130 



September 24, 1839. 



The Honourable Sir Edward Cust in the Chair. 



A letter from R. J. Bourchier, Esq., Corresponding Member, dated 

 Malta, Sept. 5, 1839, was read. It stated that Mr. Bourchier had 

 forwarded a young Lioness to the Society, whicli Sir Thomas Reade, 

 Honorary Member, had sent to Malta for that purpose. 



A letter from Col. Warrington, Corr. Memb., was read. This 

 letter, which is dated Tripoli, July 20, 1839, states that Col. War- 

 rington had forwarded to the Society two small boxes, containing 

 preserved specimens of natural histoiy, and some living gundies. 

 (^Ctenodactylus 3Iassonii.) 



A letter from E. D. Dickson and H. J. Ross, Esqrs., dated Erze- 

 room, July 18, 1839, was read. It referred to a collection which 

 these gentlemen had forwarded for the Society's Museum. The 

 specimens alluded to in this letter having arrived, were severally 

 brought before the Meeting by Mr. Eraser, and the following note--' 

 which accompanied them were read : — 



Accijyitcr fiin(jillarius, Ray. Procured April 3. Male. Found 

 in the stomach small birds. Iris bright orange; margins of eyelids 

 yellowish ; bill blue, with black tip ; cere yellowish green ; legs yel- 

 low; claws black. Total length 12"5 inches. Shot near the town. 



Falco suhbvtco, Linn. Procured May 22. Total length about 

 12 inches. Bill bluish; legs orange ; claws black. The only speci- 

 men we have yet seen. Female. 



Circus jxtl lid us, Sykes. Procured April 4. Iris bright yellow, 

 with yellow margin to the eyelids ; bill bluish ; cere greenish yellow ; 

 legs orange yeliov^', with black claws. Total length 17 inches. This 

 year (1839) arrived March 24, and left April 7; last year they ar- 

 rived March 8 and left May 1. They were then also much more nu- 

 merous than this year, and most abundant in April. 



* Circus riifus, Briss. One specimen, a male, procured May 8. 

 Found in the stomach frogs and mice. Shot close to town. Legs 

 pale yellow. A second specimen jirocured May 24. Found in the 

 stomach a Tevn(Sterna nigra). Iris bright sulphur-yellow ; legs pale 

 dirty yellow. Common about the river: they are shy, but bold. 



Hirundo rustica, Linn. Procured April 25. Found in the sto- 

 mach insects. Iris dark brown ; bill and legs black. Totar length 

 8*5. Arrives April 20, and remains here the whole summer ; very 



• The species marked with an asterisk have been noticed in the Pro- 

 ceedings as inhabitants ofTrebizond, a locality not far distant from Erze- 

 room. — See Froceedings for 1834, pp. 50 and 133; for 1835, p. 90; and 

 for 1837, p. 12G. 



