120 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, fyc. 
species amongst the new birds from Mortay, mentioned by 
Mr. Wallace in your ‘ Ibis ^ for October 1862, which Number I 
have only just received. 
2. In the same Number I find the description and figure of a 
new species of Ptilopus, by Des Murs and J. Verreaux, under the 
name of Leucotreron gironieri. I bad described and figured this 
bird in the course of last summer, under the name of Ptilopus 
geversi, in the ‘ Nederlandsch Tijdscbrift voor de Dierkunde.’ 
Unfortunately the publication of this work can only begin with 
1863, although nine sheets of it were printed six months ago. 
3. In this same ‘ Tijdschrift’ you will find a description and 
figure of my Ptilopus bernsteinii from Batjan and Halmaheira. 
Not dreaming that this bird could already have taken a place 
in the genus Carpophaga, I found, quite by chance, and only 
after receiving males of it in perfect plumage, that my bird is 
the female, or the male in imperfect plumage, of Carpophaga 
formosa, G. B. Gray. But I believe the name of Ptilopus 
bernsteinii will stand, as there exists already a P.formosus, men¬ 
tioned by G. B. Gray in the very paper wherein he notices his 
Carpophaga formosa. 
Mr. S. Stevens, agent to Mr. F. Plant, has received a letter from 
him, dated Tamatave, Madagascar, August 29, 1862, in which 
he announces his safe arrival in that island. He states that he 
left Mauritius on the 5th of August, and, after four days’ de¬ 
lightful sailing, arrived at Tamatave on the 9th. He found the 
letters of introduction kindly furnished him by Mr. Newton, M. 
Chauvin and others at Mauritius, of great use to him. Although 
he had only been there a fortnight, he had already collected 
about 800 insects, principally Lepidoptera, in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Tamatave, and skinned a few birds. As the neighbour¬ 
hood of Tamatave was not good collecting-ground, he was about 
to proceed to Alamazoatra, a village on the side of a large forest. 
He hoped to have a consignment of natural history to send to 
England in October. He says, “ The natives are more civilized 
than I expected to find them, and appear to have a great respect 
for all Europeans. I go about with them without the least fear: 
they are always ready to do anything for me.” 
