Miscellaneous. 475 
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 
An Iilustrated Manual of British Birds. By Howarp SAUNDERS, 
F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. Parts xili-xx. 
Tue issue of the concluding part of this book imposes upon us the 
pleasing duty of congratulating the Author of what may certainly 
be considered one of “the most useful of recent publications. The 
accuracy which marked the earlier portion has been fully sustained 
in the remainder, and no pains have been spared to render the 
volume as complete as possible; while, without adding to the esti- 
mated expense, maps have been furnished of the United Kingdom, 
Europe, and the North Polar district, showing the elevation of the 
land and the depth of the surrounding seas in the first two cases. 
The labour involved in the constant condensation necessitated by 
the plan of the work must have been enormous, especially in such 
articles as those on the Red Greuse, Curlew, Great Bustard, 
and Great Auk; yet we notice that space is found for many 
useful details—for example, the critical differences between the 
Arctic, Common, and Roseate Terns, the Slavonian and Eared Grebes, 
the Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, the eggs of the Guillemot and 
Razorbill. 
The new woodcut of the Great Auk is taken from Bullock’s 
Orkney specimen, while the Killdeer and Sociable Plovers, the 
Mediterranean Black-headed Gull, the Solitary Sandpiper, the 
Lesser Golden Plover, and the White-billed Northern Diver are 
recognized as British birds, and the first three are figured. 
The Spotted Sandpiper, on the other hand, is now rejected. 
Besides this, the names Wedge-tailed Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, and 
Little Tern have been substituted for Cuneate-tailed Gull, Bona- 
partian Gull, and Lesser Tern, which were employed by Yarrell and 
which Mr. Saunders evidently felt constrained to employ in the 4th 
edition of the work which bears that author’s name; the changes 
rendered possible by the absence of that feeling being decided improve- 
ments. A new derivation is suggested for the word ‘ Avocet;’ the 
discovery of the Pectoral Sandpiper’ s eggs has been made since the 
4th edition of ‘ Yarrell’ appeared ; and a probable occurrence of 
the Great Auk in the St. Kilda group has been lately brought to 
light. 
“In the Appendix, among further notes on several species, are to 
be found important records of the breeding of the Sand-Grouse and 
Snow-Bunting in Scotland, with the capture in Britain of Emberiza 
cioides. ‘The “Introduction contains a list of the families and genera, 
with characters of the latter ; while in the full and thorough Index 
we are glad to see that different type is used to distinguish the above 
as well as the species, and that in cases of local or little-known 
names the usual English equivalents have been added in brackets, 
to avoid the necessity of a double reference. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Note on the Occurrence of a Species of Bothriceps in the Karoo 
System of South Africa. By R. Lypexxer. 
Specimens of skulls of a small Labyrinthodont from the Karoo 
System of the Orange Free State preserved in the British Museum 
