458 Bibliographical Notices. 



a work on the bird-fauna of South-western Africa, when death 

 prevented him from accomplishing his task, the arrangement of 

 which had already been commenced. Most fortunately for ornitho- 

 logical science he left behind him copious notes, which, with numerous 

 prepared skins, made it possible for another to take up the work 

 where he left it off and carry it to a successful conclusion. Yet Mr. 

 Gurney's task in editing and arranging Andersson's notes has been 

 no light one ; and no small amount of original work has he performed 

 in determining the species, and in making intricate points of synonymy 

 intelligible to the student of ornithology. 



Andersson's own notes describe the habits of each species, and 

 give the places where they were found. For descriptions the reader 

 is referred to Layard's ' Birds of South Africa,' and in many cases to 

 Finsch and Hartlaub's ' Vogel Ost-Afrika's.' 



In the nomenclature adopted by Mr. Gurney he has, we think, 

 pushed the use of generic subdivisions to an extent that future 

 researches will not warrant. He makes use of most of the terms 

 given in Gray's ' Hand-list ' in a subgeneric sense as indicating 

 genera. It will be some time yet before ornithologists come to any 

 agreement on the moot point of the value of generic names ; for very 

 much hasty work has to be carefully examined before many a genus 

 can fairly be accepted or rejected as such. Yet we hardly think that 

 the genera proposed, frequently in the most off-hand informal manner, 

 by Bonaparte, or in such works as those of Reichenbach, are entitled 

 to the respect here accorded them. 



As a contribution to the knowledge of the geographical distribu- 

 tion of birds this work is invaluable, and makes a sensible addition 

 to our information on African birds, now fast becoming complete, 

 from Cape Colony northwards to the limits of Andersson's researches. 

 With Cape Colony itself, Mr. E. L. Layard's useful little volume has 

 made us familiar ; while on the east coast in Port Natal and the 

 Trans-Vaal Eepublic another diligent explorer, Mr. Ayres, with 

 whom Mr. Gurney has cooperated, has done excellent work. North- 

 ward of these points our knowledge is but fragmentary ; while of 

 the ornithology of the districts the scenes of Livingstone's recent 

 journeyings we, of course, know nothing as yet. In conclusion, we 

 must record our opinion that this volume is a real and substantial 

 addition to ornithological literature, and that we owe much to Mr. 

 Gurney for rescuing Andersson's valuable notes from the danger in 

 which his death had placed them. 



The ornithology of Egypt has long been a subject of interest, and 

 its birds have most of them been mentioned in various articles of 

 greater or less completeness scattered though the pages of ' The 

 Ibis ' and elsewhere ; so that, though Captain Shelley has done good 

 work in collecting these scattered materials *, more especially as he 

 has verified and observed for himself during several visits to the 



♦ 'A Handbook to the Birds of Egypt.' By G. E. Shelley, F.G.S., 

 F.Z.S., &c. London: 1872. Large 8vo, pp. 342, with 14 coloured plates. 

 (Van Voorst.) 



