LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 525 



Abdominal feathers pale ochreous chestnut with small dots 

 and obscure bars of black, but mostly with a white central 

 streak ; elongated feathers of the abdominal train paler 

 ochreous, very faintly and sparsely dotted with black, and with 

 the central streak of white more apparent ; coverts of tibia 

 ochreous, mottled with dull black; under tail-coverts white, 

 tinged on their outer margins with ochreous and speckled with 

 black dots. 



Bare skin in front of the eye and about the base of the bill 

 green ; legs and feet greenish olive ; claws pale plumbeous. 



This Bittern was sent to me on January 3rd by a friend, who 

 procured it in rather a curious manner. He was passing through 

 the forest at an elevation of about 2,500 feet above sea level, 

 when he observed the Bittern fly heavily into a tree. Imme- 

 diately it alighted, it was struck by an Eagle, which was carry- 

 ing it off, but dropped it on hearing my friend shout. On 

 reaching the ground, the unlucky Bittern was pounced upon by 

 my friend's dogs, but fortunately rescued before it was much 

 damaged as a specimen. 



Near the spot of its capture is a small swamp in a clearing, 

 and within two miles at an elevation of over 3,000 feet are two 

 other small swamps in the forest ; but none of them, one would 

 think, large enough or with sufficient covert to attract a Bittern. 



The bird was in very good condition, with large quantities of 

 fat under the skin and round its entrails, and from this it would 

 appear that, if a straggler, it had not recently arrived from a 

 long flight. 



Mynall, Travancore. Frank W. Bourdillon. 



[This is not the first occurrence of this species in India Of- 

 course in Ceylon, Layard made it known many years aoro, but 

 about 18 months ago Mr. Inglis procured a specimen at Dil- 

 koosha, North-East Cachar, and sent it to me, and it will duly 

 appear in our second list of the birds of North-East Cachar. 

 —A. O. H.] 



Sir, — It may interest you and some of your readers to know 

 that a Woodcock was shot last Christmas day, about two miles 

 from Tanna, by R. D. Cairns, of the Oriental Bank, here. It was 

 flushed in some bushes at the foot of some low hills near some 

 marshy ground. I send you the skin. This is the first instance 

 I know of a Woodcock being seen in this part of India. 



I see that in a note at p. 423, of Vol. I of Stray Feathers 

 you say that the Pintailed Snipe is rare in Western India. That 

 is not the case at any rate about Bombay where the Pintail Snipe 

 is quite as common as the scolopacinus. Indeed about Tanna and 



