]Mr. A. Newton on a Birdfj-om the Seychelles. 331 



XXIX. — On an apparently undescribed Bird from the Seychelle 

 Islands. By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.L.S. 

 (Plate VIII.) 

 At the beginning of the present year I received a letter from my 

 brother, Mr. Edward Newton, which contained the information 

 that His Excellency Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Mauritius, 

 had lately procured from one of the islands in the Seychelle 

 archipelago a living example of a black-and-white bird, called 

 there the "Pie chanteuse" which my brother was unable to 

 identify with any species known to him. The bird lived in Lady 

 Barkly's aviary at Reduit for more than two months, and, 

 then dying, was most obligingly given' by her to my brother. 

 Its skin has been sent to me, and I have had the opportunity of 

 submitting it to several of my friends — among others to Mr. G. 

 R. Gray and Dr. Sclater — none of whom recognized it as a de- 

 scribed species. I have therefore thought it advisable to have 

 the specimen figured here, from the conviction that, if it be of an 

 already known species, it will be speedily referred to its proper 

 designation. 



The "Pie chanteuse " of the Seychelles appears to belong to the 

 genus Copsychus, and to be nearly allied to the rare C. pica 

 (Natt.), discovered by Bojer in Madagascar — a species I have 

 never seen, the only three specimens known, two males and a 

 female, being, according to Dr. Hartlaub (Orn. Beitr. zur Fauna 

 Madagascar's, p. 38), contained in the Vienna Museum. But, 

 from the description given, C. pica must be very considerably 

 smaller*, and much more varied in colour than the bird I am 

 now about to define, which is entirely of a glossy bluish black, 

 with the exception of a pure white patch on the upper wing- 

 coverts ; while the Madagascar species seems to have the under 

 surface of the wings, the edges of the secondaries, the abdomen, 

 and some of the outer tail-quills white, in addition to the white 

 middle wing-coverts. 



* Dr. Hartlaub says of C. pica {loc. supra cit.) "long. tot. 7'"-" This 

 is evidently a mistake, and probably " 7" " was intended. In tbis case an 

 accidental error is easily detected ; but in many instances the use of the 

 method of notation employed by my learned friend seems likely to lead to 

 confusion. 



