Letters Extracts, and Notes. 651 



Signor Peter Bonomi, in II. M.S. 'Odin' (Commander Pearce) 

 on a visit to Tristan da Cnnlia in January last. Signor 

 Bonomi reached his destination on January 23rd; and r •- 

 mained there until February l-th, when, after a short visit 

 to Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands (see Map, above, 

 p. 248), he returned to Capetown, lie brought back a good 

 collection of birds representing 12 species, which have been 

 divided between the Tring and the Cape Collections. These 

 wire mostly marine forms, but there are amongst them 

 examples of both the two peculiar land-birds [Nesocichla 

 eremita and Nesospiza acunha) which arc known to occur in 

 Tristan da Cunha. 



The American Museum of Natural History. — We learn 

 from 'The Museum's Journal' (vol. iv. p. 432) that two 

 large and fine mounted groups of birds have lately been 

 placed on exhibition at the American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York. One of them is a group of Flamingoes 

 from the Bahamas, the other a scries of Water-birds from 

 the San Joaquin Valley, California. The groups are twenty 

 feet in length, and have been nearly two years in progress of 

 construction. The Flamingoes, among which every stage of 

 this bird from the eg<^ to the adult is represented, were 

 collected by Mr. Frank M. Chapman (see above, p. 272), 

 while the background, which represents the breeding-ground 

 with nests and eggs, is the work of Mr. L. A. Fuerter. This 

 group fairly blazes with colour, which is enhanced by the 

 flock of birds flying overhead. The background for the 

 group from the San Joaquin Valley was painted by Mittell, 

 a Californian artist, and is a picture in itself. The birds 

 here consist of a flock of Black Terns, as well as Ducks, 

 Avocets, and other marsh-loving species. 



Western China. — In the ' Field ' of July 16th will be 

 found an interesting article (by E. H. Wilson) on the 

 opportunities for new discoveries in the mountainous district 

 of Western China on the borders of Tibet, between 99°-] 01° 

 E. long., and 26°-34° N. lat., where magnificent forests rise 



