110 
MISCELLANY* 
serves, in the twelfth part of his Birds of Europe ,—«“ A single specimen of this 
interesting little bird has been sent us by the Baron De Feldegg, of Frankfort, 
to whom our acknowledgments are due, not only for this instance of his liberality 
in consigning to our care, at the risk of loss and injury, a bird probably unique 
in the collections of Europe, but for many similar instances of disinterested gene¬ 
rosity.—The only history of this bird which we have been able to collect, was 
that written on the label attached to it by the gentleman above-mentioned, and 
is as follows :— 4 1 shot this bird, which on dissection proved to be a male, in 
Dalmatia, in the year 1829/ Its most conspicuous characters are the three yel¬ 
low stripes which ornament the head; the brighter and most highly-coloured of 
these marks, contrary to what obtains in any of the other lleguli , being that 
over each eye, while the coronal stripe is palest, and consists of feathers similar 
in length to those which cover the rest of the head.” The same bird is, very 
judiciously, figured in two different attitudes, 44 to exhibit more clearly its cha¬ 
racters and colouring.” The lower figure is a perfect gem.— Analyst for January , 
1838, No. xxii., Vd. VII., p. 261. 
Importance of Phrenology to Naturalists. —We conceive that Compara¬ 
tive (or Animal) Phrenology ought to enter into the plan of every zoological 
periodical; for surely the mental characteristics of animals, as indicated by their 
habits and organization, must afford a subject of study to a philosophical natu¬ 
ralist at least equally interesting as is an examination of the various colours in 
the feathers of birds, or the shape and size of their toes and bills; or an enume¬ 
ration of the number of teeth in the jaws, or bones in the tails of quadrupeds. 
But whatever interest Animal Phrenology might afford to philosophical natural¬ 
ists, the fact is that zoologists pay no attention to it as yet; and the Magazine 
of Zoology, as far as we remember, has never alluded to the subject. Still, the 
phrenological gleaner may occasionally find a few grains of corn for himself, and 
we have introduced this slight notice of the work for the purpose of presenting 
one of these grains to our own readers, as a striking illustration of the influence of 
external circumstances in modifying the habits of animals. Every boy in Eng¬ 
land is aware of the shyness or timidity of the persecuted Magpie; indeed, so 
great is the caution of these birds in some districts, that an inexpert marksman 
finds it difficult to approach within his own gunshot distance of them; yet we 
have only to cross a narrow sea, for the opportunity of studying the character of 
the Magpie in a totally opposite condition with respect to timidity ; and we 
should be glad if any of our ornithological friends could compare the skulls of 
English and Norwegian Magpies, so as to ascertain whether the difference of 
habit is not accompanied by some difference in cranial configuration. In an ar¬ 
ticle on the Ornithology of Norway, in the number of the Magazine above-men¬ 
tioned, Mr. Hewitson thus speaks of this species: 44 The Magpie is one of the 
