Letters, Announcements, &^c. 115 



without reason, that much may be done for science in all its 

 branches in this part of the world, and that, looking at the 

 matter from a geographer's stand-point, time will be profitably 

 spent in preparing maps of the islands and in collecting mate- 

 rials for reports on their products, economic capabilities, and 

 physical condition. — Academy, 2nd Nov. 1878. 



A new form 0/ Certhiidae. — Prof. Barboza du Bocage has 

 kindly lent me for examination a skin of the very carious new 

 form of Certhiidae, from Angola, which he has lately charac- 

 terized as Hylypsornis salvadorii*. Although the form comes 

 very near Salpornis of the Himalayas in general appearance 

 and structure, I think Hylypsornis may stand as a good genus, 

 on account of its shorter bill and feebler feet, the middle toe 

 being especially shorter. I cannot compare the wing-struc- 

 ture, the skin being that of a bird in moult. The discovery 

 of this form in Angola (Certhiidse being hitherto unknown in 

 the ^Ethiopian Region) is of the greatest interest. — P. L. S. 



Additions to the Collection of Birds in the British Museum 

 in 1877. — The following extract from the Annual Parliamen- 

 tary Report on the British Museum for 1877 f is the portion 

 relating to the birds : — 



The total number of acquisitions amounts to 1890, of which 

 seventy-three were species entirely new to the collection, and 

 twenty-three typical specimens. The following accessions 

 may be specially mentioned : — 



Fifty-foui' specimens, collected by Captain Peilden during 

 the late Arctic Expedition; presented by the Lords Com- 

 missioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. 



* Jom. Acad. Lisboa, no. xxiii. 1878. 



t British Museum. Account of the Income and Expenditure of the 

 British Museum (Special Trust-Funds) for the Financial Year ended the 

 31st day of March 1878, and Return of the number of Persons admitted 

 to visit the Museum, together -with a Statement of the Progress made 

 in the Arrangement of the Collections and an Account of Objects added 

 to them in the year 1877. 



