Recently published Ornithological Works. 93 



their predecessors. Mr. Seebohm's powers of observation are 

 well known to be keen, his ear for the notes of birds is almost 

 unrivalled, and his descriptive renderings are often extremely 

 happy. Take, for instance, that of the Scaup : — '^if you 

 imagine a man with an exceptionally harsh, hoarse voice 

 screaming out the word scaup at the top of his voice, some idea 

 of the note of this Duck may be formed. ^^ Among the rising 

 generation of ornithologists there must be many who have not 

 yet read, either in the pages of this Journal or in Mr. Dres- 

 ser's ' Birds of Europe, "" the graphic description of the finding 

 of authenticated eggs of the Grey Plover and the Little 

 Stint by the author and his companion, Mr. Harvie-Brown. 

 Full details of these acquisitions will be found in Part V. 

 On the other hand, turning to the systematic arrangement, we 

 are at a loss to understand Mr. Seebohm's reasons for begin- 

 ning his Charadriidse with Hamatopus, followed by Chara- 

 drius, Ciirsorius, Glareola, Himantopus (for the Avocet and 

 the Black-winged Stilt), Phalaropus, and so on through the 

 Scolopacidse. It is, of course, a matter of opinion, but we 

 think that Mr. Seebohm is, in the main, unjust in the remarks 

 in his Introduction (p. xiv) as to the blindness of ornitho- 

 logists (worthy of the name) to the theory enunciated by 

 Darwin and the intergradation of species. The tone of many 

 of the footnotes is also to be regretted, and in future years the 

 author will probably agree with us upon this point. In fact, 

 in his Introduction, he already offers an apology to those 

 whom he may have offended in his '^ endeavours to cover with 

 ridicule and contempt the two great errors of the wanton 

 multiplication of genera and the capricious change of generic 

 and specific names."" If those whose toes have been trodden 

 upon during Mr. Seebohm's erratic gambols in pursuit of 

 that ignis fatuus which he calls truth, felt a conviction that 

 he at least had attained to it, they would, doubtless, allow 

 his virtuous motives to stand him in good stead ; but, as it 

 is, we fear that they are still unconvinced that he is numbered 

 with the elect, and remain impenitent as to their freely im- 

 puted errors. For, to cite his own words: — "The days of 

 authority in science as well as in religion are past. Modern 



