062 Letters, Extracts, and Notices. 



saw a Grey Creeper, instead of a Grey Warbler (very similar 

 in appearance and manner of flight), "feeding a young 

 Cuckoo." In the case of the Bell-bird, all that is alleged 

 is that a Cuckoo was "seen sitting on a nest" ; and in that 

 of Zosterops, an egg of a dark colour " tapering to one end " 

 was found in the nest and a Cuckoo was " seen coming out 

 of the tree." To my mind much more conclusive evidence 

 must be forthcoming before such isolated cases as these can 

 be regarded as established. As regards the Grey Warbler, 

 however, there are innumerable well-authenticated cases of 

 that species being a foster-mother of Urodynamis all over 



the country. 



Yours &c, 

 .3/4 Great Winchester Street, Walter L. Buller. 



London, E.C., 

 July 21, 1904. 



Sirs, — Mr. Hugh S. Gladstone's "Note on the Decrease 

 in the Weight of Eggs as Incubation advances " {' Ibis/ 

 1904, p. 376) shews the average decrease in Pheasants' eggs 

 to be a little over 14 per cent. In 1902 I made some 

 experiments as to weight of eggs of the Song-Thrush and 

 Blackbird, and came to the conclusion that during the 

 period of incubation the decrease amounted to about 

 15 per cent, (see 'Irish Naturalist/ vol. xi. p. 237). It is 

 gratifying to find that these results approach each other 



so closely. 



Yours &c, 

 Hillsborough, Co. Down, Nevin H. Foster. 



22nd July, 1904. 



Sirs, — In the July number of the ' Ibis' (above, p. 440) 

 Mr. Hartert states that " Mr. Oates was the first to describe 

 properly the Pipit now known under the name of [Anthus~] 

 maculatus." 



I cannot agree to this. Oates's ' Birds of Burmah/ 

 vol. i., in which the description cited by Mr. Hartert 

 appeared, was published in 1883. Now the distinction 

 between the two forms Anthus trivialis and Anthus macu- 



