251 
the Avifauna of New Caledonia. 
point of New Caledonia; and as its avifauna closely resembles 
that of the larger island^ it may be^ with the rest of the Loyal¬ 
ties, safely included with it in a natural group. Unfortunately, 
exposure to dust, mites, and rats, in ill-fitting cases with 
broken panes of glass, has damaged most of the speciensm 
beyond recovery, and the defective preparation of M. Guil- 
lanton’s birds, both as to form and preservation, have espe¬ 
cially marked them out for destruction. Still they afford a 
good foundation for a list of that island^s birds, and the new 
species are so well marked that our wonder is they have 
escaped detection. They are said to have been in the cabinets 
so long that, in all probability, M. Marie must have seen them; 
and that they have been handled by some one who knew (or 
thought he knew) something about birds is evident from the 
fact that a specimen of an Australian Platycercus is marked 
in pencil n^existe pas en Lifu: and so also is a fine new 
Merula ! but that, as will subsequently appear, is a mistake 
of the critic^s ! 
We can but add that the novelties have so fired the zeal 
of L. L., that he has started off on a collecting-expedition to 
the spot, a fine opportunity offering. On his return we may 
perhaps have some further information to communicate. 
The numbers used are those of M. Marie^s list. 
4. Urospizias approximans (V. & H.). 
Several specimens, in full adult plumage, occur in the Lifu 
collection. We have not met with it near Noumea. 
5. Urospizias torquata (Cuv.). 
We have identified a Hawk, of which we have obtained 
several in immature garb, as belonging to this species; but 
we have never seen it in the full plumage described by Mr. 
Gould Handb. Birds of Austr.'’ p. 45). 
[N.B. I have received a very fine adult specimen from 
Aneiteum, New Hebrides, procured by the Bev. J. Inglis; 
its first recorded occurrence in that group.—H. B. T.] 
Falco melanogenys, Gould. 
Two magnificent females of this fine Hawk, in full adult 
plumage, have been sent us from the Ferme domeniale de 
