LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 417 



fetters to the €bitot\ 



Sir, 



I regret to see that a paragraph from a private letter, 

 never intended for publication, has been inserted in Stray Fea- 

 thers, Vol. II, p. 533. I should never have dreamt of 

 publicly criticizing Dr. Fiusch in the off-hand manner in 

 which one may express oneself in the haste of rapid corres- 

 pondence with a friend. 



The "Writer of the Letter quoted. 



Sir, 



I do not see how there can be any question as to the 

 priority of the term insignis of Waldeu over Feildeni of Hume 

 for the Burmese Polihierax. 



Ou the 7th November 1871, specimens of this bird were 

 exhibited by me at the meeting of this Society, and Lord 

 Walden's name assigned to them — Lord Walden having been 

 himself unfortunately prevented from attending the meeting.* 

 The characters given, although short, are quite sufficient for 

 the recognition of the species. On the other hand, the name 

 Feildeni was not published until the issue of the May part of 

 the proceedings of the Asiatic Society, Bengal, in 1872. May 

 I add that it would be a great convenience if references to all 

 names not given by Jerdon, were added to your lists in 

 Stray Feathers.— P. L. Sclater. 



Sir, 



On the 8th August, when out at Sapoora about ten 

 miles from Kurrachee, Mulock found a nest with four eggs, on 

 the ground, in grass about two feet high. 



The eo-crs varying from 0*9 to 1 inch in length and from 0*7 to 

 0*8 in breadth, were deposited in a slight hollow with a few blades 

 of grass trained round it. Their color was as a cafe au lait 

 with a slightly greenish tinge minutely dotted with Vandyke 

 brown ; some larger spots occurring at the ends. 



The eggs appeared too large for a Quail, but a camel-man 

 declared that the bird had risen and settled in the grass about 

 fifty yards off. On walking this patch a Quail got up behind 

 us, and flew back bej^ond the nest. 



To give the bird a chance of returning we walked off to an 

 old kiln, and while waiting examined a Hen Quail that had lately 

 been shot. With very little troub'e an egg T05 inch long and 

 0'85 broad was extracted of a size equally large with those in the 



*See P.Z.S., 1871, r- 627. N.B. Tart III. containing this page .vas issued April 27th, 

 1872.— P. L. S. 



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