508 Recently jiublisked Ornithological Works. [Ibis, 



too far, and we would consider that it is up to Mr. Mathews 

 to find the breeding- place first before writing about it. 



Anyhow, Mr. Murphy disagrees with Mr. Mathews, and 

 supports the old orthodox views of the trans-equatorial 

 migration, and marshalls his facts and observations to prove 

 his theme, though lie does not seem to be able to substan- 

 tiate the occurrence of the Petrel in the equatorial belt. 

 Incidentally he describes the plumages and moults of 

 Oceanites, including a juvenile plumage hitherto unnoticed, 

 characterized by white edgings to the feathers of the belly 

 and by a whitish spot on the lores. Further, he has some- 

 thing to say on the migration, breeding, and food-habits, as 

 observed by him on his voyage to South Georgia and back 

 in 1912-13. The paper is illustrated by some photographs 

 of birds taken from ship-board or from skiffs. 



Swarth on Californian Jays. 



[The Pacific coast Jays of the genus Aphelocnmn. By H. S. Swarth. 

 Univ. Cal. Publ., Zool. xvii. 1918, pp. 405-422.] 



In this review of the Jays of the genus Aj)helocoma Mr. 

 Swarth deals with a problem that frequently shows itself 

 when careful comparisons are made of a wide-ranging 

 species which can be divided into several geographical races. 

 In this case a race inhabiting the southern half of the 

 peninsula of Lower California, though so distinct from 

 another [Aphelocoma c. californica) inhabiting the northern 

 portion of the peninsula as to induce Mr. Swarth to regard 

 it as a distinct species (^Aphelocoma hypoleuca) , yet is practi- 

 cally indistinguishable from another subspecies {A. c. 

 immaiiis), found much farther north in the Sacremento 

 Valley, north of the San Francisco region. The only 

 satisfactory explanation appears to be that this is a case of 

 parallel modification along the same lines, and that it does 

 not really indicate racial relationship. There are many 

 other instances of the same ])heuomenon, and all woikers 

 on subspecific forms are familiar with such. Mr, Swarth 

 discusses the relationship of the various races at some 



