1919-] Receiitly published Ornitholoffical Works. 141 



The two parts before us deal -with the Grebes, Divers, 

 Shearwaters, and Solan Goose. With the genera are keys 

 of the species, and with each species references chiefly to the 

 works of Dutch authors, together with the vernacular names 

 met with in Holland. A detailed description is followed 

 by the general distribution, the occurrence in Holland, 

 and the life-history. The nomenclature is based on a list 

 of Dutch birds published by the author in the 'Notes from 

 the Leyden Museum' for 1908, with such modifications as 

 appear to have been necessitated by recent researches. 

 As a matter of fact, so far as the text in the present two 

 parts is concerned, it corresponds exactly to that in the 

 B. O. U. list of British Birds, except that Hydrobates is 

 used as a generic name for the Storm-Petrel instead of 

 Thalassidi'oma. 



Of the plates a few words must be said ; they are drawn 

 by M. A. Koekkoek under the direction of Dr. van Oort, 

 and are reproduced by Messrs. Emrik and Binger of 

 Haarlem by what appears to be some process of chromo- 

 lithograpliy. The plates show very well the distinctions 

 of the various species ; especially is this the case with the 

 Slavonian and the Black-necked Grebes, where in each case 

 birds both in breeding and winter dress are figured. The one 

 which pleases us best is the Little Grebe, a charming scene 

 with male, female, and a young bird in down. The Shear- 

 waters appear to us less successful. They are all shown 

 standing on a sandy beach close to the sea — an unlikely 

 spot to find such a bird — and the birds are standing in 

 stilted and stiff attitude and appear to have been drawn 

 from stufled specimens. This is of course in many cases 

 inevitable, but still we think more life could have been 

 put into the drawings if the artist had studied the birds 

 in the flesh. 



The work is, however, undoubtedly a fine one and planned 

 on very generous lines. It will doubtless become, when 

 finished, the standard work on the Birds of Holland, and 

 we shall look forward to seeing the future numbers as 

 published. 



