Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Announcements, fyc. 335 
“The most important operation, however, is that at Cape St. 
Lucas, at the end of the Gulf of California, in charge of Mr. 
Xantus (de Vesey). He collected 2000 birds at Fort Tejon in 
some fifteen months, under great disadvantages. He now has 
almost his whole time to devote to Natural History, and a re¬ 
gular assistant besides. If nothing untoward occurs, he will 
exhaust the Western part of Mexico in the two years of his re¬ 
sidence. 
“ We are devoting particular attention to completing our col¬ 
lection of North American eggs, and have issued widely a circular 
already sent you. It already promises good results. 
“We have had a few birds from Piura in Peru, and fifty 
species from the line of the Panama railroad. I am going to 
arrange all our South American birds in one series. We have 
a dozen or two of Trinidad birds in alcohol, and are promised a 
series of Bahaman specimens by a gentleman just returned 
thence.” 
Professor Baird also mentions, that the ‘ Sacred Vulture*' 
of Bartram, a bird quite unknown since its alleged discovery in 
the last century, is said to have been met with again in Florida ; 
and in relation to the same bird we have seen two letters from 
Mr. Alexander S. Taylor, of Monterey, California, reprinted from 
the f San Francisco Herald/ Neither of these communications, 
however, contain anything very positive on the subject ; and the 
statement of the “ intelligent Sonoranian ” that “ the bird has 
four wings” renders us unwilling to place much confidence in 
the rest of his details on this subject. 
The new pair of Bennett's Cassowary (Casuarius bennettii), 
announced in our last Number as likely to be added to the col¬ 
lection at the Zoological Gardens, arrived in good condition a 
few weeks ago, so that the Society now possesses three living- 
examples of this remarkable bird. Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, the 
liberal donor of these animals, is himself now on a visit to this 
* Vide Cassin, B. of Cal., Oregon, &c. p. 57. 
