Recent Ornithological Publications. 469 



we so much the more regret we can only make a few remarks on 

 Mr. Miiller's paper. 



One hundred and twenty-four species of birds are given as 

 having occurred in the Fseroes, of which of course the greater 

 number are merely stragglers * : forty-four, however, certainly 

 breed there yearly, besides three more which probably do so, and 

 four which are believed to have done so formerly. Herr Miiller's 

 observations with regard to two supposed species {Corvus leuco- 

 phceus and Ur'ia leucophthalma) are, we think, conclusive, and we 

 hope never to hear either of them again spoken of as a good species. 

 Of the first he says, *' As is known, there occurs here a white- 

 spotted variety, * Qvujt-ravnur ' (white Raven), Corvus leuco- 

 phtmsy Vieill. It is sometimes found paired with the Common 

 Raven. A few pairs of the black Raven have annually in their 

 nest one, two, or more young which are pied. For several years I 

 used to get annually one or two pied young from a place where a 

 pair of black Ravens annually built ; but of late years they have 

 only had black young in the nest.'^ With respect to the other, Mr. 

 Miiller states that it " is certainly only a variety of Uria troile ; 

 for I have been an eye-witness that a Ringed and a Common 

 Guillemot have paired themselves together, and besides have seen 

 a ringvia [sc. leucophthalma] feed a young one which a troile 

 had under its wing." The remarks on fowling, the staple 

 branch of industry in the islands, are full of interest, and show 

 that, whatever the political merits of the M.P. for the Fseroes 

 may be, his qualifications as a cragsman and an ornithologist are 

 beyond doubt. 



The same volume of the ' Videnskabelige Meddelelser ' also 

 contains (pp. 337-339) an abstract of some observations, by 

 Professor Reinhardt, on Troglodytes borealis (vide The Ibis, 1862, 

 pp. 296 & 381), in which our excellent correspondent points out 

 that all the peculiarities seized on by its describer as specific 

 characters are not entirely to be trusted, and he suggests others 



* Herr Miiller does not include Cypselus apus, of which Mr. Wolley 

 states that he saw a single example on one of the islands (' Contributions 

 to Ornithology,' 1850, p. 109). 



