Letters, Extracts, Notices, S^c. 581 



example of the bird he ever kuew to be taken on the island. 

 It was captured alive. 



Yours &c., 



H. Lloyd Patterson. 



Habits of Neivton's Bower-bird. — At the Meeting of the 

 Royal Society of Queensland held on June 14th last, as we 

 learn from *' Nature/ Mr. C. W. De Vis read a paper on 

 two recent additions to the Avifauna of the Colony — Priono- 

 dura newtoniana "^ and Acanthiza squamata. 



The former, which had been found on the highlands north 

 of Yerberton, was minutely described by Mr. De Vis, as also 

 were its habits of life. Two specimens, a male and a female, 

 were exhibited. A peculiarity noticed was the extraordinary 

 size of the bowers which these birds construct. These were 

 made of small sticks and twigs, piled up almost horizontally 

 round trees to a height of from 4-6 feet. In addition to 

 these they built numbers of dwarf, hut-like fabrics, which 

 gave to these structures the appearance of a miniature blacks^ 

 camp. 



Parliamentary Report on the British Museum. — In the Par- 

 liamentary Eeport of the British Museum for this year, we 

 find special record of the " magnificent gift " made by Mr. F. 

 DuCane Godman,F.R.S., of the Henshaw Collection of North- 

 American birds, containing a series of 1100 skins, which 

 have all been carefully named by leading American ornitho- 

 logists. Altogether no less than 20,279 additions were made 

 to the National Ornithological Collection in 1888, amongst 

 which the following are specified as being of special in- 

 terest : — 



Seventy-six specimens of British birds, presented by Theo- 

 dore Fisher, Esq. ; fifty-three eggs of Guillemots and Razor- 

 bills from riamborough Head, presented by the Earl of 

 Londesborough ; a specimen of the Isabelline Wheatear 

 [Saxicola isabellina) shot in Cumberland, presented by the 



* [A new generic form of Bower-birds, lately described by Mr. De Vis. 

 See Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. vii. p. 561 (1883).— Ed.J 



