303 
Letters, Announcements, fyc. 
Plate 31 applied to one species, adopting Edwards's view that 
they were male and female of the same species. The cha¬ 
racters given by Linnaeus no doubt apply strictly to the left- 
hand figure ; but we may also consider them to represent cha¬ 
racters common to both, reference to the black throat being 
omitted in the one case just as reference to the white throat 
is in the other. In fact, Linnaeus's M. stapazina may be 
looked on as a composite species; and it was competent for 
the next author to restrict the term and say what bird M. 
stapazina meant. This Yieillot did by calling Edwards's left- 
hand figure albicollis, and referring the right-hand one to 
stapazina of Linnaeus. 
Had Mr. Dresser adopted this view of the case he would 
not have been under the necessity of changing the application 
of a name by which a well-known bird has been recognized 
for upwards of 55 years, and thereby rendering it impossible 
for future writers to indicate certainly what species they 
intend by the name Saocicola stapazina .—O. S.] 
Vienna, 21. Opernring, 
May 30th, 1874. 
Sir, —In ‘The Ibis' for April 1874, Dr. Sclater gives a 
notice about “ the new Paradise-birds and their discoverers," 
and says that I “ ought to have cancelled my redescription of 
Epimachus wilhelmince in the ‘ Journal fur Ornithologie,' and 
that its appearance, without reference toD'Albertis's discovery, 
requires explanation, failing which it can only be regarded as 
an attempt to obtain an unfair priority." 
These remarks, involve a heavy accusation, which honour 
compels me to answer; so I trust you will pardon my laying 
before you and your readers the following statement:— 
1. When returning from my New Guinea trip I published 
at Batavia, in Java, in the ‘ Tijdschr. voor Ned. Ind.,' a short 
description of my j Epimachus wilhelmince. 
2. On my arrival in Europe I heard of a new Bird of Pa¬ 
radise, and sent immediately a copy of the description of my 
new bird to the editor of the ‘Journal fur Ornithologie,' at 
