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minor papers on ornithological subjects. He was the father of Edmund 

 W. Gosse. the critic and poet. 



The Sixth Congress of the American Ornithologists' Union will be held 

 in Washington, D.C.. beginning Nov. 13. A circular of information will 

 soon be sent to members by the Secretary, giving information as to where 

 the sessions will be held, etc. The meeting promises to lie one of unusual 

 importance and interest. 



The British Museum has recently made an important addition to its 

 collection of North American birds through its purchase of Mr. H. W. 

 Ilenshaw's fine series, numbering about 12,000 specimens. The Henshaw 

 collection, having been carefully revised by Mr. Ridgwa_v, thus carrying 

 his identifications, transfers to the British Museum an authoritatively 

 labelled collection of North American birds, which will be of great assist- 

 atice to our English friends in determining just what American ornithol- 

 ogists mean by the names they give to American birds. 



The Report of the U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture for the year 

 1S87. recently issued, contains an interesting report (pp. 399-456) on the 

 work accomplished by the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mam- 

 malogv. Besides a general statement of the pi'ogress of the work by 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Division, the report contains the fol- 

 lowing special papers: (i) 'Food of Hawks and Owls,' by Dr. A. K. 

 Fisher, Assistant Ornithologist; (2) ' Experiments in Poisoning,' by the 

 same author; (3) ' Some of the Results of a Trip through Minnesota and 

 Dakota,' by Vernon Bailey, Special Field Agent; (4) 'Notes on the Depre- 

 liations of Blackbirds and Gophers in Iowa and Southern Minnesota,' by 

 Dr. Fisher. Two • Bulletins' are in press, one on the English Sparrow, 

 and one on Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley, the latter by Professor 

 W. \V. Cooke. The English Sparrow report is based on replies received 

 ••from more than 3,000 persons," in answer to circulars and "schedules 

 sent out b\ the Department asking for information. The preparation of 

 this large amount of material for publication has been assigned to 

 Professor W. B. Barrows, Assistant Ornithologist. 



Dk. M. a. Menzbier has issued a prospectus of a work on the • Orni- 

 Ihologie du Turkestan et des pays adjacents,' to be issued in parts, large 

 (juarto in size, with colored plates. The work will form six volumes with 

 eighty to ninety plates, and will be based on the collections and notes 

 made by the late Dr. N. A. Sewertzow, during his eight expeditions, 

 under the auspices of the Russian government, during the years 1857 

 to 1878. The territory explored extends from Mount Tarbogatac on the 

 east to the Volga on the west, and from Western Siberia on the north to 

 tlie Hindoo-Koosh on the south. The work will be based on ample 

 material and its publication is expected to extend over five or six vears. 

 The specimen pages and plates issued with the prospectus indicate care 

 and thoroughness in the preparation of the work, for which the author 

 is eminently qualified. The cost of the complete work will be about $150. 



