VISCOUNT WALDEN. 535 



the only instance I have witnessed ; but the Civil Surgeon here 

 tells me that last year he saw a Grow feed a fully-Hedged Coel 

 as it perched on a tree near his house. — F. R. Blewitt. 



Seoni, Central Provinces, 

 20th August 1874. 



Sir, 



The Ibis for July is just to hand, containing a vigorous 

 attack on Stray Feathers by Lord Walden. With it I also 

 received a letter from a friend, who is one of the ablest of living 

 English ornithologists. 



The following extract may help to console you under the 

 terrible calamity of Lord Walden's blighting displeasure : — 



11 I mourn over the loss of the capital papers in Stray Fea- 

 thers to the Ibis. There is a spirit and a vigour in Hume's 

 dashing papers which the stiff Ibis sadly wants. I was delighted 

 with his slashing review of Finsch's parrots. He is quite right. 

 Finsch knows nothing about anything but dried skins, and I 

 am sure would not know a parrot if he saw him flying. I have 

 often been vexed with Finsclr's dogmatic mistakes about the 

 N. African birds, and I am glad Hume has shewn him up so 

 good naturedly about the Indian." 



I may add that I observed the large Paroquet (P. sivalensis, 

 or whatever its name is) frequenting buildings at Groojerat in 

 the Punjab. I did not at the time notice any of P. tor- 

 quatus. — W. E. Brooks. 



Mogulserai, 

 30th September 1874. 



discount Uata, 



President of the Zoological Society, Sfc, 8fc. 3 

 On the Editor of " Stray Feathers." 



Just as this present number was about to issue, I was grati- 

 fied to receive a copy of the July number of our English 

 "pendant" the Ibis. 



In this number Viscount Walden, President of the Zoological 

 Society, &c, &c, &c, devotes no less than thirty pages to a 

 vehement Philippic against the mildest and most inoffensive 

 of mortals — need I explain — myself. 



