Letters, Announcements, ^c. 131 



The city, as here described, " rises gradually from the river, 

 and, embedded in trees and foliage, has a charming appear- 

 ance/" As there is a French settlement and Consul and a 

 flourishing Christian Mission here, there would probably be 

 neither difficulty of access nor danger for foreign residents; 

 and the country, lying between China and Siam, would be a 

 most interesting one for a naturalist. The nearest ground 

 ever investigated ornithologically, so far as we know, is Hai- 

 nan, to which Mr. Swinhoe once paid a flying visit. We 

 should be inclined to recommend Tonquin to the notice of 

 any wandering Member of the B. O. U. who may be looking 

 after entirely fresh ground (a rather difficult thing to be had 

 in these days) for his ornithological experiences. 



Death of von Heuglin. — We much regret to have to an- 

 nounce the death of one of the most active and laborious 

 ornithologists of the present day. Freiherr Theodor von 

 Heuglin, of Ober-Tiirkheim, in the Kingdom of Wiirttem- 

 berg, died suddenly and prematurely in November last — we 

 believe, from a severe attack of pneumonia. We have at 

 present no available materials for a notice of the life of 

 this distinguished ornithologist, but understand that a memoir 

 on the subject is being prepared by Baron E. Konig-Wart- 

 hausen for Cabanis^s Journal, which will, no doubt, do 

 him ample justice. Herr von Heuglin^s last and most com- 

 plete work is his recently finished ' Ornithologie Nordost- 

 Afrikas," which will alone render his name imperishable in 

 the annals of ornithology. We may add that within a few 

 weeks only of the time of his decease one of the editors of 

 this Journal was in correspondence with him on the subject 

 of undertaking a scientific exploration of the island of Socotra ; 

 so unexpected was his untimely death, and so ready was he 

 for further work of this nature. 



Irruption of Snowy Owls from the North. — Dr. T. M. Brewer, 

 writing to us from Boston, U. S., speaks of an unusual mi- 

 gratory inroad of Snowy Owls which has taken place in the 

 N.E. portion of the United States during the past autumn. 



