38 Two new Species of Meruline Birds. [J 



AN. 



lateral fores and hind subequal, last strongest ; nails stout, moderately 

 curved, acute ; tail various, as in Promerops or in Cinclosoma. 



Species 1st. Pieaotdes. Pie-like Sibia mihi. Saturate slatey-blue ; 

 palen and greyer below ; darker and merging into black on the wings 

 and tail; speculum on the secondaries, and tips of the rectrices, 

 white ; legs plumbeous ; bill black ; iris sanguine ; tail very long, and 

 gradated conspicuously and equally throughout ; head not crested ; 14 

 inches long and as many wide; bill \\ inch; tarsus \\; central toe 



f ; hind toe 9 ; its nail Z > ta ^ ®i > weight 1 \ to 1 f oz. Sexes alike. 



16 „ 16 



Species 2nd. Nig?'iceps. Black-capt Sibia mihi. Rusty, with the en- 

 tire cap and the wings and tail, internally, black; central wing coverts 

 white toward their bases, slatey toward their tips ; outer webs of the 

 primaries slatey-grey; of the secondaries and tertiaries, slatey; the 

 last, rusty, like the body; two central rectrices con-colorous with the 

 body towards it, then black; the rest wholly black, and all with 

 broad slatey points ; bastard wing black ; legs fleshy brown ; bill 

 black ; iris brown ; tail moderately elongated, gradated only in the 

 six laterals ; head with a full soft garruline crest ; outer web of the 

 secondaries rather enlarged, discomposed, and curled downwards ; 

 size 8^ to 9 inches, by 10| to 11, and 1^ oz. in weight ; bill 1 inch; 



tarsus 1 5 ; central toe 10, and nail 4 ; hind toe Z, and nail j> ; tail 



16 16 16 16 16 



4J. Sexes alike. 



3rd. Species. Nipalensis, nobis. Described already as a Cinclosoma* 

 and forming a singular link of connexion between the Cinclosomos 

 and the Sibioe. I postpone what I have to say upon the habits and 

 manners of these birds to a future opportunity ; at present it must 

 suffice to observe, that they are indissolubly linked to the Merulidw 

 by the nature of their food and manner of taking it. 



Nepaul May, 1836. 



Art. VI. — On the Egyptian system of Artificial Hatching. By 

 Don Sinbaldo Demas. 



Several unfruitful attempts have been made in different parts of 

 Europe since the labours of Reaumur to introduce the artificial mode 

 of hatching eggs. In some parts chickens have been brought forth 

 which have not propagated ; in others, for instance in Aranjuez, 

 instead of chickens, hard eggs have been made. Notwithstanding 

 these failures, being persuaded that they proceeded rather from igno- 

 rance on the part of the experimentalist than from any real or insuper- 

 1 Note.— As Soc. Transac. Phy. Class., vol, xix. p. 143. 



