106 Recently published Oi'nithological Works. 



the credit of the Commission, however, this unfortunate 

 accident was not allowed to interfere with the scheme, and 

 other collections were formed during the winter of 1884-85, 

 and sent to New Orleans in time to take their place in the 

 Exhibition of 1885. Since then these collections have been 

 transmitted to Washington to be determined by comparison 

 with the specimens in the U.S. National Museum, and the 

 report upon them is now published. The birds enumerated 

 in the present list by Mr. Ferrari-Perez are 241 in number, 

 chiefly from the States of Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Vera Cruz. 

 The supposed novelties have been already described by 

 Mr. Kidgway in 'The Auk^ for 1886 {Amphispiza ferrari- 

 perezi, Pipilo submaculatus , P. complexus, Anas diazi, and 

 Philortyx pej'sonatus). But see Mr. Salvin^s views {infra, 

 p. 108) as to the three Fringillidae. Mr. Ridgway now 

 further characterizes the Micrathene of Socorro as distinct, 

 under the name M. graysoni. The occurrence of Micrathene 

 whitneyi and Anthus spraguii so far south as the State of 

 Puebla is now first recorded. 



8. Fischer and Pelzeln on the Birds of Jan Mayen. 



[Vogel und Saugethiere von Jan Mayen, gesammelt von Dr. F. Fisclier, 

 bearbeitet von Dr. F. Fischer und August von Pelzeln. Die Internat. 

 Polarforscbung 1882-83. Die Oesterreicbigche Polarstation Jan Mayen. 

 Bd. iii. 1886.] 



Those who have not the geography of the Arctic regions at 

 their fingers" ends may like to be reminded that Jan Mayen 

 is a long narrow island of volcanic formation, situated near 

 the edge of the ice-pack which fringes the east coast of 

 Greenland, rather more than a third of the way between the 

 north-east of Iceland and the south of Spitsbergen. It is 

 often sighted and sometimes visited by the Dundee and 

 Peterhead whalers and sealers, as well as by yachting ex- 

 plorers ; but the first description of its avifauna was published 

 by Herr Mohn, in his account of the Norwegian Arctic 

 Expedition (Christiania, 1882), in which a brief list of only 

 seven species was given. The Austrian expedition passed 

 a year on this desolate island, exploring the interior as well 



