Recent Ornithological Publications. 199 



Spanish bird is quite a diflferent species from the true Pica cyanea 

 of Siberia. It was first brought to the notice of ornithologists, 

 we believe, by Capt. Cook (afterwards Widdrington), the author 

 of ' Sketches in Spain/ In that work (vol. ii. p. 258), it will 

 be found alluded to as Pica cyanea. But some of his specimens 

 having been placed in the hands of the late Prince Bonaparte, 

 that acute observer instantly recognized their distinctness, and, 

 on exhibiting them at the meeting of the British Association 

 held at Birmingham in 1849, proposed to call the Spanish bird 

 Pica cooki (see Report Brit. Assoc. 1849, p. 75). In the Prince's 

 article on the Garruline Birds, in the Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1850, 

 and in his 'Conspectus' (p. 382), the differences between the two 

 species are clearly pointed out. They are very noticeable on 

 comparison. Mr. Bree, though he figures an egg supposed to 

 be of this bird, gives no details as to its nidification^ or indeed 

 as to its habits. He has apparently quite overlooked the inter- 

 esting article of Baron R. Konig-Warthausen on this subject in 

 the fourth volume of ' Naumannia ' *, and the notice of its eggs 

 given in Cabanis' 'Journal fiir Ornithologie,' 1856^ p. 32. We 

 may also remark, that Garrulus krynickii of the Caucasus, G. me- 

 lanocephalus of Syria, and G. cervicalis of Algeria are now 

 generally considered as distinct species. The striking differences 

 between the two latter are well pointed out by Mr. Tristram 

 (who has himself observed both in a state of nature) in our last 

 Numberf. The Caucasian bird alone has some claims to be 

 considered European. 



The 4th and concluding part of the ' Illustrated Proceedings 

 of the Zoological Society' for 1858 is not yet out ; but we believe 

 it will appear vei'y shortly. 



The 'Annals of Natural History' for February contain two 

 articles relating to our branch of zoology. We cannot believe 

 that Mr. Strickland's supposed new British Goose {Anser palu- 

 dosus !) has remained so long unnamed. Is it Naumann's Anser 

 arvensis, as distinguished from A. segetum in ' Naumannia ' (iii. 

 p. 5, pi. 4), or is it the true A. segetum? The second paper, 

 Mr. Wallace's " Correction of an important error affecting the 

 classification of the Psittacidse " (p. 147), affords valuable ad- 



* See ' Naumannia,' 1854, p. 30. t See anfea, p. 32. 



p2 



