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



rather doubt). I travel iu boats, poling about six days up the 

 River Salwan and then two days up tlie Youzaliu River, whence 

 I have three marches over the hills. With the stream, the whole 

 distance back can be accomplished in three days. I have collected 

 nothing new here, at least among birds, though I have several good 

 specimens. My principal haul has been, and is likely to be, among 

 the fishes. The Youzalin district is, however, quite an untrodden 

 region to the zoologist, and I may fairly expect to do something 

 for ornithology. On the hill where I have been residing, Crijpsi- 

 rhina varians is quite common, also Lanius lujpoleucus, and other 

 species little known to European collections. Hirundo rustica 

 has appeared in considerable numbei-s within these few days ; and 

 I have also observed a Cypseline bird with the flight and appear- 

 ance of Cypselus apus — doubtless C. vittatus. The latter was 

 always far out of shot. But animal life here is extraordinarily 

 rare (fishes excepted) even in the most likely-looking hill-jungles. 

 You may infer from the tone of this letter that my health is 

 quite restored, and my strength too, pretty well, insomuch that I 

 can already stand a fair amount of hill-clambering." 



Herr August v. Pelzeln, writing from Vienna (December 12), 

 kindly informs us that the Imperial Collection in that city con- 

 tains three examples of owx Accipiter pectoralis ('Ibis,' 1861, 

 p. 313, pi. X.). " All three are females, and were collected by 

 Natterer, two at Ypanema and one at Borba in Northern Brazil." 

 Natterer's MSS. contain the following notice concerning this 

 species: — "Iris dirty gamboge-yellow; ring round the eye and 

 feathered lores dark yellow, verging rather towards olive-green ; 

 the strongly marked orbital ridge yellowish olive-green, more 

 green than the nearest part of the naked skin ; cere and hinder 

 part of the base of the bill dark greyish green, the bill further 

 forwards, as far as in a line with the cere, bluish grey, the rest 

 of it black ; nostrils very large and round, and at the hinder 

 edges furnished with a perceptible cartilage ; tarsi and toes 

 dirty gamboge-yellow ; claws black." 



Herr v. Pelzeln's communication is of great value, as fur- 

 nishing us with the true patria of this bird, of which we were 

 previously ignorant. 



