61 [Vol. xxi. 



example from the Western Kivu Volcanoes ; but the British 

 Museum possessed a number of skins procured on Ruwen- 

 zori, which were considered by Prof. Neumann to be identical 

 with his type specimen. On examining these it would be seen 

 that the colour of the top of the head varied slightly in 

 different individuals, some being rather greyer and others 

 more olive in tint, but that, allowing for slight individual 

 variation, they diflFered in no way from typical examples of 

 T. pyrrhojjterus from the !Nandi and Mau Escarpment. 

 Mr. Ogilvie-Grant said that neither he nor other ornitho- 

 logists, who had carefully examined the series, had been 

 able to detect any reason for separating the two sets of 

 skins ; and he would leave it to the jMembers of the Club to 

 judge for themselves whether Prof. Neumann was really 

 justified in giving a new name to the bird from the Kivu 

 Volcanoes. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant deplored the present system 

 adopted by certain naturalists of appealing to minute indi- 

 vidual diflferences for the purpose of establishing what they 

 were pleased to term new subspecies. Such work rendered 

 the identification of birds almost impossible, and, without 

 adding to our knowledge of distribution, could only bring 

 discredit on systematic biology. 



Prof. Neumann replied that he could easily distinguish 

 the two forms of Turdinus, and he believed that any Member 

 of the Club, who examined the series in daylight, would see 

 the differences as clearly as he did himself. 



Regarding Mr. Ogilvie-Grant^s remarks as to what would 

 bring credit or discredit on systematic biology. Prof. Neu- 

 mann preferred not to give any personal opinion at the 

 present time, as his views were so entirely dift'erent from 

 those of Mr. Ogilvie-Grant with regard to geographical 

 forms. He was content to associate himself with the senti- 

 ments expressed by Dr. Hartert (Nov. Zool. xiii. p. 392) 

 and by Mr. Hellmayr (J. f. O. 1903, pp. 394, 404). 



The Hon. E. S. Montagu exhibited a female Pheasant 

 assuming male plumage, which had been shot at the end of 

 November, at Hovingham Spa, Yorkshire. 



