488 Letters, Announcements, i^c. 



Rotliney, Simla, 



August 25, 1879. 



SiRS^ — With reference to Count Salvadori's paper which 

 appeared in 'The Ibis ' of July 1879, p. 300, may I request 

 the favour of your inserting in your next issue the enclosed 

 copy of a letter which I have had the honour to address to 

 that distinguished ornithologist ? 



Yours &c,, 



A. O. Hume. 



"Rothney, Simla, 



"August 2.5, 1879. 



" My dear Count Salvadori, — I am grieved to find, from 

 the number of ' The Ibis ' that has just appeared, that you are 

 annoyed by certain remarks made by me, in a joking manner, 

 about a species described by you. In the first place let me 

 explain that I have three times addressed you on this subject, 

 once in a long letter referring to many other subjects as well, 

 and twice in letters simply referring to this question. These 

 letters were addressed 'Count Salvador!, Museo Civico di 

 Storia Naturale, Genova,^ and I am exceedingly surprised to 

 gather from your remarks in ' The Ibis ' that none of them 

 have reached you. 



" It was so exceedingly improbable that three successive 

 letters should all have miscarried, that you will, I am sure, 

 admit that I was justified in concluding that you did not 

 choose to furnish the information asked for. 



" Now it was absolutely essential in the interests of Indian 

 ornithology to find out what this species was, and the only 

 measure that remained to me was to insert such a paragraph 

 in ' Stray Feathers ' as should be pretty certain to elicit the 

 required information. As a matter of fact, my little, very 

 harmless, ruse has been entirely successful. 



''Then I see that you object to the word ' wretched' as 

 impolite ; but any Englishman will tell you that the term, as 

 used by me, involved no want of courtesy. When it rains 

 perpetually we English habitually say ' What wretched wea- 

 ther ! ' Now here was a species announced a dozen years ago 



