17 [Vol. xiii. 



perfectly constant, and, so far as I know, there are no 

 gradations. I believe that there are no specimens of tins 

 small Warbler in the Brit. Mus. collection from N.W. Africa, 

 but only some of S. nana. 



" No. 3 of the Tripoli birds is Galerida theklce cyrenaica, 

 a new subspecies. This is one of the numerous forms of the 

 Crested Lark, and merely differs from typical Galerida tlieklae 

 and its allies in its plumage, which is very grey and mealy, 

 resembling that of Galerida cristata magna of Hume. 



" The last of my series is Ammomanes phamicuroides. 

 This species is interesting, both on account of its occurrence 

 in Tripoli, as well as from its apparently extremely limited 

 range in that country. Mr. Dodson met with it only in one 

 district, that of the Soda or the Black Mountains, so-called 

 from the colour of the stone of which they are composed. 

 This species has never been found, I believe, further west 

 than Tripoli.'" 



Dr. Sclater exhibited a mounted specimen of the Indian 

 Porphyrio [Porphyrio polio cephalus) killed in Hampshire. 

 The bird had been shot by Mr. Henry Smallbone, of Hale 

 Farm, Basing, on October 12th, 1899, in a meadow immedi- 

 ately adjoining his farm, which was situated on the Lyde 

 River, a tributary of the Loddon. It was set up by Mr. 

 Nevill, of Dean Gate, near Overton, There could be no 

 doubt of these facts, as Mr. Smallbone was well known to 

 Mr. Sclater, and a person of undoubted veracity. It was* 

 of course, possible that the specimen had escaped from con- 

 finement, but it was also, in Mr. Sclater' s opinion, quite 

 as likely that it might have wandered to the British Islands, 

 across Central Europe, this species of Porphyrio being 

 known to occur as far west as the Caucasus (see Sclater, 

 P. Z. S. 1891, p. 47), and Rails of all sorts being notoriously 

 erratic. This was believed to be the first record of the 

 occurrence of this Porphyrio in the British Islands, though 

 P. cceruleus of Southern Europe and P. smaragdonotus of 

 Egyot and E. Africa have already occurred here. 



Il was pointed out by Mr. Rothschild and others that 



