Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 341 



determined or have given rise to much controversy. For 

 instance, we may mention that the '' Ringtail'' proves to be 

 a female of the Common Hen-Harrier [Circus cyaneiis). 



Anotlier interesting pair of birds are the male and female 

 Capereaillie, which, if their origin can be sheWn to be 

 Scottish, will prove of great value. At the present time no 

 true British-k'lled example of the Capereaillie is known to 

 exist in any Museum. This bird became extinct in England 

 many years ago; but in Scotland and Ireland it lingered on till 

 the latter part of the eighteenth century, and in Pennant's 

 folio edition it is mentioned as being then "not frequent.'^ 

 The present Capereaillie of Scotland is of Scandinavian 

 origin, and was introduced in 1837 by the then Marquess 

 of Breadalbane at Tayraouth Castle. 



The specimens have been dismounted from their original 

 cases and carefully labelled, and are to be kept together, so 

 that they can be easily referred to. 



The Birds of Sinai. — In the last volume of the 'Journal 

 fiir Ornithologie '* is an article on the birds of the Sinaitic 

 Peninsula, which will attract many of our readers, as the 

 locality is one of special interest and is still imperfectly 

 explored. After preliminary remarks and a useful list of 

 the previous publications relating to the subject, Graf Zedlilz 

 gives us a list of the 104 species of which he obtained 

 specimens, or which have been positively identified as 

 occurring in Sinai by previous authorities. Two of these 

 are described as new subspecies, Ammumancs deserti katharince 

 and Cohmiba livia paJasthKS. 



Numerous field-notes and systematic remarks are given on 

 every species. 



The Museum at Brighton. — We learn from 'The Times' 

 that a collection of nearly 1000 bird-skins, the property of 

 Mr. M. J. Nicoll, is to be purchased for the Brighton Public 



• J. f. O. 1912. pp 32r) andoL'8. 



