VoL jJi9 XVI ] Recent Literature. 311 



Colour Change in the Plumage of Birds. By Dr. V. G. L. Van Someren. 

 — A most important reply to a paper by Dr. A. G. Butler which claimed 

 color change in a Weaver Bird (Pyromelana) and referred to Turacus as a 

 good illustration of the passing of pigment up the vanes of fully formed 

 feathers. The author states that numerous experiments with the crimson 

 feathers of the latter genus from both skins and living birds failed to show 

 any loss of color. Similar experiments in the Philadelphia Zoological 

 Garden, it might be added, resulted in the same way. In regard to the 

 Weaver, all Dr. Van Someren's birds effected the change by molt as might 

 be expected, and they ate many of the feathers which accounts for the lack 

 of cast feathers in many accounts of supposed color change. These obser- 

 vations should settle this vexed question. 



Avicultural Magazine. X, No. 2. December, 1918. 

 ■The Pigeons of the Gambia. By E. Hopkinson. 



The Emu. XVIII, Part III. January, 1919. 



Haunts of the Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus Gould). By Sidney 

 W. Jackson. 



An interesting account of a trip through Western Queensland with a 

 list of the birds observed. Illustrations of the nest, eggs and young of the 

 Kite. 



Notes on Birds from the Gouldian-Gilbert Type Locality, North 

 Australia. By A. J. Campbell. — This paper is an account of a collection 

 made by Wm. McLennan near Port Essington, the spot where Gilbert 

 collected so many of the birds described by Gould. In commenting on 

 the type localities quoted by Mr. Mathews, the author calls attention to 

 the fact that they do not always agree with those given by Gould in his 

 original descriptions, in the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society. 

 Mr. Campbell would do well to consult the paper prepared by Mr. Mathews 

 and the editor of ' The Auk.' (Austral Avian Record, Vol. I, No. 6-7), 

 in which the history of the Gould collection is given and individual speci- 

 mens selected as the types. The collection is not at Washington, as Mr. 

 Campbell supposes, but at Philadelphia, in the museum of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, where it has been ever since it left Europe. The 

 fact that Gould described a few birds from the north-west coast of Australia, 

 before Gilbert reached Pt. Essington, as stated by Mr. Campbell, is inter- 

 esting and would seem to indicate that the latter should not be quoted as 

 the type locality. In such cases, when all the specimens were labelled 

 Pt. Essington, we selected one of them as the type, as it seemed likely that 

 the labelling might be inaccurate and no other possible types seemed to 

 be in existence. 



Four Ornithological Trips to the Nullabor Plains. By Capt. S. A. 

 White. — An interesting account of travel in this region with many illus- 

 trations. 



Revue Frangaise d'Ornithologie. X., No. 114. October 7, 1918. 

 [In French.] 



Contribution to a Study of the Storm Petrels of the Mediterranean. By 

 L. Lauden. 



