342 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 



Museum. Nearly all the specimens were obtained in 

 Sussex. They are said to include a Black-eared Chat {Saxi- 

 cola stapazina), the first British specimen obtained, and a 

 Baird's Sandpiper {Ti'inga bairdi), the first European specimen 

 obtained, besides examples of many other rare species. 



A "■ ritifj/ed'' Swallow taken in Natal. — 'British Birds' 

 for February reports that an adult Swallow which was ringed 

 by Mr. J. R. B. Masefield at Rosehill, Cheadle, Stafford- 

 sliire, on 6 May, 1911, was caught in the farmhouse of the 

 farm Roodesand, 18 miles from Utrecht, Natal, by Mr. J. 

 Meyer on 23 December, 1912. 



This is the first occasion on which European-bred Swallows 

 have been definitely proved to migrate to South Africa, and 

 is the more remarkable as it has generally been supposed 

 that our British-bred Swallows travelled down the west 

 coast of Africa, and it could hardly be expected that they 

 would spread so far to the east as Natal. 



The B. O. U. second Neiv Guinea Expedition. — At the last 

 meeting of the B.O. C. on March 19 it Avas announced that 

 news had been received by cable that Mr. Wollaston, in 

 company with a Dutch Officer, had reached the summit of 

 Carstensz Peak, about 16,000 ft., at the end of January. 

 Further particulars are expected as the news came through 

 Dutch sources and not direct from Dr. Wollaston. 



T/ie Annual Meeting of the B. 0. U. — Members are re- 

 minded that the Annual General Meeting of the Union will 

 be held at the offices of the Zoological Society in Regent's 

 Park at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9th. The Meeting 

 will be an important one, as a new President and a Secretary 

 have to be elected, and it is therefore hoped that there will 

 be a good muster of Members. 



Proposers of new Members should either attend themselves 

 to speak on behalf of their candidates or send a letter of 

 recommendation to the Secretary. 



