Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 715 



opportunity allowed, on a new and greatly improved edition 

 of ray ' Nomenclature of Colors ' (1886), I am happy to be 

 able to announce that, after twenty years of necessarily 

 intermittent labour, this most difficult and tedious task has 

 at last been accomplished, and that arrangements have been 

 made for its early publication, the Plates being already in 

 process of reproduction. 



The new work will present nearly 1350 colours, arranged 

 scientifically and reproduced by a method which guarantees 

 a faithful copy of the originals as to hue and tone — in 

 fact, absolute uniformity throughout the entire edition, — 

 and at the same time as great a degree of permanency as 

 is possible with pigments now known to colourists. The 

 standard of the original work is, of course, retained and 

 as many additional colours are named as practicable. 

 Obviously it is impossible to provide names for all of so 

 large a number of colours; but those which are left unnamed 

 may be easily designated by an exceedingly simple system 

 of symbols, as may also the intermediates, both as to hue 

 and tone. This renders the work practically equivalent to 

 the actual presentation of more than 5300 named or other- 

 wise designable colour-samples. In short_, the work has 

 been so carefully planned and executed that I have no doubt 

 as to its adequacy to meet all the demands of naturalists and 

 others who have use for a comprehensive colour-nomen- 

 clature and standards. The new edition will be of the same 

 size (except for a slightly greater thickness, there being 64 

 plates instead of the 10 of the old edition), and will be sold for 

 about $5.00 net, or only $1.00 more than the original work. 



I am^ Sirs, yours &c., 



Washington, Robert Ridgway. 



Sept. 9th, 1909. 



The B. 0. U. Expedition for the Exploration of Central 

 New Guinea. — Mr. Walter Goodfellow, the Leader of the pro- 

 posed " B. O. U. Jubilee Exploration of the Charles-Louis 

 Mountains,'^ returned to England on Aug. 6th with a good 

 collection of living Paradise-birds, among-st which were 



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