198 DR. O. FINSCH ON BIRDS FROM NORTH-EASTERN 
the end of October he successfully explored the Bogos country; and many new birds 
were discovered, a few of which, however, have since been referred to previously 
described species. Dr. A. Brehm, who was attached to the hunting expedition of the 
Duke Ernst II. of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, during his short visit of two months, made many 
valuable observations on the habits of the mammals and birds, which were published in 
a popular work bearing the ill-chosen title of ‘ Results of a Voyage to Abyssinia ’!—ill- 
chosen, because the author never entered Abyssinia proper, having only reached the 
coast-land of Samchara and the plateau of Mensa, in the Bogos country, about 4000 feet 
above the level of the sea. 
After such important explorations by so many celebrated travellers, it might be 
supposed that the researches of Mr. Jesse had not been productive of any great 
results. His fine and surprisingly rich collection, containing about 735 skins, proves 
the contrary. Although there are only two new, or, I should rather, say hitherto 
overlooked species in the collection, namely, a Lark (Alemon jessei) and a Shrike 
(Lanius fallax), we were astonished at the fine series of specimens, all of them bearing 
a label on which was accurately marked the locality, date, and sex, the latter point 
being always determined by anatomical dissection. These series of specimens have 
enabled us to become better acquainted with many species than was before possible, by 
exhibiting to us the individual aberrations and variations of the birds themselves, which 
knowledge is in many respects more valuable than the discovery of new species. Our 
knowledge of the geographical distribution of birds has also been increased by adding 
species to the avifauna of North-eastern Africa which were either little known (such as 
Cossypha gutturalis and Charadrius pecuarius) or entirely unknown (as Cotyle fuligula, 
Nectarinia jardinei, Sterna macroptera, Hypolais olivetorum, and H. elaica) to.be 
inhabitants of that part of Africa. The occurrence of many species new to Abyssinia 
and the Bogos country is also of great interest. For Abyssinia I may mention 
Aquila imperialis (observed on the Red Sea for the first time near Zoulla), Bubo 
ascalaphus, Otus brachyotus (shores of the Red Sea), Himantopus melanopterus; for 
the Bogos country, Halcyon senegalensis, Irrisor aterrimus, Nectarinia pulchella, 
Thamnobia albifrons, Zosterops abyssinica, Turdus pelios, Crateropus limbatus, Cr. 
leucocephalus, Platystira senegalensis, Lanius nubicus, Colius macrourus, Pogonorhyn- 
chus undatus, Megalema pusilla, Oxylophus afer, Indicator sparmanni, and Cursorius 
chalcopterus. 
The total number of species collected by Mr. Jesse is 219, being more than a quarter 
of all the birds known to inhabit north-eastern Africa, supposing the total number to 
be somewhere about 800. Riippell enumerates only 532; Heuglin ten years after- 
wards 754, and in his fauna of the Red Sea 325 species. Dr. Brehm observed during 
his short visit 172 species. The results of Mr. Jesse’s expedition are therefore not less 
1 Ergebnisse einer Reise nach Habesch im Gefolge Seiner Hoheit des regierenden Herzogs von Sachsen- 
Coburg-Gotha Ernst II., von Dr. A. E, Brehm (Hamburg, 1863). 
