Letters, Extracts, Notices, &;c. 141 



until some other place could be found for its reception. It 

 is to be hoped that the Municipality are fully aware of the 

 value of this collection, and that they will see that proper 

 care is taken of it. Such an important and flourishing city 

 might well afford a better building for the display of its Col- 

 lection of Natural History. 



Protection of the Sea-birds on the Fame Islands. — Mr. 

 Hugb Barclay sends us a copy of his report to the sub- 

 scribers to the fund for the preservation of the sea-birds on 

 the Fame Islands during the past year, from which we ex- 

 tract the following passages, showing the amount of success 

 that has attended this highly laudable enterprise ; — ■ 



"Notwithstanding a certain amount of opposition from 

 fishermen residing near the islands, I think the birds were 

 very fairly protected during the breeding-season. I visited 

 the islands on three occasions, and have no reason to be dis- 

 satisfied with what I saw. ]\Iy last visit was on the 21st of 

 July, and I was glad to see large numbers of young birds of 

 all species Avhicli usually resort to the Fames during the 

 nesting-season, thus proving that the means adopted for pre- 

 serving the eggs had been effectual. The season was a most 

 disastrous one, and large quantities of nestlings were de- 

 stroyed by the rains and cold weather in the early part of 

 July. This was very apparent on the Inner Fames, where 

 the number of dead nestlings fully confirmed the reports I 

 occasionally received from the watchers. My limited ac- 

 quaintance with the islands previous to this year prevents me 

 from giving any comparative statement as to increase or other- 

 wise in any particular species of bird, but it should be borne 

 in mind that during the breeding-season of 1887 hardly a 

 single egg w^as left on the islands before the 15th of June, 

 when steps were taken to put a stop to further mischief. 

 The following information may be interesting. The watcher 

 on the Inner Fames reported on the 15th July, ' I am 

 rather doubtful I will not be able to answer your questions 

 with anything like accuracy, but taking my nearest calcu- 

 lation I think there will be about 150 Sandwich Terns hatched 



