Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 
401 
1907, was almost entirely made of the Bombax seed-silk, 
emmeshed on the exterior with the inner bark of trees m 
very long and narrow strips. The nest is hung high up in a 
large tree at the end of a slender bough, and being so small 
and well concealed with leaves is very difficult to detect. 
The eggs are white and not very glossy. 
I am. Sirs, 
Yours &c., 
J. C. Kershaw, F.Z.S. 
Sirs, —May I venture to trespass on your valuable space 
to call attention to the increase of papers of late years in the 
‘ Ibis 5 which are little more than catalogues of skins, and to 
suggest that collectors should make more field-notes on the 
birds they observe, and that those who work out the collections 
should pay more attention to states of plumage and any 
addition to our knowledge there may be as to the status of 
any species in any locality ? I am quite aware that collections 
are frequently made under very adverse circumstances, but 
pencils and note-books are not much to carry, while habits, 
numbers, food, &c., and the state of the sexual organs would 
not take long to record. 
Others points to which I should like to call attention are 
the desirability of collecting our European summer migrants 
in their winter-quarters and of recording as much in¬ 
formation about them as possible, and to the advisability 
of collecting specimens in moult. 
These subjects appear to be rather neglected and over¬ 
shadowed by the glamour of discovering new species, which, 
however interesting it may be, after all is not everything in 
Ornithology. 
I am, Sirs, 
Yours &c., 
Lowestoft, Claud B. Ticehurst. 
March 13th, 1911._ 
Sirs, —You asked me to write you a “ birdy 99 letter from 
this island. I have just returned from an expedition into the 
central forests, where I was fortunate enough to discover 
the headquarters of Fringilla teydea polatzeki. I think, 
therefore, you may care for a short account of this interesting 
