Letters, Announcements, <Sfc. 95 



birds, wherein he has separated the resident and regularly 

 migrant species from the rarer stragglers. The former are 

 treated almost entirely as to their distribution, whilst of the 

 latter references are given to all the recorded instances of 

 their occurrence within the limits of the British Islands. Mr. 

 Harting has not instituted any investigations as to the authen- 

 ticity of the records in question concerning the latter, but 

 left that to others, merely directing them where to begin. 

 Yet we fancy there is room for the exercise of a good deal of 

 of judicial spirit when we call to mind how the recorded in- 

 stances of the Harlequin Duck and Black Woodpecker in the 

 British Islands melted like snow before a summer's sun under 

 Mr. Newton's and Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser's inquiries. 

 At the end of the work we have a new list of British birds, 

 which will also be useful to those studying the birds of our 

 islands. But such a systematic arrangement as there em- 

 ployed, in these times, cannot but be of an ephemeral nature. 



XII. — Letters, Announcements, fyc. 



The following letters, addressed " To the Editor of f The 

 Ibis/ " have been received : — 



Silt, — While at Shanghai lately, I paid a visit to Pere 

 Heude, of the French Jesuit Mission established at Sikawei, 

 a village about 5^ miles from Shanghai. This venerable 

 gentleman is told off to collect the materials for a Natural- 

 History Museum, which the priests propose to set up, illus- 

 trating the natural products of the province of China wherein 

 their field of work has fallen. The worthy father had visited 

 me some months ago at Ningpo, and had invited me to inspect 

 his birdskins during the month of August, should I happen 

 then to be in Shanghai, as it is during that month that the 

 priests from all the country round gather, for a vacation, at 

 their headquarters. I looked over the collection with great 

 interest, and will now state what to me were novelties. 



1. A charming little Hierax, probably the H. sericeus, 

 Gray. He says he saw a pair sitting together, and shot one, 

 taking it for a Finch until he picked it up. 



