Ornithologists' Club. 131 



of its inhabitants ; but it is evident from Mr. Cowper's recent 

 archaeological expedition into that country (of which an 

 account was given at the recent Meeting of the British 

 Association) that these supposed difficulties are by no means 

 uusurmountable. Where the archaeologist can go the natu- 

 ralist can surely follow. The Editors of 'The Ibis ^ have 

 already sung the praises of Arabia Felix in their last number 

 (see ' Ibis/ 1895, p. 510). It is a pity that Mr. Bent did not 

 take a collector with him to Dhofar. As he neglected this 

 good opportunity, some ornithologist must follow in his 

 footsteps, and tell us what the birds of Dhofar really are. 



In concluding my remarks I will again urge upon you the 

 great want of a modern Handbook on the Anatomy of 

 Birds. Notwithstanding the labours of Garrod, Forbes, and 

 Gadow in this country, and Fiirbringer on the continent, we 

 have no convenient systematic treatise on this important 

 subject in a handy form. There is an enormous quantity of 

 knowledge available, but it requires to be concentrated into 

 a tangible shape, I may say, however, that I have some 

 hopes that Mr. Beddard and Mr. Chalmers Mitchell, who is 

 working with Mr. Beddard in the Zoological Society's 

 Prosectorium, will undertake this formidable task, and that 

 before long we may be gratified by having ready for use a 

 Handbook on the Anatomy of Birds, properly illustrated 

 and written in the tongue most familiar to us. 



Mr. H. J. Pearson gave an interesting account of his 

 expedition to Kolguev and Novaya Zemlya, in the yacht 

 ' Saxon/ during the summer of 1895, and exhibited a series 

 of the eggs of the Grey Plover {Squatarola helvetica) and 

 the Little Stint [Tringa minutd) from Kolguev. At his 

 request, the further account of the expedition relating to 

 Novaya Zemlya was postponed till the next Meeting. 



Mr. C. E. Pearson exhibited one of the nests of the Little 

 Stint, which he presented to the National Collection. 



Two nestlings of Bewick's Swan [Cygnus bewicki), obtained 

 by Colonel Feilden, a member of the expedition, were also ex- 

 hibited. These also were presented to the British Museum. 



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