has been for nearly a month the burden of our lives ; now the 

 latest demand is for tC a simple, but accurate ; at once popular 

 and scientific sketch of the Osteology of Birds/' This, too, 

 will be furnished, fortunately by one far more competent than 

 ourselves, in the next issue, and we hope that we shall hear 

 no more of this. 



Another point, for since we are airing our grievances it is 

 as well to do it once for all, during the past fourteen months 

 we have received over 200 single specimens with requests to 

 name and return the skins. And such wretched rags for the 

 most part! Do the senders ever reflect on the trouble and 

 expense involved, in making up again and despatching all these 

 wretched little parcels ? We are willing to receive, examine 

 and report names by letter, but we distinctly give notice that 

 we will not return bad skins of common birds. Good or rare 

 skins, or specimens of birds like Pliylhscopi that are requisite 

 for comparisen, we are ready to take trouble about, but bad 

 specimens of well-marked species, manifestly not worth the 

 postage we intend, in future, to throw away. 



We do not now refer to collections, but only to single speci- 

 mens. We have named a vast number of specimens during the 

 year in collections of from one to five hundred skins, and these 

 we are always delighted to receive and deal with, since they 

 afford, in the aggregate, most valuable information as to geo- 

 graphical distribution. Moreover, a box containing a couple of 

 hundred skins, and sent therefore by rail or bullock train, in- 

 volves absolutely less trouble in packing, &c, than one small 

 postal parcel, which must be sewn up in wax cloth, and must 

 have a seal, at every two inches on every seam, &c, &c, and 

 for which the lowest rate of postage is 8 annas. Certainly at 

 least 100 of the single skins received during the past year 

 would have been dear at 8 annas for the lot, though it has cost 

 us just 100 times this to return them. 



Many applications are sent us for Taxidermists ; one of the 

 leadino- firms in Calcutta has just formally requested us to fur- 

 nish one for a constituent in Assam. We are asked to value 

 collections ; to undertake their transmission to and sale in 

 Europe; to provide a good typical collection of the birds of 

 India, as the writer is thinking of going in for ornithology ; to 

 decide bets as to the name of a bird of which a few feathers, 

 or a sketch, giving circumference round the chest(!; is sent, and 

 so on. 



From our correspondence one might fancy that the whole 

 European population in India were deeply interested in orni- 

 thology, whereas there are barely fifty who care enough about 

 it to do any real work and write usefully about it. 



