Mr. E. Blyth on Edible Birds' Nests. 323 



rality has supplied the accompanying figures (Plate X.), repre- 

 senting the adult and immature plumage, was described by 

 Mr. G. R. Gray* from a female specimen obtained by Mr. Wal- 

 lace in the Am Islands. In Mr. Wallace's series from Havre 

 Dorey in New Guinea was a single young male example of the 

 same bird, as recorded in Mr. G. R. Gi-ay's list given in the Zoo- 

 logical Society's ' Proceedings' for 1859t. These are the only 

 specimens of this rare Accipiter ever yet procured. They have 

 been kindly lent to me by Mr. S. Stevens, for the use of this 

 work, from Mr. Wallace's private collection, in which they are 

 retained. The species being well-marked, and easily recogni- 

 zable by the figures, which have been drawn by Mr. Wolf, it is 

 not necessary to repeat the descriptions of them, which have 

 already been given by Mr. Gray. It may, however, be worth 

 while to notice, that the adult female example (according to 

 Mr. Wallace's determination of the sexes) is slightly smaller 

 than the young male J. 



Mr. Gurney's views as to the correct position of Accipiter po- 

 liocephalus and its allies have been already noticed in my article 

 on Accipiter haplochrous (Ibis, vol. i. p. 276). 



XLI. — On Edible Birds' Nests. By Edward Blyth, Curator 

 of the Royal Asiatic Society's Museum, Calcutta. 



We read, in the London 'Literary Gazette' for January 14, 

 1860, p. 54, as quite a new discovery, that " M. Payen ascribes 

 the gelatinous properties of the birds' nests so famous in Chinese 

 cookery, and which sell for enormous prices in Paris [qu.Pekin?], 

 to a viscid fluid produced by the salivai'y glands of the Salan- 

 gane Swallow [Swift]. The epicure may not thank chemistry 

 for resolving a choice delicacy into the spittle of birds. As this 

 secretion has peculiar properties, M. Payen calls it cubilose.'" 



That the famous edible nests of the Collocalice were "secreted 

 by the very large salivary glands of the bird/' I distinctly stated 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 170. t Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 153. 



Long.tota. alas. caudae. tarsi. 



: Spec. 1. ($ adult. Am) 14- 8-2 6' 23 



Spec. 2. ( c^ juv. N. G.) 15-5 8-5 (;-4 2-35 



