250 Letters, Announcements, S^c. 



8 January 1868. 

 Sib, — It may be worth recording that the example of Pel's 

 Owl {Scotopelia peli, Bp.), which was described and figured 

 from the life in 'The Ibis 'for 1859 (pp. 445-448, pi. xv.), 

 died on the 30th October, 1867, having been in excellent health 

 till within a few days previously. On dissection it proved to be 

 a female, and showed no traces of morbid character, except some 

 of cerebral congestion. The skin and sternum of this specimen 

 have been preserved for the Norwich Museum. 



I am, yours &c., 



J. H. GURNEY. 



London, Feb. Stli, 1868. 

 Sir, — On looking over the last number of ' The Ibis,' I have 

 been brought up by Mr. Swinhoe's ^githaliscus anophrys 

 (p. 64). If you will be good enough to refer to Part vii. of 

 my 'Birds of Asia,' published in 1855, you will find this bird 

 figured and described by me as Psaltria concinna, from a speci- 

 men (at that time the only one I had seen) in Mr. Eyton's col- 

 lection, procured at Chusan. I then remarked that the species 

 is most nearly allied to P. erythrocephala, but that it " difi^ers 

 from that bird in its smaller size, in the paler colour of the 

 crown, in the absence of the post- superciliary stripe, in the 

 black of the throat being entirely surrounded with white, and 

 in the richer rusty-red of the flanks." I have since received 

 other specimens from China. I am, &c., 



John Gould. 



Abyssinian Field-force, Annesley Bay, 



March 4tli, 1868. 

 Sir, — I send you a line just to let you know how I am get- 

 ting on ; but it will be a short one, as the post leaves to-morrow, 

 and I am in the midst of the bustle of landing myself, goods 

 and chattels. I have as yet been unable to do much. The 

 country round I have twice visited since my arrival on the 24th 

 February. The first trip proved unlucky, as we got caught by 

 a gale of wind in the ship's boat, and were nearly being either 

 starved or drowned. The specimens I had procured were all 

 destroyed by the water in the boat, and my guns were nearly as 



