Report on Birds from the Netherlands received from 1 September 1908 till 1 September 1909

In my paper oil the Avifauna of the Netherlands, which I published in the preceding volume of this periodical, I gave a list of all the species observed in our country and an account of the most interesting specimens in the collection of our Museum, with the number of the specimens of each species received during the last years. In those four years, from 1 September 1904 till 1 September 1908, the collection of indigenous birds has been enlarged with about 1900 skins, by donation as well as by purchase. In the academical year from 1 September 1908 till 1 September 1909 this collection has been augmented again with about 675 skins, among which are three specimens belonging to two species, Megalestris skua and Serinus serinus, which were not represented in our collection of native birds. Our collection of indigenous birds becomes by little and little the standard-collection for the study of the avifauna of the Netherlands; it is at present by far the largest and the most complete collection in our country, though, as shown in my list of the Netherland birds, still some rare examples are desiderata to us. Yet, many species are still insufficiently represented and more material, especially that, collected during the breedingperiod, is wanted. Also the collection of the eggs of our birds is not at all up-to-date. The old collection, chiefly originating from Schlegel’s time, fifty at sixty years ago, is of no great value, as the eggs have been exposed to daylight during several years, most of the smaller eggs are very badly blown and the eggs have been preserved in a quite wrong manner, the eggs being left in the nests. It is therefore no wonder, that this collection also requires new material. This year about 560 eggs have been added to the collection. I am sorry that I must state here, that only a very small part of the acquisitions have been presented to us, by far the largest part has been purchased. In opposition to what we read in the annual reports of foreign musea, our museum is presented with very few objects, from our mother-country as well as from our colonies. Yet I believe, that if people knew, how good we can use different specimens, we should receive more; f. i. how many birds of prey, which are very welcome to us, are shot down or caught in traps and innocently thrown away! Here I have the pleasure to mention the following gentlemen, who kindly presented us with specimens for our collection of native birds: D. Bakker, Dr. J. F. van Bemmelen, F. E. Blaauw, J. Boonstra, Ch. J. H. Dumont, R. van Eecke, Jhr. W. C. van Heurn, J. H. Houbolt, H. Leyborne Popham, Jhr. K. W. L. de Muralt, G. R. Peck, F. H. Verster, F. A. Verster van Wulverhorst, J. C. Wäkerlin, P. J. Weyenbergh, L. de Wilde and Mr. R. Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt. I once again recommend here our collection in the kind favour of every one, who interests himself in our National Museum. In the following lines the most important additions are mentioned.