Recently published Ornithological Works. 139 



ornithological monograph of an exhaustive kind, such as 

 Messrs. Meyer and Wiglesworth have provided in the two 

 solid volumes now before us. Beginning with some excellent 

 maps, which show exactly the area to which the authors devote 

 their attention, they discuss the previous literature on the 

 subjectj the seasons and winds of Celebes, the general subject 

 of migration in the East- Indian archipelago, the variation of 

 birds under different phases, their geographical distribution 

 around the Celebesian area, and a number of other collateral 

 subjects, before they come to the systematic pai't of their 

 work, in which is contained a full account of the 393 species 

 as yet recognized as belonging to the Celebesian avifauna. 

 Fifteen genera are stated to be restricted to Celebes, of which 

 4 are of first-class importance, 8 of second-class («. e. not 

 quite so distinct as the four first), and 3 of third-class value. 

 Seventy-seven species are peculiar to the island of Celebes, 

 and these in like manner are divisible into three categories, 

 10 being of the first class, 22 of the second, and 45 of the 

 third. The final conclusion arrived at is that one half of 

 the peculiar birds of Celebes have their nearest affinities in 

 the Oriental Region, and one fifth only in the Australian 

 Region, but that the Australian forms seem to be, on the 

 average, rather more strongly differentiated than the Oriental 

 forms. Ornithologists must, therefore, in future follow 

 Mr. W. L. Sclater's advice, deduced from a study of the 

 island's mammals (see '^Geographical Journal,^ viii. p. 388), 

 and attach the Celebesian Subregion to the Oriental and not 

 to the Australian Region. 



Taking this important work as a whole, we venture to 

 pronounce it to be one of the most complete and exhaustive 

 ornithological monographs that have ever been written on a 

 special geographical area, and we beg leave to congratulate 

 the authors on having brought their task, which we know 

 has cost them several years of severe labour, to so successful 

 a conclusion. 



The monograph is accompanied by 45 (mostly) coloured 

 plates, not all, perhaps, of first-rate excellence, but many of 

 satisfactory quality. 



