4268 Notices of New Books. 



moment looked like a little emerald sun, with its rays formed by the 

 feathers of the two plumes. He had no doubt that this action, which 

 was frequently repeated, was intended to please the females, as is 

 remarked in all birds the males of which are furnished with orna- 

 ments."— P. 157. 



No. 75 contains the following papers : — 



' Contributions to the Palaeontology of Gloucestershire : a Descrip- 

 tion, with Figures, of some new Species of Echinodermata from the 

 Lias and Oolites.' By Thomas Wright, M.D., &c. 



6 Descriptions of some newly discovered Species of Araneidae.' By 

 John Blackwall, F.L.S. 



' On the Mechanism of Aquatic Respiration, and on the Structure 

 of the Organs of Breathing in Invertebrate Animals.' By Thomas 

 Williams, M.D. Lond. 



' Description of a new Genus and Species of Seal (Heliophoca At- 

 lantica) from Madeira.' By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S. 



* Monograph of the British Graphideae.' By the Rev. W. A. Leigh - 

 ton, B.A., RB.S.E. 



' Notes on the Ornithology of Ceylon, collected during an Eight 

 Years' Residence in the Island.' By Edgar Leopold Layard, F.Z.S., 

 C.M.E.S. 



Bibliographical Notice : — ' Symbolae ad Monographiam Marsenia- 

 darum.' Auctore Rudolph Bergh. 



Proceedings of Societies : — Zoological — Botanical of Edinburgh. 



Miscellaneous : — On Sciurus glacialis [Lcemargus borealis, Mull. 

 & Henle) and its Parasites ; by P. J. Van Beneden : extracted from 

 the 'Bulletin de l'Academie Royale de Belgique,' 1853, No. 2, p. 258. 

 On the Genus Latia ; by Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R S., &c. The Anglesea 

 Morris, {Lepiocephalus Morrisii) ; by C. W. Peach. Figured Pearls 

 of the Chinese ; by Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c. On a Migration of 

 Dragon-flies ; by M. C. Morren : extracted from the ' Bulletin de 

 l'Academie Royale de Belgique,' 1853, No. 2, p. 323. 



Mr. Layard's paper on the birds of Ceylon is as interesting as ever, 

 but far too long for the pages of a monthly Magazine : and the same 

 observation applies with still greater force to several other papers, 

 which are continued from month to month. We give an extract from 

 Mr. Layard's paper, to show how pleasantly he writes. 



The Hooded Crow of Ceylon. — " The hooded crow (Corvus splen- 

 dem) is essentially a ' cit ; ' he is never found away from towns, and 

 the denser the population the more frequent is he. He builds his 



