208 
Correspondence. 
ago " the. Cuckoo's Mate," the Wryneck too, as early and as frequentl}-, 
now never at all ; and yet the place is no more built over than it was 
twenty years ago. The same applies to the Nightingale, which I used 
to hear around my home every spring, but less and less frequently, 
and now never at all, and yet the place is no more built over 
khan it was twenty years ago. Is it that all these dear birds are 
jeareci in the land — destroyed in migration perhaps, for surely no one 
R-ould shoot these things — or is it only my unfortunate local observation ? 
(Mrs.) E. A. H. HARTLEY. 
Hastings. 
May 10th, 1914. 
SOME NOTKS OF THE BIRDS OP THE BRITISH SOLOMON 
ISLANDS. 
Sir, — A short time ago, when writing to my brother in the Solo- 
man Islands, I asked him to tell me something ,about the native birds. 
His answer interested me very much, and I think it may interest other 
niember= of F.B.C, I am then-fore giving a copy of his letter: — 
"As regards the birds of this Island (Ysabel); the most 
" rommon of all is the pure white Cockatoo [most probably 
" Ducorps' . — El).] . There are hundreds of thi'm. There are a lot 
"of other Cockatoos, green and yellow, red and green and 3'ell()\v, etc., 
"and all combinations of these colours. The prettiest of them all 
" is a grey one, with a rose coloiired breast, and green undi!r the 
"the wings. The most ciirious of them is a small one, which when 
" full-sized is only about 2^ inches long. You very often find them 
" right in th<' middle of a white-ant's nest., I had one of them in a 
"box, which I was trying to keep, but it would not eat. They will 
" not live in raptivity. All the others make very good pets and 
" wil' talk w<dl.'' [The details art not sufficient to recognise species, 
the bright, coloured ones arc probably Lories, Lorikeets, or Ecleetus 
Parrots of which Eos cnrdinalis, Lorliix rliJororcrciis, Triclioriloftuv.s mris- 
scna. Chani/oxyini mnrijariitir, and Ecleetus pccforalis are found in the 
Solomon Islands. The small species are evidently referable io N(i-sif- 
rnia, of which f'.nschi (4| inches), nolac (3.0 inches) and piislo (o] 
inches), are found in the Solomons. — Ed.]. 
" One of the most curious birds is the ' Mcgapode ' or Brush 
"Turkey. it buries its eggs deep in the sand, which acts as an in- 
"cubator. The young arc hatched, fully fiedgcd and can run iiko a 
"greyhound, and fly as soon as they leave the eggs. They lay mostly 
" on the small coral athoUs which lie off the coast." 
" We also have the Teal-duck, of which I have had many a 
"good feed. The other asset to the larder is the pigeon. There are 
" two kinds : one lives in the Mangroves and does not go far in-land, 
"both male ;uid female are a light grey; the other is the Bush-pigeon, 
"which is darker in colour and has a big red lump on his nose. 
"There is another J'igcon, which I iilmost forgot as he is so rare, 
" the ' Bronxe-wing ' we call him — he is only half the size of the 
