Vol, xxxix.] 82 
but are much smaller and more highly polished than those 
of that bird. I at once urged Aharoni to procure for me 
some adult Syrian Ostriches. He managed to procure a 
pair of nearly full-grown young ones alive, and as soon as 
they were fully adult he skinned them and sent them to me. 
These birds agree with the so-called Struthio camelus 
Linn. in having the neck and legs light red, and they have 
the black and white (¢) and brown (@ ) plumage peculiar 
to all Ostriches; but they are distinctly smaller. The bill, 
though not much shorter, is much narrower, while the 
tarsus and tail are distinctly shorter. They have the same 
naked shield on the head as in S. camelus, but not a horny 
shield as in S. molybdophanes. 
The measurements, as compared with an adult female. 
from Northern Nigeria, are as follows:— 
o Syrian Desert. Q Syrian Desert. © Nigeria. 
arse s-tis smemtcees 400 mm. 400 mm. 530 mm. 
Bill fromisape 2.) 12" y TE Re TO) 
From front of skull.. 75 , 65 ,, S378 
aie ee eat cc 330, 440 ,, 540 _,, 
Two eggs measure 144x112 mm. and 148 1]2 mm. and - 
are more highly polished than those of the North African 
Ostrich. 13 eggs of the latter are as follows: 175x128; 
175X126; 158x127; 158x127; 1538x125; 153x182; 
153 x 120; 145 x 122; 3 eggs Algeria (Wed Rhin=? Oued 
Rhir), H. B. Tristram, 152x128; 142x121; 142x125; 
2 eggs, Tebba, Niger, 155 x 130; 152 x 180. 
Though some of the eggs in this series are even shorter 
than the Syrian eggs, their great thickness makes their 
cubic contents still considerably larger. | : 
In the ‘Systema Nature,’ edit. 10, 1758, Linneus says 
of his Struthio camelus, ‘‘ Habitat in Syria, Arabia, Lybia, 
Africa.” Therefore, as Syria is placed first, according to. 
modern nomenclatorial ideas, the Syrian Ostrich should be 
the typical Struthio camelus of Linnzeus. However, Linnzus 
does not appear to have described his Ostrich from any 
given locality and, moreover, all the authors whom he 
