6976 Birds. 



" The exterior tail-feather is slighllj' edged with whitish on the inner vane." " The most 

 striking characleiistic of Hirundo fulva is its even tail." Yet Mr. Gosse says, that 

 " perhaps " the " long fork-tailed " swallow, noticed by his ornithological friend, may 

 be the Hirundo fulva. Moreover, the latter is but " five and a half inches long,'' 

 whereas the male of Hirundo americana — according to my notes — measures seven 

 inches and two-tenths in length, and thirteen inches in extent of wings. But even 

 the " pale rufous ash- colour of the breast," not to mention the " whitish under parts " 

 of the Hirundo fulva, might have convinced Mr. Gosse that this could not possibly 

 be the " seventh species of Hirundine,'' observed by his Jamaica correspondent. — 

 Henri/ Hadfield ; Veiitnor, Isle of Wight, March 8, 1860. 



Note on the Piramidigs of Jamaica (Chordeiles). — The peculiarity of flight in the 

 piramidig, remarked on by Mr. Osburn, is very similar to what I had observed in the 

 Capriinulgus americanus (Zool. 5803) : — "It was about half-past four o'clock, p.m., 

 when ray attention was first directed to a flight of these most elegant birds ; and 

 a more beautiful sight, at least for an ornithologist, could not well be desired ; 

 for some forty or fifty were to be seen within a very narrow circle hawking flies; and 

 their manner of doing so, as well as their rapidity of flight, — in the distance so similar 

 to that of the swallow, — at first inclined me to believe that it was a flock of swifts 

 approaching, but I was soon undeceived. They were now to be seen passing 

 over-head at the distance of thirty or forty yards. Their flight was circular, 

 but they were constantly deviating from this order of progression by momentary and 

 sudden darts after the flies ; often, when descending, raising the wings so as to bring 

 the points nearly together, after the manner of the pigeon tribe. Their flight was 

 most buoyant, and occasionally bat-like, &c." — Id. 



Sun Bjrd : correction of an error. — I was in North America when my 

 Indian notes were published, or I might have replied to the editorial remark 

 on my notice of the Indian hamming bird (Zool. 5797), which I had therein 

 erroneously named the Mango humming bird ; but from the prefatory remarks, &c., it 

 might have been gathered that my acquaintance with the birds of the Carnatic was 

 but slight. Having consulted an old work, I found the Mango humming bird men- 

 tioned as a native of the Indies, i. e. West Indies. However, there can be no doubt 

 it was the beautiful little sun bird that I so frequently observed — more than thirty 

 years ago — hovering over the flowering shrubs in my garden at Trichinopoly, 

 and which, to my unpractised eye, seemingly possessed all the characteristic features 

 of the true humming bird. I also observe that the Eev. J. C. Atkinson, in a note ap- 

 pended to his paper on " Reason and Instinct," seems to demur to my construction 

 (Zool. 5648) or interpretation of his statement. He pointedly refers to Montagu's 

 Dictionary, i. e. Ornithology, but ignores Temminck and the other authors quoted ; 

 though their evidence directly tends to prove that the inspired writer's " words 

 are characterized by precision and scientific accuracy,'' and not mere "allusions and 

 references," as asserted. By consulting the Dictionary, not Montagu's, it will 

 be found that " yea," in the sense used by Jeremiah, means — it is so. Here 

 is no want of " precision." Then follows the expression — " Knoweth her appointed 

 times," but this likewise, I am to be told is a mere " allusion." Finally, there is the 

 information, that they " observe the time of their coming,'' i. e. obey an instinctive 

 law of Nature; a knowledge of which, is surely a proof of "Science." Had 

 the remarks of the reverend author been merely personal, they might have remained 



