402 Dr. G. Bennett 071 n new Cussou~nry.

47. CoLUn1u.r -? - Choctum. ,4 qinglc speciinen of a Pigcon, probably referable

to Colunibn mumen, Tcmm. 4s. LI:PTOPTILA RUFASILLA.

Both thcsc Pigcons arc also from thc hot districts. 49. PLATALEA AJAJA, Liini. Sooii after I lcft Guatcmala in 1858, a ltosy Spooiihill W H Y

killcd by an Indian m a r the lalie of Ducfias. Don Vicciitv Cali- btancin now has this specimen stuEcd.

N. A.

50. Eumcrnrm ALHUS (Linii.) : Bp. Consp. p. 156. Whcn coasting up thc Belize territory in Api.11 last (1860), 1

saw two speciiiieiis of the Wlilte Ibis w a r Golden Streitin Keys. 51. EuuotI>ius RUBER (Linn.) : 131'. Consp. ii. 11.157. N. A. Rlr. Gcorgc 13aily inforincd iiie that this bird is very coninion

at certain S C ~ S O I I ~ about the shores of the lake of Yzabal. 52. CIIAUNA D E ~ ~ B I LNA, G. 1Z. Gray. This fine Scrcaincr IS probably pcciiliar to the forests of

Ccntral Aincrica. The type-specimen (which, as cvc liave bcen kindly inforrncd by Mr. 1'. S. Moore, the Curator of the Derby Rlriseuiri at Liverpool, is now stuffed in that collection) was re- ceried froiii BIr. Bates, thc collector, by thc late Lord Derby in 1843. It was captured alivc at Peten, and I q t libing for four months by cramming it with food. A second and fiiicr ewaniple in the same collcctioii i b la'uellcd as having becn purcliased from Mr. Leadbcntcr in 18-13. We are not awarc of the existence of this bird in any other European collection.

N. A.

ll.-Lelter f h n i Dr. G. BeNh'eTrr rcsp(d i ig (i riew (hssowary. (Plate XIV.)

[?'HE following letter from Dr. Gcorge Bcnnett relates to thc new Cassowary lately received by the Zoological Society of bin- stcrd;tni, the existence of which has been alluded to in a reccnt nuniber of the 'Annals of Natural IIistory*.' Thc accom- panying n1lnstr;ition (Plate XIV.) is copied from the drawing of thc hcad of this intcresting bird, kindly coniniunicated to 11s by Dr. 13cniictt. Rlr. Blytli has also bccn good enough to forward

Scr. i i i . ro l . VI. p. 113, note ( B u g . 1860).

Dr. G. 13ennett on a neiu Cassownry. 403

to us a drawing, by a nativc artist, of the typc-specimen of his Cmunrius ur io -a~~endzcu l~us , which was lately living in the Rabb 1Eajendra Mullick’s incnagerie at Calcutta. There can be no doubt, upou comparison of these two drawings, of the identity of the two birds. The Calcutta bird is evidently thc older, the casque being better developcd, and the yellow colour extcnding over the back of the neck, whereas in thc hnsterdani specinicii this part appears to be covered wit11 short feathcrs.-E~.]

“ .Itlienzmim Club, Ang. 1 i th , 1860. MY DEAR Sm,-Duriiig a visit to the Zoological Gardcns of

Anisterdaui, on the 10th of this month, I obscrvcd a living spe- ciinen of a Cassowary, differing in illany cliaracters from any of the hitherto known species. It appears to be about half-grown, being of about the same size as the last two Bfooruks when I sent them to the Zoological Gardens in the Itegmt’s Park ; and the casque is not yet developed. The cliccks are of a bluish- grceu colour; the throat circled, and of a bright ochreous yellow, terniinatiiig in a single wattlc. On each side of thc ncck there is a bare spacc, also of a bright ochreous colour with a slight crjnison tinge. In general appearance the bird othcrwisc re- sernbles the Conimon Cassowary of about the same age. These charactcrs accord so nearly with those of the bird nicntioncd by Mr. Blyth as living in the inenagcric of the Bat6 Rajcndra Mullick at Calcutta, as to induce iiie to regard it as probably of the sanie specics.

‘‘ On the label of the bird at Amsterdani is written ‘ Casuavius vrii-a2~enilicul~~tus,Ulytli : Geclbif Cusuai ius. Ship “ilgatha and Maria,” from i\loluccii IsIai~ds,’ without designating any island in particular; so that its true habitat is unknown. hlr. G. F. Westcrinan, the able Director of the Gardens at Rinsterdain, observing the intcrest I took in this iicw biid, kindly had the enclosed drawing (see Plate XIV ) inade for IIIC, which conveys an excellent representation of the bird. When thc publishcd description of Mr. Blyth, together with a drawing, arrives in Englaiid, it will bc decided whcthcr his bird is idcntical with the exaiiiplc alivc at hiiisterdani. There appears to be every pro- bability that sricli ir lihely to be the case.

“ I rcvnain, yours kc., “ ~ E O R U E 2 U N U N I : FT.”