The Zoologist — Maech, 1871. 2509 



unfortunately separated while he was gone to fetch it: he was 

 obliged, therefore, to have recourse to his gun, with which he 

 killed them both at one shot. My father iufonns me that the 

 curator of the museum at Lille, Mr. Marin, — a native of Metz,— 

 told him that a sand-grouse had been actually taken with a casting 

 net at Metz ; but probably he alluded to one of the above- 

 mentioned ones. 



As it would take too long to enumerate every bird of interest in 

 the museum, I will only say that there is a fine collection of wood- 

 peckers — the duplicates of Malherbe (who lived at Metz), and also 

 a collection of pigeons, collected by him with the intention of 

 publishing a monograph. The types of his work on the wood- 

 peckers he sold to Count Turati, of Milan, with the exception 

 of Picus numidicus and Chloropicus Vaillantii, which remain at 

 the museum, together with four other Algerian species : — Parus 

 caeruleanus, Parus Ledoucii, Fringilla spodiogena, Pica mauri- 

 tanica. 



The museum at Nancy contains the longtailed titmouse, with 

 and without the white head {Acredula caudata and Acredula 

 rosea), killed in the province of Lorraine ; and I saw others in 

 a private collection at Metz. It also contains two ring ouzels with 

 pied heads ; and I cannot help thinking that there is an hereditary 

 race in German Alsace of ring ouzels so marked, as 1 saw several 

 others, particularly in the museum at Carlsruhe. 



On the 16lh of December I saw the museum at Strasbourg. 

 I regretted that my time was short, as, in a cursory glance 

 through, I observed many rarities. The great auk — which belonged 

 to Johannes Herman, professor in the Argentine Academy, and 

 founder of the museum — is, without exception, the worst specimen 

 1 ever saw. Part of its neck is bare, its lower mandible is without a 

 sheath, and there are several old grease spots upon the breast. They 

 have a very complete series of Alsace birds, each species being 

 illustrated by eight or ten admirably stuffed specimens, bearing the 

 date, locality and sex, which show the various grades of plumage. 

 This model collection was formed by M. Kraener, the taxidermist, 

 whose house was set on fire during the siege. 



J. H. GURNEY, JUN. 

 2, Beta Place, Alpha Eoad, N.W. 



SECOND SEEIES — VOL. VI. 



