776 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 



of Natural History. As ^yill be seen by bis excellent paper 

 (above, p. 581) bis observations are quite original and in 

 many instances very remarkable, especially as regards tbe 

 tongue-spots in young birds. 



Neio Inquiry on the Migration of Birds. — We learn from 

 ' Tbe Times ' of September 4tb tbat Prof. J. Artliur Thomson 

 and Mr. A. Lansborougli Thomson, secretary of the Natural 

 History Department of Aberdeen University, have issued a 

 circular drawing special attention to the work of the 

 " Aberdeen University Bird-Migration Inquiry.^' The 

 inquiry, as we know, aims at collecting more definite informa- 

 tion on migration by the method of placing rings on the 

 feet of a large number of birds, in the hope of hearing of 

 tlie subsequent movements of some of them. 



The rings are inscribed with the address " Aberdeen 

 University/' and a number (or number and letter combina- 

 tion) which is different in each case. The rings are to be 

 placed on young birds found in the nest, or on any old ones 

 that can be captured without injury. The rings, which are 

 of aluminium and extremely light, do not inconvenience the 

 birds in any way. The marking w ork is chiefly carried on in 

 Scotland, notably in Aberdeenshire, but is not confined to 

 that county. The inquiry has the support of Mr. J. A. 

 Harvie-Brown, Mr. William Eagle Clarke, Mr. William 

 Evans, and other Scottish ornithologists. 



