38 PALLAS' 8 LOCUSTELLE. 



and has been introduced into the list of Birds new to Europe, des- 

 cribed by Professor Blasius, in Naumannia, for 1858, p. 311, in the 

 following words: — " Calamolierpe certhiola is a perfect gem in its new 

 plumage; and here for the first time found in Europe. There are 

 two specimens mentioned by Middendorff, as having been killed on 

 the shores of the Sea of Ochotzk. Before these specimens were found, 

 the original from Pallas, in the Berlin Museum, was the only one 

 known." 



S. certhiola is no doubt closely allied to ncevia, both in organization 

 and habit. It is only distinguished by its stronger beak, by the 

 posterior claw being in certhiola longer than the toe, and more curved, 

 while in ncevia the claw is shorter than the toe. Further, the tail 

 of the latter is unicolorous; while in the former, as seen by the 

 specific characters at the head of this notice, each tail quill is ter- 

 minated below by a large ashy blotch. In all other respects the 

 disposition of colours in the plumage of the two birds is the same. 



Since the above was written in the first edition, we have obtained, 

 as might be expected, more information about this bird. Dr. Schrenck 

 ("Vogel Amur-Land") records a capture of this bird by Herr Maack 

 on the banks of the Schilka, in Upper Amur Land, in the end of 

 May. He observes that the specimen agrees in all material points 

 with Pallas's description, but it differs from Dr. Middendorff's Sali- 

 caria ochotensis. This last bird has, however, been determined by 

 Cabanis to be the same as the present species, ("Journ. f. Orn.," 

 1871.) We may therefore fairly consider that Dr. Schrenck's bird, 

 though slightly differing, is the same. 



Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S., 1863,) describes L. ochotensis, which, accor- 

 ding to the above definition of Cabanis, is equal to our bird, as a 

 summer visitant to North China, the Amoor, and Japan, occurring in 

 South China only in winter. In the same journal, 1870, he also 

 records its occurrence at Pekin, under the name of L. certhiola. 



There are specimens of this bird from Siberia in the Leyden 

 Museum, which Mr. Blyth says are certainly not the same as the 

 three described as L. certhiola by Jerdon ; but as that lamented 

 naturalist certainly describes a closely allied species, I copy his des- 

 cription, " Birds of India," vol. ii., part 1 : — 



"I first found this bird in long grass in the neighbourhood of 

 Mhow, in Central India, during the rains, and Mr. Blyth then 

 considered it to be identical with the European Locustella Man. He 

 subsequently procured it from Lower Bengal, not far from Calcutta; 

 and I quite recently obtained it near Monghyr, and also observed 

 it in other places along the Ganges, and it probably will be found 



