Recent hj published Ornilhological IVorks. 389 



and a general sketcli of tlie range, but no statement of the 

 exact mode of its occurrence in Egypt^ except of the most 

 general kind. Take, for example, the first species on the 

 List — Sylvia iiisoria. All we are told about its occurrence 

 is : " Elle traverse quelquefois I'Egypte au printemps et 

 a Tautomne/''' Nearly all the occurrences of the different 

 birds are described in the same meagre and unsatisfactory 

 manner. The Robin is said to be " assez commun dans 

 la Basse-Egypte/^ We believe that it is a regular winter- 

 vi:>itor at Cairo, but always goes north in summer. 



46. Jourduia on European Birds' Eggs. 



[The Eggs of European Birds. By Rev. Francis C. H. Jourdain. 

 Bart IV. London, 1910. 8vo, pp. 241-320, pis. 23, 27, 30-33, 3-3-38.] 



After treating of the Flycatchers, this part of Mr. Jourdain's 

 book takes us through a considerable portion of the Warbler 

 group. The distribution and breeding-range are, as usual, 

 carefully worked out, and an excellent account is given of 

 the nesting-habits, the nest itself, and the eggs. So ex- 

 cellent, indeed, are the descriptions that we can only recom- 

 mend our readers to pay great attention to them all ; while, 

 as we entirely agree with the author in nearly every parti- 

 cular, we will conclude by mentioning a few instances where 

 our experience does not coincide with his, or where fresh 

 information has come to hand since his pages were written. 



The ChiffchafF is said to be a mere straggler in Scotland 

 to the north of the Forth and Clyde, but it certainly nests in 

 small numbers, at least in some years, in the Loch Maree 

 district of Ross-shire. jNIoreover, the spots on the eggs of 

 the subspecies found in Grand Canary seem to us reddish 

 rather than brown. Brown, however, is a comparative word 

 in the coloration of eggs, for we see it used again by 

 Mr. Jourdain in regard to the Willow-Warbler's egg, where 

 the markings, to our mind, are red. In the woods of 

 Northumbria the Wood- Warbler is certainly plentiful and 

 made very conspicuous by its note, biit we know of no dis- 

 trict where it actually outnumbers the more inconspicuous 

 Willow-Warbler, though such may be the case locally. Our 

 experience also differs as to the fact of the hen bird being a 



