Lett rs A h icenii nts, tyc. 



mceus at the pleasure of the writer ; the labels of adults are 

 generally, although not always, correct, a large female C. cy- 

 aneus being sometimes referred to C.pallidus, or a young male 

 referred to a female C. pallidas, and this in spite of the blue 

 tinge and fading bars on the tail, proving that the specimen 

 in question can never have been properly sexed. But the test 

 of the 2nd primary in separating the two nearly allied species 

 has proved as constant as is that of the 1th and 5th primaries 

 in distinguishing them from C. cy emeus ; it has never allowed 

 of an instant's vacillation in upwards of twenty specimens of 

 each species from different localities ; at the same time it has 

 never been admitted as settling the question until the decision 

 was fully borne out by most careful examination and measure- 

 ments where such were possible. 



It is interesting to notice that Bonaparte separated from 

 C. eeruginosus the Harriers with a facial disk like the three 

 species in question, and erected them into a germs, Strigiceps; 

 but it is doubtful whether the fact of the 5th primary being 

 of a different shape in C. swainsonii and C. cinereaceus is not 

 a still better generic distinction, although not a good one 

 to my mind; at all events it seems to weaken the generic 

 value of Strigiceps. 



Yours &c, 



Howard Saunders. 



Before this number of ' The Ibis ' reaches its readers, Mr. 

 Osbert Salvin will be far on his way across the Atlantic to 

 his old collecting-quarters in Guatemala, where he proposes 

 to spend the next few months. In the meanwhile the under- 

 signed has undertaken to attend to the interests of this Journal, 

 and will do his best to see that they do not suffer from the 

 temporary absence of its legitimate Editor. 



P. L. Sclater. 



