152 Alexander Goodman More. [i860 1 



DEAR NEWTON, Many thanks for your letter just received. I am 

 looking forward with great pleasure to meeting you on the loth. I 

 have got hold of the skull of the (?) Golden Eagle, which I will bring 

 up to London. I must confess I have strong doubts myself; but no 

 doubt you and the Jury of Ornithers will be able to speak with certainty. 

 I have written to Bond to try and persuade him to bring his Puffin 

 also at the same time, to see whether any light can be thrown upon 

 it. I wish he would exhibit his Woodchat's nest and eggs, since of 

 course these are very likely to be suspected. Why do you not arrange 

 to go and spend a day at Kingsbury, and overhaul Bond's whole col- 

 lection ? I do believe he could show you some very curious things T 

 he has bestowed so many years on the subject. I need hardly mention 

 the immense benefit your visit to him would confer on myself, since 

 your opinion on the Great Reed Warbler's and other eggs would be 

 of the greatest service towards deciding whether they should be 

 accepted or not. I fancy that Bond's eggs of "Little Ring Plover" 



are most likely just the same as the one which you saw* from Mr. . 



I am promised the loan of an egg, said to belong to the Pochard,, 

 taken in Bucks. I will try and bring it to show you, though I do not 

 know whether an egg is sufficient to make sure of the species. 



I am so glad to hear that you are intending to take a turn at 

 migration, and I wish you every success, for the subject is indeed 

 most interesting, and I am sure no one is better able than yourself to 

 do it justice. Pray let us have something more than the proof of 

 universal migration. At least I hope you will lay down some syste- 

 matic plans for taking observations ; for hitherto, observations seem to 

 have been made in such a random manner as to lead to no result. The 

 Russian scheme seemed a great step in advance, only I think his iso- 

 flight lines were laid down upon too imperfect a foundation. 



Nothing but a series of systematic observations and carefully 

 digested averages for different seasons, contrasted with temperature 

 and winds, would satisfy me ; but perhaps you think otherwise. I am 

 afraid Great Britain is far too small a space to give any really valuable 

 results as to migration, and our exceptional and irregular climate is 

 another still greater obstacle. I hope you will succeed in showing us 

 the way. For my own part I cannot hope ever to do much in this line, 

 not having access to sufficient books. Indeed I have often thought 

 the scheme was too grand for one head to accomplish. How would it 

 do to enlist the services of some of the best Continentalists, and to 

 draw up a circular asking for particular information on the most 

 important heads ? 



I was so glad to see that your brother is going to Madagascar. 

 What a fine chance he will have. I hope he will bring back no end of 

 new things. Hoping to see you soon. Yours very sincerely, 

 A. G. MORE. 



* This egg had been sent by Mr. More for Mr. Newton's opinion, September 

 27th, 1861. Mr. Newton at once referred it to the common Ringed Plover, of 

 which, however, he already suspected that a smaller race existed in Europe and 

 England, though it had not yet received sub-specific rank. 



