202 Letters, Announcements, &;c. 



soaring with a strong and vigorous flight at a considerable height 

 in the air. It then became a marked object ; and when it 

 alighted it was heard giving utterance to loud and discordant 

 cries, the only effect of which was to draw the closer attention 

 of those who had designs on its life. On being approached, it 

 ran with great swiftness before taking wing; and after being 

 hunted from one farm to another, it was at last shot while perched 

 on a hay- rick, towards the close of a quiet sabbath. On dissec- 

 tion it was found that the stomach was entirely empty. I may 

 add that the greatest care has been taken to ascertain that the 

 bird was not an escaped specimen. 



I am Sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



Robert Gray. 



Matterau, 23rd January, 1872. 



Sir, — In his ' Birds of India,' Dr. Jerdon gave Hypsipetes 

 neilgherriensis as distinct from H. ganeesa (Sykes) ; but in his 

 Appendix he stated that the two were identical, and that the 

 former name must be suppressed. According to the descriptions 

 H. neilgherriensis has black wings and tail, while the same parts 

 in H. ganeesa are brown ; and, referring to this, Dr. Jerdon 

 remarks that the description of H. ganeesa was probably taken 

 from a faded specimen. 



I venture to send you a description from a perfectly fresh 

 specimen just shot here. 



Hypsipetes ganeesa. 



Male. — Head glossy black, the feathers lengthened into a 

 demicrest ; body-plumage dusky bluish grey, paler on the throat, 

 and the feathers on the back dark-centred ; under tail-coverts 

 edged with white ; wings and tail brown. Bill red; legs and 

 feet dusky yellow; irides brown. Length 9^ in.; wing 4<i ; 

 tail 4 ; bill ^ ; tarsus -|. 



The specimen was alone when shot ; and the species appears to 

 be rare. Yours, &c., 



J. Hayes Lloyd, 

 Bombay Staff" Corps. 



