520 Letters, Announcements, S^c. 



czanowski has a series of specimens from Dam'ia, where it is 

 not very rare. Mr. Dresser referred to Bonaparte's descrip- 

 tion, and adds, " it agrees tolerably closely, and is, according 

 to Severtzoff, a description of a young bird, of which Ta- 

 czanowski has several." 



However distressing it may be to have one's novelties 

 knocked on the head, I shall be glad to learn what is the true 

 T. pelios, Bonap. I will write at once to Dr. Taczanowski 

 for a young specimen, and try and settle the matter at once, 

 1 half believe that the smallest form of T. obscurus, procured 

 by myself at Chefoo, might turn out to be Bonaparte's doubt- 

 ful species. I have a bird from Mr. Sharpe marked " Came- 

 roons," Africa, and T, pelios ; but this does not at all tally 

 with the description in the ' Conspectus Avium ' *. 



Yours very truly, 



Robert Swinhoe. 



Letters dated Disco, 14th July, have been received from 

 each of the naturalists, Captain Feilden and Mr. Hart, at- 

 tached to the Arctic Expedition ; and so far all was going on 

 well, though both ships encountered bad weather on the voyage 

 to Greenland. Of course it was not to be expected that any 

 ornithological wonders should be met with, or discoveries 

 made, on the way to a place so often visited. Captain Feil- 

 den, writing to Professor Newton, says that the subject of the 

 dark, or '''blue," variety of Fulmarus glacialis requires a 

 deal of investigation, but at Disco no specimen of the blue 

 form was noticed. He had seen on the wing, near Laxebugt, 

 an example of Uria grylle without any white feathers, and 

 apparently of a uniform black. Such an example was long 

 ago mentioned by Holboll as having been seen by him ; and 

 we trust that sooner or later one may be obtained ; for it 

 would be curious to know wherein it may differ from U. carbo. 

 Mr. Hart says that only one specimen of Calidris arenaria 



* \_Cf. Cab. J. f. Orn. 1870, p. 238, where the difference between the 

 Central-Asiatic and African birds is pointed out, and the latter called T. 

 icterorhynchns, Pr. Wiirt. ; also Ibis, 1871, p. 424. — Ed.]| 



