Sir

The monumental data set assembled and analysed by Ernst Mayr and Jared Diamond in their monograph The Birds of Northern Melanesia, reviewed by Stephen Pruett-Jones (Nature 415, 959–960; 2002), was based in part on museum skin specimens obtained during general collecting expeditions over many years.

An unwillingness to acknowledge the role of specimens in scientific research is contributing to the deterioration of avian biodiversity collections and is hindering the thorough collecting that is so necessary for future studies. It has been argued that further collecting is unnecessary even in poorly inventoried areas, despite clear evidence to the contrary.

Seminal works such as Mayr's and Diamond's rely on specimen foundations in museums. It is essential to acknowledge this, so that the avian specimen base can be expanded, understood and supported.