go General Notes. [ Jan. 
Collections of Humming-Birds.—Hans von Berlepsch has 
some critical remarks on the humming-bird literature in the 
“ Festschrift of the Cassel Vereins fiir Naturkunde,” 1886. Ac- 
cording to this, the largest collection of hinoeelnntteds was that 
of the late John Gould, which is now in the possession of the 
British Museum. It contained 5378 specimens, representing 
about 400 species. For second and third places there is a rivalry 
between Godman and Salvin, of London, on the one hand, and 
D. G. Elliot, of New Brighton, N: Y.: The latter had, in 1878, 
380 of the 426 known species, including many of the types of 
Bourcier, and many of which but a single specimen is known. 
Salvin and Godman’s esi will shortly pass into the pos- 
session of the British Museum. Berlepsch himself has the 
fourth collection in size (about 2009 specimens and 350 species), 
and close to this is that of George N. Lawrence, of New Yo rk, 
which is especially rich in types. 
The Nesting of Collyrio ludovicianus (Baird)—On the roth 
of May, 1883, I found, in Williamstown, Mass., a nest of the 
Loggerhead Shrike, Collyrio ludovicianus (Baird). The nest was 
situated in a sheep-pasture, in a wild-thorn tree, at a distance of 
seven or eight feet from the ground, and was made from weeds, 
twigs, and wool, lined with hair and wool. The eggs, six in 
number, are a greenish-white tint, thickly marked and dotted 
with light brown and buff-purple spots, which on some of the 
eggs nearly cover the larger end. A few days later, perhaps a 
quarter of a mile from the first nest, a second was found, that 
had evidently been deserted. It contained two eggs similar to 
those of the former nest, and the construction and materials of 
the two nests were alike. Mr. H. A. Purdie, hearing of the cir- 
cumstances, wrote on the 17th of May, 1883, that it was the first 
known instance of this bird breeding in Massachusetts. So far 
as I know, nothing was seen of this species in this vicinity until 
this spring, when I discovered a nest in an elm, perhaps ten feet 
from the ground, among the branches fringing the huge trunk; 
the nest was built of materials similar to those composing the 
nests found in 1883, and the bird was identified. As the last 
nest was within one hundred and fifty feet of the first, and all 
return from year to year. At any rate, as the first recorded 
instance of the nesting of this species in Massachusetts, it may 
be of interest to ornithologists.—Sanborn Gove Tenney, Wil- 
Baman, Mass., Nov. 27, 1886. , 
News.-Ecumonnens, —Hijalmar Theel, in his re- 
port upon the Holothuroidea. ot the ‘ ' Challenger” Expediti on, not 
is correct, we ee the nuchal te as a 
glen question: is, What is the nature of this ele- 
t contains the ribs: of se last cervical vertebra, with 
