Natural-History Collectors, 3897 



glossy black, and shining like a rook's ; it had a white bar on the wings, and, appa- 

 rently, a broad ring of white round the neck : the others were supposed to he females, 

 from their duller plumage. The birds were very shy, and were carefully followed for 

 six miles before it was possible to get a shot at them ; and on doing so, the two re- 

 maining birds immediately took flight, rising very high in the air, and were soon com- 

 pletely out of sight : and although the river was carefully watched for several days, no 

 trace of them could again be found. 



Dr. Smith also exhibited a specimen of the red-headed pochard (Anas ferina), 

 which is not a very common bird in Scotland, occurring generally during severe storms. 

 It measured nearly 30 inches from tip to tip of the wings ; whereas, in Macgillivray's 

 Birds, it is described as only 25^ inches. It was shot on the Forth, near Stirling. 



A fine specimen of the gray plover (Squatarola cinerea), shot near Dunbar in the 

 beginning of February, and two specimens of the greenshank (Totanus glottis), shot in 

 the same neighbourhood about the beginning of February, were also exhibited, neither 

 of them being a common bird in the district. 



And, lastly, Dr. Smith called the attention of the meeting to a specimen of the 

 common curlew (Numenius arquata), which by some accident had lost nearly the half 

 of its upper mandible. The point had, however, become quite rounded, so that the 

 poor bird had contrived to pick up a rather difficult subsistence, even under such un- 

 propitious circumstances. 



Proceedings of Natural-History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 



Mr. H. W. Bates.*—" Santarem, November 22, 1852.— I now for- 

 ward the results of my Tapajos voyage, consisting of three boxes of 

 insects, a case of medicinal and economic Botany, a barrel of fishes 

 and reptiles in spirits, a few birds, eggs, nests, shells, mammals, &c, 

 the present being the only opportunity of sending them to Para since 

 I arrived. The vessel they go by is heavily laden, and I feel rather 

 nervous about the safety of the many precious things I commit to it ; 

 but there is no remedy, as there will be no other opportunity so good 

 till January. I wrote to you soon after my return, saying how unwell 

 I was at the time ; I am sorry to say I have been still worse, and have 

 suffered severely from the fatigue of the voyage and the unhealthiness 

 of the Tapajos, (nearly all the branch rivers here are pestilential) ; but 

 still I have had no acute disease, merely bilious attacks, head-aches, 

 prostration of strength, &c. Medicine only made me worse ; so I put 

 myself on a rigid diet, took gentle exercise, avoided close application 

 and exposure to the sun. For these reasons I have been unable to 

 send you many notes on the collection sent — only copying my note- 



* Communicated by Mr. S. Stevens. 

 XI. 2 A 



