Zoological Illustrations Volume Iii Part 17

Ficedula Madagascariensis minor. _Briss. Ois._ 4. _p._ 498. _t._ 28.

_f._ 2. (_male_.) _Briss. Orn._ 1. 446.

_Le Figuier Tcheric_, _Le Vaill. Ois. d'Af._ 3. _pl._ 132.

A delicate ring of snow-white feathers encircles the eyes of this pretty bird. It is far from being peculiar to Madagascar (as Dr. Latham's name of _Madagascariensis_ would seem to imply), but is spread over a wide extent of the eastern hemisphere; being found both in the Isle of France, the Cape of Good Hope, and Madras. The name, therefore, is peculiarly inapplicable; but this is not all: for we find that the same author, a few pages after, has given this identical name to another very different bird; the same error is transferred into Shaw's Zoology.

Figure, the size of life: colour above, olive green; ears and sides of the head the same: chin, throat, and under tail covers yellow; breast cinereous, changing to dusky brown on the flanks; the middle of the body whitish; between the eye and bill a velvet-black line, which forms a partial margin to the snowy feathers of the eyelids; wings and tail dusky black, margined with olive.

Very indifferent figures of both s.e.xes will be found in Vaillant's African birds; from his description it seems to be a gregarious species. I regret not being able, at this moment, to refer to the work.

Pl. 165

[Ill.u.s.tration]

SYLVIA annulosa, (_var._ [beta].)

_White-eyed Warbler._

GENERIC CHARACTER.--See Pl. 139.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_S. supra cinerea, infra albescens, capite, alis uropygioque olivaceo-flavis; jugulo flavescente; palpebris plumis niveis insignibus._

Above cinereous, beneath whitish; head, wings, and rump, olive yellow; throat yellowish; eyes encircled by a ring of snowy feathers.

On first receiving this bird from New Holland, I was inclined to think it a distinct species from the African White-eyed Warbler; but further consideration has led me to adopt a different opinion: it is true that I am unacquainted with any one land bird which is common to both countries, and much weight should be attached to the geographic distribution both of families and species. These two birds, however, differ in their colour, and somewhat in their size. On the other hand, the White-eyed Warbler, as before observed, is found both in Africa and India; and is, therefore, probably migratory. Nature, moreover, is not bound by laws to which there are no exceptions; and the leading points of resemblance between these birds are very strong. On the whole, therefore, I am inclined to consider them as varieties of one species, forming a solitary exception to the general dissimilarity between the birds of Africa and those of New Holland.

Size of the Wood Wren: the head and ears are olive yellow, changing to brighter yellow on the chin, and part of the throat; the neck and back cinereous, graduating to yellowish olive on the rump and upper tail covers; wings the same, the inside of the quills blackish; sides of the throat cinereous; body and under tail covers whitish; the sides tinged with ferruginous; the stripe between the bill and eye is more brown than black; and the white feathers round the eye, not so conspicuous as in the African variety.

Pl. 166

[Ill.u.s.tration]

BULIMUS citrinus, (_var._)

_Citron Bulimus,_ (_3 varieties_.)

GENERIC CHARACTER.--See Pl. 4.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.--See Pl. 46.

VARIETIES.

A. Yellow, with black lines. _Zool. Ill._ _pl._ 46.

B. Yellow, with black lines and chesnut stripes. _Zool. Ill._ _p._ 47.

C. Yellow, variegated with green; inner lip obsolete. _Fig._ 1. _B.

virescens._ _Sw. Bligh Cat._ _p._ 13.

D. Green, striped with yellow; inner lip white. _Fig._ 2. 3.

E. Orange, with flame-coloured waved stripes. _Fig._ 4.

F. Pale yellow, with brown waved stripes.

_Lam. Syst._ 6. 2. _p._ 178. 5.

The beautiful sh.e.l.ls here selected as a further ill.u.s.tration of the Citron Bulimus not only show the great variability of the species, but clearly prove that _B. virescens_ is, as I suspected, only a variety of _B.

citrinus_. In the sh.e.l.l at fig. 1. the upper part of the inner lip (like that described in the Bligh Appendix), is entirely wanting; although it bears, in every other respect, the appearance of a full-grown sh.e.l.l; the umbilicus likewise is open; but in the sh.e.l.l at fig. 2. and 3. the inner lip is quite perfect, and consequently folds over the umbilicus; thus the connexion between the green and yellow varieties is completely established.

I have subjoined a slight arrangement of the princ.i.p.al varieties; and have only further to observe, that the specific character I first proposed, appears to me the only one by which this species may be truly distinguished.

Since the description of _B. aureus_ at pl. 47 was written, I have seen several other specimens; all of which tend to confirm my belief that it is distinct from _B. citrinus_.

Pl. 167

[Ill.u.s.tration]

ANODON cra.s.sus,

_Thick Anodon, or Horse Mussel._