Recently published Ornithological Works. 127 



12. Gurney's ' Rambles of a Naturalist.' 



[Rambles of a Naturalist in Egypt and other Countries, with an ana- 

 lysis of the claims of certain foreign Birds to be considered British, and 

 other Ornithological Notes. By J. H. Gurney, Jun., F.Z.S. 1 vol. 8vo. 

 London : 1876.] 



This volume is a kind of ornithological omnium-gatherum, 

 containing an account of the recent travels and experiences 

 of an ardent devotee of our science in various parts of the 

 world, Mr. Gurney first goes "'to Russia and back/' and 

 gives us an account of the birds to be met with in the market 

 of St. Petersburg there, and a few notes on the museums and 

 zoological gardens which he visited. Next we have his 

 journey in the Algerian Sahara, where, as the readers of ' The 

 Ibis ' already know, he made many interesting observations'^. 

 The notes taken during the Franco- German war, which follow, 

 relate to a much better-known fauna, but still contain some 

 interesting information. The most important portion, how- 

 ever, of Mr. Gurney's volume is the account of his six mouths' 

 bird-collecting in Egypt, which is followed by a systematically 

 arranged series of notes upon all the species of birds obtained, 

 223 in all. Of these Anser erijthropus, Buteo deserto7'um, 

 Cypselus apus (as distinct from C. pallidus), and Anas angus- 

 tirostris are added to the Egyptian list for the first time " on 

 positive information.'' The right of admission was also con- 

 firmed to sundry doubtful species, such as Circus cineraceus 

 and Porzana pygmeea. Some " passing notes on the birds of 

 Italy," together with an analysis of the claims of certain birds 

 to be considered British, and a few minor papers conclude 

 Mr. Gurney's interesting and instructive volume, which we 

 beg leave to recommend most sincerely to the notice of his 

 brother ornithologists. 



* See Mr. Gurney "On the Ornithology of Algeria," Ibis, 1871, 

 pp. 68, 289. 



