MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES, 



117 



ject of a ^^nondescript bird" noticed some years ago, in some marshy ground 

 forming part of what, two years since, was the Guards' quarter in the 

 Camp at Chobham. In the July number, page 152 of that volume, a 

 communication appeared from Mr. J. S. Walker, of Porchester Square, 

 London, on the subject, and speaking from personal experience of a bird 

 similar in appearance and habits which he had met with in Australia. 

 Matters of pressing import at that time prevented my paying particular 

 attention to the subject; but in collecting my numbers for the binder, and 

 with more present leisure, it now recurs to my mind that, some years 

 since, I had a number of Australian bird skins given to me, and amongst 

 the rest the bird in question, namely, the Emeu Wren, and I think now 

 in my- brother's possession as a stuffed specimen, exactly answering Captain 

 Brown's description; a vivid idea of which was ever and anon floating through 

 my brain, but which, like many other such ideas, I have not until now 

 been able to realize; although, all the time Captain Brown was relating 

 the circumstance, I was considering when and where I had met with such 

 a creature. My impression, however, is, that the bird I speak of was not 

 quite so small as the Captain describes, and that its plumage, instead of 

 sooty black, was what painters call "vandyke brown." The valuable 

 addition made by Mr. J. S. Walker, to the account of its habits, makes it 

 highly probable that the birds are the same, though whether now extinct in 

 this country remains to be seen. — 0. S. Round, Pembroke Square, Ken- 

 sington, February 5th., 1856. 



Malformation of Plantago lanceolata. — In the February number of "The 

 Naturalist," page 45, the accompanying engraving of a curious variety of 

 Plantago lanceolata, was unfortunately omitted; so that a very common 

 plant was erroneously made to appear as if considered a rare one. The 

 remark was intended to refer to the malformation, not to the plant itself. 

 P. 0. Morris. 



