120 
Letters, Announcements, §*c. 
natives assert that it carries off quite young pigs; but no 
instance of this has fallen under my own observation. The 
adult bird would_, however, be quite capable of doing so. 
In confinement the bird became quite tame, and would 
utter cries of pleasure at recognizing the hand that fed it. It 
was not confined to a cage, but allowed to roam about, and 
during cold weather kept in a glass house. 
The bird under notice was, I think, a female; and during 
the period which might probably be its nesting-season, was in 
the habit of uttering a peculiar and incessant cry. 
The bird died quite suddenly, though apparently in fine 
condition. 
W. R. Fitzgerald, 
Major, late Royal Artillery. 
Framingliam Hall, near Norwich. 
November 13, 1877. 
Simla, Sept. 29th, 1877. 
Gentlemen, —I cannot presume to encumber your pages 
with a long dissertation on the genus Batrachostomus ; and I 
can afford, I think, to overlook the personal attacks upon 
myself contained in the Marquis of Tweeddale^s recent letter 
(Ibis, 1877, p. 388), in which he refers to certain species of 
this genus. 
A monographic notice of the Indian, Burmese, and Ma¬ 
layan species of this genus will appear (as soon as space can 
be found for it) in a future number of ^ Stray Feathers; ■’ but 
in the mean time, I think, it is of seme importance that orni¬ 
thologists should not be misled by the Marquis of Tweed- 
dale^s, in my opinion, erroneous identifications, and I desire 
to place on record in your Journal, very briefly, my views in 
regard to two points raised in his Lordship^s letter, viz.:—first, 
the distinctness of Batrachostomus affinis and B. castaneus; 
and, second, the distinctness of B. punctatus and B. moniliger. 
First as to B. affinis, Blyth. 
There exists in the Malay peninsula, besides the magnificent 
B. auritus, which cannot well be confounded with any other 
Asiatic form, two distinct rufous forms of Batrachostomus :— 
