470 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &;c. 



for the fact which I noted in ray above-mentioned paper, but 

 was unable to explain, viz. that at Porto Santo the birds had 

 already bred, and that in May there were young in every 

 stage, from those covered with down to birds in nearly 

 adult plumage, while at the Desertas there were no signs 

 of any of these birds breeding, though Mr. Harcourt, and 

 subsequently Mr. Hurrell, obtained birds and eggs there. 

 The two specimens I have from Deserta Grande are a female 

 adult and. a male of the year, which has still the pale edgings 

 to the wing-coverts and feathers of the back. 



The above remarks suggest several questions which require 

 to be answered : — 



1. Does Puffinus assimilis only come north after breed- 



ing in the southern islands of the Atlantic ? 



2. Were the birds found breeding on the Desertas P. 



assimilis or P. obscwus ? 



3. If P. assimilis does breed on the Desertas, had it 



finished in the month of May, when P. obscurus 

 was still busy at Porto Santo ? 



4. To which species do the two specimens which have 



occurred in the British Isles belong ? 

 Yours &c., 



W. R. Ogilvie Grant. 



Nikko, Interior of Japan, 

 24tli April, 1891. 



Sir, — I have had a perfect voyage out to Japan and splendid 

 weather, but have not much to say about bird-life. Larus 

 ichthyaetus was very abundant near Ismailia. Five species 

 of Shearwater and Petrel were common in the Red Sea. One 

 large one with white rump and whitish bar across the end 

 of its tail puzzled me much. Of course we could not catch 

 any. We crossed the path of many returning migrants near 

 Aden, and Hoopoes, Common Swallows, a Goatsucker, and 

 various Warblers and Buntings, among them Emberiza ceesia, 

 came on board to rest. 1 had three delightful days in 

 Ceylon, and especially enjoyed the Peradenia Gardens j 

 but unfortunately Trimen was away in Java for a few weeks. 



