1921.] Recently published Ornithological Works. 341 



Club, printed in the May 1920 number of the journal, 

 deals with colours of birds in relation to their habits. 

 He suggests that the conspicuous white rump and wing- 

 patches of many birds are useful as a signal of alarm and 

 danger, 



A new bird to the Irish list is the Carolina Crake or 

 Sora Rail {Porzana Carolina), an example of which struck 

 the lantern of the lighthouse at Slyne Head, co. Galway, 

 on 11 April, 1920, and is recorded by Prof. C. J. Patten in 

 the June 1920 number. 



According to the B. O. U. List there are four British 

 records — one for England, one for Wales, and two for 

 Scotland — of this North American bird. 



Scottish Naturalist. 



[The Scottish Naturalist : A monthly Magazine devoted to Zoology. 

 1920 ; 6 nos.] 



The * Scottish Naturalist,^ under the able editorship of our 

 ex-President, continues to flourish so far as its contents 

 are concerned, though somewhat reduced in size, and now 

 appearing only every two months owing to the increased 

 cost of production. 



The principal ornithological contributors to the present 

 volume are the Misses Baxter and Rintoul, whose report on 

 Scottish Ornithology for 1917 occupies the whole of the 

 July-August number. This is a most valuable piece of 

 work, most carefully and clearly carried out. The most 

 important ornithological occurrence during the year is 

 the breeding of the Whooper Swan, an event which has 

 taken place during the last two years in west Perthshire. 

 It formerly nested in Orkney, but has not been proved to 

 have bred previously on the mainland. The Misses Baxter 

 and Rintoul have also commenced a series of articles on the 

 breeding species of Scottish Ducks, and have dealt in the 

 present volume with three species — the Gad wall, Wigeou, 

 and Shoveler. They also record the occurrence of the 

 American Wigeon or Bald pate in Fife, while Mr. J. A. 

 Anderson has observed it in Stirlingshire, and with his 



