Letters, Announcements, fyc. 
129 
tober 1846, besides about twenty reported as seen, but not 
noted down, as somewhat doubtful. 
I am, faithfully yours, 
Great Cotes, Ulceby. John Cordeaux. 
December 6th, 1875. 
Sir, —Through the kindness of Mr. Edward Newton, I 
have had an opportunity of examining an adult pair of Circus 
maillardi , recently brought by that gentleman from the island 
of Reunion, where, I understand from Mr. Newton, they 
are rapidly becoming scarce in consequence of a reward 
being given by the local authorities for their destruction. 
In f The Ibis * for 1875, I have given at page 229 some 
particulars tending to show that the race of Circus maillardi 
inhabiting Reunion is somewhat smaller than that found in 
Joanna Island. 
Having only seen male birds from the latter locality, my 
comparison has been limited to that sex; but the result is 
confirmed by the measurements of Mr. Newton's Reunion 
male, which I here give in juxtaposition with the other mea¬ 
surements, previously published but here repeated for the 
sake of comparison :— 
Wing, from 
carpal joint. Tarsus. 
Adult males— in. in. 
From Reunion, in the collection of Mr. 
E. Newton . 14*35 3*25 
From Reunion, in the Leyden Museum, 
as measured by Mr. Sharpe . 14*1 3*35 
From Joanna Island, in the Norwich 
Museum .. 16*8 3*65 
Also from Joanna Island, in the Nor¬ 
wich Museum. 16*8 3*62 
In the notice of the two males from Joanna Island, in 
‘The Ibis* for 1875, some particulars are given at page 230 
of the coloration of the tail and upper tail-coverts, to which 
I would refer, and at the same time would mention, for com¬ 
parison, that in Mr. Newton's Reunion male the rectrices are 
grey, but have acquired a brownish tinge where exposed to 
the action of the weather ; one of the middle rectrices shows 
ser. hi.—VOL. VI. 
