Letters, Announcements , ^c. 609 



The Cassowary, now in our Museum, differs, however, from 

 the diagnosis of C. galeatus given in the above-mentioned 

 work (p. 189), by the casque being not perpendicular behind, 

 but strongly infiexed, so that it appears overhanging ; the 

 nuchal patch, red in the dead specimen, was orange in the 

 living bird. 



Notwithstanding these differences, I am persuaded that 

 this, and most probably also the specimen yet living, are 

 indeed C. galeatus, and that the differences shown before were 

 due to immaturity. 



Yours &c., 



Pelzeln. 



Vienna, August 1882. 



Sirs, — My attention has been called to a paper in the 

 Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S.W., vol. vi. 30 Nov. 1881, by Mr. E. 

 P. Ramsay, describing a supposed new species of Halcyon 

 from the Solomon Islands, and making some remarks on 

 Mr. Layard's H. tristrami (Ibis, 1880, p. 459). 



Mr. Layard has, I see, unfortunately omitted to give the 

 measurements of his bird ; but, as I possess the type speci- 

 mens, I can fortunately supply this deficiency : — 



Total length lO'l 9-5. 



Length of bill from nostril . 1'8 1*75. 



,, wing .... 455 4'45. 



„ tail 3-2 3-1. 



Other specimens, now in the British Museum and in the col- 

 lection of Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay, have passed through my 

 hands, and agree in measurements with the above. Mr. 

 Ramsay will see from the figures that this is an exceptionally 

 large species, and cannot be confounded with others. It has 

 no occipital patch whatever. I think that Mr. Ramsay's 

 criticism on the comparison with H. vagans is just^ as H. 

 tristrami seems to me further removed from H. vagans than 

 from any other of the group. The plate in ' The Ibis ' is 

 very accurate, but not bright enough in the rich blue of 

 the rump, which closely approaches that of H. chloris. 



I have several specimens of a Halcyon from the Solomons, 



