LETTEES TO THE EDITOR. 335 



Compared with the Nicobar and East Indian specimens it 

 appears to be a much larger and stouter bird, especially so as 

 regards the bill and claws. The bare space is detached from 

 the lappets, while in the Nicobar and Andaman bird, which 

 I believe to be intermedia, it is not so.* 



Ardea jugular is, Forster. 



Differs from concolor only in its longer bill and tarsi. Both 

 the slatey blue and snow white specimens of A. concolor in 

 the Novara collection are females. — J. Ball. 



Calcutta, 10th December 1873. 



Sir, 



During December 1873, I killed, with a driving whip 

 at Jubbulpoor, Central Provinces, a specimen of the Spotted- 

 grey Creeper " Salpornis spilonota" see Jerdon's ' Birds of 

 India,' Edition of 1862, p. 382. 



The bird was on the large limb of a peepul tree in front of the 

 Commissioner's house ; when I noticed it the little bird got 

 out of sight round the side of the bough furthest from me, 

 as a squirrel would do. — R. P. LeMesurier. 



Bombay, 16th January 1874. 



Sir, 



870. — ■Gallinago stenura. — Mr. G. F. L. Marshall, in No. 

 5 of Stray Feathers, correctly states this bird to be larger than 

 Scolopacinus in opposition to the opinion expressed by Jerdon. 

 This fact I had satisfactorily proved years ago before Jerdon's 

 work came out ; I find, from looking over an old diary, that 

 I have recorded the weights of some scores of each species ; the 

 average weight of the former is 4 ozs. 3 drachms, and of the 

 latter only 3 ozs. 3 drachms. The heaviest of stenura was 4 ozs. 

 9 drachms, of scolopacinus 3 ozs. 13 drachms. Stenura, according 

 to my experience, does not frequent the same ground as the 

 common species ; grass land interspersed with rushes is its 

 favorite retreat. Its flights too, as Mr. M. says, are more 

 laboured than in the other species ; it can at once be distinguished 

 on the wing from this circumstance alone. 



* It is so in some of our specimens. As regards the name, javanensis, Osbecb, 

 surely has priority. As regards dimensions, some of our Andaman and Nicobar 

 specimens exceed those given by Mr. Ball of the Javan bird. Ed., Steax Eeathees. 



