Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^jc. 415 



candidus, Briss.) are hovering round the ship. They appear to 

 be in winter plumage, for their tails are only four inches or so 

 long ; their bills are red. As they keep alongside the ship, they 

 resemble Pigeons in flight, but make less strong and frequent 

 flaps, tumbling occasionally on the wing in somewhat similar 

 manner. One pounced head downwards, zigzag, but stopped 

 short before touching the water, and, hovering for a second, 

 resumed its flight. 



Bombay, 10th November. Visited the Town Hall. They 

 have there a very fine library, a small* collection of Indian pro- 

 duce, fossils, and bits of rocks, with shells and miscellanea. I 

 asked Mr. Bridwood, the curator and secretary, whether they 

 possessed any specimens of local mammals or birds. He replied 

 that they used to have them, but found that the great changes 

 of the Bombay climate, from dry to moist heat, in a very short 

 time quite destroyed them ! He said they always sent such 

 collections to England. I should like to know, to whom ? We 

 spent in all four days at Bombay, during which time I, of 

 course, visited the celebi'ated Caves of Elephanta. The island 

 on which they are is about six miles distant from Bombay. 

 They are well worth visiting, though dilapidated and badly 

 looked after. I will not bore you with a description of them, 

 as the curious on this subject can derive more information than 

 I have space to give here from a glance into Murray's * Guide 

 to India.' The chief birds observed were several Eagles [Spi~ 

 za'etus, sp.), black and white, soaring over and dropping to 

 roost among the trees of Elephanta. On the muddy shores of 

 the island, among the scattered rocks, at low water, numbers of 

 small yellowish-mottled, long-spined Echini lay sprinkled about, 

 and much annoyed the naked feet of our native boatmen. A 

 few Herons [Ardea cinerea) were stalking about. The Fan- or 

 Palmyra Palm was the most abundant of the Palm group, as 

 generally throughout Bombay ; the Cocoa-nut next. The Dates 

 were short and stunted, and did not seem to thrive as in Egypt. 

 The sunset, with its vivid changes of light, closing up the pano- 

 rama with a red-hot coal-like glow, was truly enchanting. The 

 following arc the notes ou birds, jotted down during my 

 rambles about the outskirts of the settlement. 



