V(.l. xvi.] 4 



" The series of birds' eg-j^-s in the South African Museum 

 is likewise lurf;-e and is carefully arranged in glass-topi)ed 

 boxes. It contains many of Layard's original sjiecimens. 



" So far as I am aware, the only other Ornithological 

 Collection in Cape Town is the series of eggs belonging to 

 Mr. William Fairbridge, M.B.O.U. Mr. Fairbridge is an 

 excellent field-naturalist, and the specimens have, I believe, 

 been mostly taken with his own hands. 



" From the Cape the Association moved by sea to Durban, 

 where my son and I were most hospitably entertained by 

 Mr. A. D. Millar, a Colonial Member of the B.O.U. and a 

 well-laiown person in that city. Mr. Millar is an accom- 

 plished lield-naturalist, and took us on an excursion into his 

 collecting ground at Clareinont, where we saw examples of 

 liiiceros melanoltmcus, Cofo^ypha uatahmsis, Laniariiis quailri- 

 color, and of other species new to us. He has a good 

 collection of birds in skin and a line series of eggs, nearly 

 all procured by himself. Among the latter are eggs of 

 IiuUcator, Irrisor, and Trogou. The eggs of Irrisor are of 

 uniform, pale, lavender-blue, as described in the " Birds of 

 South Africa " (iii. p. 16). You will recollect that Major 

 Sparrow exhibited a specimen of this rare egg to us in 

 January last (see Bull. B.O.C., xv. p. 89), which was the 

 only one that T had previously seen. 



" TheMunicipal Museum of Durban is placed in two rooms 

 in the Town Hall which are much crowded. The specimens 

 of native birds are unfortunately mixed up with the general 

 series, but there are some interesting birds amongst them, 

 such as Nisaetus ,spilogaster, MacJiarJumiphus anderssoni, 

 Ntjviicomx levnmotvs, and Ardea ardrx'mcu. It is to be hoj>ed 

 that the Municipality of Durban will soon jirovide better 

 quarters for their Museum, which in its jiresent state and 

 position is quite unworthy of their important and flourishing 

 city. The curator is Mr. J. F. Quekett. 



" At Maritzburg, the capital of Natal, to which we pro- 

 ceeded from Durban, the newly built Goveniment Museum 

 is under the charge of Mr. E. Warren as director. Here, 

 also, there is a good series of native birds, unfoi'tunately 



