Recent Ornitholugical Publications. 41 1 



could extract from his own deservedly esteemed ' Zoologist ' ? 

 Yet, without more thau a moment's reflection, two cases instantly 

 arise to our recollection in which he has not done so. Where 

 in the new ' Dictionary ' do we find mention of Lai-us ichthijaetus 

 or Porzana Carolina. The occurrence of both these species in 

 England rests on unimpeached authority, and the occurrence of 

 each has been duly recorded in the ' Zoologist ' (pp. 6860 & 

 9540). We venture to express our strong belief that there are 

 other omissions of the kind. Nor are these the only cases of Mr. 

 Newman's disregard of statements made in his own magazine. 

 Of Picus martins we read (Diet. p. 386) that '' There is no 

 British-killed specimen of this handsome bird; '' yet in the ' Zoo- 

 logist' (p. 1298) Mr. J. C. Garth records one, and says in whose 

 possession it then was, while only last year Mr. E. H. Rodd 

 (p. 9847) mentions a second, and gives similar details. But as 

 to the general value of Mr. Newman's additions our readers can 

 judge as well as ourselves from a few samples. We learn from 

 this reprint (p. 46) that "all that we know of" the propagation 

 of the Great Spotted Cuckoo* "is given in the ' Zoologist' for 

 1853, at p. 3J87." Nothing more, then, is to be learnt from the 

 numerous accounts which ' The Ibis ' alone, to say nothing of 

 other works, has since contained on the subject ! The Spotted 

 Eagle we are told (Diet. p. 83) " will henceforward take its rank as 

 a native by the side of our other two British species " of Eagles ; 

 but then in exchange we must give up the Ptarmigan, which we 

 now, for the first time, learn (Diet. p. 140) is but " found occa- 

 sionally in Scotland." Whether, also, it was advisable to reprint, 

 without any warning to the unwary, Montagu's assertions (made 

 of course by him in perfect good faith) that both our Godwits, 

 our Golden-eye, Goosander, Bernacle, and White-fronted Geese, 

 Little Grebe, Greenshank, Pine Grosbeak, and Black-headed 

 Gull (we have only run through the letter G) are all found in 



* In the same page we are told that a bird of this species was observed 

 by " Mr. James Teary " in Pembrokeshire, and are referred to page 3046 

 of the ' Zoologist ' for a record of it. Had Mr. Newman looked at the pas- 

 sage mentioned he would have seen that the bird in question was a Yellow- 

 billed American Cuckoo, and that the observer was Mr. James Tracey, a 

 very well known practical naturalist. 



