Recently published Ornithological Works. oS,') 



to the oceanic birds of the eastern hemisphere and the 

 second to the birds of the South Polar Region and their 

 distribution. 



In the first essay, after a general sketch of the Sea-birds 

 of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the possible division 

 of the former into several distinguishable districts, the 

 author takes the nine families of birds which he considers 

 oceanic, and discusses their constituent species (144 in all). 

 Of these the Laridae, Procellariidse, Alcidae, Spheniscidse, 

 ColymbidaejPhalacrocoracidse, Sulidse, and Phaethontidae may 

 be fairly designated " Vogel des Weltmeeres/' but the Ducks 

 (Anatidee), some of which are included under that title, 

 seem to us to have little claim to it. The Swans (^Cyfjuus) 

 especially cannot in any sense be called " oceanic " birds — 

 yet one species is placed in the List. 



This article, however, appears to have been compiled 

 mainly for the information and instruction of future oceanic 

 voyagers in order to enable them to determine the birds that 

 they meet with. It will be very useful in this way, but 

 does not contain many references to the specimens which 

 were obtained during the German South-polar Expedition. 

 We note that Dr. Reichenow still maintains the specific 

 distinctness of his Sterna antistropha from ^S'. macrura, in 

 opposition to Mr. Eagle Clarke's opinion on this question 

 (see ' Ibis,' 1907, p. 653), and gives a coloured sketch of its 

 head and foot (p. 463). We can hardly believe in the 

 existence of two such closely allied species in the same 

 area. 



In the second contribution to the Zoology of the German 

 South-polar Expedition Dr. Reichenow discusses the Avi- 

 fauna. After some good preliminary remarks he gives 

 a list of the species belonging to it — 53 in number, 

 tvro of which are doubtful. They belong to the families 

 Spheniscidse (7), Procellariidse (25), Laridse (9), Phala- 

 crocoracidse (3), Anatidse (3), and Chionididse (5), besides 

 the single Passerine Anthus antarcticus of South Georgia. 

 The species are then taken in the same systematic order, 

 with complete synonymy, and remarks where necessary. 



SER. IX. VOL. II. 2 P 



