Letters, Announceinents, ^c. 583 



The correct Name of the American Cow-bird. — The name 

 for the Cow-bird now proposed to be used by the American 

 ornithologists is "Molothrus ater (Bodd.), Gray" (seeCoues^'s 

 Check-list, ed. 2, p. 63, 1882, and Ridgw. P. U. S. N. M. iii. 

 p. 182); but I believe it should remain M. pecoris (Gm.), as 

 heretofore generally written. On reference to Boddaert's 

 Table, p. 37, it will be observed that he does not propose to give 

 a 7ieio name, " Oriolus ater,^' to Daubenton's " Troupiale de la 

 Caroline " (PI. Eul. 606. fig. 1), but merely quotes (as a syno- 

 nym of Daubenton^s figure) '' Oriolus ater, Black Oriole, Lath. 

 Birds, i. p. 445. n. 337.'^ But the synonym is incorrect, for 

 Latham's " Black Oriole " is quite another bird. Moreover, 

 when Boddaert intends to make an original name he usually 

 adds after it the word " m\\\\." Therefore 1 contend that it 

 is, at all events, doubtful whether Boddaert intended to give 

 a new name in this case, and that the scientific name of the 

 Cow-bird should remain Molotlirus pecoris. — P. L. Sclater. 



New Collections from Eniin Bey. — Dr. Hartlaub writes 

 that he has just received from Emin Bey, the governor of 

 the Egyptian equatorial provinces, a new collection of birds, 

 made in the country east of the Bahr el Djebel. Amongst 

 other novelties there are examples in it of a fine new species 

 of Wryneck [lyna;) and of the rare Certhiine form Hylyps- 

 ornis salvadorii, originally discovered in Benguela, the oc- 

 currence of which in Central Africa (as being so nearly akin 

 to the Himalayan Salpornis) might have been anticipated. 



Discoveries in East- African Ornithology . — Dr. Fischer, who 

 started on an expedition into the interior from Mombas early 

 this year, is stated to have returned to the coast, after pene- 

 trating far into the unknown district to the west and north- 

 west of Kilimandjaro. He is said to have remained some 

 weeks at Lake Naivash (a sheet of water hitherto unvisited 

 by Europeans), and to have obtained a large series of birds, 

 of which the German ornithologists will no doubt give us a 

 good account. 



News of Zoological Travellers. — Mr. H. O. Forbes, who 

 made such a successful expedition to Timor Laut, has 

 SER. V. VOL. [. 2 s 



