~ 
1864.] LETTER FROM DR. W. PETERS. BY 
24, G@ipicNeMus cReEPITANS, Temm.; Jerdon, /. c. ii. p. 654. 
The Stone Curlew, like the last, lays in a hole scraped in the 
ground. Maubhoon, April. 
Mr. Gould exhibited a specimen of the Emberiza pusilla of Pallas, 
which had been lately captured in a clap-net near Brighton, being 
the first instance of its occurrence in the British islands. Also a 
specimen of the Anthus campestris of the Continent, caught in the 
same locality. 
The Rev. H. B. Tristram, Corr. Memb., exhibited a pair of San- 
derlings (Calidris arenaria) from Grimsey Island, Iceland, and three 
eggs, supposed to be those of that bird, received at the same time. 
Mr. Fraser exhibited a mounted specimen of the Siamese Phea- 
sant (Huplocamus prelatus), and a second pair of Horns of that ex- 
ceedingly rare Bovine animal the Budorcas tazxicolor, from his own 
collection. 
The Secretary read the following extract from a letter received 
from Dr. W. Peters, For. Memb., dated Berlin, July 14, 1864 :— 
‘‘ Looking through Part I. of the ‘ Proceedings’ for this year, I find 
the following passage in a paper of Dr. Gray’s (p. 58) :—‘ Gerrho- 
saurus robustus, Peters, Monatsb. 1854, p. 618. Dr. Peters gives 
the word Caaiia as the name of this Lizard; but, Dr. Kirk informs 
me, that word simply means “I do not know,” which was probably 
what the native said when he asked him what they called it.’ 
“As from this it might appear that I had collected the very im- 
portant indigenous names of animals which I met with in Mozam- 
bique in a thoughtless and unwarrantable manner, you will allow me 
the following remarks :— 
**]. The native name of the Gerrhosaurus robustus at Tette is not 
Caaiia, but Cadua (English-pronounced, ca-ou-a), the former bein 
a misprint, as has been remarked on the last page (p. 726) of the 
‘ Monatsbericht’ of the Berlin Academy for 1854. 
«2. I never took down a name from a person whom I did not 
understand ; and all native names which I have published have been 
carefully compared and corroborated by several persons. 
«3, I resided in Tette from the 9th of December 1844 until the 
beginning of September 1845, where, of course, I knew every person, 
and where every one was anxious to oblige and assist me in my sci- 
entific pursuits. 
“I am particularly indebted to Senhor Pascoal, Senhor Candido 
Jose da Costi Cardozo, Senhor Nunez, and Senhor Botelho for their 
assistance in pronouncing and writing the native names. All four 
were natives (not negroes), spoke very fluently the Portuguese lan- 
guage, and knew the productions of this country. In doubtful cases 
about the native names of zoological objects, they called their negroes, 
and the names were discovered. 
“4, I got only two specimens of the Gerrhosaurus robustus (one 
