Letters, Announcements, 6fc. 123 



bare branch, as has been described ; he sends eggs, which 

 some day I shall send to Tristram. Also an egg which I 

 really think is that of Nestor productus ! ! It was found 

 on Nepean Island, and is quite unknown to the Norfolk 

 islanders. I certainly think it is that egg. What else can it 

 be ? He sends to me for identification the skin of Chrysococcyx 

 lucidus, not hitherto recorded from that island. The ' great 

 Snipe ■" o£ the island turns out to be Limosa novce-zealandia, 

 and the ' little Snipe ' C/iaradrius xanthocheilus. The 

 ' Sitterrack ' is Anous leucocapillus. He has sent a Zos- 

 terops in alcohol, all bright yellow. This phase of plumage 

 is not very uncommon. Is it not the result of breeding in 

 and in ? Fresh blood would never reach their small island. 

 I have asked him to investigate the breeding of the Petrels, 

 and if they vary with sex or age. This is all I can do in the 

 bird line.^' 



Neiv Works in Progress. — The next two volumes of the 

 'British Museum Catalogue of Birds ■* to be published will 

 contain the Cinnyrimorphse (families Nectariniidse and Meli- 

 phagidae) by Dr. Gadow, and the Dicaeidas, Hirundinidse, 

 Motacillidse, Mniotiltidse, and Ampelidae by Mr. Sharpe. 

 The former of these is nearly through the press. 



Mr. Salvin has most of the plates drawn for a mono- 

 graph of the Petrels (Tubinares), to which group, as we all 

 know, he has for some years devoted special attention. 



Dr. Buller, we understand, has in contemplation a new 

 work on the Birds of New Zealand, to be illustrated by 

 coloured figures of all the species, and has invited Mr. Keu- 

 lemans to run over and do the drawings for him ! 



Mr. R. Wardlaw- Ramsay is preparing a catalogue of the 

 magnificent collection bequeathed to him by the late Lord 

 Tweeddale. 



Capt. Shelley has in contemplation a list of the described 

 species of African birds. 



Mr. H. E. Dresser is projecting a monograph of the Rollers 

 (Coraciidse) as a companion to his nearly ready volume on 

 the Bee-eaters (Meropidse), of Avhich the prospectus is now 

 before us. 



