Letters, Announcements, l^c. 485 



tincta probably), aud three lovely little Parrakeets^ new to 

 us — a beautiful shining green, with coral beaks and legs, red 

 under throat, yellow under tail, and yellow tip to the outer 

 tail end*. I heard " Malous "■[, but could not get near them 

 in the bush ; got one fine e^^. Natives would not hunt, as 

 an old cannibal chief, from whom G. bought his land, had 

 sent them an order to kill two fat young men for him ! ! and 

 when they refused, said he would lurk about their village 

 until he had killed the two ! I asked them why they did not 

 shoot him first. They said he was the oldest man on the 

 island, and his skin was so tough, a ball would glance off it 

 as from a stone ! and solemnly warned me not to go into the 

 bush, for he would eat me ! ! There have been some rare 

 doings in the cannibal line at G.^s, of which I will tell you 

 hereafter. 



" I saw one of those rare Lalages % that I got last trip. He 

 lit close to me, with an arrow of sunlight glancing on him, 

 and looked beautiful ! As I raised my gun a confounded 

 " Yellow -belly " {Pachycephala) went at him, and away they 

 both flew, fighting -J^- -J^- * I am just going on shore to try 

 for a brown Swift [Collocalia cinerea) before we go."" 



From Makira L, L. goes on to New Guinea and New Britain, 

 where, in Blanche Bay, they are to meet the Commodore. 

 His further movements depend on circumstances ; but he will 

 make good use of his time, I have no doubt. 



E. L. Layard. 



P.S. Since the foregoing was written a gentleman has 

 arrived here from Havanna Harbour, which he reached some 

 ten days or a fortnight after L. L. left. He tells me the 

 people are still talking of the shooting of the three Parrakeets 

 as of something remarkable, as they have not been seen on 



* This is probably the rare Ti-ichoghssus palmarum (Forst.) ,• but if so 

 the figure given of it in the ' Cruise of the ' Cura^oa ' ' requires amend- 

 ment as regards the coloration of the biU and legs. — E. L. L. 



t Lately described from a specimen shot by him as Megapodius layardi, 

 Tristram. These birds were the special object of his search. — E. L. L. ' 



X L. hanksiana, G. R. Gray. — E. L. L. 

 SER. IV. VOL. III. 2 N 



