Letters, Extracts, Notices, fyc. 
565 
XXXYI.— Letters , Extracts, Notices, fyc. 
We have received the following letters, addressed “ to the 
Editors of 4 The Ibis ’ ” :— 
Sirs, —In reply to Count SalvadoiBs letter in the last 
number of ‘ The Ibis/ I think the following remarks will 
prove of interest. 
The British Museum collection contains only five fully 
adult red-billed examples of Oriolus monachus : in all these 
birds the subterminal black band across the outer tail- 
feathers is either very faintly indicated or obsolete. Count 
Salvadori has kindly sent me four fully adult red-billed 
examples of this species for comparison. These differ in a 
marked degree from the specimens in the British Museum, 
inasmuch as all have the black subterminal band on the 
outer tail-feathers strongly developed, though they differ one 
from another. For example : 
a. S Kagima, Shoa. The black band on the outer 
tail-feathers is very strongly developed; 1*3 inch wide. 
b & c. $ ad. Forest of Fekerie-ghem. The black band 
is much narrower; in b 0*7 inch wide, in c 0*4. 
d. $ ad. Daimbi. The black band is very strongly 
developed; about 1*4 inch wide. 
It will thus be seen that, on comparing the four adult birds 
sent by Count Salvadori from the Turin Museum with the 
five in the British Museum, there is a marked difference 
between the two series ; for while the British Museum speci¬ 
mens (fig. 2, p. 566), though fully adult birds, show hardly 
a trace of the black subterminal band across the outer tail- 
feathers, which is said by Count Salvadori to denote maturity, 
this character is strongly marked in the specimens sent 
from Turin (fig. 1, p. 566). 
Count Salvadori has also kindly sent me for examination 
three immature specimens of 0. monachus. All these have 
the tail similar to that of our adult birds and show scarcely 
a trace of a black subterminal band. On the other hand, 
the black-billed type of O. meneliki, which Count Salvadori 
considered to be the young of 0. monachus, has, as the 
SER. VII.—VOL. VI. 2 Q 
