzeroum in Persia, recently 

 presented to the Society by Keith E. Abbott, Esq., Corr. Mem., was 

 brought before the notice of the meeting, accompanied with the 

 following observations by Mr. Gould : — 



" Of the nine specimens composing this collection, I find eight 

 are distinct species, two of which are known to inhabit Britain, and 

 six, including these two, belong to the Fauna of Europe ; the re- 

 maining two I have no hesitation in considering as undescribed 

 species, though referable to European types, being closely allied to 

 the Fringilki nivalis and Alauda alpestris of authors. The great 

 length of wing, square tail, and other prominent characters pre- 

 sented by Fringilla nivalis would seem to indicate the propriety of 

 separating it from the rest of the Fringillidce, in which case the 

 present species will probably be placed along with it in a distinct 

 genus, which it appears to me would exhibit the same relation to 

 Fringilla, as Plectrophanes does to Emberiza. 



" The Lark is a second example of that singular form distin- 

 guished by lengthened tufts on each side of the head resembling 

 horns, and for which Al. penicillata will, perhaps, serve as an ap- 

 propriate specific designation. 



" The remaining species are Lanius minor, Phcenicura ruficilla, 

 Alauda calandra, AL rupestris, Pyrgita petronia, Linaria canna- 

 bina. 



" I would observe that the collection though small is a most in- 

 teresting one, since it adds to ornithology two new examples of 

 forms, previously known to us by only solitary species; and I would 

 remark that collections from this part of the world are almost sure to 

 • be productive of highly interesting results." 



The two new species noticed by Mr. Gould in the above collec- 

 tion were characterised as 



Alauda Penicillata. Al.fronte, mento, auricularibus, abdo- 

 mine, pectore alisque sitbtiis alhis ; fascia super frontem, peni- 



