352 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



tliis species in our bazaar in my recent popular pamphlet 

 ' How to know the Indian Ducks.' 



Yours &c., 

 Indian Museum, Calcutta. Frank Finn. 



1st March, 1902. 



Sirs, — In the article in last year's ' Ibis ' on the " Birds 

 of the Yeiiesei River/' the two varieties of the Yellow 

 Bunting figured on plate x. are referred to as Emberiza 

 citrinella molessoni and E. citrinella brehmi of Homeyer. 

 I have searched everywhere for Homeyer's description of 

 E. citrinella var. brehmi, but cannot find it. Moreover, 

 wheu in Brunswick in August last I examined all the 

 Buntings in the Homeyer collection and the catalogues, 

 and could find no reference to this name, so that I can only 

 conclude that it has never been published. It appears, 

 however, that Dr. C. L. Brehra was the first to recognise 

 this form, as in his ' Vollstandige Vogelfang,' p. 414 (1855), 

 he describes it as follows : — " Emberiza erythrogenys, Brm. 

 [Ember, citrinella auct.). Unseren grossten Goldammer 

 ahnlich, aber etwas weniger schou rait weisslichen Fliigel- 

 binden, rostrothem Kinne und solchen Bachen- und Augen- 

 streifen bei in Miinnchen bei Sarepta." This form, therefore, 

 if recognised as a subspecies, should stand as Emberiza 

 erythrogenys, Brehm, and Mr. Zarudny's name E. molessoni 

 must sink into a synonym. 



Yours &c., 



28 Queensborougli Terrace, H. E. Dresser. 



London, W. 

 6th March, 1902. 



News of Mr. Thomas Ayres. — Many of the readers of 

 'Tlic Ibis' will be pleased to hear that the veteran orni- 

 thologist of the Transvaal, Mr. Thomas Ayres, of Potchef- 

 stroom, who was a frequent contributor to our pages from 

 1800 to 1886, has escaped the dangers of the Boer War and 

 is still safe in his home in the Transvaal Colony. Writing 

 to Mr. W. L. Sclater on Dec. 4th, 1901, he says that, 

 as it may be well supposed, he has been able to do very 



