650 Recently published Ornitliological ]]'orks. 



Mr. Matliews creates a new genus Berneyornis for 

 H. strenua, and accepts Rhabdoglaux, Strix, and Megastrix 

 for the remaining Owls of the country; the two latter, 

 however, are not in this part. 



Figures are given of two forms in the case of the Kestrel 

 and four in that of the Boobook Owl, which should be 

 found most useful to subsequent workers. 



Mullens and Swann on the Bibliograjjhy of British Birds. 



[A Bibliography of British Ornithology from the earliest Times to the 

 End of 1912, including Biographical Accounts of the principal Writers 

 and Bibliographies of their published Works. By W. H. Mullens, 

 M.A., etc., etc., and H. Kirke Swann. Parts i. & ii. pp. 1-240. London 

 (Macmillan), 1916. 8vo. Price, when complete, 36s.] 



Mr. Mullens has long been known to us as possessing an 

 unrivalled knowledge of the older authors who have written 

 on British Birds, and is, we believe, the fortunate possessor 

 of a most valuable collection of the older works on the 

 subject. He has now, in collaboration witli Mr. Kirke 

 Swann, given us the first instalment of a volume which 

 promises to be a most valuable and instructive one. 



So far as we know, "the only previous attempt to collect 

 the titles of works relating to British Birds was that of the 

 late Dr. Elliott Coues, who, in the fourth instalment of his 

 Ornithological Bibliography, published in the ' Proceedings 

 of the United States National Museum ' in 1879, issued his 

 " Faunal Publications relating to British Birds" (see 'Ibis,' 

 1881, p. 158). This, however, was admittedly imperfect, 

 and was only intended to serve as a foundation for a larger 

 and more complete work. This, Messrs. Mullens and 

 Kirke Swann, judging by the first part now issued, are 

 now giving us. 



It would perhaps have been better to have excluded 

 biographies of living authors from the bibliographical 

 portion. As it is proposed to prepare complete county 

 indices, the papers and works of these living authors might 

 have been included here. There are also a number of 

 authors and works the inclusion of which would be difficult 



