658 Letters, Announcements, Notes, &c. 
Hirundines, Muscicap, Laniine, and Gymnorhinie. This 
arrangement was based not on osteological characters alone, 
but also on the evidence of pterylosis and certain wing- 
muscles, 
The author proposed to include the Vireonide in the 
Muscicapidee, and the Vireolaniide in the Gymnorhine. 
With this last group he proposed, tentatively at any rate, to 
place the Paradiseide, inasmuch as there seemed good 
reason for continuing to regard these birds as near allies of 
the Corvide. 
New British Antarctic Expedition—A new expedition to 
the South Polar Regions has been organized by Lieut. BE. H. 
Shackleton, an officer of the National Antarctic Expedition, 
who proposes to leave New Zealand in the ‘Nimrod? early 
next year, and to establish his headquarters on some spot on 
King Edward-the-Seventh’s Land, thence to make excursions 
into the unknown interior. Besides dogs and ponies, a motor- 
car (of special construction) is to be taken. Two biologists, 
Mr. James Murray and Mr. A. F. Mackay (Junior Surgeon), 
are to be members of the expedition. During the winter 
special attention will be paid to the breeding and nesting 
of the Emperor Penguin, concerning which some more 
imformation is thought to be required (see Geogr. Journ. 
XX1X. p. 239, and xxx. p. 336). 
Dr. Bruce’s Arctic Expedition—We are pleased to be 
able to state that Dr. Bruce, concerning whose safety some 
sinister rumours have been spread about, has returned from 
his expedition into the interior of Prince Charles’ Foreland, 
and has arrived in Edinburgh. Dr. Bruce and his com- 
panions have made a good collection of the birds of Spits- 
bergen, and, as we are informed, have obtained specimens 
of several species new to the Avifauna of that group. Of 
these we may expect an early account from our correspondents 
in Edinburgh, 
