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



species amongst the new birds from Mortay, mentioned by 

 Mr. Wallace in your ' Ibis' for October 1862, which Number I 

 have only just received. 



2. In the same Number I find the description and figure of a 

 new species of Ptilopus, by Des Murs and J. Verreaux, under the 

 name of Leucotreron gironieri. I had described and figured this 

 bird in the course of last summer, under the name of Ptilopus 

 geversi, in the ' Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde.' 

 Unfortunately the publication of this work can only begin with 

 1863, although nine sheets of it were printed six months ago. 



3. In this same ' Tijdschrift' you will find a description and 

 figure of my Ptilopus bernsteinii from Batjan and Halmaheii'a. 

 Not dreaming that this bird could already have taken a place 

 in the genus Carpophaga, I found, quite by chance, and only 

 after receiving males of it in perfect plumage, that my bird is 

 the female, or the male in imperfect plumage, of Carpophaga 

 formosa, G. R. Gray. But I believe the name of Ptilopus 

 bernsteinii will stand, as there exists already a P.formosus, men- 

 tioned by G. R. Gray in the very paper wherein he notices his 

 Carpophaga formosa. 



Mr. S. Stevens, agent to Mr. F. Plant, has received a letter from 

 him, dated Tamatave, Madagascar, August 29, 1862, in which 

 he announces his safe arrival in that island. He states that he 

 left Mauritius on the 5th of August, and, after four days' de- 

 lightful sailing, arrived at Tamatave on the 9th. He found the 

 letters of introduction kindly furnished him by Mr. Newton, M. 

 Chauvin and others at Mauritius, of great use to him. Although 

 he had only been there a fortnight, he had already collected 

 about 800 insects, principally Lepidoptera, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Tamatave, and skinned a few birds. As the neighbour- 

 hood of Tamatave was not good collecting-ground, he was about 

 to proceed to Alamazoatra, a village on the side of a large forest. 

 He hoped to have a consignment of natural history to send to 

 England in October. He says, " The natives are more civilized 

 than I expected to find them, and appear to have a great respect 

 for all Europeans. I go about with them without the least fear : 

 they are always ready to do anything for me." 



