460 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 4, 
they are light rufous like the supercilia, which latter are also whitish 
in the bird from Tonglu, contrasting strongly with the dark crown 
and ear-coverts. In the other race the supercilia are of the same hue 
with the lores and cheeks (4. rufosuperciliaris, nobis, passim). The 
throat, also, in the Tonglu specimen is much paler than in the other. 
A specimen of a CorypHEpDEa in Lt. Beavan’s collection is of an 
extraordinary pale grey colour, nearly as in ALAUDA RAYTAL, (B. 
Ham.) ; but I cannot venture to describe it as a distinct race. 
P. 8. The following letter on the Cetacea of the Chinese Seas, from 
R. Swinhoe, Esq., British Consul at Formosa, will be read with 
interest. 
“Some time ago you asked me for information about Whales, in 
these Seas. I have kept your request in mind, though I have not till 
now succeeded in meeting with any one who could give me information 
on the subject. My informant was many years at Swatow, off which 
port more Whales have been seen than elsewhere on this coast, and I 
will now narrate what I have been able to gather from him. Whales 
visit the Straits of Namoa regularly every May. They are mostly 
cows, and are usually accompanied with their calves some 20 or 30 ft. 
long. Some of the adults attain the length of 70 feet. When the 
opium ships were anchored off Namoa island, these cetals used to gam- 
bol round them in the night-time, making their proximity known by 
the loud puffing noise they made, which resembled the sound produced 
by the piston of a steam-engine. In the day-time they were to 
be seen putting their long heads out of the water and opening 
their immense jaws. ‘The Captain of a vessel broke the back of one 
of them with a cannon-shot, and the animal lashed about the water 
some hours before he died. He drifted on shore eventually on Namoa 
island, and was cut up by the native Chinese. Some enterprising 
Americans at Hong-Kong, on hearing of the occurrence of Whales in 
this Strait, fitted out a lorcha for their capture. The whalers landed at 
Swatow, built huts and erected boiling-vats, and then started to the 
pursuit. They soon, however, returned from the expedition, saying that 
the Whales were only Razor-backs, the same with those found off San 
Francisco, which are dangerous creatures to meddle with, and yield too 
little oil to compensate for the trouble and risk incurred in their cap- 
ture. The whalers took down their gear and returned to Hong-Kong. 
These Whales have very large flat heads, and smooth backs. Some 
