464 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



east as far at least as Russian Mantchuria. M. Taczauowski 

 sent also a pair of the fine grey Bullfinch — the male from 

 the Ussuri, the female from the River Onon. The former 

 has a clear tail, the female has the white patch strongly pro- 

 nounced. The white tail-patch, therefore, can scarcely be 

 accepted as a fixed character; and I should be rather inclined 

 to suggest that P. cassini be a hybrid (strongly as I object to 

 the idea in face of the Development theory) between two spe- 

 cies, say P. coccinea and P. cineracea. Teraminck, I see, 

 says (Manuel, iii. p. 249, imdcr '' Pyrrhula vnlyaris^'): — "On 

 la trouve en Siberie, et jusqu'au Japon;" but in those days 

 they had not, I believe, recognized the larger form to which 

 De Sclys-Longchamps subsequently gave the name P. coc- 

 cinea. 



Yours, &c., 



Robert Swixhoe. 



^l^\l.— Obituary. 



We regret to have to record the premature death, dimng the 

 past year, of one of the original founders of our association. 

 The Rev. William Henry Hawker, of Ashford Lodge, near 

 Petersfield, vicar of the parish of Steep, in which his propertj- 

 was situated, although not an actual contributor to these 

 pages, was a personal friend of many of us, and an ardent 

 supporter of natural science. 



Mr. Hawker was the fifth son of the late Admiral Hawker, 

 and was born in Dec. 1827. He was educated at Rug1)y and 

 Trinity College, Cambridge, and, after taking his degree, 

 studied for the church at Wells. After taking Orders, he 

 was for some years curate of Idsworth, near Horndean, in the 

 south of Hampshire, and removed to Ashford on succeeding 

 to that property in 1860. Mr. HaAvker was owner of a con- 

 siderable collection of British birds and insects ; he m as an 

 ardent entomologist, and an excellent botanical collector. 

 He made frequent excursions in various parts of Europe, par- 

 ticularly in Norway, Switzerland, the Maritime Alps of Sa- 

 voy, and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. He was an 



