Letlers, E.v/racls, and Xules. .215 



feel assured that I have a firm basis to work upon, and 

 that if the names be proven wrong it is not due to wilful 

 iicglect. 



I am, Sirs, 



Yours, &c., 



GkEOOUV ]\r. ]\f.ATHEWS. 



Langley Mount. Watforil, 



November IHtli, 1911. 



77/e Dresser Collection of Birds' Eggs. — Upwards of twelve 

 years ago the Dresser Colleetion of Birds was transferred to 

 the jNIuseura of the Victoria University of Manchester, and 

 quite recently the Dresser Collection of Paltearctic eggs has 

 gone to the same Museum, together with the library of 

 books on ornithology and oology. These collections and 

 the library will be kept together as the '' Dresser Collection^' 

 and will be restricted to Palsearctic Ornithology and Oology. 



The egg-collection is especially valuable on account of the 

 extreme care that has been taken to restrict it to eggs which 

 have been carefully authenticated, and most of them have 

 a lull history. It contains examples of almost all the eggs 

 yet known of European and Eastern Palfearctic species, 

 most of them in good series and in full clutches. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of some of the rare species which are well 

 represented : — Turdus dubius, T. naumanni, T. ruficoUis, 

 T. varius, 2ini\ T. sibiriciis ; Savicolce albinigra, S.Ji/iscM, and 

 S. chrtjsopygia ; Emberiza rustica, E. pusilla, and E. cinerea ; 

 Podoces paiuleri and P.humilis; Calidris arenaria ; Tringa 

 canutus and T. subarquata ; Niimenius tenuirostris ; Ibido- 

 rhynchiis struthersi ; Fugophila eburnea ; Xema sabinii, besides 

 ten eggs of Rhodostethia rosea which show full variation. 



The library contains copies of many rare works, as well as 

 several authors' ''own" copies, interleaved with original 

 MS. notes; for instance, the late Dr. Jerdon's own copy of 

 the * Birds of India ' with his notes and the last letter he 

 wrote before his death. 



The authorities of the Victoria University will not fail, 

 we trust, to appoint a Curator who understands birds and 



