422 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



In the 'Memoirs of Stephen Grellet' (London, 1860) the follow- 

 ing entry appears (vol. i. p. 459) under the date of June 1819 : — 



" Our road led us afterwards frequently in sight of the Putrid 

 Sea. We met several herds of Camels, flocks of large birds^ and 

 some large Eagles. Wolves are very common on these steppes, 

 and they are so bold that they sometimes attack travellers. We 

 passed by a large one lying on the ground with an Eagle, which 

 had probably attacked him, by his side : its talons were nearly 

 buried in his back ; in the struggle both had died." 



With reference to the question as to the supposed occurrence 

 in India of Milvus affinis, I may mention, as one distinction 

 between that species and the smaller individuals of M. govinda, 

 that, so far as I have observed, there is no appreciable difference 

 between the old and young bird in the former, whilst in the 

 latter it is very strongly marked, as it is also in M. melanotis, if 

 we may follow Mr. Blyth in considering this a distinct race. 

 As to the example of M. migrans from Northern China, which 

 is in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, and which Mr. Blyth 

 supposes (vide note to p. 248) to be wrongly labelled, I can 

 state positively that such is not the case, for I examined the 

 bird very shortly after its arrival from Ciiina, and have kept my 

 eye upon it ever since. It is the only Chinese specimen of M. 

 migrans with which I have ever met ; but I have seen another 

 example which was procured as far eastward as Afghanistan. 

 As Mr. Blyth alludes to the colour of the eye in this species, I 

 may mention that it varies from pale straw-yellow to dark hazel- 

 brown — a fact of which I was not aware when I wrote a note on 

 the subject, which was inserted in ' The Ibis ' for 1859 (p. 207) . 

 All the examples of M. migrans which I have seen with yellow 

 iridcs have been adult birds ; but I have seen both young and 

 old with brown irides, though paler in the adult than in the 

 immature birds. Whether this difference is sexual, as in the 

 Harriers, or simply casual, as in the Common Buzzard and 

 Golden Eagle, I cannot say, but I think there can be no doubt 

 that, notwithstanding these exceptional cases, the colour of the 

 iris is a most important guide in the true grouping of the birds 

 of prey, and I fully assent to Mr. Blyth's remarks on this point 

 with reference to the Owls in p. 252. 



