Vol. x.] xiv 



in the Frankfurt Museum, are also among the number. 

 A special point of interest in this collection is the number of 

 birds previously only known ,.from Eastern and Equatorial 

 Africa which have now been found in Southern Abyssinia. 

 This extremely interesting collection is being worked out by 

 Mr. Ogilvie Grant, and a paper on it will appear in the 

 January ' Ibis/ 



Turning now to Asia, I have to record that Major 

 Wingate, starting from Shanghai, followed the Yang-tze- 

 kiang as far as Lake Tung-ting, whence he took a south- 

 westerly course along the Yuen-kiang through Hoo-nan, 

 Kwei-chow, and Yun-nanto Bhamo. A Chinese taxidermist 

 accompanied him through this remarkable journey, and a 

 fine collection of birds has been forwarded to the British 

 Museum, where it is at present under examination. I may 

 add that a melancholy interest attaches to the beautiful 

 series of birds from the island of Hainan which now lies on 

 the table — the last, and one may almost say the dying, 

 contribution to ornithological knowledge made by that 

 sterling English naturalist, the late John Whitehead, whose 

 loss is sincerely mourned by myself and by all his brother 

 ornithologists throughout the world. 



On the whole, therefore, I think, gentlemen, that there is 

 no reason that we should be at all dissatisfied with the 

 present progress of ornithological work in the Eastern 

 Hemisphere. As regards the New World, we may now 

 expect renewed exertions on the part of our fellow- workers 

 on the other side of the Atlantic. They have, I think I may 

 say, fairly exploited the northern portion of their continent, 

 and have for some time been extending their energies over 

 Mexico and Central America. In the Antilles they have 

 long been at work, and some fine series of birds from the 

 Neotropical Region have been accumulated by American 

 naturalists. Let us wish them every sort of success in their 

 efforts, as in these days it is more than ever important that 

 the great Anglo-Saxon community should unite together in 

 every branch of work. But at the same time let us here 

 neglect no opportunity of extending our own knowledge of 



