510 BIRDS FROM SEYCHELLES AND VICINITY— RIDGWAY. vol. xvm. 



Am seudiug you (iu another letter) a full account of their habits, which 

 may prove interesting. Of the fourteen residents at least eleven will 

 l)rove new to science, I think. ^ The barn owl [undetermined form, pos- 

 sibly new] and the fruit pigeon [Alectricnas sganzini] seem similar to 

 those of Madagascar. The Tinnuncuhts appears different. The ' flight- 

 less bird' proves to be a rail, as I anticipated. It is confined to the 

 islands of Aldabra, Assumption, Astove, and Cosmoledo, though, as 

 the last two were not visited, I only know by hearsay.- The most con- 

 spicuous water bird of Aldabra, which may be identical with that of 

 Madagascar and Africa, is the flamingo. 



"After leaving Aldabra I visited, and got wr(^cked ui)on, Gloriosa 

 Island, uear Madagascar, where I found three of the five land birds to 

 be entirely different from those of Aldabra, and expect they may turn 

 out to be new. ^Yas unable to get to Cosmoledo and Astove, although 

 three attem])ts were made; feel certain that they contain something 

 interesting." 



I.— BIRDS FROM THE SEYCHELLES. 



Family LAKID.^. 

 1. STERNA BERNSTEINI, Schlegel. 

 One specimen; Flat Island, August 7. 



2. STERNA MINUTA, Linnaeus. 

 <^»ue specimen; Mahe, April 2. 



3. STERNA AN/ETHETUS, Scopoli. 



Two specimens; Mahe, April 1, the other, without locality, August. 



4. ANGUS STOLIDUS (Linnaeus). 

 Three specimens; Seche. April .'3. 



5. GYGIS ALBA (Sparrmann). 



Two specimens; JMahe, March 30, 



Family STEKOORARIID^. 



6. MEGALESTRIS ANTARCTICUS (Lesson). 



One siiecimeu, without special locality, August 5. 



•The number of new forms from Aldabra which I have been able to make out is 

 only seven, but several others doubtfully referred to forms already known may prove 

 to be really distini-t when actually couiiiared, our collection lacking the necessary 

 material for making satisfacttjry comparisons. — R. R. 



-The Aldabra and Assumption bird.s prove to be different, however, the latter new 

 to science. Both forms are related to, but cpiite distinct fiom, the Madagascar 

 species, Drtjolimnas cuvieri (Pucherau). — R. R. 



