390 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 



had escaped from some owner and flown here from Europe, 

 and if the date and other details of its escape are kuown. 

 I have preserved the skin complete with legs attached 

 bearing the metal ring, and should be glad to forward it to 

 the original owner of the bird if possible, — H. Thornicroft 

 (Native Commissioner's Office, Petauke, Fort Jameson, 

 North-eastern Rhodesia, Dec. 16)." 



There can be no doubt that this Stork was one of those 

 captured and liberated (after being labelled) at the Bird- 

 observatory {" Vo(/el-warte ") of the German Ornithological 

 Station at Rossitten in Eastern Prussia. This is a very 

 interesting fact, and it will be of still greater interest when 

 the exact date of the bird's capture and liberation has been 

 obtained. 



[P.S. — From the April number of the '^Ornithologische 

 Monatsberichte ' (vol. xvi. p. 63) wc learn that this Stork 

 Avas marked by Herr Franz Bahr, at Koslin, in Pomerania, 

 in July last, and commenced its southward flight about the 

 25th of August in company with two others from the same 

 nest.] 



Good Opportunity for a Naturalist. — The formation is 

 advertised of" The South Atlantic Trading Company," formed 

 with the object of shipping to Europe the large deposits of 

 guano stated to exist on the three islands " Gongh,^' 

 " Inaccessible," and'' Nightingale," of the Tristan d'Acunha 

 group, and to purchase the S.S. ' Pandora '' for the purpose 

 of the Company's operations. It is well-known that peculiar 

 land-birds {Nesocichla eremita, Gallinula nesiotis, &c.) exist in 

 these islands *, and there are, no doubt, other animals and 

 plants in them equally worthy of attention. It is very 

 desirable that these should be observed and collected before 

 the natural state of the islands is disturbed by the guauo- 

 diggers, and we hope that arrangements may be made for 

 sending out in the ' Pandora ' a Naturalist for this purpose. 

 Here is a fine opportunity for some of the younger members 

 of the B. O. U. to visit one of the few parts of the world 

 as yet but partially explored. The Secretary of the new 

 Company is Mr. J. Osborne Phillips, 4 Cullum Street, 

 London, E.C. 



* Cf. Nicoll, ' Ibis,' 1906, p. 075. 



