Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 351 



abundant, and easily captured — so easily, in fact, that it 

 quickly became extinct. After quoting many extracts from 

 old authorities on tlie subject, Mr. Verrill comes to the 

 conclusion that the " Caliow " was a " web-footed sea-bird, '^ 

 not a Shearwater nor a Petrel of any kind, but possibly an 

 Auk. It was strictly nocturnal in its habits. It came to the 

 Bermudas in October to breed, and remained until June. 

 It laid its single large white egg in burrows. It was about 

 the size of a Pigeon, brown above and white beneath, and 

 had a strong hooked bill. Now, what was the '' Cahow " ? 



XXII. — Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



We have received the following letters, addressed " to the 

 Editors " ; — 



Sirs, — In volume iv. of the "Birds" (Fauna of British 

 India, p. 278) Dr. Blanford states that he considers it almost 

 certaiu that Jerdon and Blyth mistook the " Knots ^' which 

 they obtained at Madras and in Calcutta for Tringa canutus, 

 whereas they were really T. crassirostris. I therefore beg 

 lea\e to draw the attention of your readers to the fact 

 that I have to-day (January 16th) obtained in our Bazaar 

 an undoubted Knot alive, the first that I have seen here. 

 I may also add that the specimens 1592 A & B of Blyth's 

 ' Catalogue ' are still in existence, and are T. canutus, as 

 he said. It is evident, therefore, tliat this species visits the 

 Indian Empire as well as T. crassirostris, though it is, of 

 course, an irregular visitor, like so many others of our 

 wild-fowl. 



For instance, Baer's Pochard {Fuligala baeri), which I 

 have known to be occasionally common, has been scarce 

 here for some years now ; while, on the other hand, the 

 Bronze-cap Teal [Eunetta falcata), formerly very scarce, has 

 been arriving regularly for the last few years. This winter I 

 have already obtained four specimens of the last-named Duck, 

 although the season is an excessively bad one for water-fowl 

 of ail kinds. I have recorded many pievious occurrences of 



