472 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



Terns. Of the Knots I had no previous record here in the 

 month of May, but had shot them in February, March, 

 August (stragglers), September, October, and November. 

 They were in very good condition, and the rich ruddy breasts 

 and variegated backs were extremely beautiful.^' 



Ornithologists Abroad. — Mr. Arthur H. Holland has re- 

 turned to the Argentine Republic, and settled himself in a 

 new estancia, called '' Media Luna,^' about 40 miles south 

 of Solcr, on the Ferro-carril al Pacifico. We liave already 

 heard from him on the subject of birds, and have no doubt 

 that, as before, he is devoting all his sjiare time to Natural 

 History. Herr Ernst Hartcrt, having completed his cata- 

 logue of Cypselidse and Caprimulgidse for the British 

 Museum, and written us a valuable paper on the birds of 

 East Prussia, has left Europe for a yearns collecting-tour in 

 Venezuela. V/e fear he has selected a rather troublous 

 time, as the Venezuelans are in the throes of a revolution ; 

 but a traveller of such experience both in India and Africa 

 will know full well how to take care of himself. 



Dr. Bowdler Sharpe informs us that he has already re- 

 ceived a small supplementary collection from Mr. Charles 

 Hose, containing further spoils of Mount Dulit in Borneo, 

 and that he will give us an account of them in the next 

 number of ' The Ibis.^ 



The first consignment of specimens from Nyassaland col- 

 lected for Mr. Commissioner Johnston by his Naturalist, 

 Mr. Alexander Whyte, F.Z.S., has already reached this 

 country. There are some 150 birds amongst them. Mr. John- 

 ston writes from " The Residency, Zomba, British Central 

 Africa,^' on March 27th last, to say that he was then just 

 sending off a second consignment of specimens, illustrative 

 of the Fauna and Flora of the Shire Highlands, a good pro- 

 portion of it being from the Milangi and Zomba mountains, 

 ranging from 4000 to 8000 feet above the sea-level. As the 

 birds of this district are as yet quite unknown, the results 

 of the examination of these collections will be of great 

 interest to ornithologists. 



