560 Palaornis Nigrirostris. 



besides loaded sheep, yet we did not hear of one being struck, nor 

 of any more stones falling. The poor Mussalchee lingered till night, 

 occasionally groaning, but generally perfectly quiet, and expired shortly 

 after we went to bed. The weather was changeable throughout the 

 day, and we had a little snow. This must be the rainy season in 

 this country. We saw a real Yak, a male of about five years : a 

 very pretty animal, with long hair, especially on the legs and belly ; 

 of a grey colour^ and a fine bushy tail, he was not quite full grown : 

 larger than a cow of this country, not so big as an English one ; fine 

 tapering horns, gentle ; led by a string through the nose, stepped 

 out like a horse. 



(To be continued.) 



Palceornis Nigrirosiris. 



To the Editor of the Journal of Natural History, Calcutta. 



Sir, — It having been asserted by high authority, that the Palseor- 

 nis nigrirostris of the Catalogue of Nipalese birds (by the way, 

 why was its publication discontinued after about a tithe only 

 had been given ?) is the young merely of Pondicerianus vel Mysta- 

 ceus, I beg leave to state, that one of my servants now possesses 

 a fine living male specimen of either species, and that he purchased 

 these birds respectively three and a half and one and a half years 

 back, when they were fully grown. It is clear therefore, that there 

 can be no mistake about their present maturity. For the last twelve 

 months I have had them under my own eye, and as they are now 

 in high feather and condition, I will give you a summary description 

 of the differences they exhibit in size, proportions and colours. 



Mystaceus is decidedly the larger bird, and has proportionally 

 longer and more pointed wings and tail. The upper mandible of his 

 bill is coralline-red, whereas both mandibles are black in Nigrirostris. 

 The pale cap, common to both, is of a purer hue in the latter species. 

 This cap is also smaller in Nigrirostris, extending to a less distance 

 towards the nape, and at the nape it is more nearly divided from the 

 green mantle by the two horn-like lines of colour, which in both 

 species curve more or less upwards from the ruddy front or neck 



