Letters, E.itracts, and Notes. 401 



1907, was almost entirely made of the Buinbax seed-silk, 

 emmeslied on tlie exterior with the inner bark of trees lu 

 very long and narrow strips. The nest is hung high up in a 

 large tree at the end of a slender bough, and being so small 

 and well concealed with leaves is very difficult to detect. 

 The eggs are white and not very glossy. 

 I am J Sii's, 



Yours &c.. 



J. C. Kershaw, F.Z.S. 



Sirs, — May I venture to tresjjass on your valuable space 

 to call attention to the increase of papers of late years in the 

 ' Ibis ' which arc little more than catalogues of skins, and to 

 suggest tliat collectors should make more field-notes on tlie 

 birds they observe, and. that those wlio work ovit the collections 

 should pay more attention to states of plumage and any 

 addition to our knowledge there may be as to the status of 

 any species in any locality ? 1 am quite aware that collections 

 are frequently made under very adverse circumstances, but 

 pencils and note-books are not mucli to carry, while habits, 

 numbers, food,&c., and the state of the sexual organs would 

 not take long to record. 



Others points to which I should like to call attention are 

 the desirability of collecting our European summer migrants 

 in their winter-quarters and of recording as much in- 

 iormation about them as possible, and to the advisability 

 of collecting specimens in moult. 



These subjects appear to be rather neglected and over- 

 shadowed by the glamour of discovering new species, which, 

 however interesting it may be, after all is not everything in 



Ornithology. 



I am. Sirs, 



Yours &c., 



Lowestoft, Claud B. Ticehurst. 



March 13th, 1911. , 



Sirs, — You asked me to write you a " birdy " letter from 

 this island. I have just returned from an expedition into the 

 central forests, where I was fortunate enough to discover 

 the headquarters of Frwgilla teydea 2^olatzeki. I think, 

 therefore, you may care for a short account of this interesting 



