Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 377 



All the efforts to eliminate double names in the same genus 

 have no reason unless your contention be accepted. 



I only regret that you have not given your protest to 

 zoologists at large instead of confiding it to the readers of an 

 ornithological periodical. 



I am, Sirs, yours &c, 

 Concilium Bibliographicum, N. H. FlELD. 



Zurich, 28.U0. 



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

 New Guinea. — In our last number (above, p. 223) we ex- 

 pressed a hope that the B.O.U. Expedition under the leader- 

 ship of Mr. Walter Goodfellow would be able to land on the 

 south coast of New Guinea and commence work early in 

 January last. We are now able to state that the party left 

 Dobbo on January the 3rd, in the Dutch steamer ' Nias/ 

 and reached the mouth of the Mimika River two days later. 

 A base-camp was established on the 5th near a village called 

 Wakatimi, about 12 miles up the river, and the stores were 

 disembarked. The natives were very numerous but quite 

 friendly. On January the 9th Mr. Stalker, who had gone 

 into the bush unattended, was reported as missing. We 

 very much regret to say that further intelligence has arrived 

 that after several days of anxious search his dead body was 

 found in the river, but no details have been received as to 

 how it got there. 



The news was received by telegram from Batavia on 

 February 1, and had probably been forwarded by steamer 

 from the Aru Islands. With this telegram Mr. Ogilvie- 

 Grant received a long letter from Mr. Stalker, written from 

 " Amboina, December 24, 1909." In this he stated that he 

 had been successful in engaging the services of 150 carriers, 

 and was expecting the arrival of Mr. Walter Goodfellow, the 

 leader of the expedition, in a few days. He also mentioned 

 the dispatch of various cases containing collections of mam- 

 mals and birds, &c, which have been procured in Central 

 Cerarn, and are likely to prove of great interest. 



