258 Letters, Announcements , ^c. 



ment by a specimen of Vultur auricularis in my possession ; 

 and I am now desirous of recording the death of this bird, 

 which occurred on 17th March, 1877. This Vulture was 

 purchased by me at the sale of the collection at the Surrey 

 Zoological Gardens in 1855, and was then a fully adult and, 

 apparently, rather an old bird. During the period that this 

 Vulture lived in my possession she laid twelve eggs, but never 

 more than one in a year ; the earliest date of laying was that 

 of the first egg, laid on 15th February, 1859, and the latest, 

 of her last egg, laid 18th March, 1872. 



I am yours, &c., 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Sirs, — In some interesting remarks on Anthus gustavi, 

 Swinhoe {antea, p. 128), Mr. Seebohm observes that this 

 Pipit should be looked for in winter in the Philippine Islands, 

 in the Malay archipelago. At page 117 of the Zoological 

 Society's ' Transactions,' vol. viii., the occurrence of this 

 species in Celebes is noticed, and its identity with Pipastes 

 batchianensis , G. R. Gray, is recorded. 



Yours truly, 



TWEEDDALE. 



Chislehurst, March 1, 1877. 



Neiv Work on Madagascar and Mascarene Birds by Dr. Hnrt- 

 laub'^-. — Under the title given above, the veteran ornithologist. 

 Dr. G. Hartlaub of Bremen, has just issued a new and complete 

 revision of the ornis of Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands. 

 It is now fifteen years since the appearance of Dr. Hartlaub's 

 former work on this subject, entitled ' Ornithologischer Bei- 

 trag zur Fauna Madagascars.' During this period great ad- 

 vances have been made in our knowledge of the ornithology 

 of these countries, especially by the researches of A. Gran- 

 didier. Pollen and Van Dam, Edward Newton, and Crossley, 

 nearly the whole of which Dr. Hartlaub has been able, through 

 the kind aid of these naturalists, or that of the authorities of 



* Die Vogel Madagascavs und der Mascarenen, ein Beitrag zur Zoologie 

 der aethiopisclien Rt'giou. 



