384 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



value. This, however, we consider to be no defect, as the 

 papers may interest certain classes of readers who keep to 

 the more popular branches of Ornithology, and like to know 

 what is going on. 



The "Subject Index" which follows is somewhat concise, 

 but supplies references to the principal Eaunistic works, and 

 those on other matters relating to the study of Birds, by 

 giving the author's name and the number of his paper in the 

 " List of Titles/' This we consider to be a much better plan 

 than that of reprinting the whole title, which is the mode 

 adopted in the International Catalogue *. 



Lastly comes the Systematic Index — the most important 

 part of the work, — in which the Orders and Families are 

 taken from the lowest forms to the highest according to 

 Dr. Bowdler Sharpens arrangement, and the additions made 

 to our knowledge of each of them during the year 1901 are 

 succinctly stated. This is a great help to the working 

 ornithologist, who by its use is enabled to ascertain at a 

 glance whether any information has been added to the 

 special subject of his studies during the year 1904. To make 

 it still more perfect, however, an alphabetical index to the 

 newly described species should be appended. This would 

 occupy but few pages of print, and would, in our opinion, 

 greatly increase the usefulness of the ' Record' to the 

 working Naturalist. 



57. Stejneger on the Dippers and their Distribution. 



[The Birds of the Genus Cinclus and their Geographical Distribution. 

 By Leonhard Stejneger. Smiths. Miscell. Coll. ii. p. 481 (1905).] 



This is a somewhat rambling essay upon the Dippers and 

 their distribution, but, like all Dr. Stejneger's writings, is 

 worthy of careful perusal, and contains some interesting 

 information. The author recants his former dictum that 

 "the Neotropical forms " of Cinclus "are most like the 

 ancestral stock," and now gives the Asiatic C. asiaticus and 

 C. pallasi preference in this particular. The young of these 

 species are " typically turdine " and " startlingly like over- 

 grown fledgelings of Sialia," which, although confined to 

 * See ' The Ibis,' 1904, p. 650. 



