NA rURE 



[November 2, 189; 



all the well-known writers on British birds during the 

 past fifty years, from Yarrell downwards. His notes 

 range over a number of years, and, from his long ex- 

 perience as a collector, he has been able to write an 

 exhaustive list of the birds of Sussex, on which he is 

 undoubtedly the best living authority. ]\Ir. Pidsley's 

 " Birds of Devonshire"^ is also a useful contribution to 

 our local knowledge, and is accompanied by an excellent 

 coloured figure of the Buff-backed Heron in breeding 

 plumage, in which state, however, it does not appear to 

 have been met with as yet in Devonshire. Mr. Pidsley's 

 book, however, is eclipsed in size and importance by 

 another work on the ornithology of the same county by 

 Mr. D' Urban and the Rev. Murray A. Mathew.- Both 

 these gentlemen have long been known as workers at the 

 statistics of Devonshire birds, and the accounts of the 

 species are very complete as regards their distribution in 

 the county. A very good notion of the geography and 

 natural features of the district is added, and some 

 photographs of Lundy Island and other noted haunts of 

 iDirds are given, as well as coloured plates, by Keulemans, 

 of the Black Redstart, Montagu's Harrier, and a dark 

 variety of the Rough-legged Buzzard, as well as the Great 

 Black-backed Gull, which is one of the rarities con- 

 tained in the Albert Memorial Museum at Exeter. It is 

 a little curious that neither Mr. Pidsley nor the authors 

 of the larger work on the " Birds of Devon " allude to the 

 Montagu specimen of the Gull-billed Tern, which re- 

 ceived its name of Sterna Aiiglica from the author of 

 the Ornithological Dictionary. The specimen was 

 taken in Sussex, and is still in the British Museum, 

 having so far survived the decay which has over- 

 taken a considerable portion of the Montagu col- 

 lection. Several r specimens from the latter no longer 

 exist, having no doubt perished in the course of 

 years, as none of them seem to have been properly 

 preserved, and in most cases still have the bones of the 

 trunk inside them. In addition to the list of the British- 

 killed examples of the Gull-billed Tern in summer 

 plumage, we may add to the enumeration given by 

 Messrs. D'Urban and Mathew a beautiful bird in the 

 British Museum from Christchurch, presented by Baron 

 A. von Hiigel. 



Mr. D'Urban adds some tables showing the lines of 

 migration of birds across Great Britain, opening up a 

 new and fascinating branch ot ornithological study to 

 English readers. 



The most recent addition to our local Avifaunas is Mr. 

 Whitlock's " Birds of Derbyshire," ^ which is on the plan 

 of similar works issued of late years, giving a county 

 map and photographic illustrations of the most salient 

 features of the district treated of. Derbyshire is a most 

 interesting county, as it comprises within its area so 

 many different kinds of country, each with varying cha- 

 racteristics. The notes on the migration of birds are 

 good, as are also the accounts of the Ring Ouzel, 

 Dipper, Pied Fly-catcher, and other birds which frequent 

 the famous peak. 



Amongst other books of interest to the student of 

 British Ornithology may be mentioned a popular edition 

 of the St. John classical work, "A Sportsman's and Natu- 

 ralist's Tour in Sutherlandshire." Mr Wintringham's 

 '' Key to the Classification of British Birds "' is a small 

 book, which gives tables of the orders, families, and 

 species of birds inhabiting the British Islands ; but it 



1" The Birds of Devonshire." By WUliam E. H. Pidiley. Edited, with 

 an introduction and short memoir of ihe late John G-itco ntje, by W. A. 

 Macpherson. 8vo, pp. xx:;. 194. i plate and map, (London and Exeter, 

 1891.) 



- '• The Bird.< of Devon." By W. S. M. D'Urban and Rev. Murray A. 

 Mathew. With an introduction, and so ne rennrks on the migra-ijn-i of 

 Devonshire birds. Pp. Ixuxvii. 45^. Flares i-ix. With three maps. 

 (London : R. H. Porter, i3j2 ) 

 .3 '-Tne birds of Derbyshire." Ey F. B. Whitlock. Annitated with 

 numerous additions by A. S. Hutchinson. Pp. vi. 240. (Lj.idon and Derby, 

 1893.) 



■NO. 1253, VOL. 49] 



should have been called a " List "' not a " Key,' as there 

 is not a single character given whereby a species may be 

 distinguished. When a complete analysis has to be 

 made of all the works which deal with British Ornitho- 

 logy, so as to illustrate by statistics the distribution of 

 birds throughout Great Britain, Mr. Miller Christy's little 

 '' Catalogue of Local Lists of British Birds" will be found 

 most useful. 



A recent reviewer has stated in the columns of a leading 

 London paper, that ornithologists are the only people to 

 whom, in the present day, the " insulting character of Dr. 

 Dryasdust is applicable," that they, as a body, take no in- 

 terest in any problems connected with the past history or 

 evolution of birds, " like Gallio, caring for nothing of these 

 things, and, like Gallio, acquiring a considerable reputation 

 by their attitude ! " No wonder that, to this reviewer, the 

 volumes of the British Museum" Catalogue of Birds" 

 appear " most terrible publications." To understand the 

 latter a man must be an ornithologist, which the writer of 

 the above-quoted nonsense evidently is not. A direct con- 

 tradiction to the sage declarations of the reviewer is given 

 by glancing at the list of ornithological works of the 

 year 1S92, when it will be seen that in every branch of 

 the subject considerable progress has been made, and 

 that this country is by no nieans behind the rest of the 

 world, either in the number or the quality of its produc- 

 tions. Lord Lilford has continued his beautiful coloured 

 figures of British birds, a work now hastening to a suc- 

 cessful issue, and accompanied by a series of short but 

 entertaining notes, based upon the author's wide experi- 

 ence as a field naturalist in younger days. On the Con- 

 tinent, some of the results collected from the various 

 stations of observation in the different countries, and 

 summarised by Drs. Meyer and Helm, Dr. von Midden- 

 korf, Mr. Winge, and others, are bound to form an im- 

 portant basis for reliable conclusions when a new history 

 of European birds has to be written. One of the most 

 complete of these summaries is to be found in Prof. 

 Giglioli's third and concluding volume on the Italian 

 orins.^ In this volume Dr. Giglioli summarises the 

 general results of the observations of the corps of aux- 

 iliary naturalists who have helped him with statistics, 

 and the migrations of birds are treated of under various 

 headings and according to localities, while the notes 

 on nidification of Italian birds and their food are also 

 classified, a copious index enabling the crowd of facts 

 relating to each species to be easily found. Four parts 

 of the large folio work on the birds of Italy were also 

 published in 1S92 by Dr. Giglioli, with coloured figures 

 by Signor A. Manzella. 



Dr. Pleske's great work on the ornithology of Russia 

 is making progress, and considerable addition to our 

 knowledge of the Avifauna of Thibet and Mongolia has 

 been achieved by the Russian travellers Grum-Grzimailo 

 and the expedition of Prince Henri of Orleans and M. 

 Bonvalot. 



In Ethiopian ornithology there are several interesting 

 events to chronicle. Prof. Barboza du Bocage has pub- 

 lished a supplement to his " Ornithologie d'Angola," 

 embodying the results of recent exploration in that 

 province, and bringing the work up to date. The col- 

 lections madeby Seiior Francesco Newton, for the Lisbon 

 Museum, in the island of St. Thomas, have also been 

 described by Prof. Bocage, and some interesting new 

 species discovered. The writer has finished the de- 

 scription of Mr. F. J. Jackson's collections, formed during 

 the lattergentlenian's journey to Uganda, and Mr. H. K. 

 Johnston, C.B., has sent several consignments from 

 Nyassa Land, where he has an experienced naturalist, 

 Mr. Alexander White, working for him. The visit of the 



1 Gi.5lioIi, E. H. " Primo Resoeonto dei ri'ultati della Tnchiesta Ornito, 

 !o£;ia in Italia." Parte 'J'erza ed. Ultima. " Notizie d'Indole (lenerale, 

 Migrazioni, Nidificazione, Aliinentazione, etc." 8vo, pp. vii. 518. (Firer/Zc 



189. .) 



