376 Recent Ornithological Publications. 



Smith, C. swainsoni. The Cuvierian name seems not to have 

 been published, however, until 1848; and if so, we cannot recog- 

 nize its claim to our regard. This paper gives a very concise 

 and complete account of the species, so far as yet known ; and 

 the author has certainly been at no small pains in compiling it, 

 a task to which he has apparently been led by the recent occur- 

 rence in Holland, near Nordwijk, of a female example. The 

 second paper enters as thoroughly into the history of Phalaropus 

 hjperhoreus, which, curiously enough, does not seem ever to 

 have been met with in that country (although stated by Tem- 

 minck to appear there accidentally) until last autumn. The 

 third article is "Sur le Procellaria leucorhoa" [recte 'leucorr'hoa'], 

 by which name Vieillot, in 1817, seems to have designated the 

 species now well known as Leach's Petrel. We hope the author, 

 who sets an excellent example to other naturalists in his careful 

 collation of the most recent records, will continue this series of 

 monographs as occasions arise ; they cannot fail to be as highly 

 useful to others as they are creditable to himself. 



3. American. 



Mr. Elliot's great work* makes satisfactory progress. Three 

 more Parts have appeared, containing figures of Cathartes burro- 

 vianus, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, Bucejihala islandica, Podasocys 

 montanus, Chen albatus, Podiceps californicus, jEgiothus exilipes, 

 Chloephaga canagica, Passercidus alaudinus, Phaleris tretracula, 

 Ptychorhamphus aleuticus, Pipilo albigula, Thalasseus caspius, 

 Cyanura macrolopha, and Ossifraga gigantea — five plates to a 

 number, in the order given. We must congratulate Mr. Elliot 

 on a very marked improvement in the drawing of the figures. 

 It looks as if he had been studying from the life, a process 

 which some so-called artists appear to scorn. One can hardly 

 look at the plate representing the Ptychorhamphus without being 

 struck with its resemblance to the immature state of Fratercula\ 

 and a Darwinian would no doubt say that the last genus was 

 only an exaggerated form of the first. 



* ' The Birds of North America.' By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 

 Parts II.-IV. New York, published by the author, 27 West Thu-ty-third 

 Street, 1866 & 1867. Imp. folio. 



