Ornithologists' Club. 117 



Classification of Birds.' It seems to me to be a most useful 

 Manual on this subject, profusely illustrated, and full of 

 convenient references to further information on various 

 points which it would have been impossible to compress into 

 a single volume. It will be found to be a mine of wealth to 

 those who choose to dig in it, and contains a good summary, 

 not only of the results arrived at by Mr. Beddard himself, 

 but also by Garrod and Forbes, his illustrious predecessors 

 in the oflBce which he holds. 



Mr. A. H. Evans, whose volume upon Birds for the ' Cam- 

 bridge Natural History ' we have been long expecting, 

 informs me that this work is finished, except the index, and 

 will be shortly published. We shaft all welcome its appear- 

 ance with the greatest pleasure. A second work that 

 Mr. Evans, together with Mr. Scott Wilson, is engaged 

 upon is the ' Aves Hawaiienses,' of which we have long been 

 waiting for the final part. This, I am assured, is now in a 

 forward state, and is likely to be issued without further 

 delay. 



From information received from Mr. . Rothschild, I am 

 pleased to be able to say that his somewhat parallel illus- 

 trated work on the ' Avifauna of Laysan/ of which the last 

 part was issued in 1893, will also be shortly brought to a 

 conclusion, and that the third and final part will be issued in 

 the course of next year. Taken together, these two works will 

 form a most valuable contribution to our knowledge of the 

 Avifauna of the Northern Pacific. I must also not forget to 

 mention, among recent contributions to our science, the 

 excellent work of Dr. Meyer and Mr. Wiglesworth on the birds 

 of Celebes — one of the most elaborate and complete ornitho- 

 logical monographs on the birds of a special district ever 

 prepared. Celebes, I may remark, as a debatable land 

 between the Australian and Oriental Regions, was in special 

 need of the full treatment and discussion which it has 

 received from the authors of this work. 



But the brethren of the B. O. C. and their friends, I 

 think I may say, are at present not less active in the field 

 than in the cabinet. We are fortunate in having with 



