650 Letters, Announcements, Notes, &c. 
After the Penguins the two Skua-Gulls of the Antarctic 
Seas are described—Megalestris maccormicki being the special 
form of the extreme south, while MM. antarctica was met 
with only on Macquarie Island. 
McCormick’s Skua has the distinction of having been seen 
in 80° 20’ S.L., which is further south than any other bird 
has been yet observed. 
The remainder of the volume is devoted to the Petrels and 
Albatroses, which, as we all kitow, are highly developed in 
the Southern Seas, and as regards species and genera are 
more numerous than any other Antarctic Group, although, 
possibly, not so numerous in individuals as the Penguins. 
Dr. Wilson includes 24 of the Tubinares in his list, of which 
16 are Petrels and 8 are Albatroses. Excellent accounts 
of the habits and customs of these birds are given, with 
critical remarks on the standing of several species. 
The quarto plates which conclude the volume are beauti- 
fully drawn and coloured. 
The 46 figures in the text also deserve our warmest 
commendation. They are mostly taken from the sketches of 
Dr. Wilson and Mr. Skelton, but Mr. Royds and others have 
also contributed to the series. As regards ornithology, at 
any rate, we are satisfied that the members of the National 
Antarctic Expedition have executed the task assigned to them 
in a most efficient manner. 
XXXVIII.—Letters, Announcements, Notes, &c. 
We have received the following letters addressed to “ The 
Editors 7” :— 
Sirs,—In your last issue (‘ Ibis,’ 1907, p. 483) you state 
that it is by no means certain that the so-called Cygnus 
davidi is only a “variant” of C. bewicki, and not a good 
species. | think I have sufficient material at hand to 
be able to affirm that you are quite right. 
The original “ Cygnus davidi”’ of Swinhoe (P. Z. 8. 1870, 
p. 430; op. cit. 1871, p. 416) is without doubt not a true 
