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  157 
  

  

  gress 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  towards 
  bringing 
  the 
  birds 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  

   satisfactory 
  state. 
  Tiie 
  boxes 
  of 
  skins 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  " 
  in- 
  

   accessil)le 
  ^^ 
  in 
  1891 
  have 
  been 
  opened 
  and 
  examined, 
  and 
  

   rough 
  lists 
  have 
  l)een 
  made 
  of 
  their 
  contents. 
  Tliey 
  can 
  

   now 
  be 
  inspected 
  by 
  any 
  one 
  desirous 
  of 
  seeing 
  them. 
  But 
  

   the 
  specimens 
  are 
  still, 
  in 
  many 
  cases, 
  stored 
  in 
  huge 
  un- 
  

   manageable 
  chests, 
  which 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  several 
  different 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  building. 
  What 
  ornithologists 
  would 
  wish 
  is 
  that 
  all 
  

   the 
  unmounted 
  skins 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  collections, 
  probably 
  

   some 
  4000 
  or 
  5000 
  in 
  number, 
  should 
  be 
  brought 
  together 
  

   into 
  one 
  room, 
  labelled 
  and 
  classified, 
  and 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  series, 
  either 
  in 
  cabinets 
  or 
  in 
  convenient 
  boxes, 
  so 
  

   that 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  any 
  particular 
  group 
  might 
  be 
  

   seen 
  together. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  vacant 
  " 
  upper 
  chamber 
  " 
  Avhich 
  

   would 
  answer 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  very 
  well, 
  if 
  the 
  Delegates 
  of 
  

   the 
  Museum 
  could 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  devote 
  it 
  to 
  this 
  object. 
  

   Besides 
  tlie 
  Burchell 
  Collection, 
  which, 
  I 
  believe, 
  was 
  in- 
  

   herited 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  Ashmolean 
  Museum, 
  and 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  contains 
  many 
  " 
  types 
  ^' 
  long 
  lost 
  sight 
  of, 
  there 
  are 
  

   series 
  of 
  skins 
  from 
  Europe 
  and 
  Australia 
  (/^(?e(/), 
  from 
  Bi^itish 
  

   India 
  [Lord 
  Northbrook), 
  from 
  New 
  Gfuinea 
  {Lawes), 
  and 
  

   from 
  Borneo 
  {Treacher). 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  European 
  set 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Hope 
  Collections, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Sir 
  Harford 
  Brydges. 
  All 
  these 
  should 
  be 
  

   brought 
  together 
  and 
  amalgamated 
  into 
  one 
  series. 
  — 
  P. 
  L. 
  S. 
  

  

  The 
  Godwin- 
  Austen 
  Collection 
  of 
  Birds. 
  — 
  Lt.-Col. 
  II. 
  II. 
  

   Godwin-Austen, 
  r.R.S., 
  wishes 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  his 
  collection 
  of 
  

   N.E. 
  Indian 
  birds. 
  It 
  contains 
  about 
  3730 
  skins, 
  in 
  good 
  

   condition, 
  representing 
  592 
  species, 
  and 
  was 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  

   years 
  1868-1877 
  by 
  himself 
  and 
  by 
  collectors 
  under 
  his 
  

   orders 
  during 
  his 
  service 
  with 
  the 
  Topographical 
  Survey 
  in 
  

   the 
  Garo, 
  Khasi, 
  Jaintia, 
  North 
  Caehar, 
  Naga, 
  and 
  Munipur 
  

   Hills, 
  in 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Sylhet, 
  Caehar, 
  and 
  Mymensing, 
  aud 
  

   in 
  the 
  Assam 
  Valley 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  Sadya. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  

   series 
  from 
  the 
  Dafia 
  and 
  Mishmi 
  Hills, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Brahma- 
  

   putra. 
  The 
  exact 
  localities 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  labels, 
  and 
  the 
  dates 
  

   and 
  sexes 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  most 
  cases. 
  There 
  are 
  18 
  types 
  or 
  

  

  