the Avifauna of New Caledonia. 251 



point of New Caledonia ; and as its avifauna closely resembles 

 that of the larger island, it may be, with the rest of the Loyal- 

 ties, safely included with it in a natural group. Unfortunately, 

 exposure to dust, mites, and rats, in ill-fitting cases with 

 broken panes of glass, has damaged most of the speciensm 

 beyond recovery, and the defective preparation of M. Guil- 

 lanton's birds, both as to form and jireservation, have espe- 

 cially marked them out for destruction. Still they afford a 

 good foundation for a list of that island^s birds, and the new 

 species are so well marked that our wonder is they have 

 escaped detection. They are said to have been in the cabinets 

 so long that, in all probability, M. Marie must have seen them; 

 and that they have been handled by some one who knew (or 

 thought he knew) something about birds is evident from the 

 fact that a specimen of an Australian Platycercus is marked 

 in pencil " n'existe pas en Lifu : ^' and so also is a fine new 

 Merula ! but that, as will subsequently appear, is a mistake 

 of the critic^s ! 



We can but add that the novelties have so fired the zeal 

 of L. L., that he has started off" on a collecting-expedition to 

 the spot, a fine opportunity off'ering. On his return we may 

 perhaps have some further information to communicate. 



The numbers used are those of M. Marie's list. 



4. Urospizias approximans (V. & H.). 



Several specimens, in full adult plumage, occur in the Lifu, 

 collection. We have not met with it near Noumea. 



5. Urospizias TORQUATA (Cuv.). 



We have identified a Hawk, of which we have obtained 

 several in immature garb, as belonging to this species ; but 

 we have never seen it in the full plumage described by Mr. 

 Gould {' Handb. Birds of Austr.' p. 45). 



[N.B. I have received a very fine adult specimen from 

 Aueiteum, New Hebrides, procured by the Rev. J. Inglis; 

 its first recorded occurrence in that group. — H. B. T.] 



Falco melanogenys, Gould. 



Two magnificent females of this fine Hawk, in full adult 

 plumage, have been sent us from the '' Ferme domeniale de 



