March 29, 1900] 



NATURE 



517 



In conclusion, we can scarcely bestow a higher meed of 

 praise on the labours of the late Mr. Stark than the 

 expression of the hope that the subsequent volumes of 

 this valuable series will be equal in merit to the one 

 before us. 



Captain Shelley's work covers a much wider field than 

 that of Mr. Stark, embracing all the birds of Africa south 

 of the Tropic of Cancer, together with those of Madagascar 

 and other islands off the African coast. In other words, 

 it describes the avi-fauna of the Ethiopian region in its 

 more extended sense. A notable feature of the second 

 part is the beautiful series of coloured 

 plates with which it is illustrated ; the 

 portraits of the birds, as in all Mr. 

 Gronvold's work, being remarkably 

 true to nature, and at the same time 

 forming artistic pictures. 



The first volume, which made its 

 appearance four years ago, consists 

 of a classified list of the genera and 

 species of African birds, with refer 

 ences to the works in which the 

 names first appeared. With the 

 second volume commences the de- 

 scriptive portion of the work ; the fir-?t 

 part, in addition to containing the 

 Angola Pitta and the two other Ethi 

 opian representatives of the "Oligo- 

 myod.-e," being devoted to the beautiiul 

 Sun-Birds, or Neciariniidae. 



With reference to the plan of the 

 work, it is stated in the Introduction 

 that it will "consist of a series of handy 

 volumes complete in themselves," and 

 that the second volume "will be an ac- 

 ceptable work to the Field Naturalist, 

 for whom many of the notes will be 

 specially intended." From these state- 

 ments, we venture to think, it ma\ 

 be inferred that the work is in- 

 tended to supply all the needs of 

 the African ornithologist when work- 

 ing alone in the wilds, far away from 

 a library. But, on examination, we 

 doubt whether this is altogether the 

 case. For example, when the genus 

 of a bird has been changed, there is 

 in most cases no possibility of findin- 

 out the name under which it \va~ 

 originally described ; the reference- 

 in the first volume merely giving th< 

 name of the author of the species, am! 

 the place and date of publication, 

 without mention of the genus. Neitlu i 

 can weapproAe of the mode of arranj.;( 

 ment of the references themselves. \\ e 

 have, for instance, on page 89, the 

 following, \\z.:~Chalcomitra sencj^n- 

 irnsls (Linn.), Shelley, B. Afr. i. No'. 47 

 [896) ; Cinnyris scne^alensis, Shelley, 

 .Mon. Nect. p. 267 (1878) ; Nectarinia 

 Sifiei^alensis, Bocage, J. f. O. 1876, 

 p. 435. Apart from the omission 

 of the references to the Linnean 

 genus and place of publication, the 

 arrangement of these references is, we venture to 

 submit, totally unjustifiable, and they should have 

 been put in just the reverse order, when they 

 would accord with their chronology. As a matter of 

 fact, references to the author's previous works are, 

 we think, a great deal too prominent. Moreover, the 

 complicated system on which the author makes his 

 references is liable to lead to great confusion in the event 

 of any typographical error. For example, the omission 



NO. 1587, VOL. 61 J 



of a couple of brackets on page 95 of the first volume 

 would lead the reader to believfe that a certain bird was 

 described as Ncwtonia bruitncicatida three years before 

 the date of publication of the generic name I 



In regard to the arrangement of the families of Passeres, 

 it is a matter for regret that there is much divergence 

 between the present work and that of Mr. Stark. In the 

 latter the arrangement is from the highest to the lowest, 

 commencing with the Corvidae, and concluding with the 

 " Oligomyodae." Captain Shelley, on the other hand, adopts 

 the opposite plan, commencing with the " Oligomyodie" ; 



Fig, 



-Male of 



-tailed Sugar-Bird " showing-off.' 

 South Africa." 



and in this he is no doubt perfectly justified, although we 

 are at a loss to ascertain why he follows on immediately 

 with the Nctfannudae, which are usually placed near the 

 middle of the series. Apart from this, we have no 

 hesitation in saying that, in a matter which is really of no 

 importance at all, it would be a great convenience if 

 ornithologists could agree to follow the same nietliod of 

 arrangement of the families. And this reminds us that 

 there is another difference between Captain Shelley and 



