552 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



agree with the author in considering the iUustrations true 

 to nature. True to nature, in our opinion, means true 

 to life; aud photographs from stuffed birds or skins in 

 Mr. Rowland Ward's series cannot be considered satisfactory. 

 But we are far from saying that the whole work will not be 

 found most useful to the class to whom it is intended to 

 appeal ; it may, indeed, meet all their requirements, and 

 much of the letterpress will interest a wider circle, the 

 coloration of the young birds being an instance in particular. 



Six hundred species are included, without distinction 

 between truly British and other forms, though square 

 brackets are placed round the names of very rare stragglers. 



No authorities are piven for the facts recorded, when 

 already published, as Mr. Lydekker considers such to be 

 public property. He dislikes, moreover, the splitting up 

 of generic groups, tliough he recognises the main races 

 proposed by modern writers, 



68. Meiieyuux on the Xest of the Oven-bird. 



[Sur le nid des Fouruiers (Funiarius Vieill.). Par M. A. Menegaiix. 

 Bull Mus. d'Hist. Nat. 1908, no. 1, p. (i.] 



The author bases his article on four nests of a Furnarius 

 procured by the " Mission de Crequi-Montfort," from Salta, 

 in Northern Argentina. Unfortunately, no specimens of 

 the builders of these wonderful structures were brought 

 home, but there is little doubt, we think, that M. Menegaux 

 is correct in referring them to Furnarius rufus. Most of the 

 naturalists who have visited Argentina and Paraguay have 

 written on the nest-building of this remarkable bird, and 

 M. Menegaux, who has quoted Azara, Burmeister, Holland, 

 Gibson, Goeldi, and other authors on the subject, has not, 

 so far as we can see, added much to our knowledge of it. 

 In fact there is not much more to be said than what has 

 been already recorded by former writers, amongst whom 

 Hudson, in 'Argentine Ornithology,' should be specially 

 quoted. There is a good series of the nests of Furnarius 

 rufus in the British Museum, and a specimen of it is exhibited 

 in the Bird Gallery. - 



