Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, i^c. 297 



j)lanatioii of Temminck^s specific uanie pomarinus, which, he says, 

 ought to be written pomarhinus [sc. pomatorhinus^,hc[ug derived 

 from TTOifxa, operculum, and plv, nasus. Altogether the author 

 swells the number of properly Icelandic birds to 82, giving besides 

 21 more as stragglers; but of the former number some possess 

 very questionable specific value, as Corvus leucophaus and Trinya 

 schinzi (Brehm). The avi-fauna of Iceland is still far from being 

 accurately determined. From the excellent writings of Faber, 

 supplemented by Mr. Proctor's communications to the works of 

 our own Yarrell and Hewitson and the instructive papers by 

 Dr. Kriiper in the ' Naumanuia ' for 1857, we know its almost ex- 

 clusively palaearctic character; indeed, but three species, Lagopus 

 islandurum, Fab., Anas histrionica, and A. harrovii, are met with 

 there which do not inhabit some parts of Europe; but, as to the 

 details of its ornithology, we are sure we have still much to 

 learn. For the sake of those of our readers who are interested 

 in the history of the Great Auk, we must not omit to add that 

 Herr Preyer announces that he is preparing a separate work 

 upon it. 



XXXIII. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 

 We have received the following letters : — 



18 Bessborough Street, Pimlico, S.W., 

 May 27, 1862. 



To the Editor of ' The Ibis.' 



Sir, — In your Number for April 1862 I find a most interest- 

 ing paper, by Dr. J. Reinhardt, on the afiinities of the Balceniceps, 

 translated from the ' Transactions ' of the Royal Danish Scientific 

 Society for i\.pril 1861, pp. 135-154. At the time wlien this 

 was written. Professor Reinhardt had seen only the abstract 

 of my paper on the bird in question; but, as I learn from my 

 friend Mr. Alfred Newton, he has, since that time, done me the 

 honour £o go through the weary length of my larger memoir. 

 We are, however, still separated in opinion ; for whilst Dr. 

 Reinhardt considers the bird to be a large Scopine Stork, I make it 

 a gigantic Cancromine Heron. I believe that an hour's mutual 

 converse would bring us to one mind — he yielding to me so much 



