Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 685 



comment on my work with my own opinion. I did not 

 doubt Barnard's statement, as will be seen by reference to 

 my work (vol. i. p. 235). 



Campbell, in his ' Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds/ 

 which is the standard work on Australian oological matters, 

 described the eggs as spotted. He rejected Coekereirs 

 account, and also doubted the white eggs (' Emu,' vol. x. 

 p. 2J4, 1910) sent to him by Barnard. 



Inasmucli as Cockerell, Broadbent, and Barnard have all 

 stated that Rallina tricotor lays white eggs, the matter must 

 be considered settled. I have now received a letter from 

 Dr. \V. Macgillivray stating tliat his collector, jNIcLennan, has 

 confirmed the observations of Barnard and also proved that 

 the spotted eggs belong to Amaurorrds moluccana ruficrissa. 



I sbould conclude that there can be no doubt now tliat 

 the eggs of Toinirdus tricolor robinsoni (^= Rallina tricolor of 

 Australian ornithologists) are Avhite, while the spotted eggs 

 belong to the other Rail above mentioned. 

 I am, Sirs^ 



Yours &c., 



Gregory M. Mathews. 



Langley Mount, "Watford, 

 Aug. 25, 1912. 



Neiv Book on the Phasianidce. — A jNIonograph of the 

 Pheasants, on which Mr. C. William Bcebe, of New York, 

 has been at work during the past two years, is now well 

 under way. The work is being financed by Col. Anthony 

 U. Kuser, and will be published, under the auspices of the 

 New York Zoological Society, by Messrs. Witherby & Co. 

 The coloured illustrations are being ])repared by Thorburn, 

 Lodge, Jones, and Gronwald in this country, and by Knight 

 and Fuertes in America. These will shew the adult birds, with 

 backgrounds derived from sketches and photographs of their 

 actual haunts. The eggs, nestling, juvenile and first year's 

 plumage will also be figured. In addition there will be 

 upwards of one hundred photogravure plates of the nests, 

 eggs, and haunts of the various species. 



SER. IX. VOL. VI. 3 B 



