743 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



continued in the Gallery. Seven additional pier-cases and 

 four large table-cases have been re-filled with new and 

 beautifully-mounted specimens^ and the old specimens^ when 

 of historic value, have been unmounted and the remainder 

 placed among the duplicates. The mounting of the new 

 specimens has mainly been executed by Mr." Cullingford, of 

 Durham. 



" Nine new groups of birds with their nests have been 

 added during the year, viz. : — The Stock-Dove {Columba 

 cenas); the Herring-Gull [Larus argentatus) ; the Roseate 

 Tern [Sterna dougalli) ; and the Sandwich Tern [Sterna 

 cantiaca), from Scotland, presented by Capt. S. G. Reid and 

 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant : the Avocet [Recurvirostra 

 avocetta) and the Black-tailed Godwit [Limosa Ihnosa), 

 from Europe, presented by Messrs. J. Stares and E. Earle : 

 the Ivory Gull [Pagojjhila eburnea), from Franz- Josef 

 Land, presented by Mr. F. G. Jackson : White's Thrush 

 {Geocichla varia), from Japan, presented by Mr. Heatley 

 Noble; and the Nutcracker [Nucifraga caryocatactes), 

 from Hungary, presented by Mr. C. G. Danford. 



" Rapid progress continues to be made with the re- 

 arrangement of the collections of eggs and skeletons. Since 

 December 1899, 14,000 specimens of eggs have been cata- 

 logued by Mr. Eugene W. Gates, and various large acces- 

 sions have been incorporated and made available for 

 reference. The first volume of the Catalogue of Eggs will 

 shortly appear^, and the plates for the second volume have 

 already been drawn. 



"The re-arrangement and determination of the bird- 

 skeletons continue to make progress. Mr. W. P. Pycraft has 

 completed the arrangement of the skeletons of the Ratitae, 

 and those of the Accipitres have been determined and partly 

 arranged. A number of valuable adult birds and embryos 

 in spirits have been added. The collection of birds in 

 spirits is, unfortunately, in a terribly congested state, owing 

 to lack of space in the cabinets, and it is now impossible to 

 find any particular specimen without serious loss of time. 

 * This is DOW published, see above, p. 731. 



