Vol. xii.] 18 



Dr. Sclater gave a short account of a five weeks' journey 

 he had recently made to Smyrna and Constantinople, going out 

 by Marseilles and returning overland by the Orient Express, 

 stopping a few days at Butla-Pesth and Vienna. Little in the 

 ornithological line could be done, of course, during such a 

 hasty tour, which was, in fact, taken for the express purpose 

 of rest from ordinary work, but some points of interest might 

 be mentioned. On visiting the ruins of Ephesus on Oct. 

 12th, it was found that the Storks, which breed there in 

 great numbers on the pillars of the ruined aqueduct that 

 crossed the valley of the Cayster, had all departed, but from 

 20 to 30 nests were counted. 



At Smyrna the Redbreast (Erithacvs rubecula), which is 

 said to be a regular winter visitant there, had just arrived. 

 It was seen in a garden at Bournabat, on Oct. 13th, and 

 Dr. Sclater was informed that it always appeared about the 

 beginning of that month and departed early in April, but was 

 never known to nest there, and that it was just as tame and 

 familiar in Smyrna as in England. The same story was told 

 him at Constantinople, where the Redbreast frequents the 

 gardens on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus in winter. - 



The Turkish Government, as was well known, did not 

 recognize Science of any kind, and there was nothing in the 

 shape of a museum at Constantinople except a collection 

 of antiquities. But in the excellent American Institution 

 called "■ Ptobert College," near Bebek on the Bosphorus, there 

 was a good collection of the birds of the vicinity of Constan- 

 tinople, which Dr. Sclater had had an opportunity of examin- 

 ing by the kind permission of Dr. Washburn, the President 

 of the College. Dr. Sclater had visited this collection when 

 it was in its infancy, 26 years before (see Ibis, 1876, p. 60). 

 It now consisted of from 700 to 800 mounted specimens, and 

 had been formed under the direction of the late Dr. Albert 

 L. Long, Vice-President of the College, at various points 

 on both sides of the Bosphorus. Unfortunately the exact 

 localities had not been affixed to the labels, but some of the 

 more interesting species were as follows : — 



