1922,1 Recently published Omit Jiologicul Works'. 363 



Murphy on the Sea-hirds of Peru. 



[The Sea-coast and Islauds of Peru. Bj Robert Cushman Murphy. 

 Parts IV- VII. Brooklya Museum Quarterly for 1921, pp, 1-28, 35-55, 

 91-105, U5-153.] 



In these four articles in the Brooklyn Museum Quarterly 

 Mr. Murphy concludes his account of his travels on the 

 sea-coast of Peru, the first portion of which has already 

 been noticed (Ibis, 1921, p. 3.^9). The first article contains 

 a very interesting account of the Chincha Islands as they 

 were in 1869, when Dr. Lucas — then a young man, now the 

 Director of the American Museum — visited them in the 

 sailing-ship ' Lottie Warren ' to obtain a cargo of guano for 

 transport to London. In the first article Mr. Murphy con- 

 cludes his account of the Chincha Islands ; he afterwards 

 visited one or tvvo localities on the mainland, finally ending 

 up at Callao. The very numerous photographs are excellent 

 and give a wonderful idea of the abundance of the bird-life 

 along the Peruvian coasts. Those of the Condors in flight 

 are exceedingly interesting, and placed alongside one of an 

 Albatros photographed in the south Atlantic exhibit a 

 remarkable contrast in the relative length and breadth 

 of the wings of these birds. 



Murphy and Harper on the Diving Petrels. 



[A review of the Diving Petrels. By Robert Cushman IMurphy and 

 Francis Harper. Bull. Amer. Mus. N. H. xliv. 1921, pp. 495-554.'] 



The Diving Petrels (Pelecanoididse) form a very striking 

 and very distinct family among the Tubinares and are con- 

 fined to Antarctic and Sul)antarctic seas, though one species 

 ranges north along the west coast of South America nearly 

 to the equator. They have a curious resemblance to the 

 Auks of the northern hemisphere^ Avhich, however, is 

 pi'obably due to convergence and similar external con- 

 ditions and is of no phylogenetic significance. 



Messrs. ^Murphy and Harper have been able to examine 

 a large series in American Museums, chieflv from the 



