192 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



6. Dresser's ' Eggs of the Birds of Europe.' 

 [Eggs of the Birds of Europe, including all the Species inhahiting the 

 Palsearctic Area. By H. E. Dresser. London, 1905. 4to. Pt. I. 

 pp. 1-32, 5 pis.] 



When Messrs. Dresser and Sharpe issued the first part of 

 the 'Birds of Europe ' in 1871, it was at once recognised 

 that a monumental work was in course of preparation, and 

 the result did not falsify the anticipation. We now have the 

 pleasure of announcing to our readers the publication, under 

 the title cited above, of the first part of Mr. Dresser's long 

 contemplated sequel to the former book. It is calculated 

 that some twenty parts, each containing from twenty to 

 thirty species and five plates, will suffice to give a proper idea 

 of the extremes of variation in the eggs, a large proportion 

 of which will be figured from the rich collection of the 

 author, though he will take advantage of every possible 

 opportunity of including those of which he does not himself 

 possess specimens. In many cases nests are also figured. 



Besides the plates, which are as good examples as we have 

 seen of the " three-colour process/' a page or more of 

 letterpress is usually devoted to each species, wherein are 

 given the local names, the ranges, the habits, the notes, the 

 times of incubation, and. descriptions of the nests, with 

 references to figures in other publications. The eggs of 

 Sylvia affinis are believed to be now figured for the first time. 



The author has followed his usual custom of admitting 

 but few subspecies, so that the eggs must be taken to 

 represent what field-botanists call the " aggregate " as 

 opposed to the " segregate/' and any differences that may 

 exist between those of the various geographical races is 

 disregarded. It is difficult to see how this could have been 

 avoided in so comprehensive a work ; but it would be advan- 

 tageous to workers in Ornithology if Mr. Dresser would call 

 attention to such geographical races as are generally admitted, 

 and state their respective ranges so far as they are known. 

 This is not a question of the advantages of trinomial or 

 binomial nomenclature, but of the recognition of variability 

 in a species, and we hope that the author may see his way to 



