Recently published Ornithological Works. 533 



That these sacs also serve a mechanical part is also higlily 

 probable, but their importance in the work of respiration 

 has surely been greatly underrated. 



69. Nicoll's ' Three Voyages of a Naturalist.^ 



[Three Voyages of a Naturalist, being- an Account of mnny little-known 

 Islands in Three Oceans visited by the ' Valhalla,' R.Y.S. By M. J. 

 Nicoll. With an Introduction by the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Crawford, 

 K.T., F.RS. 1 vol. Witherby & Co., 1908.] 



Our readers will remember that Mr. Nicoll furnished au 

 account to this Journal in 1904 and the two following years 

 of the birds seen or obtained during three voyages with 

 Lord Crawford in the * Valhalla,' R.Y.S., wherein he 

 described several new forms and gave full details of the 

 habits of many others. In the present volume is contained 

 a well-written and most interesting description of his travels 

 as a whole, illustrated by many plates, maps, and text- 

 figures. We wish to draw special attention to the value of 

 our fellow-member's investigations, as they constitute an 

 up-to-date report of the present condition of the bird-life of 

 the localities visited, from which w^e are not only able to 

 judge of the comparative abundance or scarcity of the 

 various forms, but also to obtain some idea of the chance 

 of survival of those that are especially rare or local. Many 

 of the places are extremely difficult of access, while some 

 have seldom been visited, and can hardly be said to have 

 been worked by a naturalist. 



The first voyage, begun in 1902, was continued round the 

 world, visits being paid to St. Paul's Rocks, Fernando de 

 Noronha, Bahia, Monte Video, the Straits of Magellan and 

 Smythe's Channel, Valparaiso, Easter Island, Pitcairn 

 Island, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, and Thursday Island. Many 

 interesting birds were obtained (such as Elainea ridleyana 

 and Vireo gracilirostris of Fernando de Noronha), and a 

 series of skins was secured of the Pitcairn Warbler (Tatare 

 vaughani), of which the British Museum possessed only 

 spirit- specimens. Easter Island, with its carvings, paintings, 

 and idolsj was perhaps the most important locality touched 



