( 'LARK — Correspondence. 71 



mention that out of three specimens lately receivd at the 

 Museum, two of them had feathers in their stomachs, whilst 

 the third specimen contained only remains of insects. 



Seehbohm* states in reference to the Great-crested Grebe 

 (Podicepscristatus):— "Its food is entirely procured in the water, 

 and consists of water beetles and other acquatic insects, small 

 fish, small frogs, and mollusks. The seeds and slender shoots 

 of acquatic plants are also found in its stomach; but instead 

 of small stones and gravel, numbers of its own feathers plucked 

 from the ventral region are mixed with its food. It is not 

 known that this curious habit, which is more or less common 

 to all the grebes, is intended to assist digestion, but it has been 

 remarked bv many ornithologists in widely different localities 

 — Naumann (father and son), Meves (father and son), Yarrell, 

 Thompson, Macgillivray, etc." 



*Seehbo1mi's "British Birds," Vol. TIL, p. 456. 



Correspo idence. 



TO THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE OF THE S.A. 

 ORNITHOLOGIST. 

 Gentlemen, 



In Part II., Vol. 2, on page 33 is a letter from Mr. Gregory 

 M. Mathews, which might be deemed to imply that I had made 

 statements regarding Ptilotis pemcillata without taking the 

 trouble to verify them. Gould's Handbook to the Birds of 

 Australia contained the information as to the naming of the 

 bird, and as to its-being rarely met with in New South Wales, 

 but being very abundant in South Australia, and I merely sug- 

 gested the probability of its having been named from South 

 Australian specimens. The original reference which Mr. 

 Mathews has seen was not available to me. It would seem 

 strange that Gould, who had examined specimens from both 

 N.S.W. and S.A., should not have observed differences such as 

 would warrant Mr. Mathews in making a sub-species of those 

 found in Adelaide. 



Re Leptolophus, Mr. Mathews is glad that I am convinced 

 that this bird is able to elevate and lower its crest. The word 



