Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/318

290 Galapagos Archipelago was visited by Darwin in 1835; its remarkable zoology, sketched by the 'Voyage of the 'Beagle,' at once aroused the highest interest among naturalists, whilst Darwin's deductions concerning the origin of the Galapagoan fauna are amongst the best known passages in his writings. Since the visit of the 'Beagle,' our knowledge of the avian fauna has been increased by the large collections made by Dr. Habel in 1868, the naturalists of the 'Albatross' in 1888 and 1891, and by Messrs. Baur and Adams in 1891. In 1876 Salvin published his wellknown paper "On the Avifauna of the Galapagos Archipelago," which has remained the most important contribution to the subject. Mr. Robert Ridgway has now brought the subject thoroughly up to date by an exhaustive contribution on "Birds of the Galapagos Archipelago," published in the Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. xix., 1896. During recent years at least one of the indigenous birds has become extinct, the larger Mockingbird of Charles Island, Nesominus trifasciatus, being no longer found. "Others appear to have become extinct on the islands where they were originally found." Forty-six genera of birds have thus far been found in the Galapagos Archipelago, of which six appear to be peculiar, but from a study of the genera alone it is impossible to decide whether the "nonpeculiar portion of the Galapagoan avifauna is most nearly related to that of lower Central America or the West Indies." The number of species which have been ascertained to occur in the Galapagos Archipelago is one hundred and five. Even now the study is incomplete, for Mr. Ridgway mentions—"The anomaly of individuals adult as to plumage, but with bills suggesting immaturity, and of others which show exactly the reverse, remains to be explained; and there are other questions which only protracted field-studies by a competent investigator can decide."

writing in the June issue of 'Knowledge,' describes 'The Swift's Night-flight':—"During June and July, dwellers in places where the Swift abounds may investigate its recently discovered habit of soaring upward at evening and (apparently) spending the night in the sky." It was during the last cloudless Jubilee June (1887) that this extraordinary incident in the life of a diurnal British bird was first noticed in England. Mr. Witchell finds, "It is convenient to watch the Swifts from a somewhat elevated spot, so that they may be kept within view as continuously as possible, since, if they pass out of the field of vision at a distance, it is almost impossible to find them again. It is also desirable to have a support to lean upon, for without this the constant gazing towards the zenith becomes very tiring, especially if field-glasses are used. It is not often that the birds can be seen during the whole of the upward flight; they generally swing around in wide circles for some time, and pass out of