Letters, Extracts, Announcements, ^c. 169 



In this paper Dr. Stieda shows, from a study of the his- 

 tology and development, that the central substance of the 

 follicles of this peculiar organ is composed of, and derived 

 from, the epithelium of the " hind gut." The bursa Fabricii, 

 therefore, can neither be a secreting gland, nor can it be com- 

 pared to a Peyer^s patch, as has been done by some previous 

 authors. He has no additional information to give as to its 

 function in birds, but suggests a comparison with another 

 problematical organ, the thymus gland. 



XIV". — Letters, Extracts, Announcements, 8^c. 



We have received the following letters addressed to the 

 Editorsof ^ The Ibis:' — 



Sirs, — In Part xi. of his ^ Birds of New Guinea' (which 

 has just reached me) Mr. Gould says that we do not know the 

 exact part of the island of Celebes from where Gymnophaps 

 poecilorrhoa (Briigg.) comes. He supposes that it is " pro- 

 bably from the south -eastern portion of the island, where Dr. 

 Fischer collected." Now Dr. Fischer only collected in the 

 northern portion of Celebes, viz. the Minahassa ; and the spe- 

 cimen described by Dr. Briiggeman as Carpophaga pcecilor- 

 rhoa (Abh. naturw. Ver. Bremen, v. p. 85, 1876) was actu- 

 ally collected there. A short time afterwards Herr von 

 Pelzeln described and figured (Verli. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, 

 xxvi. p. 720, pi. xiii. 1876) a specimen of the same species 

 as Gymnophaps pcecilorrlioa ; this one was sent to the Vienna 

 Museum by Dr. von Drasche, v ho had procured on the Phi- 

 lippines a collection of bird-skins from various localities of 

 the East. An exact habitat was not attached to the specimen ; 

 but I suppose it was from North Celebes, as the Menilla 

 traders mostly only go there. Lastly, the Dresden Museum 

 got the specimen which Mr. Gould has figured, from Mr. 

 van Musschenbroek, who had killed it near Menado, as the 

 label attached to the bird proves. Therefore the habitat of 

 Gymnophaps poecilorrhoa (Biiigg.) is not doubtful : it is 

 North Celebes ; and the bird has not yet been recorded from 



