610 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



Crow, that the missing fourth finger had its complement of 

 quills, that these have survived past the Arch&opteryx-st&ge, 

 and have in recent birds slipped on to the ulna as part of the 

 series of secondaries. 



The hypothetical scheme works out as follows : — The 

 primaries are nowadays composed of those originally carried 

 by the phalanges of the third finger (primaries 1-5) and 

 those of the phalanges of the index (6-11). Those which 

 originally belonged to the third metacarpal, those of the 

 missing phalanges and equally missing metacarpal of the 

 fourth finger, now form the l-4th, 5-7th, and 8-1 lth 

 cubitals; and, should there be more than 10 cubitals, this 

 surplus alone belongs to the original ulnar feathering. The 

 quills of the alula are those of the first metacarpal, behave 

 as such in their moult, and are in reality not primaries. 



Undoubtedly the moult is a much more complicated 

 process than has been hitherto suspected, and the same applies, 

 to a still greater extent, to the evolution of the " wing/'' 

 with its many disturbances, suppressions, and readjustments ; 

 but it is a long and dangerous flight of imagination from a 

 Piping Crow to the ancestors of Archceopteryx. — H. G. 



114. Dresser's 'Manual of Palaarctic Birds.' 



[A Manual of Palsearctic Birds. By H. E. Dresser, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 

 Part II. London, 1903. Price 12s. (id. net.] 



In our notice of the first portion of this book (supra, 

 p. 252) we have expressed our opinion on its merits in a very 

 decided way, and the second and concluding portion (con- 

 taining pp. 499-922) gives us no reason to alter our views. 

 It is a most useful and careful piece of work, and will be 

 much appreciated by all students of Palsearctic birds, 

 amongst whom may, probably, be included nearly all the 

 members of our Union. We therefore strongly recommend 

 it to their notice. 



In the first part Mr. Dresser gave an account of the 

 Passeres, Picariee, and Striges, which, according to his 

 views, comprise 709 species. The remaining Orders from 

 the Accipitres to the Pygopodes are dealt with in the 



