Recently puhlished Ornithological Works. 483 



bourhood of Port Moresby, New Gruinea/^ Ninox novce- 

 britannics, sp. ii., from New Britain, probably =N. odiosa, 

 Scl. P. Z. S. 1877, p. 108. Myzomela coccinea and M. ery- 

 thina are two new species, tlie former from Duke-of-York 

 Island, the latter from New Ireland. 



(5) " Description of some rare Eggs of Australian Birds, and 

 a Note on the Eggs of certain Species of Megapodius." The 

 eggs of the following species are described : — JElurmdus 

 smithi, Hylacola pyrrliopygia^ Elanus axillaris, Pardalotus 

 rubricatus and P. uropygialis, Entomophila rufigularis, and 

 Poephila atropygialis, Diggles. The egg of Megapodius 

 cuvieri is also described, and its measurements compared with 

 those of several other species. 



60. Wharton'' s ' List of British Birds.' 



[A List of British Birds, the Genera arranged according to SiiudevaH's 

 Method. The Nomenclature revised by Henry Thornton Wharton, M.A., 

 M.R.C.S., F.Z.S. 12mo, pp. 20. London : 1877, J. Van Voorst.] 



A useful list of British birds, in a handy form, which can 

 be either used as a check-list, or cut up for labels. In the 

 introduction are remarks on the uses of this list, on the 

 limits of the British avifauna, on nomenclature, and on classi- 

 fication. Under the head of nomenclature the rules of the 

 British Association are given, but without the comments on 

 them originally printed. The classification adopted is that 

 of the late Prof. Sundevall. Though we are by no means 

 sorry to see the stereotyped arrangement of British lists broken 

 through, we do not think that SundevalFs system can be ac- 

 cepted in its entirety, as, owing to the admission of external 

 characters alone into his classification, incongruities occur in 

 it (such as the Hoopoe being placed in the Oscines next to 

 the Larks) which have little chance of ultimate acceptance. 

 Without in any way detracting from the value of the ' Methodi 

 naturalis Avium disponendarum Tentamen,' we are of opinion 

 that the arrangement there adopted has not been so widely 

 accepted as Mr. Wharton supposes. Classification has never 

 been a very strong point with ornithologists who confine 

 themselves to the study of British birds. Placed side by side 



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