1908 J Recent Literature. 339 



still unable to see any advantage in the recognition of subspecies; and 

 hence it may be here noted that in the present work the subspecies of mod- 

 em authors are either wholly ignored in nomenclature or are given the 

 rank of full species. Also that tautonymy is distasteful to the author of 

 the 'Monograph of the Petrels,' and we have Puffinus ariglorum as a substi- 

 tute for the now almost universally accepted Puffinus puffinus; and, of 

 course, consistently with this mental attitude, the beginning of binomial 

 nomenclature in zoology is based on the 12th instead of the 10th edition 

 of Linnseus's 'Systema Naturae.' 



Puffinus auduhoni Finsch is preferred as the name of Audubon's Shear- 

 water, on the ground that the earlier name Puffinus Iherminieri Lesson 

 rests on a diagnosis "too general in character." Yet Puffinus hailloni 

 is tentatively accepted for the Madeiran Shearwater, although the original 

 diagnosis is even less satisfactory, and there is also doubt as to whether the 

 species really occurs at the type locality given for it by its author. Al- 

 though Hartert has employed tliis name for the jNIadeiran species (as P. 

 obscurus hailloni), he admits that possibly it should have a new designa- 

 tion, an opinion to which Godman unreservedly assents. The case thus 

 seems so clear that we propose for this species the name Puffinus godmani, 

 as a slight compliment to the distinguished author of the ' Monograph of the 

 Petrels.' 



WMe vernacular names are not subject to the same rules as technical 

 names, it seems well to avoid their double employ as far as possible, and 

 especially for such nearly related birds as those of the same genus. It was 

 probably through oversight that in the present 'Monograph' the name 

 Pink-footed Shearwater is used for both Puffinus creatopus (p. 101) and 

 P. carneipes (p. 142). — J. A. A. 



Howard's 'The British Warblers,' Parts I and II. ' — This remarkable 

 work is worthy of the highest praise, as regards both conception and exe- 

 cution. The numerous and beautiful plates are a fitting complement to 

 the text, which together will mark an epoch in the history of this most 

 interesting group of British birds. The account of each species is a de- 

 tailed and elaborate monograph of its life history, with digressions, as ex- 

 pressed in the subtitle, on the " problems of their lives," based evidently on 

 intimate first-hand knowledge of the bird in life. The treatment of these 

 'problems ' is sane and rational in marked contrast with much that has of 



1 The I British Warblers | A History with Problems | of | their Lives. By | H. Eliot 

 Howard, F. Z. S., M. B. O. U. | lUustrated by Henrie Gronvold | London | R. H. 

 Porter | 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. — Part I, February, 1907. Colored 

 plate of eggs of British Warblers, 6 species, 34 figures; Sedge Warbler, pp. 1-14, 1 

 colored and 4 photogrravure plates; Grasshopper Warbler, pp. 1-24, 2 colored and 6 

 photogravure plates. Two maps, geographical distribution of Grasshopper and 

 Savi's Warblers. Part II, March, 1908. Chiff-chaff, pp. 1-31, 2 colored and 6 

 photogravure plates; Yellow-browed Warbler, pp. 1-3, 1 colored plate. Also 

 colored plate each of Sedge Warblers (3 figures) and Grasshopper Warbler; 2 maps, 

 geographical distribution of Sedge and Aquatic Warblers. Price, 21s net per part. 



