286 Letters, Extracts, Notices, S^c. 



seems to be a matter of pure chance. As regards his 

 geographical distribution^ the author appears to have followed, 

 as a rule^ a tolerably safe pilot ; but sometimes he ventures 

 upon a little compression of his own and falls into error. 

 For instance, he gives " Southern Europe " as the habitat 

 of the Rock-Thrush, a bird which breeds on the Continent as 

 far north as the latitude of London. 



XXII. — Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



We have received the following letters, addressed "to the 

 Editors of 'The Ibis'"':— 



Sirs, — I have had a poor season for collecting this year, 

 as business has occupied all my time, but I spent one inter- 

 esting day in a salt-marsh. Trupialis militaris bred here this 

 year in considerable numbers ; the nests (similar to those of 

 T. defilippii) were placed under tufts of high grass on high 

 land, and well concealed. The eggs are three in number, 

 large in size, and of a bluish white speckled with pale purple 

 or reddish, and blotched or lined with dark purple or reddish. 

 The Shoveler of this country [Spatula platalea) nests on high 

 ground, but close to the water ; the nest is well concealed 

 among herbage, and composed of dry grass lined with 

 down. The eggs are seven in number, elongated in shape, 

 and of a creamy colour. El anus leucurus was uncommon, 

 but a few, probably birds of last year, remained here during 

 October. Gelochelidon anglica, of which I sent home an 

 adult specimen in September (see above, p. 169. — Edd.) I 

 found breeding here this season. Its nest consists of a slight 

 hollow in the ground, where it has trampled down the coarse 

 grass. The eggs are three in number, large for the size of 

 the bird, and of an olive, or grey, or yellow-brown colour, 

 spotted and blotched with brown and light and dark grey. 



In an extensive but shallow salt lake, dotted with 

 numerous grassy islands and mudbanks, I and a friend 

 spent an interesting afternoon. On the largest mudbank 

 were many nests of the South-American Flamingo {Phoeni- 



