1922.] Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 599 



This is only the tliird occasion on whicli I have mot the 

 Hermit Ibis in the Sudan. The large number of individuals 

 appears worthy of being recorded. 



A few dozen Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis athiopica) were 

 with the great crowds of Hermit Ibis. 



S. S. Flower, 

 El Giza, Egypt. Major. 



9 March, 1922. 



Sudan Doves. 

 Sir,— In 'The Ibis,' 1920, p. 831, Messrs. Sclater & 

 Mackworth-Praed, when discussing Streptopelia turtur turtur , 

 state that it seems probable that Streptopelia t. arenicola 

 may also occur in the Sudan. It is therefore interesting 

 to record that we have recently received a typical example 

 of Streptopelia turtur arenicola collected by Major Flower 

 near Seunar, Blue Nile, on 14 Februarj^, 1922. It is an 

 adult female. 



Yours etc., 

 El Giza, Egypt. Michael J. Nicoll. 



5 March, 1922. 



Sense of smell possessed by Birds. 



Sir, — Referring to Mr. Gurney's paper in the last ' Ibis,' 

 a few years ago at Movies Court, Ringwood, we had evidence 

 of a remarkably keen sense of smell in Pheasants. 



Three old cocks and a hen from the coverts surrounding 

 the garden, removed and ate hundreds of crocus bulbs 

 buried some three or four inches deep ; this occurred in the 

 month of August, Avlien all vegetative organs of crocuses 

 have died off and disappeared. 



There was no disturbance of the soil to find the bulbs, 

 just a neat per[)eudi(;ular hole immediately above each bulb. 



To man a crocus bulb has no scent whatever. The 

 Pheasant must possess a very highly specialised olfactory 



nerve. 



Yours faithfully, 

 13 Arlington Street, S.W. 1. RosK Haig Thomas, F.L.S. 



14 May, 1922. 



