Vol. xiv.] 24 



sexes, and I called attention to them in a letter to f The Field. 5 

 At the close of the exhibition they were all disposed of, and 

 some fetched high prices. 



"Two of my birds have just assumed winter plumage, and 

 the third has commenced to do so." 



Mr. F. Finn exhibited the skin of a fledgling specimen of 

 Mesia argent aims, bred this summer in the aviary of 

 Mr. R. Phillipps, who presented the skin to the British 

 Museum Collection. Only six examples of this species were 

 known to have been brought to England, and all were still 

 living. Mr. Phillipps's young bird, although weakly, was 

 remarkable in having precociously exhibited the black cap 

 of maturity, although in the rest of its plumage it was so 

 dull that it rather resembled a male Blackcap (Sylvia 

 atricapilla) , the characteristic bright yellow and red tints of 

 the adult birds being almost entirely absent. 



Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier exhibited some drawings of 

 Pheasants reproduced by the new process of printing in 

 three colours, which he considered better and cheaper than 

 any hand-coloured plate. The colouring was much admired 

 by the members. 



Dr. Sclater exhibited a skin of a South-African Bustard 

 (Otis barrovii) and read the following extract from a letter 

 of his friend Capt. R. Crawshay, F.Z.S., dated Piet Retief, 

 Transvaal Colony (2.9.03) : — "Our best, game hereabouts is 

 the Cinnamon-coloured Lesser Bustard, the most sporting 

 and cunning bird 1 have ever shot. But for its pursuit I 

 doubt if I could have maintained health and mental energy 

 in this district. As a memento of the veldt I am sending 

 you a skin of it and wish to know the name of the species." 



Dr. Sclater said there could be no doubt that the bird in 

 question was an example of Otis barrovii, the southern re- 

 presentative of 0. senegatensis, under which name it had 

 stood in Sharpe and Layard's ' Birds of South Africa ' 

 (p. 639) ; but, as had been subsequently shown by Dr. 

 Sharpe (Cat. B. xxiii. p. 31 1), it was clearly a distinct species. 



