266 Messrs. S. Roch and E. Newton on Birds 



morning, proceeding up a river for a few miles, our water- 

 travelling ended, and we commenced our march up the country : 

 from this point our route, as near as possible, was due west. 

 The next three days we passed over hummocky hills covered 

 with grass at the top, the valleys being more or less clothed with 

 *' Traveller's," Rafia Palms, and occasionally with dense clumps 

 of feathery bamboo. As we continued to ascend, the hills 

 became larger and more difficult to surmount ; the " Traveller's " 

 looked stunted, and the Palms less frequent. On the evening 

 of the 9th, a narrow belt of forest between Ampasimbe and 

 Befoi'ona was passed; on the 10th and morning of the 11th 

 the broader belt of Alanamasaotra, about thirty-two miles in 

 width ; and we presently came to the plain of Mooranianga, 

 twelve miles wide, which has evidently at no very distant period 

 been a lake. On the 13th the river Mangourou was crossed, 

 on the 14th the high Ambodinangavo mountain and the last 

 belt of forest, when we arrived on the open down-like country 

 which stretches for some miles around the capital. 



On the 16th we reached Antananarivo. The Embassy re- 

 mained there six days ; but wx were too busily engaged with 

 other matters to find time to attend to the ornithological features 

 of the neighbouring country. Our return journey occupied 

 thirteen days, including a halt of one day at the hot-springs of 

 Ranomafaua. Mr. Newton started for Mauritius on the 5th of 

 November; and Dr. Roch remained a fortnight longer, making a 

 journey along the coast to the northward as far as Foule Point. 



We have adopted the arrangement and generally the nomen- 

 clature of Dr. Hartlaub's excellent ' Ornithologischer Beitrag zur 

 Fauna Madagascar's' (Bremen: 1861); and our initials have 

 been added to any particular observation that was made by one of 

 us, without the knowledge of the other. 



1. BuTEO BRACHYPTERUS, V. Pelz. ; Hartl. p. 15. (PI. VIII.) 

 This Buzzaitl was tolerably common, and seen from Ampa- 

 simbe to Ambohitroni on the Mangourou. Iris brown, cere 

 yellowish, legs yellow, beak horn -colour. 



2. Falco kadama, J. Verreaux; Hartl. p. 17. 



" On my return journey from the capital, near the summit of 



