546 Richmond, "Oiseaux d'Afrique." [A"k
Larus fuscus affinis Reinhardt.
10 adult males, wing 394-428 (412.3), tail 152-167 (160.3),
tarsus 63-69 (65.9), toe without claw, 47-53 (50.3), culmen, 49-56
(52.9), depth of bill at base, 16-19 (17.3), at angle, 16-19 (17.8);
4 adult females, wing 382-407 (392.2), tail 151-158 (155.7),
tarsus 57-66 (61), toe without claw, 42-51 (45.5), culmen, 44-50
(47.5), depth of bill at base, 14-15 (14.7), at angle, 15-16 (15.7).
FORSTER'S EDITION OF LEVAILLANT'S "OISEAUX
D'AFRIQUE."
BY CHARLES W. RICHMOND.
Publication of Levaillant's celebrated 'Histoire Xaturelle des
Oiseaux d'Afrique' was begun in Paris in 1796, and completed
in six volumes in 1S0S. It was issued in folio, with two sets of
plates, black and colored, also in 4°, with colored plates, and in 4°,
with plain plates; there was also an edition in 12mo of two volumes.
In 1797 Bechstein began at Nurnberg a translation under the
title ' Franz Le Vaillant's Naturgeschichte der Afrikanischen
Vogel,' but it was discontinued at the end of the " Erster Band "
in 1S02. It consisted of 8 parts, each with 6 plates and corre-
sponding text; in all 48 plates, with pages i-xii, 13-210, 4°. It is
uncommon, though met with occasionally in the second-hand book
catalogues. Additional matter by Bechstein is given in footnotes,
but this is of little interest concerning nomenclature, since the
translator did not give any new scientific names to the species,
except possibly that of Falco lagopus Varietas africana, described
on p. 96 (note).
A very little known translation was begun in Halle in 1798 by
a publisher named Dreyssig, who secured the cooperation of J. R.
VoL
1919
XVI
]
Richmond, "Oiseaux d'Afrique." 547
Forster, already the translator into German of one of Levaillant's
voyages to Africa. The Halle edition is very rare, and for nearly
a century has remained almost unnoticed by ornithologists, though
one or more of the new names given by Forster were cited in one
of F. Boie's papers in Oken's Isis about 1820-26. It was omitted
in Engelmann's Bibliotheca Hist. Nat. of 1846, but is mentioned,
apparently at second hand, in the continuation by Cams and
Engelmann, where the date is given as 1798. Suckow, in 1800,
also quotes it as 1798, but his reference to it suggests that the work
was autoptically unknown to him, since he mentions none of the
new names introduced by Forster. Sherborn was unable to find
a copy when compiling his 'Index Animalium,' though it is duly
listed among his "libri desiderati." Thus the case remained
until 1905, when the writer had the good fortune to obtain a copy
from a dealer in Leipzig. This copy has an engraved title page,
in script style, running as follows: F. le Vaillant's | Naturgeschichte
| der | Africanischen Vogel | mit Anmerkungen | von | D. Johann
Reinhold Forster. | No. 3 [illustration of the "Undatus"] | Halle |
bei Fried. Christoph Dreyssig. | The size is small octavo. There
is no printed title page in this copy, and the plates are uncolored.
Following the title is a "Nachrichtan dieKaufer" (pp. iii-vi),
signed by Dreyssig, and a " Vorrede" (pp. vii-xiv), with a "Nach-
schrift" (p. xv), the latter signed by Forster. On the back of
page xv is an " Inhalt," giving a list of the 18 plates, with a refer-
ence to the pages on which the subjects are treated. The plates
are listed in three groups: Nos. 1-8 are "Raubvogel," the species
of which are introduced without generic names; Nos. 9-14 are
"Geyer," for which the generic name VulPiir is used; Nos. 15-18
are "Von den Bussarten," or species of " Falco." Pages 1-64
constitute the remainder of the text, with the plates inserted at
their proper places. There is no plate 3, as this subject is shown
on the engraved title page.
Recently the writer secured a second copy J through the kind
offices of Dr. T. S. Palmer (who obtained it from a Philadelphia
book shop), which, upon comparison with the first, proved to
be a colored edition (the illustration on the engraved title being
1 Both copies are now in the library of the U. S. National Museum.
548 Richmond, "Oiseaux d'Afrique." ["AukLOct.
also colored), having a printed title page in addition to the en-
graved one. This reads: F. le Vaillant's | Naturgeschichte | der
|
afrikanischen Vogel | mit Anmerkungen | von | D. Johann Rein-
hold Forster.
|
—
|
Erstes Bandschen mit 18 Kupfern
| Halle, |
bey Friedrich Christoph Dreyssig. | On the back of the printed
title is given a list of 35 book dealers, in as many places, chiefly,
though not all, in Germany, fromwhom the book could be obtained,
ending with the statement that it could be procured from any
book dealer in Germany. The publisher intended to issue a part
every few months, but the death of Forster, on December 9, 1798,
probably caused the project to be abandoned, since no further
installments were published. In addition to the two styles de-
scribed above, the publisher referred to a third, more fully colored
edition, that could be supplied at a somewhat higher price.
A list of the species figured and described, with the names given
by Forster and Levaillant, and the pages on which they occur, is
added, together with the equivalent names of Daudin and earlier
writers.
"Raubvogel."
PI. 1. Harpacier. Griffard. p. 1.
2. Eulophos. Huppard. 7.
3. Undatus. Blanchard. 10.
4. Vociferator. Vocifer. 14.
5. Ichthyotheres. Blagre. 18.
6. Cafer. Caffre. 23.
7, 8. Plottages. Bateleur. 25.
"Geyer."
PI. 9. Vultur Tracheliotos. Oricou. p. 29.
10. V. Coprotheres. Chasse-
fiente.
11. Vultur indus. 1 Chaugoun.
12. Vultur sinensis. Chincou.
13. Vultur Papa L. Roi des
Vautours.
14. Vultur Hierax. Ourigourap.
35.
40.
42.
48.
Falco bellicosus Daudin, 1800.
F. occipitalis Daudin, 1800.
F. coronatus Linnaeus, 1766.
F. vocifer Daudin, 1800.
F. leucogaster Gmelin, 1788.
F. vulturinus Daudin, 1800.
F. ecaudatus Daudin, 1800.
Vultur tracheliotus Forster,
1791. 2
V. kolbii Daudin, 1800.
V. bengalensis Gmelin, 1788.
V. monachus Linnaeus, 1766.
V. papa Linnaeus, 1758.
50. V. percnopterus Linnaeus, 1758.
1 Vultur indus Forster, 1795 (Faunula Indica, p. 5), is an emendation of Vultur indicus
Scopoli, 17S6, and refers to another species.
2 Also Vultur auriculatus Daudin, 1S00.
°
1919 J Oberholser, Races of Quiscalus Quiscula. 549
"Von den Bussarten."
PI. 15. Falco Bassus. Bacha. p. 55. Falco bacha Daudin, 1800.
16. F. Rufofuscus. Rounoir. 59. Buteo jakal Daudin, 1800.
17. F. Rufocanus. Rougre. 62. Falco desertorum Daudin,
1800.
18. Falco ocreatus. Busegantee. 63. F. lagopus Gmelin, 1788.
The specific names given to nos. 10, 15, 16, and 17 appear to be
the earliest for their respective species, and should be adopted.
NOTES ON THE RACES OF QUISCALUS QUISCALUS
(LINNAEUS).
BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER.
According to the views of current authors there are three sub-
species of our common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula (Linnreus).
Since, as Mr. A. T. Wayne has recently shown,1 the Gracula quiscula
of Linnaeus 2 is properly applicable to the Florida Grackle (Quis-
calus quiscula agla?us), and the Purple Grackle needs another name,
it may be worth while to present a few notes on all the forms of the
species, with a revised statement of the geographic distribution
of each.
Quiscalus quiscula quiscula (Linnreus).
[Gracula] quiscula Linn.eus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, I, 1758, p. 109 (based
on Monedula purpurea Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, Florida, and Bahama
Islands, I, 1731, p. 12, pi. XII; and Merops niger, viridi-argentea Brown,
Nat. Hist. Jamaica, 1756, p. 476) ("Habitat in America septentrionali").
[Oriolus] ludoviciauus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I, i, 1788, p. 387 (based on
Cassique de la Louisiane, Buffon, Hist. Nat. des Ois. [original edition], III,
p. 242; Planch. Enlum., No. 646) (partial albino) (Louisiana).
i The Auk, XXXV, No. 4, October, 1918, p. 440.
2 Syst. Nat., ed. 10, I, 1758, p. 109.