628 Letters, Extracts, Notices, &^c. 



Kilmoiy, Loch-Gilp-Head, N.B., 

 July 27tb, 1891. 



Sir, — It may be of interest to some o£ the readers of ' The 

 Ibis ' to hear of the nesting of the Woodcock in the Outer 

 Hebrides. My gamekeeper reports to me having found two 

 nests this spring. I am not aware that any such have been 

 previously recorded from the '' Long Island/'' and, from the 

 entire absence of both plantations and natural wood, few 

 would expect such a district to be selected. 



The only explanation that suggests itself to me is the 

 occurrence of such exceptionally cold weather about the 8th 

 and following days of March. 



I have no record of temperature from Uist, but here in 

 Argyllshire the thermometer was down to 16°, 17°, and 18° 

 several nights. 



Yours &c., 



John Campbell Orde, of North Uist. 



74 Jermyn Street, London, 

 August 18, 1891. 



Sir, — I have long wished to ascertain what is the species 

 of Corvus that inhabits Somali-land. Mr. Lort Phillips tells 

 me that he found a large Crow very common there, and de- 

 scribes it as entirely black in colour, and of about the size of 

 Corvus corone. He has also told me that the Great Spotted 

 Cuckoo {Coccystes glandarius) lays its eggs in the nests of 

 this Crow, and has shown me several eggs of the Cuckoo 

 which had been taken together with the eggs of the Crow. 

 These latter were smaller than eggs of Corvus umbriniis and 

 very blue in colour. I suppose that the Crow must be Corvus 

 affinis, in which case it would be rather a novel circumstance 

 that a Raven should be utilized by a Cuckoo to act as foster- 

 parent to its offspring. But I should much like to know for 

 certain what species of Crow inhabits Somali-land. 



Yours &c., 



E. Cavendish Taylor. 



[We have invited the special attention of our correspondent, 

 Capt. Swayne, R.E., now resident at Berbera, to this inter- 



