Letters, Announcements, S^c. 497 



procured in the Tenasserim Provinces, and speaking of the forms 

 of Buchanga, says (P. Z. S. 1866, p. 547) " that the Himalayan 

 race of B. longicaudata has yet to be described and named." 

 As I happen to have obtained specimens of this bird in the 

 Darjeeling Hills in 1862, and also near Simla in 1866, I beg 

 leave to forward you the following notes. 



Herr A. von Pelzeln (J.f. 0. 1868, p. 33) [cf. antea, p. 316] 

 mentions it under the name of Dicruratus luvgicaudus ; but as I 

 believe it to be a distinct species, I wish to propose for it that of 



Buchanga waldeni, sp. nov. 



The dimensions of two specimens procured by me near Sinda 

 are as follows : — 



neither bird coming up to the size of B. longicaudata as given by 

 Dr. Jerdon (B. Ind. i. p. 431). The irides were crimsom-red. 

 The under wing- and under tail-coverts are tipped with white ; 

 but the general colour of the bird is a dark blue-black, similar 

 to that of most other members of this well-known genus. The 

 species frequents the tall pines and other forest-trees bordering the 

 small patches of cleared land in the north-western Himalaya; 

 and from a station of this kind it now and then darts out over 

 the open space and, after catching its prey, returns to its lofty 

 perch until tempted by another passing insect. 



Yours, &c., R. C. Beavan. 

 *^* Is not this most likely the same species as that recently 

 mentioned by Col. Tytler {antea, p. 200) under the name of 

 Dicrurus himalayanus ? — Ed. 



Royal Zoological Museum, Turin, 

 July 31st, 18G8. 



Sir, — The ' Magenta ' arrived safely at Naples on the 28th 



March last, after an absence of two years and a half, during 



which time she successfully performed her various missions. I 



immediately asked to be attached to this place, where all the 



collections made during our voyage arc accumulated. They 



-U 



