1877.] LETTERS FROM MR. R. TRIMEN AND A. O. HUME. 683 



The most noticeable additions during the month were as follows : — 



1. Two Guilding's Amazons {Chrysotis guildingi), from St. Vin- 

 cent's, West Indies, purchased September 15th. These fine Parrots 

 are now said to be very scarce in their native Island of St. Vincent, 

 to which they are pecuhar. 



2. Two Slaty Coots {Fulica ardesiaca) from Western Peru, pur- 

 chased September iSth, being the first examples of this interesting 

 representative of our Common Coot that have reached us. 



The Secretary read the following extract from a letter addressed 

 to him by Mr. R. Trimen, C.M.Z.S., dated South-African Museum, 

 Cape Town, July 27th, 1877 :— 



"With reference to your note on the species of Sarcidiornis 

 (P. Z. S. 1876, pp. 694, 695), I think it may be useful to offer a few 

 remarks on two specimens of the African form contained in the col- 

 lection of this Museum, one of which was received from the Zambesi, 

 and the other obtained in exchange from the late Mr. C. J, Andersson, 

 who brought it from Damara Land. 



" I have no Indian specimens with which to compare these African 

 birds; but, taking Mr. Sm.it's figure (P. Z. S. 1876, pi. Ixvii.) as an ac- 

 curate representation of iS. melanonota, the two birds to which I refer 

 differ in the following particulars from the Indian form, viz. : — 



" (1) The white of the neck encroaches considerably on the back 

 between the shoulders. 



"(2) The curved black streak from the shoulder downward is 

 much more attenuated. 



" (3) The under tail-coverts are pure white, without the slightest 

 trace of the bright yellow shown in the figure. (Is it possible that 

 the yellow may have been present in the hving specimens, but have 

 faded out in course of time, like that of Chalcites smaragdineua ?) 



" (4) The secondaries and greater coverts are not of the coppery- 

 brown hue depicted in the plate, but mixed metallic-green and 

 bronze with violet reflexions. 



" (5) The caruncle on the bill is higher in proportion to its base ; 

 it is more vertically elevated anteriorly, and more rounded and 

 sloping posteriorly than is shown in the figure. (This difference 

 may, however, be the effect of shrinking or some defect in mounting 

 our specimens.) 



" I should also mention that the lower part of the back is dirty 

 whitish-grey, shading into the metallic-glossed black of the rump. 



"You will be better able than myself to judge whether the dif- 

 ferences mentioned are of specific value ; my own impression is that 

 they are." 



A letter was read from Mr. A. O. Hume, C.B., containing some 

 criticisms on Mr. Howard Saunders's review of the Sterniase, pub- 

 hshed in the Society's ' Proceedings' for 1876 (p. 638). Mr. Hume 

 was of opinion that the bird figured (plate Ixi. fig. 2) as Anous 

 melanogenys, was not that species, but A. leucocapillus. 



