220 
Letters, Extracts, Notices, §*c. 
fact about the breeding-habits of the Ostricli is that there 
are “ unattached hens ” which, having no nests of their own, 
la}' their eggs in the nests of other hens. But Mr. Schreiner's 
opinion is that this is altogether an irregular proceeding, and 
that in such cases the eggs are rarely hatched successfully. 
Deaths of four Members of the B.O.U .—With very great 
regret we have to record the death of our friend and fellow- 
worker Dr. A. C. Stark, Member of the B.O.U., who was killed 
by a shell at Ladysmith on November 18th. Dr. Stark, who 
was in England all the past summer, went out to South Africa 
in September last, and, after staying a few days at Capetown, 
proceeded to Durban to continue his ornithological researches 
in Natal. When the British troops advanced to Ladysmith 
Dr. Stark volunteered to join the medical staff. About half¬ 
past seven on the evening of November 18th Dr. Stark was 
struck by a shell, when standing at the door of the Royal 
Hotel at Ladysmith, and killed almost instantaneously. 
Before he left England, Dr. Stark had passed through the 
press the sheets of the first volume of his work on the Birds 
which he had undertaken to write for Air. W. L. Sclater's 
f Eauna of South Africa.’ We fear that it will be very 
difficult to find anyone to continue the work for which 
our much-lamented friend was specially competent from his 
long personal studies of the birds of South Africa in their 
native wilds. 
With much regret we also have to record the loss of three 
other members of the British Ornithologists’ Union since the 
issue of our last number— Hedworth Hylton, second Lord 
Hylton, who died on the 30th of October last; Mr. Thomas 
James Monk, who died on the 22nd of December last; and 
Mr. Edgar Leopold Layard, C.M.G., who died on the first day 
of the present year. Of Mr. Monk, as well as of our old and 
valued friend and coadjutor Layard, we intend to give notices 
in our next issue. 
