Letters, Announcements, S^c. 353 



suspects the bird therein drawn and described to be Aquila has- 

 tata, Lesson (Jerdon, B. Ind. i. p. 63), a rare species, of which 

 he has never seen an identified specimen, though he believes an 

 example in the Norwich Museum (formerly in the collection of 

 the Zoological Society) to be referable to it. This example, he 

 adds, in some of its characters appears to be intermediate between 

 A. ncEvia and the African A. mursi. Aquila hastata does not 

 seem to have been ever figured; and we trust Mr. Brooks will 

 send home some of the specimens about which he is in doubt, 

 so that, should they prove to belong to that species, as is sus- 

 pected, we may give with his description (which we at present 

 withold) a representation of it. — Ed.] 



Hongkong, April 20, 18G8. 



Sir, — I have had my tour in Hainan, and met with pretty 

 tolerable success, especially in the bird line. I was, however, 

 disgusted at finding no Pheasant, not even Phasianus torquatus, 

 in that land of cocoa-nuts. The Game bird was a wretched 

 Jungle-cock. Among the smaller birds there were many of great 

 interest — two species of Nectarinia, two of Dicceum, a fine Parra- 

 keet, Gracula, Zanclostomus, Artamus, Criniger, and so on. Our 

 Ixus sinensis assumes there a black head without any white. 

 Gracula of the opposite coast changes the shape of its cheek- 

 wattles. Garrulax auritus [sinensis) dwindles in size, and loses 

 its white cheek. The red- cheeked moustached Parrakeet of 

 West China alters into a cognate but a handsomer species in 

 Hainan. A yellow-necked Argala occurs, and Grus cinerea fre- 

 quents the plains in large numbers. The Magpie builds its nest 

 in the cocoa-nut trees; and clumps of the Pine [Pinus sinen- 

 sis) grow up close to the topes of the cocoa-nut. A large spotted 

 Lizard in the south part of the island has the side-skin expanded, 

 and flies along the sand ; another species, inhabiting trees, has 

 its ribs greatly produced and covered with skin, thus forming 

 ample wings. This species, at first sight, calls to one's mind 

 the large-winged Bacteria of Africa. I believe it to be an eii- 

 tirely new form, and one that will delight the Darwinians. 



In the aviary of the Prefect of Hainan I saw Sclater's Pea- 

 cock, Pavo nigripennis, which the Prelect assured me came fiom 



