508 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



bars of brown ; whole back dark ashy brown ; quills lighter 

 and tipped white ; rest of the body dirty white ; upper man- 

 dible of bill dark brown, lower horny ; legs yellowish green ; 

 irides reddish brown. The bird was unfortunately gutted when 

 purchased, hence the sex could not be ascertained, but I am 

 inclined to believe it is a female, from the transverse bars on 

 the breast. In size it agrees with Jerdon's measurements. 



While on this subject I may mention that there are in this 

 Museum perfect albinos of Malacocercus griseus and Gorvus 

 splendens ; also an albinoid Crocopus phamicopterus, and I have 

 heard of an albino Querquedula crecca. I had in my possession 

 a Coturnix coromandeliana with the whole of the primaries 

 pure white and patches of the same colour dispersed irregularly 

 all over the body. 



In addition to these I have the pleasure to record the capture, 

 quite recently, of an albinoid Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd. The 

 whole upper portion of the body is mingled black and white, 

 the former colour predominating; the lower parts are pure 

 white. 



W. F. Dique. 



Madras, 

 22nd January 1881. 



Sir, 



When shooting with a friend over some paddy stubble a 

 few miles from here, on the 24th of last month (January,) two 

 Painted Snipe were flushed and shot ; one of them proved to be 

 a young bird, barely fledged ; in fact the tail feathers and 

 the under wing-coverts were only partly developed. 



Many painters are seen in this neighbourhood, but it seemed 

 to us to be such an unusual thing to come across a nestling at 

 this season of the year that it deserves record. 



A. Tomes. 

 Poorulia. 



End of Vol. IX. 



