134 Recently published Ornithological ^Vo)'ks. [Ibis, 



simple melodies without harmonies or intervals as practised 

 by the ancient Greeks, and he believes that he can prove 

 that a simihir development has taken place among bii-ds 

 from extremely simple forms to the most highly specialized 

 song of such birds as the Thrush, the Blackbird, the Robin, 

 and the Nightingale, all of which improvise their varying 

 song. 



In order to understand thoroughly M. de Fenis* views it 

 is necessary to be trained in music, but we sliould point out 

 that the discussion only deals with the common European 

 birds such as arc found in France, and that he appears to 

 rely for most of his observations on those of various authors 

 whose rendering of the songs of individual birds may be 

 very different owing to the varying psychology of the 

 investigator. 



Ghigi on the origin of the Domestic Fowl. 



[Ricerclie suU' incrociamento del Gallus sonnerati con polli domestici. 

 Menioria del Prof. Alessandro Ghigi. Mem. R. Ace. Sci. Bok)gi]u (8) 

 iii. pp. 1-10, 1 Ttiv.] 



In this memoir Prof. Ghigi states the results of his 

 experiments in crossing the two species of Jungle-Fowl 

 Gallus sonnerati and G. gallus and also various members 

 of the domestic races. All of these he finds completely fertile 

 with one another through several generations. From this 

 he deduces the conclusion that our domestic races are not, 

 as has been believed by Charles Darwin and many other 

 writers, monogenetic and descended solely from Gallus 

 gallus {= G. bankiva auct.), but that they are bigenetic and 

 have been derived from both G. gallus and G. sonnerati. 



Details of the hybrids and of their mendelian inheritance 

 are given, and the pUite illustrates the feather-characters of 

 the pure strains and of the various crosses. 



Gladstone's Ornithologist's Note-Book. 



[An Ornithologist's Field Note-Book by Hugh S. Gladstone, 

 M.A., etc. London (Bickers & Son), 1918. Price 2d.'] 



This little book contains a list of the commoner British 



