430 Miscellaneous. 



RARE BRITISH BIRDS. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Plymouth, October 16, 1856. 

 Gentlemen, — During the late gales we have been visited by 

 rather an unusual number of the Sterna arctica and S. hirundo. 

 Specimens of each species have been shot in the neighbourhood. 

 The Thalassidroma pelagica was captured alive on the 2nd of this 

 month, in the passage of a house, Woocllane Terrace, by II. O. Bull- 

 more, Esq. The bird was in excellent condition, fat and fleshy, but 

 right wing was broken. 



I am, Gentlemen, yours truly, 



W. P. Cocks. 



Descriptions of two New Species of the Genus Orthotomus. By 

 Frederic Moore, Assist. Mus. East India Company. 



At a Meeting held in the early part of the present year, I laid 

 before the Zoological Society a monograph of this interesting genus, 

 and since that time I have been favoured by my brother with a search 

 through the birds contained in the Derby Museum, which has resulted 

 in the discovery of two additional undescribed species. These I now 

 proceed to characterize. 



Orthotomus derbianus, Moore. 



Forehead, crown and occiput dark ferruginous ; back, rump and 

 sides of neck ash- colour ; ear-coverts, throat and breast pale ash, 

 with the centre of the feathers whitish ; flanks ashy-white ; belly 

 and vent dull white ; wings brown, broadly margined throughout 

 with yellowish-green ; edge of shoulder pale brown ; under wing- 

 coverts rufescent-white ; tail much graduated, ferruginous-brown 

 above, dusky at base, paler beneath, and without discernible terminal 

 spots or band ; thighs ferruginous ; upper mandible horn-colour, 

 lower mandible and legs pale. 



Length, 5 1^ inches; of wing 2 inches; tail 2^ inches ; bill from 

 frontal plumes f ths inch, to gape {-|ths inch, and tarsus -^ths of 

 an inch. 



Hab. Philippines ? (H. Cuming). In Derby Museum, Liverpool. 



Remark. — May be distinguished from all the previously known 

 species by its greater size, and in having the ear-coverts, throat and 

 breast ash- colour, with the centres of the feathers whitish. 



Orthotomus maculicollis, Moore. 



Forehead ferruginous, becoming dull on crown ; feathers of the 

 occiput greenish-brown, faintly edged with black ; nares, behind 

 the eyes, a hne under, vdth the ear-coverts and sides of neck ferru- 

 ginous-white, each feather being edged with black ; back and rump 

 greenish; throat white; breast, belly and vent ferruginous-white; 

 sides of breast black, and flanks light greenish ; wings brown, edged 



