68 Alexander Goodman More. [i855 



another man's credit so coolly, and then stilts himself up so com- 

 placently upon the stolen goods. There 's a simile for you. 



Do you know, from shortness of time, I rather " funked " degree in 

 May, and so shall not try until October ; hence I fear I shall not be 

 able to see you as I hoped next term ; but if anything should happen to 

 take me to Alma Mater, \ will make a point of looking you up. 



I have a friend whose brother lately sent him a magnificent 

 Penguin (from Australia, I think), and so I can easily ask him whether 

 the eggs are to be had. This is rather against principle, but I hope I 

 shall be able to quiet my conscience ; and it 's not quite so bad as 

 giving an order for the colony of Great Auks (to be brought home by 

 Mr. Dunn), doubly valuable because the last of their race. 



Can you tell me whether there is to be a Supplement to YarrelPs 

 2nd Edition ? Do try and put in a word for us poor fellows who can- 

 not afford to buy a second copy. What do you think of the new Edition ? 

 Is there much new matter, and are many articles re-written ? I have just 

 received the new "Zoologist" List of British Birds, and am very much 

 pleased with it : it is such a vast improvement on the last. I suppose 

 you will have seen that the Long-tailed Duck has somehow slipped out. 

 I hope you have not reason to suppose the bird has become extinct 

 quite yet. 



I saw the Chiffchaff on the 5th ; Wheatear, 6th (later than usual). 

 Are your dates much different ? I am quite sorry to find my whole 

 letter is made up of technicality ; but I have really no ordinary chat 

 worth writing down. We saw the fleet sail, but the day was too misty to 

 let us enjoy a good view of it. I went all over the admiral's ship about 

 a week before they sailed, and we thought them in wonderfully good 

 order considering they were in port. 



I expect you to do a good deal next term among the Warblers ; 

 but perhaps you have most of the Cambridge rarities about Thetford. 

 I mean Grasshopper W., Reed W., Tree Sparrow, &c. poor things, 

 I dare say they are not sorry that Julian has taken his degree, though 

 I am sure that his slaughtering propensities were often exaggerated. 

 Pray favour me with another letter soon, and believe me yours most 

 sincerely, 



A. G. MORE. 



Two more letters to Mr. Newton follow. That of May 

 1 5th contains an early version of his cherished westerly- 

 migration theory. 



RYDE, April 22nd, 1855. 



MY DEAR NEWTON, You will perhaps not have forgotten what I 

 told you about a friend of mine who thinks he has got hold of a third 

 example of Bartram's Sandpiper, and I should very much like that you 

 should stand sponsor to the bird in question. At any rate, the point is 

 worth inquiry. Should the specimen turn out to be rightly so called, I 



