Mr. R. B. Sharpens Catalogue of Accipitres. 85 



of his very interesting work on the oruithology of Angola, 

 which will form a most welcome addition to the existing works 

 relating to African ornithology. 



Mr. S. Bligh, of Catton, Ceylon, has recently favoured me 

 with a description of a living specimen of Limna'etus ceylon- 

 ensis, which was taken from the nest on a large isolated tree 

 near Badulla, in Ceylon, and which he examined in the month 

 of September, when the bird was about four months old. 

 The age of the bird being thus known, I think it desirable to 

 record Mr. Bligh's memorandum respecting it, which is as 

 follows : — 



" Bill black, cere slightly greenish ; face feathered to the 

 eyelids ; eyes greyish blue, or bright lead-colour ; a streak 

 of white from the edge of the upper mandible runs up by the 

 cere, ending in a direct line with the back of the eye, forming 

 the eyebrow ; the whole of the underparts white, the flanks 

 slightly streaked with rufous brown ; the sides of the breast 

 with large oval streaks of the same, and the abdominal feathers 

 with a few faint lines of the same ; the whole head bright 

 rufous brown, each feather on the crown slightly tipped with 

 white, as also are the ear-coverts, showing distinctly the form 

 of the latter ; from the middle of the back of the neck the 

 feathers have a central streak of brown, gradually shading off 

 to the fine dark brown of the back, each feather being faintly 

 edged with white on a paler brown border ; crest black, with 

 the longer feathers largely tipped with white, the shorter less 

 so ; the wings like the back, but with the large coverts white 

 on the inner webs and tips, showing a long patch across the 

 wing of rather more white than brown; primaries black; 

 secondaries dark brown, tipped with white ; larger upper tail- 

 coverts pale hair-brown ; feet pale yellow."' 



On lately revisiting the interesting Limna'etus from Ceylon, 

 presented to the Zoological Society by Captain Legge, and 

 referred to in my last paper ^, I find that in the interval of 

 four months which has elapsed since my previous examination 

 of it, the irides have assumed a more decided straw-colour, 

 the crest has become longer and fuller, and the abdominal 



* Vidclhh, 1877, IX 431. 



