634 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



96. Herman on Ornithophanology . 



[The Method for Ornithoph&nology inaugurated by the Hungarian 

 Central Office of Ornithology. By Otto Herman. Budapest, 1905. 

 Pp. 1-13.] 



This memoir is both an explanation of the method of 

 investigating the Migration of Birds used by the Hungarian 

 Office, and an appeal to other nationalities to use the same ; 

 but the author does not seem to give sufficient weight to the 

 Migration Reports of other countries (such as those for the 

 British Islands and Denmark or the nearer kingdom of 

 Saxony) j which he appears to regard as based on "chance 

 occurrences." But Ave quite agree with him in his wish for 

 great accuracy and for the establishment of a large number 

 of observation-stations. In Hungary the Migration of the 

 Swallow was observed at 5903 stations, and ten maps are 

 given to shew the results. Other birds are to be observed in 

 future, and account is to be taken in " recent " observations 

 (1) of the hypsometrical conditions (with the mean of the 

 earliest and latest arrivals), and (2) of the geographical 

 position of the stations. Cards are to be sent in the first 

 place to "professional ornithologists" to be filled up for 

 all species and to " schooled foresters " for two species. 

 All notices earlier than 1891 are considered " historical/' 

 Mr. Herman is, moreover, gathering details of migration 

 from the Knysna to Spitsbergen and Kamtschatka. 



97. Herman on Theories of Bird-Migration. 



[Recensio Critica Automatica of the Doctrine of Bird-Migration. 

 By Otto Herman. Budapest, 1905. Pp. i-ix, 1-74.] 



In this pamphlet Mr. Herman, while acknowledging the 

 assistance of many excellent colleagues, asks that further 

 facts may be furnished. He criticises the routes of Migrating 

 Birds suggested by various authors, and pronounces them, 

 in the majority of cases at least, only to exist in the writers' 

 imaginations, for Birds cannot possibly follow all of them. 

 He reviews the " Theses " or Ideas to be found in former 

 literature, beginning from Frederic II. ; and gives those of 

 the Hungarian Central Office of Ornithology, as elaborated 



