120



Mr. J. L. BonhoTE,



alive once at least, it is sincerely to be hoped that other speci¬

mens may arrive in this country, and there seems to be no reason

why they should not.


According to the late Dr. Stark, the distribution of Peters’

Spotted Firefinch is as follows: “ From Inhambane in Gazaland.

where according to Mr. H. F. Francis, it is not uncommon, to

the Zambesi (Kirk); Nyasaland (White) ; Malindi, the Usambara

hills and Zanzibar to East Africa (Kirk) ; extending to the

Great Lakes of Central Africa.” It is said to frequent thick

undergrowth, and to be in the habit of searching amongst the

leaves on the ground, apparently for the seeds upon which it

chiefly subsists.


A coloured figure of this species appeared in the Proceed¬

ings of the Zoological Society for 1S81, accompanying a paper by

Captain Shelley on some rare birds from East Africa ; but, as

comparatively few of our members have access to this figure, the

plate issued in the present number of our Magazine, and which

represents the two sexes, will, it is hoped, be appreciated, es¬

pecially as the figure of the male was drawn from the living

specimen above referred to. D. Seth-Smith.



THE SMEW,


Mergus albellus.


By J. Lewis Bonhote, M.A.


To the aviculturist the pleasure of having a new bird, or

one with which both he and his fellow-men are more or less

unfamiliar, is always an unmitigated delight. For some years

past I had wished to possess some of the Divers, or Saw-billed

Ducks, or failing them, some of the Grebes.


My first chance came about two years ago when I had

an opportunity of purchasing an exceedingly fine cock Smew.

But alas for human hopes ! In order to reach me he had to

undergo a long journey, made additionally tedious by delay on

the railway, and he arrived only to die within a few hours.


My next venture was with a Great-crested Grebe, a fine

looking bird in good condition, and I was assured that it was



