202 NOTES ON CAPTAIN LEGGE's PAPER 



357.— Oreocincla pectoralis,* Legge. 



We have never met with this Thrush, and Mr. Thwaites has the 

 full merit of its discovery. Mr. Neville's bird 0. Gregoriana 

 was collected by us, and the Editor's remarks as to the reliability" 

 of the information procured from us, are refreshing. Both this 

 bird and several specimens of Batrachostomus punctatus were col- 

 lected in Ceylon, and we are sure that the Editor cannot sub- 

 stantiate a single instance of our ever having misled f any one as 

 to the locality in which we have collected our specimens. We 

 in fact confine our work entirely to the Fauna of Ceylon, and deal 

 in no foreign specimens. Our Kandy Oil bird is by no means 

 very rare, and I have full notes regarding its discovery, habits, 

 &c. 



404 bis. — Pomatorhinus melanurus, Blyth. 



There can be little doubt, we think, that we have two species. 

 The bill of the Hill bird differs much from that of the low 

 country one. 



59 bis. — Baza ceylonensis,j Legge. 



This bird was discovered by us eight years ago, a pair hav- 

 ing been shot by one of our collectors, not far from Kandy. 



* At the time, I wrote to Captain Legge that this supposed new species must be 

 the female of Turdulus Wardi ; it seemed, however, too absurd that he should des- 

 cribe, as new, so common and well-known a species, and I dismissed the idea. But 

 to-day, taking out a series of females and young males of T. Wardi, and comparing 

 them with the description of pectoralis, I am unable to discriminate this new spe- 

 cies, and I much wish Captain Legge would point out to us clearly wherein the 

 new species differs. — Ed., S. F. 



f I never imagined that Messrs. White of Kandy were in any way dishonest, or 

 that they ever wilfully misled their customers, but I certainly did believe that they 

 were mere dealers, who purchased any specimens brought to them that seemed likely 

 to yield a profit, accepted the statements of the vendors without close investigation, 

 and labelled their specimens accordingly. 



This had been repeatedly stated to me by others, but it was explicitly written 

 to me, as a patent and universally known fact, by a gentlemen who was then, and 

 had for some time previously been residing in Ceylon, who possessed, as it seemed, ex- 

 ceptional opportunities of acquiring a correct knowledge of the facts, and who had 

 apparently no possible bias in the matter. 



The letters, testimonials, and certificates forwarded to me by Messrs. Whyte, repre- 

 sent a totally different view of the case. They show that Messrs. Whyte and Co. 

 take a lively personal interest in Natural History, in which they have made many 

 discoveries, and " are trustworthy and intelligent ornithologists, who can have no 

 object in deceiving the public," and deal solely and entirely in specimens obtained in 

 the island of Ceylon. 



This being so, I take the earliest opportunity of thus repairing any injustice that 

 (acting on explicit and apparently reliable information) I may have done them, and 

 of expressing my regret if anything I have said, (although in all good faith and 

 without any idea of injuring them,) has in any way wrongfully prejudiced their 

 interests. — Ed., S. F. 



% I find great difficulty in believing that this is really a new species. I cannot 

 help thinking that it is only sumatrensis. If, however, really distinct from this latter, 

 then I apprehend it will prove identical with my incognita, which I have been on 

 the whole inclined to identify with sumatrensis, though its plumage agrees better with 

 the supposed ceylonensis than with any available description of sumatrensis. — Ed., S. F. 



