Z1^ 



NATURE 



[Sept. 2, 1875 



A recent summary of Italian Mammals has been given by Prof. 

 Cornalia in "Italia;" but oh the whole it must be allowed 

 that a good work upon the Mammals of the Italian peninsula is 

 still a desideratum. Of the Mammals of Switzerland, on the 

 other hand, we have an excellent recent work by Dr. Fatio, 

 forming the first volume of his " Fauue des Vcrtebrees rie la 

 Suisse," in which special attention is devoted to the difficult 

 groups of Rodents and Insectivores. No student of the Euro- 

 pean Mammal-fauna should omit to consult it. 



Passing to Eastern Europe, we find our state of exact know- 

 ledge as to the Mammals very defective. As regards Greece, 

 we may refer to the French "Expedition Scientifique en 

 Moree," in which there is a memoir on the Mammals by 

 Geoffroy St. Hilaire, and Erhard's "Fauna der Cycladeen," 

 which gives some details on the Mammals of the Greek Archi- 

 pelago. Of Turkey we find very little information, and there is 

 certainly still much to be done as regards the smaller Mammals 

 of this part of Europe. In Russia we have Menetries's " Cata- 

 logue of the Animals of the Caucasus," and P. Demidoff's 

 "Voyage dans la Russie Meridionale," and perhaps other 

 works in the language of the country, which I am not acquain- 

 ted with. But there can be no doubt that it is in South-eastern 

 Europe that our knowledge of the Mammal- fauna of this 

 continent is exceedingly defective, and that much remains to be 

 done in order to complete our acquaintance with this branch of 

 European Zoology. 



In Northern Europe, which we now turn to, the case is quite 

 different. The highly cultivated and laborious naturalists of 

 Scandinavia have for many years paid great attention to this as 

 to every other part of their fauna. The first volume of 

 Nilsson's " Scandinavian Fauna," published at Lund in 1874, 

 has long been a standard book of reference on this branch 

 of zoology. Much, however, has been done since that period ; 

 and in Prof. Lilljeborg's lately issued work on the Mammals of 

 Sweden and Norway, we have an exhaustive account of the 

 present state of our knowledge of this subject. 



As regards the few Mammals of Spitzbergen, reference should 

 be made to the second volume of Heuglin's " Reisen nach 

 dem Nordpolarmeer," where that energetic naturalist has put 

 together an account of the nineteen species of Mammals that 

 penetrate so far north. 



B. Birds of Europe, 



(a.) Europe generally. — There can be no question, I suppose, 

 that the attractive class of Birds has received much more at- 

 tention than its sister-classes of Vertebrates in Europe as 

 generally elsewhere. Of late years especially a considerable 

 number of naturalists in almost every part of this continent have 

 devoted their principal attention to ornithology. Two journals 

 are devoted solely to this science — in which the larger number 

 of articles treat of the birds of some portion or other of Europe. 

 The mass of literature on the subject is large, and I must there- 

 fore be rather concise in my notices of the principal modern 

 authorities that should -be referred to by an inquirer on the sub- 

 ject of European Ornithology. 



First, as to the avifauna of the whole continent, Temminck's 

 " Manual" — long the acknowledged authority on this subject — 

 was superseded in 1849 by the issue of Degland's " Ornithologie 

 Europeenne." The new edition of this work, issued by the author 

 and Gerbe jointly in 1867, is perhaps now the most complete 

 book of its kind. But it has great faults and imperfections, 

 particularly as regards its indications of the distribution of the 

 species. This branch of the subject had never been properly 

 worked until the recent issue of Mr. Dresser's (formerly Sharpe 

 and Dresser's) " Birds of Europe," which contains, so far as it 

 has hitherto progressed, by far the most exhaustive account of 

 the European birds yet attempted. Its large size and numerous 

 illustrations, however, render it rather cumbersome as a manual ; 

 but a handbook based on it when completed, and containing a 

 judicious abridgment of its information (which I hope Mr. 

 Dresser will not fail to prepare), will, I am sure, form a most 

 valuable work, 



Fritsch's " Naturgeschichte der Vogel Europas," lately pub- 

 lished at Prague, is a cheap and useful manual for those who 

 understand German ; while Gould's "Birds of Europe," though 

 out of date, will be always referred to for its illustrations. 



(b.) Birds op Great Britain. — For many years the standard 

 book of reference on the ornithology of these islands has 

 been Yarrell's " British Birds," and its several Supplements. 

 The new edition of this work, commenced in June 1 871 by 

 Prof. Newton, is familiar, no doubt, to most of the mem- 



bers of Section D. As to its merits there can be no ques- 

 tion ; I think it is seldom indeed that a task is entrusted to one 

 so thoroughly competent to perform it, or so careful in the 

 execution of what he undertakes. But the slow progress of the 

 work is appalling. After four years only one of the promised 

 four volumes has been completed. As amongst the best of 

 numerous local works on the birds of this coxmtry recently 

 issued should also be mentioned Gray's "Birds of the West 

 of Scotland," and Hancock's memoir on those of North- 

 umberland and Durham. A very useful work of reference 

 for ornithologists is also Mr. Harting's ' ' Hand-book of British 

 Birds," in which the exact dates and places of occurrence 

 of all the rarer visitants are recorded. Those who love life- 

 sized illustrations, and have full purses, will not fail to acquire 

 (provided a copy is left) Mr. Gould's splendid work on the 

 "Birds of Great Britain," now complete in five volumes. 

 After this enumeration it will be almost needless to remark that 

 Ornithology has no reason to complain of want of support in 

 this country. 



(c.) Birds of France. — In France less attention has been de- 

 voted to the native birds of late years ; and besides the new 

 edition of Degland's "Ornithologie Europeenne" already 

 spoken of, I have only to mention Bailly's " Ornithologie de 

 la Savrie," and Jaubert and Barthelemy - Lapommeraye's 

 " Richesse Ornithologique de la Midi de la France," in 

 each of which will be found much information about the rarer 

 birds of the districts respectively treated of. 



(d.) Birds of Spain and Portugal. — Much attention has been 

 paid to the avifauna of Southern Spain of late years, but rather 

 by visitors from the north than by native naturalists. Lord 

 Lilford and Mr. Howard Saunders have both given us some 

 excellent articles in the "Ibis" on this subject, and have made 

 a variety of interesting discoveries, amongst which are actually 

 several new species, * or at all events well-marked local forms. 

 Dr. A. E. Brehm, long resident at Madrid, has also devoted 

 much attention to Spanish ornithology, and written a complete 

 list of Spanish Birds, which should be consulted. To Colonel 

 Irby's work on the Straits of Gibraltar I have already alluded ; 

 as regards the southern extremity of the peninsula he is our best 

 and most recent authority. For information on the birds of 

 Portugal we must again go to an English source — Mr, Alfred 

 Charles Smith, "Narrative of his Spring Tour" being the best 

 authority which I am acquainted with on this subject. 



(e.) Birds of Italy. — Savi's " Ornithologia Toscana," pub- 

 lished as long ago as 1827, was for long almost our only 

 authority on Italian ornithology. Bonaparte's " Iconographia," 

 already alluded to, gave some additional information as to 

 rarer species. Salvadori's memoir on the birds, forming the 

 second volume of the recently published " Fauna d'ltalia," 

 is the best and most recent authority on this subject, and con- 

 tains an excellent "Bibliografia Ornithologica Italiana." A 

 large illustrated work on the birds of Lombardy has been 

 recently published at Milan by Bettoni. We must also call 

 attention to the persevering way in which Mr. C. A. Wright has 

 worked up the Avifauna of Malta, and to Mr. A. B. Brooke's 

 recently published notes on the Ornithology of Sardinia. 



(f.) Birds of Turkey and Greece. — Dr. Kriiper, a well-known 

 German naturalist, has been long resident in various parts of the 

 Levant, and has contributed numerous articles upon the birds 

 met with to various periodicals. These have been recently put 

 together and edited by Dr. Hartlaub, and published as a number 

 of Mommsen's " Griechische Jahrezeiten," which thus contains 

 a summary of all our principal information on the birds of Greece 

 and its islands. Before that our best authority on Grecian birds 

 was Lindermayer's " V«gel Griechenlands. " As regards Euro- 

 pean Turkey, Messrs. Elwes and Buckley have lately published 

 a good paper in the "Ibis" on its birds; and MM. Alleon 

 and Vian have written several articles in the " Revue Zoolo- 

 gique " on the ornithology of the neighbourhood of Constanti- 

 nople. But there is certainly still much to be done as regards 

 birds in this part of the continent, as likewise amongst the 

 islands of the Greek Archipelago, many of which are almost 

 unexplored by the naturalist. 



(g.) Birds of Southern Russia atid the Caucasus. — Though many 

 notices of the birds of Southern Russia have appeared in the 

 " Bulletin " of the Society of Nuturalists of Moscow, I am 

 not aware of any complete account of them having been issued. 

 Demidoff, in the third volume of his "Voyage dans la Russie 

 Meridionale," gives a list of the birds of what he calls the 



* Geciiius Sharpii, P.Z.S. 1872, p. 153, and Calendrella bcetica. Dresser, 

 " Birds of Europe," pt. 21, 



