352 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 
this species in our bazaar in my recent popular pamphlet 
' How to know the Indian Ducks/ 
Yours &c., 
Indiaa Museum, Calcutta. Frank FiNN. 
1st March, 1902. 
Sirs, — In the article in last yearns ^ Ibis * on the '^ Birds 
of the Yenesei River/'' the two varieties of the Yellow- 
Bunting figured on plate x. are referred to as Emberiza 
citrinella molessoni and E. citrinella brehmi of Homeyer. 
I have searched everywhere for Homeyer's description of 
E. citrinella var. brehmi, but cannot find it. Moreover, 
•when in Brunswick in August last I examined all the 
Buntings in the Homeyer collection and the catalogues, 
and could find no reference to this name, so that I can only 
conclude that it has never been published. It appears, 
however, that Dr. C. L. Brehm was the first to recognise 
this form, as in his ' Vollstandige Vogelfang,' p. 414 (1855), 
he describes it as follows : — " Emberiza erythrogenys, Brm. 
[Ember, citrinella auct.). Unseren grossten Goldammer 
ahidich, aber etwas weniger schon mit weisslichen Fliigel- 
binden, rostrothem Kinne und solchen Bachen- und Augen- 
streifen bei in Mannchen bei Sarepta/' This form, therefore, 
if recognised as a subspecies, should stand as Emberiza 
erythrogenys, Brehm, and Mr. Zarudny's name E. molessoni 
must sink into a synonym. 
Yours &c., 
28 Queen sborough Terrace, H. E. Dresser. 
London, W, 
6th March, 1902. 
News of Mr. Thomas Ay res. — Many of the readers of 
^The Ibis^ will be pleased to hear that the veteran orni- 
thologist of the Transvaal, Mr. Thomas Ayres, of Potchef- 
stroom, who was a frequent contributor to our pages from 
1860 to 1886, has escaped the dangers of the Boer War and 
is still safe in his home in the Transvaal Colony, Writing 
to Mr. W. L. Sclater on Dec. 4th, 1901, he says that, 
as it may be well supposed, he has been able to do very 
