Letters, Announcements, ^c. 299 



with the brighest rose-colour, was a " L. ridibundus in winter 

 dress." At this distance, I cannot attempt to disprove his 

 assertion that the two small Owls in the Museum at Catania 

 are the South- American species Glaucidium pumilum and not 

 G. passerinum ; but, whatever they are, Prof. Zucarelli-Patti, who 

 took them out of the case for my inspection, assured rue that 

 seven of them came into his hands in the flesh on one occasion, 

 of which he skinned and mounted the two in question. Hirundo 

 cahirica does not seem to have made the same impression on 

 Dr. Salvadori as it did on me, the family being one in which 

 I take a great interest. 



It is very satisfactory to learn that specimens of Francolinus 

 vulgaris, recently received from Terranova, are in the Museum 

 at Palermo, as, up to February 1869, Prof. Doderlein had cer- 

 tainly not been able to obtain it in the flesh, and, although he 

 maintained that it was still found in Sicily, I could find no one 

 else who did — Cavaliere Luigi Benoit, at Messina, Prof. Zuca- 

 relli at Catania, and all sportsmen with whom I conversed 

 agreeing that the bird no longer existed in that island. I cer- 

 tainly flattered myself that, in the event of its turning up at 

 Terranova, I should have been amongst the rirst to receive 

 direct information from Prof. Doderlein ; but up to the present 

 moment he has not written a word on the subject. As Dr. 

 Salvadori has doubtless read Lord Lilford's exhaustive paper 

 (Ibis, 1862, pp. 352-356), it is to be regretted that he has not 

 seen fit to give us a few more particulars, unless, indeed, he con- 

 siders the Francolin so common in Sicily that the dates and 

 localities of capture are not worth mentioning. 



I remain, &c., 



Howard Saunders. 



London, 21st March, 1870. 



[*^* As Dr. Salvadori's letter appeared in print, we think 

 we are in duty bound to insert the whole of Mr. Saunders's ; 

 but justice to the former compels us to say that he subsequently 

 wrote to us, asking us to withdraw the passage relating to 

 Larus gelastes. Unfortunately his letter did not reach us in 

 time to enable us to comply with his wish. — Ed.] 



