Letters, Announcements, i^c. 463 



M. Charles Marin, the intelhgent taxidermist of the Museum 

 at Lille, was so good as to show me yesterday a very fine adult 

 female of Pelecanus onocrotalus, which he had just mounted for 

 a gentleman who has a collection of stuflfed birds near that 

 town. This Pelican was shot on the 31st of August last in the 

 marsh of Wingle, near Courriere, in the Pas de Calais ; and 

 although the locality is at a considerable distance from the sea, 

 the stomach of the bird contained shrimps and small crabs in 

 an almost entire state, as well as a few small fish. As the speci- 

 men showed no marks of having been kept in confinement, I 

 think its occurrence so far northwards is worthy of record. 



Many years since, the late Mr. Frederic Strange (whose ac- 

 curacy as an observer of the habits of Australian and New-Zea- 

 land birds is still remembered by his friends) informed me that 

 the easiest way of catching the Weka-Rail [Ocydromus australis) 

 was for the fowler, after stationing himself very quietly in one 

 of the haunts of this species, to wait for the appearance of a 

 bird, and then to hold a piece of bright red cloth near to the 

 ground in its sight. It would immediately run up, and approach 

 so close to the cloth that the fowler, by making a quick stroke 

 with his right hand, could easily capture it while its attention 

 was absorbed by the red cloth in his left. This account so singu- 

 larly resembles that given by Hoff"maun of the mode of capturing 

 the extinct Mauritian bird, which is quoted in M. Alphonse Milne- 

 Edwards's most interesting paper on Aphanapterycc imperialis {su- 

 pra, p. 258), that it seems desirous that so curious a coincidence 

 of habit between the two birds should not be lost sight of. 



I am, &c., J. H. GuRNEY. 



London, 27 Sept. 1869. 

 Sir, — I am returned to England from China, by way of Japan, 

 California, and the Pacific Kailroad, and am fortunate enough to 

 find that most of the specimens collected in the island of Hainan 

 (Ibis, 1868, p. 353) are also arrived safely. I am now working at 

 the birds, and hope to be able to contribute a paper upon them to 

 your next number. I have some interesting novelties. 



I am, &c., Robert Swinhoe. 



