418 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 



Orthotomus, Prinia, &c. ; so much so, that on hearing the note, 

 without seeing the bird, I could frequently pronounce with 

 certainty the genus, from my acquaintance with the allied species 

 in China, though I had never noted the particular species before. 

 The same may be said of their relative habits. In fact, the 

 more nearly connected the form, usually the more similar the 

 notes. The same may be said of the birds of the Formosan 

 Mountains. What Jerdon relates of certain Himalayan species, 

 as to the height they mostly affect, their habits, nesting, and 

 song, would apply equally well to the Formosan representa- 

 tives of the several forms, though they have changed somewhat 

 in the distribution of their tints. On this subject I shall pro- 

 bably have a few more words to offer, as also on some interesting 

 facts relating to migration, in a notice on Jerdon's ' Birds of 

 India,' as bearing on the birds of China, which I purpose, at a 

 future date, to draw up at my leisure. 



On the 14th we left Bombay, and coasted along off the Car- 

 natic. On the 15th it was calm : a Reed-bird [Calamoherpe 

 dumetorum) came on board. 19th, squalls off land, accompanied 

 with rain. Birds blown off to the ship — several Budytes viridis 

 in winter plumage, a small Anthus, a few Tringa cinclus and 

 Hiaticula cantiana, and one Gallinula j)hcenicura. These perched 

 about the rigging and awning all day. The Budytes were very 

 tame, running about the decks, catching flies. They had grey 

 heads ; the finest male, with a light sulphur breast, having a 

 short white mark over and under the eye. At evening two 

 Falcons {F. asalon) made their appearance. It was then calm. 

 One of them seized a Budytes and the other a Tringa ; and, 

 carrying their prey boldly on to the yards, devoured them, 

 showering the feathers about in all directions. 



November 23rd, Galle. I spent a fortnight in Ceylon, during 

 which time I visited Colombo and Kandy, and other neighbour- 

 ing places ; but my motions from place to place were so hurried, 

 that I made few notes on birds. In this evergreen isle, with 

 its jungles and endless groves of cocoa-nut trees, reptiles appear 

 to constitute the chief class of Vertebrata. Lizards, of a great 

 variety of species, were especially abundant. Along the main 

 road from Galle to Colombo, through avenues of cocoa-nuts, 



