of Alca inipeunis. 257 



Acceding to his request with the greatest pleasure, I think 

 such emendations of that list as I am in a position to make, 

 together with a general summary of their results, may not be 

 void of interest in this country also ; and I therefore publish 

 here, in the briefest manner possible, the particulars of which I 

 am possessed, M. Fatio having kindly favoured me with tlie 

 additional information he has obtained in the meantime. 



Easy as the task may seem, it is in fact very difficult (as has 

 been already stated in the notice to which I have referred) to 

 compile a perfect list of the skins, bones, and eggs of this 

 bird which exist in collections. For more than ten years, as 

 many of my friends know, it has been my object to do this, 

 and, ably assisted of late by Mr. G. D. Rowley, I have accumu- 

 lated a vast mass of materials in my endeavours to trace the 

 history of each specimen. I am still far from having obtained 

 this desirable end, owing to many obstacles which present 

 themselves. Upon these, however, I will not dwell ; their ex- 

 istence is not very creditable to the candour of ornithologists, 

 though the number of persons to whom they are due is small ; 

 and it is enough to say that I hope they may in time be over- 

 come, so as to enable Mr. Rowley and myself to append to our 

 contemplated ' Monograph ' a really good historical catalogue. 



Setting aside for the present all consideration of those speci- 

 mens whose existence, though indicated to us, must still be 

 regarded as extremely doubtful, the following remarks will, I 

 think, fairly bring M. Fatio's list to the level of the information 

 possessed by Mr. Rowley and myself. At the same time I must 

 not be understood as pledging myself to a belief in the exist- 

 ence of all those that I have left unchallenged. To facilitate com- 

 parison, 1 follow M. Fatio's arrangement; and in citing autho- 

 rity for my statements I intentionally limit myself to as much 

 as is sufficient for my present purpose. It is in nearly every 

 case that of an eye-witness. 



Skins. 

 (tERMany. — Add : — 



1. Brunswick. University Museum. Seen by myself. 



1. Griitz. Johanneum. J. W. Clark, in Utt. 15 Oct. 1868. 



1. Strasbursr. Town Museum. Seen bv myself. 



