Letters, Extract a, Notices, &;c. 481 



necessary sum, it appears, cannot be obtained at Bourne- 

 mouth, although every effort has been made. We venture 

 to suggest that the citizens of Southampton should take the 

 matter up, as the Hart Museum contains a valuable series of 

 Hampshire birds, well deserving proper display. The present 

 collection of birds at Hartley College is in bad order and very 

 imperfect, and ought to be replaced by another more worthy 

 of the city of Southampton. 



The U.S. National Museum. — In the ' Smithsonian Report' 

 for 1901-2 (recently issued), under the section relating to the 

 Department of Biology, of which Mr. F. W. True is Head 

 Curator, the accessions to the collection of birds are described 

 as follows : — 



A valuable series of East-Indian birds, 281 in number, 

 obtained in exchange from the Leyden Museum. A series 

 of 161 Brazilian birds, obtained in exchange from the Paulista 

 Museum, Sao Paolo, Brazil. Twelve birds from Cocos Island, 

 including several specimens of the rare Cocornis agassizi 

 {cf. 'Ibis/ 1903, p. 427). A specimen of the Thick-billed 

 Parrot (Rhynehopsitta pachyrhyncha) from Arizona, being the 

 first of this species obtained within the limits of the United 

 States, presented by Mr. R. D. Lusk. We also learn that 

 Mr. H. W. Henshaw has presented 14 rare Hawaiian birds, 

 and that Mr. A. Boucard has contributed 16 Humming- 

 birds in addition to previous donations. The collection 

 of birds' eggs has likewise received important accessions 

 during the year, amongst which are eggs of the Everglade 

 Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), of Vireo atricapillus from 

 Texas, and also of Larus schistivagus and Helminthophita 

 peregrina, both previously unrepresented in the collection. 



From what is stated in the Report of the Assistant- 

 Secretary (op. cit. p. 13), it would appear that the collections 

 of the National Museum are very badly housed, unless, as we 

 trust may be the case, great improvements have been recently 

 effected. " An inspection of the buildings," we are told, 

 " shews conditions which are very deplorable. Every branch 

 is seriously hampered by the total inadequacy of the space 

 assigned to it, and the proper disposition of the specimens 



SEE. VIII. VOL. IV. 2M 



