Letters, Extracts, Notices, S^c. 177 



ideutifieation of the bird, which I handled in the flesh ; it 

 was in good condition^ and turned the scales at 2 lb. 4 ozs. 

 It is in the plumage of youth, but is in '^change/' and cor- 

 responds, in fact, to the appearance which was presented, in 

 the same month, by a male Faligula rufina bred in the 

 Gardens of the Zoological Society in 1886. It would there- 

 fore appear to be a little more than four months old. 



Yours, &c., 



H. A. Macpherson. 

 Allonby Vicarage, Cumberland 

 October 16th, 1897. 



Sirs, — Permit me to say, with regard to your note on the 

 way I spell the name of the British Creeper, viz., Certhia 

 f. brittanica^ (Ibis, 1897, p. 015), that it is not the same to 

 spell that name and the word Britain with two t's. It is not 

 necessary to suppose that I wish the Editors of 'The Ibis,' 

 or any one else, to spell Britain with two t's, but I am 

 justified in spelling the name " brittanica" as the author of 

 that term originally spelt it, especially since in all, or at 

 least nearly all old Roman manuscripts, the name of this 

 country is spelt " Brittania'' (sic), and the classical spelling 

 of the name is therefore with two t's, in spite of our modern 

 way of writing it. It is, therefore, I think, evident that 

 Ridgway purposely spelt the name of the British Creeper 

 with two t's and one n, and that it should be so written by 

 us, although we all write Britain with one t. 



Yours &c., 



Ernst Hautert. 

 Triiig, November, 1897. 



The Bird-Collections of the British Museum. — The Parlia- 

 mentary Report of the British Museum was issued too late 

 last year to allow us to notice it in our October number. 

 We now transcribe the most important portions relating to 

 the collection of Birds : — 



" Considerable progress has been made during the year with 

 the registration and incorporation of recent accessions. The 

 • Not " britfannica," as you quote my spelling ! — E. H. 



SER. VII. VOL. IV N 



