236 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, <Sfc. 



March 22, 1865. 



Sir, — In the ' Ibis ' for 1863 (page 366) there is a note from 

 me on the subject of Accipiter virgatus and A. gularis. I now 

 find that, at the time of writing that note, I had not seen the 

 true A. gularis, of which a pair has just been sent me by MM. 

 Verreaux from the island of Formosa, together with a pair of A. 

 virgatus, also from Formosa, thus proving that both species in- 

 habit that island. On comparing the two species, it was at once 

 evident that they could not be confounded, as, although the 

 specimens of A. gularis, which appeared to be not fully adult, 

 corresponded to some extent in their colouring with examples of 

 A. virgatus of a similar age, they were fully one-third larger than 

 the birds of the same sex in A. virgatus; and, moreover, the 

 middle toe in A. gularis is somewhat shorter in proportion than in 

 A. virgatus. I may here add that the middle toe of A. virgatus 

 is of extraordinary length, considerably exceeding that of a neigh- 

 bouring species of similar size, A. rhodogaster, from Celebes, 

 which, in its turn, has the middle toe longer than that of the 

 small Chinese Sparrow-Hawk, A. stevensoni; in fact the latter 

 has the smallest and feeblest foot, in proportion to its size, of all 

 the Sparrow-Hawks with which I am acquainted. 



Of course, in comparing the above-named species, it is needful 

 that the comparison should be made between individuals of the 

 same sex. I am, &c., 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Dr. G. Hartlaub has kindly sent us the following description 

 of Chalcopelia brehmeri, a new species of Pigeon from the 

 Gaboon : — 



'' Supra intense ferrugineo-rufa, subtus dilutior, in lateritium 

 vergens ; capite cinereo, fronte pallidiore, sincipite dilute 

 rufescente; gula obsolete fulvescente; remigibus nigrican- 

 tibus, extus et (latius) intus rufescente limbatis ; subalaribus 

 et tertiariis rufis, his nigro fasciatim notatis ; regioue peri- 

 ophthalmica pallide rubescente : rectricibus quatuor mediis 

 dorso concoloribus ; extima et secunda cinereis, fascia lata 

 ante apicem dilute cinereum nigra notatis, extremo apice ru- 

 fescente ; tertia apice toto rufo : rostro nigricante. 



