Birds. 3729 



published by the Ray Society ; they fill up by the notices of new spe- 

 cies the voids there are in other works, and by discriminating between 

 allied species, make one very attentive not to mistake allied species 

 for the same in collecting. Erichson is the reporter for Entomology ; 

 and you cannot imagine the pleasure afforded by his acute criticisms 

 and discriminations ; it is delightful to have such a guide. You will 

 probably not hear from me again for several months, when I hope to 

 send you a collection far superior to anything I have sent you from 

 Santarem. I should have been on my voyage at present, had not an 

 accident happened to the vessel. Yesterday I took two new Diurnes, 

 and three new Coleoptera. Some flowers have appeared on the bor- 

 ders of a wood, where for months I never saw a good insect; the last 

 few days I have taken about twenty species at them which I never saw 

 before anywhere. The numbers of Celaenis Dido and other Celsenes, 

 Eucides, Thecla Marsyas, and other beautiful but common butterflies 

 at the spot is extraordinary, and would form an astonishing picture. 

 One of the new things I took there yesterday is a new Thecla, far sur- 

 passing in silky brilliancy the beautiful blue ones I sent from Para ; 

 there is a band of deeper blue traversing the wings, forming a start- 

 ling and unexpected style of Thecla beauty. 



" H. W. Bates." 



Remarks on Scolopax Delamotti. By the Rev. A. Matthews, M.A. 



While snipe-shooting on Pet Marsh, near Hastings, in the begin- 

 ning of last December, I was fortunate enough to procure a specimen 

 of Scolopax Delamotti. As I have not seen any previous notice of 

 the occurrence of this bird in the British Islands, and as the specimen 

 itself is strikingly dissimilar to any of its congeners which I have met 

 with, I hope the following remarks will not be thought superfluous. 



Many consider this bird, as well as S. Brehmi, to be merely varie- 

 ties of S. Gallinago; but whether this is really the case, I cannot, up- 

 on the evidence of a single specimen, venture an opinion. 



The principal distinction dwelt upon by those who advocate a se- 

 paration of species, seems to consist in the number of the feathers in 

 the tail. These, in the common snipe, they say amount to fourteen ; 

 and it is therefore a point worth our consideration, to determine whe- 

 ther this can be considered a permanent specific character. If upon 

 a careful examination such proves to be the fact, any deviation from 

 XI. c 



