254 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



23rd March, 1867. 



Sir, — It is well known that in both species of the genus 

 Gypaetus the sclerotic coat of the eye is visible, forming a 

 brilliant orange-red ring encircling the iris. 



I have been under the impression that no raptorial birds 

 except the Gi/paeti exhibited this peculiarity ; but on examining 

 to-day the fine immature specimen of Cathartes californianus 

 now in the gardens of the Zoological Society, I have observed 

 a similar formation of the eye in that Vulture, with the excep- 

 tion of the sclerotic coat being only visible round the poste- 

 rior portion of the eye, thus forming a semicircle instead of a 

 complete circle as in the Gypaeti. In the Californian Vulture 

 at the Gardens the sclerotic coat is of the same orange-red hue 

 as that of the Gypaeti, the colour of the iris being dark brown. 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Zoological Society of London, 

 11 Hanover Square, London, W- 

 March 25, 1867. 



Sir, — By a communication from my friend Mr. Otto Finsch 

 of Bremen, I learn, what I had previously suspected to be the 

 case, that Gallinula pumila, described and figured by me (Ibis 

 1859, p. 249, pi. vii.), is the same as G. angulata, Sundevall (Qif. 

 K. V.-Ak. Forhandl. 1850, p. 110; Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Ralli, 

 p. 49). Dr. Hartlaub's G. minor (Journ. f. Orn. 1860, p. 341) 

 is another synonym of the same species. This rectification of 

 synonymy may be useful to Mr. Layard, whose work on the 

 birds of South Africa we are all anxiously expecting. 



Your obedient Servant, 



P. L. SCLATER. 



During the past few weeks Professor Huxley has been giving, 

 in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons, a course of 

 lectures of remarkable interest to ornithologists. The subject 

 has been the Sauropsida, or that group of Vertebrates which 

 contains the classes Reptilia and Aves. We must express our 

 extreme gratification that a Comparative Anatomist of the first 



