480 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c, 



the 10th instead o£ the 12th edition of the ' Systema Naturae,' 

 the adoption of trinomial names in certain cases, and the 

 extension of the law of priority to faulty and misspelt names, 

 according to the American usage. In the afternoon of 

 May 18th the Congress assembled in the Museum and 

 received an account from Dr. Herman of the distribution of 

 birds in Hungary and an explanation of the collections which 

 had been made sj^ecially for the Congress. These, we are 

 informed, consisted of beautifully mounted cases of birds 

 with their nests and natural surroundings, and included ex- 

 amples of some very rare species. They were the work of 

 four ornithologists — Dr. Herman, Dr. J. von Madarasz, Mr. 

 Chernel, and Prof. Szikla, who had each occupied for the 

 purpose a different station in Hungary. After adjourning to 

 the building of the Academy of Sciences, Prof. Collett read 

 a paper on "Arctic Bird- Life. *' The concluding General 

 Meeting was held on Wednesday, the 20th, when the reports 

 of the different Sections and Committees were received, and 

 the Congress came to a conclusion. 



Obitnary. Dr. O. F. Kutter and Col. Sir Oliver B. C. 

 St. John. — We regret to learn of the sudden death in 

 March last of the German Oologist, Dr. Otto Friedrich 

 Kutter, at the early age of 56 years. Dr. Kutter was an 

 army physician, of late years resident at Cassel, and pos- 

 sessor of an extensive and scientifically arranged collection 

 of birds' eggs. Though not very well known in England, 

 he was much and worthily esteemed by numerous good 

 friends in his native land, and author of several oological 

 papers in the ' Journal fUr Ornithologie.* He also bore the 

 reputation of an excellent field-naturalist. 



We have also to record with much sorrow the untimely 

 death at Ouetta, on June 4th, of Col. Sir Oliver Beauchamp 

 Coventry St. John, Member of the B. O. U. We hope to be 

 able to give a biographical notice of our much esteemed 

 associate in the next number of ' The Ibis.' 



