Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, (Sfc. 535 



Under the editorship of the well-kuown naturalist Dr. Her- 

 mann Burmeister, at present Director of the Museum at Buenos 

 AyreSj a periodical has been commenced, to which we naturally 

 wish all possible success. The first number of the ' Anales del 

 Museo Publico de Buenos Aires ' — for the opportunity of seeing 

 which we are indebted, among many other acts of friendship, to 

 our predecessor Mr. P. L. Sclater — contains only one ornitho- 

 logical paper. This is from the pen of the editor, and is " On 

 the Humming-birds described by Don Felix de Azara," a group 

 which is stated to be the least well worked out of any in that 

 author's work. In 1847 Dr. Hartlaub published an index de- 

 termining some of the species therein mentioned, but he was 

 only able to identify two of the eleven Humming-birds to which 

 Azara gave names. To ascertain exactly what these are is Dr. 

 Burmeister's object ; and the result of his researches is that he 

 believes that only six species were known to Azara. These he 

 refers as follows : — 



No. 289 to Agyrtria albiventris [Thaumatias albiventris, Gould, 

 V. pi. 301). 



Nos. 290, 291 to Hylochmns i^ficolUs {H. sapphirina, Gould, 

 v. pi. 342). 



Nos. 292, 293, 294 to Hylocharis flavifrons"^ [Chlorostilbon 

 phaethon, Gould, v. pi. 354), 



Nos. 295, 296 to Lampornis mango (Gould, ii. pi. 74). 



Nos. 297, 299 to Heliomaster angelce {Calliperidia angelce, 

 Gould, iv. pi. 263). 



No. 298 remains a doubtful species. 



XLI. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 



We have received the following letters addressed " To the 

 Editor of ' The Ibis ' " :— 



Fort Whipple, Arizona, May 29, 1865. 



Sir, — * H« * " Hobbies " are queer things, but then they are 



such a thesaurus of pleasure, and never do any harm, except a 



little in the way of boring friends when the hobbyist will, 



through want of tact, ride rough-shod over other folks. For my 



* Referred to Hylocharis bicolor in the letterpress, but corrected as 

 above in a manuscript note. 



