Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 353 



little collecting during the past two years, no shooting 

 having been permitted. But quite recently he has obtained 

 leave to carry his gun along the river in the immediate 

 vicinity of Potchefstroom, and has obtained a small number 

 of specimens for the South African Museum. Mr. Ayres 

 remarks that he does not quite believe in the so-called Russ's 

 Weaver-bird [Quelea russi) being distinct from Q, sanguini- 

 rostris. In the Potchefstroom district the Quelea nests 

 freely amongst the reeds, in company with Pyromelcena oryx 

 and Hyphantornis velatus, and lays blue eggs, which are 

 similar to those of the Pyromel(Ena and very difficult to 

 identify. Mr. Ayres believes that Quelea is parasitic, and 

 " often, if not always," lays its eggs in the nests of the 

 E,ed Bishop-bird [Pyromelcena) . 



The British Dipper. — Amongst recent '^ Promotions ''■' we 

 have to record that of the " British Dipper/' which has been 

 elevated to the rank of a subspecies by Ritter v. Tschusi zu 

 SchmidhofFen, as Cinclus cinclus britannicus [cf. Ornith. 

 Jahrb, xiii. p. 69, 1892). The author of this feat states that 

 the British form of Cinclus has nothing to do with the Mid- 

 European C. aquaticus, but is more nearly allied to the 

 Scandinavian C. cinclus (i. e. C. melanog aster, Br.). With 

 the kind assistance of our foreign friends we are really 

 beginning to know something about our native birds ! 



British Ornithologists abroad. — Captain Boyd Alexander 

 has returned to his duties in West Africa and has arrived 

 safely at Cape Coast Castle. Before leaving England, as will 

 be seen by our columns, he wrote for us an excellent account 

 of the birds which he had observed and collected in the Gold 

 Coast Colony during his service withthe Ashanti Expedition, 

 and he will no doubt be equally active on the present occasion. 



Mr. Henry F. Witherby left England on February 20th, 

 on a new ornithological expedition. This time he proposes 

 to go to Western Persia, and to work the country between 

 Bushire and Shiraz. He hopes to be able to penetrate 

 into the mountainous district north-west of the latter town. 



SER. VIII. VOL. II. 2 a 



