156 Scientific Intelligence. [No. 2, 



Scientific Intelligence. 



The following is from Mr. Blyth : — 



I have already elucidated* sundry species of iEgialites (or Ring 

 Plover) and may now further add that I have since made out the 

 Charadrius pusillus of Horsfield to be the same as JE. ruficapillus, Gould, 

 figured in his Birds of Australia : Horsfield's specimen being in winter 

 dress, and his name of course standing for the species. 



The Indian Neophron (281) will have to rank as N. ginginianus, 

 Latham. The Spilornis of Ceylon and of all S. India is the same as S. 

 Flgini, Tytler, and will bear my prior name Spilogaster (J. A. S. 

 XXI. 351) being distinct from the Malayan S. bacha, with, which Pro- 

 fessor Schlegel identifies it. Falco babi/lonicus is the F. peregrinoides 

 apud G. R. Gray, as suggested in p. 282. The Cat noticed as Felis 

 macrocelis in p. 283 seems, after all, to be of a different and smaller race 

 than one received from Asam also in the Zoological Gardens. It has 

 now T been more than three years in the garden, and has only a slight 

 fulvous tendency even yet, while the other is much more fulvescent, 

 and is also of heavier build. I think that the larger only has the very 

 elongated canine teeth. Neither seems to be the true Diardii (vel 

 macrocelis) of Sumatra and Borneo ; and I suspect that the larger and 

 more fulvous animal (which the Society's Museum has from Sikhim) 

 should rank as F. nebulosa, C. H. Smith, figured in Griffith's English 

 edition of the Regne animal. There is also great variation in the F. 

 aurata, Tern, (murmensis, Hodgson, and the young F. Temminckii, 

 Vigors.) A rufous specimen in the India Museum has strongly deve- 

 loped body-markings, akin in type to those of the macrocelis group ; 

 others (alike from Sikhim, Malacca and Sumatra,) are deep rufous 

 without trace of body-markings ; and thirdly, there is the blackish 

 race, which is designated F. nigrescens, Hodgson, in the second edi- 

 tion of the British Museum Catalogue of Mr. Hodgson's collections. 

 These Cats w T ould seem, in fact, to be in process of specialization, 

 which is carried on a further stage in the F. Sivinhoei of Formosa, as 

 compared with the other races akin to F. Diardii. Lastly, F. CharlA 

 toni may be a race not strongly specialized apart from F. marmorala. 

 * Asiatic Society's Journal, vol. XXXIV. p. 280. 



