Ornithologists' Club. 189 



Africa which have now been found in Southern Abyssinia. 

 This extremely interesting collection is being worked out by 

 Mr. Ogilvie Grants and a paper on it will appear in the 

 January ' Ibis/ 



Turning now to Asia, I have to record that Major 

 Wingate, starting from Shanghai^ followed the Yang-tze- 

 kiang as far as Lake Tung-tingj whence he took a south- 

 Avesterly course along the Yuen-kiang through. Hoo-nan, 

 Kwei-chow, and Yun-nan to Bhamo. A Chinese taxidermist 

 accompanied him through this remarkable journey, and a 

 fine collection of birds has been forwarded to the British 

 Museum, where it is at present under examination. I may 

 add that a melancholy interest attaches to the beautiful 

 series of birds from the island of Hainan which now^ lies on 

 the table — the last, and one may almost say the dying, 

 contribution to ornithological knowledge made by that 

 sterling English naturalist, the late John Whitehead, whose 

 loss is sincerely mourned by myself and by all his brother 

 ornithologists throughout the world. 



On the whole, therefore, I think that there is no reason 

 wiiy we should be at all dissatisfied with the present 

 progress of ornithological work in the Eastern Hemisphere. 

 As regards the New World, we may now expect renewed 

 exertions on the part of our fellow-workers on the other 

 side of the Atlantic. They have, 1 think I may say, fairly 

 exploited the northern portion of their continent, and have 

 for some time been extending their energies over Mexico 

 and Central America. In the Antilles they have long been 

 at work, and some fice series of birds from the Neotropical 

 Region have been acquired by American naturalists. Let 

 us wish them every sort of success in their efforts, as in these 

 days it is more than ever important that the great Anglo- 

 Saxon community should unite together in eveiy branch 

 of work. But at the same time let us here neglect no 

 opportunity of extending our own knowledge of birds in the 

 New as well as in the Old AVorld. Even as I write I 

 hear of some important collections lately arrived in this 

 country, which show a renewed interest in Neotropical 

 ornithology. 



