474 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 



is the female of this bird, which is represented in a drawing 

 brought by Mr. Crawfurd from Siam many years ago^ both 

 these specific names will have to give way to an older one, Dr. 

 J. E. Gray having established his Phasianus crawfurdi (Griffith's 

 Cuvier's An. Kingd. iii. p. 27) upon the faith of Mr. Crawfurd's 

 figure. 



We are happy to be able to announce that there is every proba- 

 bility that the Vicointe B. Du Bus de Ghisignies will continue his 

 ' Esquisses Ornithulogiques,' the publication of which has been 

 so long interrupted. On the other hand, we learn that M. de Sou- 

 ance's work on Parrots*, commenced in conjunction with the late 

 Prince C. L. Bonaparte, has stopped at its 12th livraison, and 

 that there is no probability of its continuance, — M. de Souance 

 having parted with his fine collection of birds to M. E. Parzudaki, 

 who now has the disposal of them. The same fate has befallen 

 the corresponding work on Pigeons*. 



The Zoological Society of London have recently obtained 

 specimens of the Buteo tachardus or African Buzzard, lately intro- 

 duced into the European list by Mr. Brce (Birds of Europe, 

 p. 97) upon the authority of Mr. J. H. Gurney. A pair of 

 this species were received by the Society from Mogudor some 

 months ago. A pair of the Ruddy Shieldrake [Casarca rutila) 

 have bred in the Gardens for the first time this season, and 

 reared four fine young birds. A solitary female of the South 

 African White-faced Shieldrake [Casarca caria) mated this spring 

 with a male Common Shieldrake [Tadorna vulpanser). The hy- 

 brids are very curiously coloured. The same hen-bird has pre- 

 viously bred twice with an Indian male of Casarca rutila. A 

 valuable addition to the collection is shortly anticipated in the 

 shape of some living examples of the Balaniceps now on their 

 way down the Nile from Central Africa. 



* See antea, p. 105, for a notice of these books. 



