This letter was written by William Colenso to John Burtton of Kumeroa, near Woodville, on 17 July 1886. Colenso thanked Burtton for the deformed huia bill that he had sent and added that he would show it at a meeting of the New Zealand Institute. He also asked Burtton to send other natural history items such as insects, mosses and ferns, and enclosed some stamps for this purpose. This correspondence suggests how much energy Colenso put into his scientific collecting and the important role he played in the Hawke's Bay community in facilitating scientific investigation. Alongside the letter is a huia feather of unknown origin.