480 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &^c. 



New Work on the Nests and Eyys of Australian Birds. — 

 Mr. A. J. Campbell, of Melbourne, sends us a copy of tlic 

 prospectus of bis proposed new work on tbe " Nests and Eggs 

 of Australian Birds," on wbicb be bas been long engaged, 

 and wbicb will be largely based on tbe autbor's personal 

 observations in various parts of Australia during tbe past 

 ti\irty years. It is likely to extend to some 700 or 800 

 pages royal octavo, and will be illustrated by 130 pboto- 

 grapbic plates of nests, and coloured figures of some 200 

 eggs. 



Birds of the Western Altai. — In tbe account of bis recent 

 journey to tbe Western Altai, read before tbe Linnean Society 

 on tbe 15tb of December last (see Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool. 

 xxvii. p. 23), Mr. Elwes bas done well in inviting our atten- 

 tion totbis interesting country, wbicb is now rendered easily 

 accessible by tbe extension of tbe Trans-Siberian Railway 

 to tbe banks of tbe Ob, up wbicb Barnaul, the capital of 

 tbe district, is readily reacbed by steamer. Mr. Elwes de- 

 votes but few remarks to tbe birds met witb in tbe upper 

 valleys of tbe Ob wbicb be explored, and says tbey were 

 " not so numerous as he expected," altbougb " Cranes and 

 Ducks were plentiful in tbe marsbes." He found a Scoter 

 Ijreeding, wbicb he refers to the eastern form of tbe Velvet 

 Scoter, tbe (Edemia stejnegeri of Ridgway*. Game-birds 

 were " very scarce," but tbe Capercaillie, the Ptarmigan, 

 and tbe Quail were observed, and TetraogalJus altaicus 

 inhabited tbe higbest and barest parts of the mountains. 

 A single pair of Perdiw barbata witb newly-batched young 

 were seen in a marshy larcb-wood on July 18tb. 



When Mr. Elwes says " no ornithologist bas worked out 

 tbe birds of tbe Altai," he must have quite forgotten our 

 friend Dr. Finsch, who visited this district in 1876, and bas 

 given an excellent account of his expedition in his ' Reisc 

 nacb West-Sibirien ^ (Berlin, 1879). Dr. Finsch and his 

 party went up the Irtisb watersbed, and, crossing over to 



* (E. carho (rail.) of SahacUm, J). M. Cat. xxvii. p. 411. 



