letters to the editoe. 171 



Sir, 



I send by parcel post to-day a specimen of " Ardetta 

 cinnamomea." From neither your finding it in Sindh or Southern 

 Rajpootana, nor Butler in Guzerat, nor Adams at Sambhur, 

 and from Fairbank finding it at Mahableshwar only, and not 

 in the Deccan its occurrence at Ajmere is noteworthy. 



Though Jerdon says A. cinnamomea is generally spread over 

 India, I suppose, from what I gather from Stray Feathers, 

 that it is common in Eastern and Southern India only. 



Ardetta minuta is, I know, a great traveller, and perhaps 

 A. cinnamomea may be so too on occasion, its wandering so far 

 from its usual haunts in this instance being attributable to the 

 continued strong easterly winds we have experienced for the 

 last fortnight. 



I shot it near Pokhar (8 miles from Ajmere) and in a wet 

 nullah among sand hills. 



Yours, &c, 



0. St. John. 



January Wtli, 1878. 



[I have never seen this species before from Rajpootana which 

 surrounds Ajmere, nor from Northern Gruzerat, Cutch, Kattia- 

 war, Sindh, or the Punjaub, Trans-Sutledge, or strange to say, 

 though it surely must occur there, any part of the Central Pro- 

 vinces. In the Punjab Cis-Sutledge, and in the upper portions 

 of the North- Western Provinces, west of the Ganges, it occurs 

 sparingly, but almost exclusively according to my experience 

 as a seasonal visitant during the rainy season, during which 

 I have obtained it myself in the Delhi, Meerut, Allyghur, 

 Mynpooree and Etawah districts. Even at this season it is 

 far from common in these localities. — Ed., S. F.] 



Sir, 



I have lately examined a pair of Albinos of Turtur 

 risorius in confinement, that were taken from a nest near Jeem- 

 peer in Sindh. 



The cock bird is pure white, with the exception of the basal 

 half of the tail, which is pale grey on the under surface. 



The hen is of a pale buffy fawn color throughout, darkest 

 on the upper back, scapulars and wing-coverts, with a slight 

 indication of a pale brown half collar, bordered on each side 

 with white ; the chin, throat, primaries, secondaries, and tail 

 are whitish, the central tail feathers being narrowly edged with 

 pale fawn ; the basal half of the tail is pale brown below, 

 and the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts are white. 



In both sexes the bill is delicate pinkish flesh; the le^s and. 

 feet red ; and the irides deep ruby red, 



