128 Letters, Announcements, H^c. 



visits seems to be totally unknown : they cannot be regarded as 

 the result of migration ; for the species referred to have only 

 occurred in solitary examples and at uncertain periods, but 

 generally in the months of autumn, and are mostly in a state of 

 immaturity. Of these visitations, that of the Syrrhaptes in 1863 

 was the most remarkable, from the great number of individuals, 

 and the immense distance they must have travelled before they 

 arrived in Western Europe and extended their journey to the 

 British Islands. Since that date solitary examples of several 

 other rare species have visited us, the whole of which I need not 

 recapitulate here ; but I may mention Muscicapa parva (Ibis, 

 1864, p. 130), Emberiza pusilla (Ibis, 1865, p. 113), the more 

 rare E. rustica, caught near Brighton, Oct. 23, 1867, and sub- 

 mitted alive the same day to Mr. G. Dawson Rowley, as well as 

 a second * British-killed example of Reguloides superciliosus, 

 which last was obtained within a mile of Cheltenham, Oct. 11, 

 1867, by Mr. J. T. White. 



I have now to inform you of the occurrence of Emberiza 

 {Euspiza) melanocephala, of which avery fine old female specimen, 

 in perfect plumage, is now before me. It was brought to me by 

 Mr. Robert Brazener, of 23 Lewes Road, Brighton, by whom it 

 was shot about the 3rd of November last, near Mr. Ballard's 

 windmill, on Brighton Racecourse, while, as he stated, " it was 

 following a flock of Yellow Hammers." His two sous were with 

 him at the time. On an examination of the bird, a number of 

 eggs were found in the ovarium. This is all the information I 

 was able to obtain respecting it. 



While writing the above, the post has brought me a letter 

 from Mr. T. J. Monk, of Mountfield House, Lewes, informing 

 me that on the 23rd inst. a fine example of the Black-throated 

 Thrush {Turdus atrigularis) was shot near that place, and is 

 now in his possession. It is a male in excellent condition, and 

 is, as he rightly believes, the first specimen of the species on 

 record as obtained in Great Britain. 



I am. Sir, yours very faithfully, 



John Gould. 



26 Charlotte Street, Bedford Square, London, 

 Dec. 30, 1868. 



• [Cf. Ibis, 1867, pp. 252, 253.— Ed.] 



