392 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



On a new Species of Hemipode from New Britain. Ibis, 

 188.2, p. 428, pi. xii. 



We are glad to be able to add that Mr. Forbes's collections 

 and journals have been brought safely to England. We hope 

 to be able to give some account of his birds (about 200 

 specimens) in our next number. 



We much regret also to add to the list of lost friends the 

 name of our valued contributor, Mr. Thomas GtrisdAle, 

 author of the article '' On the Birds of Montserrat " in last 

 year's volume of 'The Ibis ' (1882, p. 485). Mr. Grisdale 

 died on the 31st of January last, aged 41 years. He was 

 Chief Clerk in the Receiver and Accountant General's De- 

 partment of the General Post Office. INIr. Grisdale was 

 • devotedly attached to the study of Birds and Bird-life. 



XXXV. — Letters, Announcements, S^c. 



We have received the following letter addressed to the 



Editors of 'The Ibis :' — 



Northrepps Hall, Noi'wich, 

 May 24, 1883. 

 Sirs, — Mr. Seebohm, at p. x of the interesting introduc- 

 tion to his work on British Birds, has the following remark : — 

 " It seems possible also that in some cases there may be a 

 direct influence of climate upon colour," i. e. in the plumage 

 of birds. This fact may be illustrated by the following cir- 

 cumstance, which, so far as I can recollect, has not hitherto 

 been recorded*, viz. that the " Scarlet Ibis," when brought 

 alive to this country in full adult plumage, loses its gorgeous 

 crimson colouring at the next moult and assumes a rose- 

 coloured livery, which it retains as long as it survives in this 

 country. 



* [But cf, ' Guide to Gai'dens of Zool. See. of London.' " Nothing can 

 be more intense in colour than the Scarlet Ibis, when its plumage is deve- 

 loped under the hot sun of tropical America. In Europe, however, it 

 rarely reproduces that gorgeous livery ; and at each successive moult the 

 adult birds usually become more pa^e." — Edd.] 



