Recently published Ornithological Works. 381 



5 1. Sclater's ' Birds of South Africa.' 



[The Birds of South Africa, commenced by Arthur Stark, M.B. — 

 Vol. IV. Game-birds, Shore-birds, and Sea-birds. By W. L. Sclater, 

 M.A., F.Z.S., Director of the South African Museum, Cape Town. 

 London: B. H. Porter, 1900. 8vo. 546 pp. ; 108 illustrations. Price 

 31s. 6d. net.] 



Tn 1903 ('Ibis,' 1903, p. 623) we recorded the issue of 

 the third volume of the " Birds " belonging to the new 

 series of Handbooks of the Fauna of South Africa. When 

 Mr. Sclater planned this work he entrusted the preparation 

 of the portion relating to the Birds to the late Dr. Stark (an 

 excellent field-naturalist, well acquainted with South- African 

 Ornithology), who wrote the first volume. Dr. Stark, how- 

 ever, as we know too well, lost his life while attending the 

 sick at the Siege of Ladysmith, and Mr. Sclater was con- 

 strained to write the remaining volumes himself, much 

 assisted, however, by Stark's note-books, which were kindly 

 placed at his disposal. 



We have now before us the fourth and last volume of the 

 ' Birds of Africa,' for which Mr. Sclater tells us that he is 

 "alone responsible/' although he has been able to make 

 occasional use of Stark's field-notes. In this volume is 

 included the account of 251 species of Game-, Shore-, and 

 Water-birds of South Africa, making 814 species in all for 

 the portion of the Continent south of the Zambesi. It must 

 not, of course, be supposed that our knowledge of the Birds 

 of this vast area is by any means thus completed. Many 

 portions of the enormous district treated, which is pro- 

 bably larger than Europe, remain quite unexplored so far as 

 their Bird-life goes. This is evident from the fact that 

 Mr. Sclater has already been obliged to publish a Supple- 

 ment to the ' Birds of Africa,' as noticed in our last number 

 (see above, p. 206). It will be said, perhaps, that this 

 Supplement might well have been added to the present 

 volume of the work. This is, no doubt, true, but when an 

 author is domiciled six thousand miles from his publisher 

 and printer, it is not always possible to arrange such matters 

 just as one could wish. 



The work as it stands, however, will form a most con- 



