136 
Mr. R. Swinhoe— A Voice on 
The immature plumage of this species shows a resemblance to 
that of T. cardis and T. sibiricus —to that of the latter in having 
spots on the wing-coverts. Our species in this stage is more 
melanistic, and is a more typical Merula than any I know. It has 
not the Turdine under-spots of either the T. cardis or the T. 
sibiricus, which both of them partly retain till the completion of 
their second year. It even makes more advance towards the 
melanistic form of Turdus (or Merula) than even T. mandarinus 
or T. merula ; I mean it is more alienated from the Turdine or 
primary Thrush-characters of the group. 
On September 4th I nearly lost my life, being sucked under 
a cutter, moored athwart the tide, while out for a morning swim 
in the harbour. I mention this to account for my late dila¬ 
toriness. My system received such a shock that I was next to 
useless for more than a fortnight after it. I received the same 
day a box of specimens from Tamsuy. 1 could not attend to 
them, and they were consequently put away. In overhauling 
them lately, I find some interesting things among them which 
deserve special notice; but in the midst of Reports and Returns 
which overwhelm me at the end of each quarter of the year, I 
have not yet had time to draw up careful notes. The box in 
which these specimens were stored was neglected, and the 
outturn was in a sad state. 0, Dermestes vulpinus, that thy 
bump of destructiveness were a little smaller ! 
September 7th.—Another typhoon, finished off to-day with a 
south-easterly gale, brought to our harbour a large flock of 
Dunlins ( Tringa alpina) and some more small Terns. 
The live Buzzard ( Poliornis poliogenys) that I before men- 
■ tioned [Ibis, 1865, p. 545] as being in the possession of a 
friend of mine at Taiwan-foo, he subsequently gave to me. Its 
legs and a basal belt on the culmen of its bill were of a fine 
orange-ochre; its irides a fine clear yellow. It always held its 
head inclined to its right shoulder. I much desired to get it 
safe to England as a present to the Gardens; but it unfortu¬ 
nately died soon after reaching Hongkong, though it had lived in 
captivity in Formosa for many months. 
September 19th, I saw the Rock-Thrushes, Petrocincla ma - 
nillensis , about the houses of the town. They are now regular in 
