518 British WilUm Wretts, 



which last word, or Jlorikin, the Jlercher of the text is, per- 

 haps, a misprint. The " bristles " are eight (or nine) feathers, 

 webbed only at the tip, which spring, not from the " ears," 

 but from the lower part of the cheek, or rather from the sides 

 of the chin, two of them 7 or 8 in. in length, curling upward 

 and outward, the rest shorter and only bending. The greater 

 quills are remarkably short, and, in both this and the churj, 

 are pointed. The down, as in the churj, is of a pink colour. 

 These birds vary extremely in the distribution of the black, 

 and of the white or light cream-colour on the wing-coverts 

 and under parts, two of them being seldom found exactly 

 alike in this respect. Length from bill to tail, 17in. ; to claws, 

 21 1 in.; the neck being a little shorter than that of the churj. 



The Black-headed Bustard (O'tis indica) (p. 304.) must be 

 rare, or its habitat confined. I never heard of it. 



The White-chinned Bustard (O'tis indica) seems greatly 

 to resemble the churj or florican, the chin of which is also 

 whitish ; the size, however, is not given, and it is said to have 

 the " crown and band on sides of head black," which the churj 

 has not. I remain. Sir, yours, &c. 



Jan, 26. 1830. A Subscriber. 



Art. VI. S&me Observations on the British Willow Wrens. 

 By T. F. 



Sir, 

 The difficulty of clearly distinguishing the willow wrens, 

 under which general appellation I include the wood and 

 yellow wrens, and the lesser pettychaps, though the term 

 willow wren is very frequently applied to the yellow wren 

 only, has induced me to bring together some practical observ- 

 ations, which I trust will be acceptable to many of the 

 readers of your Magazine. I consider that there are but few 

 naturalists who have been acquainted with the different man- 

 ners and distinctive characters of the willow wrens ; and of 

 those who have published their remarks I can only safely 

 refer to Montagu and Selby; but even their specific dis- 

 tinctions I have sometimes found insufficient to distinguish 

 the yellow wren and lesser pettychaps ; and I have conse- 

 quently been driven to seek for more certain characters. 

 Latham and other authors have evidently confused them. 

 Bewick, however, in his last edition (1826), has correctly 

 figured and described them. I shall apply the Latin names 

 as they are now generally used, rather than puzzle my readers 

 with new ones, although I am aware there are doubts as to 

 their correctness. 



