504 Recently published Ornithological Works. [Ibis, 



outcome. The two species of Phoebetria are ignored as being 

 probably dichromatic phases_, while all the Prions are lumped 

 as one species, the confession "the series before me is a meagre 

 one " referring to sixteen specimens, though a qualifying 

 ■ sentence reads "Ample series from breeding-stations alone 

 will determine the precise nature of the variations/^ The 

 results of such study have been wilfully ignored, and con- 

 sequently the value of Loomis's lumping is depreciated. 



The sixth part deals with the material collected on the 

 Pacific Ocean adjacent to North Am.erica and the Galapagos 

 Islands and contains a little of general interest, though 

 generally the close attention to moult and neglect of sub- 

 species lowers the value of the conclusions propounded. 

 Thus Puffiuus ubscurus is utilized to cover several " book 

 species " which had not been seen or examined, the results 

 being entirely based upon over a hutidred specimens from 

 the Galapagos alone. In this group such conclusions are as 

 useless as are the majority of those presented in this \ aper. 

 It is unfortunate that the methods employed are so con- 

 fusing ; otherwise the record of Procellaria parkinsoni in 

 Galapagos waters would have been clearly put forward, and 

 we should have understood that apparently a form of this 

 species breeds on the group or along the American coast. 



Study of the paper as a whole confirms the opinion that we 

 know little of the breeding-habits of Petrels, and that there 

 is still a great deal to be done in this connection at the 

 Galapagos Islands. A peculiar confirmation of the ideas 

 proposed, that these " migrant " Petrels are not such, is 

 seen in connection with Oceanodroma furcata where breeding 

 colonies of the supposed " north-bound migrants " have 

 been found off the California coast. The recognition of 

 species, without subspecific differentiation, cannot be suc- 

 cessfvilly applied to this group in the present state of our 

 knowledge, as shown by the recognition of Puffinus auri- 

 cularis and P. opisthomelas as distinct species, while lumping 

 Pterodroma sandwichensis under P. phaopygia, the differences 

 in the latter case being much greater and more constant than 

 in the former. According to the author's own stated views 



