Recent Ornithological Publications. 211 
that this last really belongs to the Sturnidce (Graculce ), to which 
group the new bird is also referred. 
The two specimens from which the species, and genus, is de¬ 
scribed were obtained in February 1864, by the late Dr. Bern¬ 
stein (whose premature death is so much to be regretted), from 
the island of Soula Mangouli, lying between Borneo and Min¬ 
danao. To judge from the very beautiful plate which illustrates 
the paper, Charitornis fills among the Starlings the position of 
Urocissa among the Crows. 
Professor SchlegePs second paper is one which requires a 
more detailed notice, since it is made up of “ Contributions a 
la Faune de Madagascar et des lies avoisinantes, d’apres les de- 
couvertes et observations de MM. Frangois Pollen et M. D.-C. 
Van Dam,” and contains descriptions of several new species. 
These are Nisus brutus, Dicrurus waldeni, Zosterops flavirostris, 
and Columba polleni from the island of Mayotte, and Noctua 
polleni and Xenopirostris dami from Madagascar. Professor 
Schlegel is unwilling to accord specific rank to Mr. Gurney’s 
Tinnunculus newtoni (Ibis, 1863, p. 34, pi. 2) and T. gracilis 
(Lesson), stating that the examples sent from the island of 
Nossi-Be by MM. Pollen and Van Dam agree perfectly with 
a type specimen of Cuvier’s Falco punctatus received from the 
Paris Museum ; but, writing with a not inconsiderable series of 
Kestrels from Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles before 
us, we have no doubt whatever as to the birds from these three 
localities belonging to as many perfectly distinct species. It is 
a matter of very small importance whether the name bestowed 
upon the Madagascar species is to be retained or not; and this 
point can only be settled when we have ascertained from which 
island the types of Cuvier’s F. punctatus were obtained. If they 
came from Madagascar, as we gather from Professor SchlegePs 
statement (Mus. des Pays-Bas, Falcones, p. 29), then the Mau¬ 
ritian bird, hitherto generally regarded as the true Tinnunculus 
punctatus, will require a new specific di stinctio n . We, however, 
quite agree with our author in considering the Tchitrea pretiosa 
of Lesson, the T. mutata (L.), and the T. holosericea (Teinm.) 
synonymous, these names having been applied to the same 
species in different plumages (cf. P. Z. S. 1865, p. 835) . 
p 2 
