574 Recently published OrnitJiological Works. 



Arizona. Mr. H. A. Purdie of Boston has lent his valuable 

 assistance to its elaboration ; and the work as now completed 

 forms a useful compendium of the latest information upon 

 the ornithology of a district which is undoubtedly one of the 

 most carefully investigated portions of North America. 



124. Stevenson on the Dusky Shearwater in Norfolk. 



[On the Occurrence of the Dusky Petrel or Shearwater {Puffinus 

 obscunis) in Norfolk in 1858 ; its first known appearance in England. 

 By Henry Stevenson. Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc. vol. iii. 

 p. 467.] 



Although the occurrence of this species was recorded by 

 Mr. Stevenson in 'The Zoologist' for 1858 (p. 6096), the 

 specimen had been lost sight of for thirteen years^ and^ having 

 been traced by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun.^ to its resting-place at 

 Earsham Hall, and identified by a slight mutilation noted by 

 Mr. Stevenson when first he examined it, was exhibited at 

 the Zoological Society's meeting of 16tli May, 1882. This 

 is really the only authenticated occurrence of this oceanic 

 species in the British Islands ; for the supposed Irish specimen 

 was obtained at sea at some unknown distance off the island 

 of Valentia in the south-west of Ireland. It would be in- 

 teresting to know whether the latter is still in existence. 



125. Taczanowski on the European Nuthatches. 



[Notice sur la SitteUe d'Europe {Sifta europcea, Linn.). Par M. L. 

 Taczanowski. Bull. Soc. Zool. de France, 1882, p. 425.] 



Premising that the only alleged specific difiference between 

 Sitta europcea, Linn., and S. ccesia, Meyer and Wolf, consists 

 in the coloration of the underparts, the author gives the 

 result of an examination of upwards of 70 examples from 

 carefully-chosen localities. -He is convinced that the two 

 forms only constitute one species, a perfect gradation 

 existing between the pure white of the northern form aud 

 the ochre-colour of the birds of central and southern 

 Europe. The inexplicable point is that the pure white form 

 of St. Petersburg is cut off from that of Podolia by the less 

 white forms found in Volhynia, Lithuania, and Moscow. 



