Letters, Announcements, 6fc. 3G7 



I shot at Futtehghur in 1866. I found this species breeding 

 in the Himalaya in I860, and got young birds unable to Hy. 



ACCIPITER MELANOSCHISTOS. 



I find it very difficult to recognize any distinction between this 

 bird and A. nisus, the latter being subject in Europe (where, I 

 suppose, A. melanoschistos is not admitted to be found) to great 

 variations of size and colour. Native falconers of India do not 

 admit two species of Basha, as A. nisus is called by them, 

 though they are much given to distinguishing varieties, and 

 enumerate more Shaheens than we do. 



Yours truly, 



E. Delme Radcliffe, 



Lt.-Col. 88th C. R. 



St. Helena, 15th Nov. 1870. 



Sir — Several attempts have been made at various times to 

 introduce new birds into this island, and I hope that some short 

 account thereof may not prove uninteresting. 



The island-records state that on the 18th of November, 1824, 

 English singing birds were introduced : whether they succeeded 

 for a time or not, no further record appears. Some of the in- 

 habitants say that Blackbirds did succeed upon that occasion ; if 

 so, their existence here must have been for a short time only. 

 From the same source we learn that, in the year 1852, Thrushes, 

 Blackbirds, Larks, and Starlings, and in 1853 South-American 

 Mocking birds were introduced. None of these proved success- 

 ful. What were the causes of failure it is now impossible to tell ; 

 I believe, however, that non-success arises chiefly from turning 

 the birds loose in cold wet weather when they have been much 

 weakened by confinement during a long sea-voyage — and also 

 that in their weak state they easily become a prey to cats and rats, 

 which abound in the island. 



Through the kindness of Mr. E. L. Layard, who sent me 

 the birds from the Cape of Good Hope, three Cape-Pheasants 

 {Francolinus clamator) were let loose here in June 1865, and 

 also several Cape-Partridges [Francolinus afer) were turned out 

 in the early part of the year 1867. Unfortunately neither of 



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