﻿Letters, 
  Extracts, 
  Notices, 
  5fc. 
  275 
  

  

  64. 
  Ti-aquair's 
  Address 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Physical 
  Society. 
  

  

  [Address 
  delivered 
  at 
  tlie 
  Royal 
  Physical 
  Society, 
  Edinburgh, 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  R. 
  H. 
  Traquair, 
  F.R.S., 
  on 
  the 
  word 
  " 
  Museum." 
  Proc. 
  R. 
  Phys. 
  

   Soc. 
  Edinb. 
  xi. 
  p. 
  173.] 
  

  

  We 
  venture 
  to 
  call 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  all 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  

   the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  museums 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Traquair^s 
  excellent 
  

   remarks 
  on 
  this 
  important 
  subject. 
  '' 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  

   that 
  all 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  a 
  public 
  museum 
  should 
  be 
  exposed 
  

   in 
  glass 
  cases.'' 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  exhibited 
  collection 
  

   should 
  be 
  as 
  large, 
  and 
  contain 
  as 
  well 
  selected 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   typical 
  forms, 
  as 
  circumstances 
  will 
  allow, 
  besides 
  objects 
  of 
  

   general 
  popular 
  interest. 
  Dr. 
  Traquair 
  endorses 
  Sir 
  William 
  

   Flower's 
  well-known 
  views 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  unfortunate 
  separation 
  

   of 
  Palseontology 
  from 
  Biology." 
  

  

  XXVIII. 
  — 
  Letters, 
  Extracts^ 
  Notices, 
  ^c. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  received 
  the 
  following 
  letters, 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  

   Editor 
  of 
  ' 
  The 
  Ibis 
  ' 
  :— 
  

  

  Sir, 
  — 
  In 
  reply 
  to 
  your 
  enquiries 
  I 
  have 
  great 
  pleasure 
  in 
  

   placing 
  at 
  your 
  disposal 
  the 
  following 
  memorandum 
  respecting 
  

   the 
  ^' 
  Crocodile-bird 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  February 
  or 
  the 
  first 
  days 
  of 
  March 
  

   1876, 
  I, 
  with 
  several 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  my 
  family, 
  on 
  the 
  

   Nile 
  between 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  cataracts, 
  noticed 
  on 
  a 
  

   very 
  large 
  sand-bank 
  near 
  Derr 
  (the 
  capital 
  of 
  Lower 
  Nubia) 
  

   some 
  crocodiles 
  of 
  considerable 
  size, 
  and 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  

   which 
  are 
  called 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  Valley 
  the 
  

   " 
  Crocodile-bird." 
  As 
  we 
  had 
  plenty 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  spare, 
  I 
  

   decided 
  with 
  my 
  brother-in-law, 
  Mr. 
  John 
  E. 
  Hodges 
  (who 
  

   has 
  recently 
  died), 
  that 
  we 
  would 
  spend 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  in 
  

   watching 
  the 
  crocodiles 
  and 
  the 
  Crocodile-birds. 
  For 
  this 
  

   purpose, 
  during 
  the 
  dark 
  hours, 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  small 
  pit 
  dug 
  on 
  

   the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  sand-bank 
  in 
  question, 
  and 
  

   about 
  the 
  peep 
  of 
  day 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  we 
  ensconced 
  

   ourselves 
  in 
  the 
  pit 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  remaining 
  some 
  

   hours, 
  if 
  necessary, 
  until 
  the 
  crocodiles 
  came 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  