President's Address. 113 



African Birds. One hundred and two Humming Birds were 

 purchased from Mr. Gould, and 147 specimens from South 

 America from Mr. Edward Bartlett. 



The second set of the collection made by Mr. W. T. 

 Blanford during the Abyssinian Expedition, to which he was 

 the naturalist, was presented by the Government of India. 



In 1870, three important donations were received, viz., 

 135 specimens from the Pacific Islands, presented by Mr. 

 Julius Brenchley, who had accompanied Commodore Wiseman 

 on the cruise of the " Curaçoa." 11 



Mrs. Bryant presented 66 birds from the West Indian 

 Islands, where they had been procured by her late husband, 

 Dr. Bryant, and 48 birds were also presented by the 

 Smithsonian Institution. 



For many years Robert Swinhoe had been oui' Consul in 

 China and Formosa, and had done much service to Orni- 

 thology. He had recently made a visit to the Island of 

 Hainan, and, in 1871, the Museum acquired from him 23 

 specimens collected during his expedition. 



In 1872 George Robert Gray died, as also did Sir Alexander 

 Smith, the latter bequeathing to the Museum a small collection 

 of 68 birds. I succeeded G. R. Gray in September of this 

 year, and I at once proceeded to enlist the sympathies of my 

 friends on behalf of the Museum collection, more particularly 

 as Dr. Günther at once set me to work at the i Catalogue of 

 Birds,' which was to occupy my time for the next thirty 

 years. 



Twenty Gyr-falcons and other Accipitres were purchased of 

 Mr. Gould, including those beautiful specimens figured in his 

 ' Birds of Great Britain.' Colonel Irby gave 44 birds from 

 Southern Spain, and Mr. Howard Saunders followed with a 

 present of 24 birds from the same locality, while Captain 

 Shelley presented 23 specimens from Accra, on the Gold Coast. 



In 1873 Dr. A. R. Wallace determined to part with his 

 private collection of Malayan Birds, and offered it to the 

 British Museum, when, to my great joy, it was acquired by 

 the Trustees on Dr. Günther's recommendation. The collection 

 contained 2474 specimens, with all the types of the species 

 discovered by that splendid collector. 



