466 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



and at p. 256 of my edition of Andersson's ' Birds of Damara 

 Land/ I mentioned, on the authority of Mr. A. D. Bartlett, 

 that the skin which is visible on the " thighs and other bare 

 parts " of the Southern Ostrich '' is invariably bluish, ex- 

 cepting the angle of the gape, which is flesh-coloured, as are 

 also the cere and scutellations of the tarsi and ket." These 

 peculiarities are very similar to those described by Dr. Finsch 

 {supra, p. 352) as characteristic of the Ostrich lately an- 

 nounced as distinct, and seem to make it probable that 

 Struthio molybdophanes may prove to be identical with S. 



australis. 



Yours &c., 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Ridgway Ornitliological Club, Chicago, 

 June 5th, 1884, 



Sirs, — The following may be worthy a place in ^The 

 Ibis':— 



The Eidgway Ornithological Club of Chicago held its 

 regular meeting June 5th. The Club was reorganized under 

 its new Charter as an incorporation, and officers for one year 

 elected as follows : — 



President : B. T. Gault. 



Vice-President and Treasurer: Geo. Frean Morcom. 

 Secretary: H. K. ^oale. 

 Curator: Jos. L. Hancock. 

 Librarian : F. L. Rice. 

 Mr. Coale read a paper on the Blue Mountain-Parrot of 

 Australia, exhibiting specimens of the birds and a set of eggs 



laid in captivity. 



Yours &c., 



H. K. Coale, 

 Secretary. 



Ashridgewood, Wokingham, Berks, 

 July 20th, 1884. 



Sirs, — There is a slight clerical error in our paper on the 

 variations of So^icola monticola in ' The Ibis ' for 1883, 



