WCP1596

[1]¹

P. 109. "The S. American caracaras (Polyborus) have adopted² the habit of vultures, and live altogether on carrion."

This statement is too general. The caracaras also attack wounded birds (Darwin). Polyborus Braziliensis frequently chases birds on the wing, in the manner of the more typical hawk. (Egret, pigeons, plovers; mentioned in the "Field". The bird also eats rats.)³

P.111. "Species of titmice in England.. are not very closely allied to each other."

Are not our Coal Tit (Parus Britannica) and Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) very closely allied? The white patch on the nape of the Coal Tit is the only conspicuous difference in colouration. In habits the birds differ slightly; but in structure seem almost identical.⁴

P.115. "The lowest birds.... the apteryx... and the cassowaries."

The passage reads as though these birds represented primitive types; whereas they are now universally held to be degenerations. — On p: 145 the Dodo, and some Struthious birds, are rightly instanced as cases of degeneration.⁵

P. 117. "The common ancestor of most of our thrushes, warblers, wrens, etc."

Is it correct to coordinate these three groups of birds, just in this way? The warblers are a⁶[2]⁷ comparatively late offshoot. Probably the true scheme is somewhat as follows:—⁸

[]

Primitive Thrush-like bird
Bush Thrush (Timaliidae ) including Wrens	True Thrushes (Turdidae)
	Sylvidae

The dippers would seem to be coordinates with the two primitive branches of the cichlomorphae.

P. 154. "Of the numerous small seed-eating birds kept in aviaries, hardly any breed, neither do parrots."

This is hardly correct. Taking the parrots first:—

Melopsittacus undulatus⁹ not only breeds freely in confinement, but with its domestication has produced no less than 4 varieties; a greenish-yellow, pure yellow, white and blue. The yellow one commonly occurs; and, I believe, breeds true.

Calopsitta novae Hollandiae also breeds freely.

Platycercus eximius has bred, not infrequently.

Platycercus haematonotus also breeds.

The Madagascar or grey-headed Love bird has bred.

The golden-crowned Conure has bred.

Some English-bred speciments of an African parrot were lately to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. I believe that the Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) has also bred in confinement.¹⁰ [3]¹¹

Of small seed-eating birds; —

The Java Sparrow (Padda oryzyvora) breeds commonly in confinement. A white variety, evidently produced by long domestication, is found, and breeds true, or nearly so.

Munia striata¹² has given rise, during long domestication, to at least 3 varieties; a brown and white, fawn and white, & pure white, known to dealers as Bengalese. All breed freely. — These two birds have evidently been domesticated for a very long time in China and Japan, whence these varieties come.

Several other Munias also breed, not infrequently, in confinement; especially M. cuculata [cucullata].

The zebra finch, (Amadina castanotis) breeds freely. It has also hybridised with Estrilda (Amadina) Bichenovii.

The "cut throat" or "ribbon finch" also breeds, commonly.

The "cordon bleu" has bred.

The red-crested Cardinal not infrequently breeds. (This is, of course, a larger bird.)

The "saffron finch" (Syclais [Sycalis]¹³ flaveola) not uncommonly breeds.

The "orange bishop"¹⁴ has bred.

The siskin, goldfinch, greenfinch, have all bred. I think the bullfinch has also bred. The chaffinch and Bramblefinch have hybridised. [4]¹⁵

Insect-eaters, which would appear even less likely to breed in confinement, have yet done so; e.g. —

"Pekin Robin" (Leiothrix luteus [lutea]).¹⁶

The nightingale (Erithacus luscinia).

The starling (Sturnus vulgaris).

The common thrush (Turdus musicus).

The pied & grey wagtail have hybridised.

The hedgesparrow (Accentor modularis) is said have bred, in confinement.

P. 159. "Anser ferus and... A. cygnoides are very distinct species."¹⁷

Is not this doubtul? A paper was read, some years ago, before the Zoological Society, to prove that A. cygnoides was a variety of A. ferus, produced by domestication. Some naturalists certainly believe this to be the case.¹⁸

P. 190. The Snowy Owl and the Greenland Falcon, are both usually marked with black, over the greater part of the body; though pure white specimens often occur, — probably old birds. Of the latter bird there are two races; a lightly and a heavily marked.¹⁹ [5]²⁰

P. 280. " The male and female are alike... (in our) tits and starlings."

Tho' this statement is generally true of the tits, it is hardly true of the English starling (Sturnus vulgaris). The female of this bird, in addition to a duller ground colour than the male, has more numerous and distinct spots. The sexes are easily distinguished at some little distance.²¹

P. 287. "goatsuckers, geese, and carrion vultures,.... birds of plain plumage."

The varied and beautiful plumage of the goatsucker may have been acquired for protective purposes; or the birds resemble the ground, or bark of trees: and the carrion vultures are certainly dull-coloured (tho' the King Vulture's head and neck are beautifully marked.)²²But many species of Geese have highly ornamental plumage; e.g. the Goose teals (genus Nettapus), the red-breasted goose (Bernicla ruficollis), the Bernicle goose (Bernicla leucopsis), the Egyptian goose (Chenalopex aegyptiaca). the [6]²³ spur winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), the upland goose (Bernicla magellanica), — and, perhaps, the Canadian ash-headed and muddy-headed geese (genus Bernicla). The snow geese (Chen) are also rather ornamental.

As regards the Great White Albatross, — Prof: Moseley²⁴ in the passage quoted, evidently regards the plumage as being beautiful and ornamental. "The male is of a splendid snow-white, with the least possible grey speckling.... He was now seen in his full glory and best breeding plumage... the tail and wings are dark." — "Challenger", pp: 172, 173.^{25, 26}

On p: 288, the linnet's wings & tail are called "brown". But there is a longitudinal stripe of white, — which ^increases the ornamental effect, — on each primary and tail feather.²⁷ [7]²⁸

Notes on eggs.

Wrens and Willow Warblers.

Would not these eggs come under the category of "distinctly spotted" eggs, rather than that of "nearly white"? At any rate, would not the latter do so?²⁹

Hoopoe.

Can this egg be said to be "of very pale uniform colouration"?³⁰

Are there not many exceptions to the paleness of eggs laid in such "concealed places" as are here mentioned? E.g., in England, the eggs of the Jackdaw, Redstart, many titmice, the spotted flycatcher, etc.³¹

The Puffin's egg M^r. Poulton³² regards as having been once coloured all over; and as being now in [the] process of losing its markings. The eggs vary extremely; from pure white, to a well-marked hawk-like variety.

The Pheasants do not lay white eggs' — at least, Ph[asianus]: colchicus, Ph[asianus]: versicolor, Thaumalia [Thaumalea] picta, Ph[asianus]: torquatus, [and] Euplocamus nycthemerus, do not. These eggs are all of various shades of brown and ^or olive.³³ Eggs of the Grebes are generally, I believe, stained very deeply, long before incubation is finished, so that spirit is required to clean the eggs to their original white.

Many Goatsuckers' eggs seem to be themselves protective. [8]³⁴

The eggs of some Partridges are highly stained. Others are assimilated, like those of the Goatsuckers, to the colour of the soil.

P. 214. Many herons lay distinctly blue eggs.

P. 215. Puffins.

The statement about these eggs, line 3, seems hardly consistent with that upon p. 213 (l:13).³⁵

Moor hen.

This bird often does not cover its eggs; — and the eggs themselves are, I should say, without doubt protectively coloured.

Song thrush, Blackbird, Lesser Redpole

All these eggs are, of course, streaked and spotted; at least, in the vast majority of cases. This adds to the protection.

Pp. 214, 215. Guillemots' eggs are greatly exposed to the attacks of gulls. May not their remarkable variation be accounted for upon the theory of the utter hopelessness of variation assimilation to the environment? Upon such an hypothesis, the survival of eggs would be due either to the close sitting of the birds, or to defence ^made of them against the gulls. [9]³⁶

Notes on Mammalia

P.340. "Mammalia... are entirely wanting in New Zealand."

P. 348 "New Zealand possesses no known mammals."

This is hardly correct. New Zealand possesses two peculiar bats (Chalinolobus tuberculatus and Mystacina tuberculata); and two seals at least (Otaria Forsteri, and Stenorhynchus leptonyx). There is besides, almost certainly, the unidentified mammal, which is mentioned on p: 348.

P. 392. The occurrence of many bats, and several seals, in Australia, renders the statement of the fauna here, again, hardly correct. Are there also not more rodents in Australia than you imply[?] here?