Recently published Ornithological Works. 385 



the Nearctic Region, has " strictly Turdine and Saxicoline 

 affinities. " 



The various forms of Cinclus " now recognised by ornitho- 

 gists" are catalogued in a footnote as 31 in number. It 

 would seem that Latham's specific term gularis (1801) is 

 the oldest name for the British form (until our " advanced 

 ornithologists " have hunted out an earlier one !) and that 

 Olphe-Gailliard in 1890 called it europaus (Contr. Faune 

 Orn. Eur. Occident, fasc. xxx. p. 12), so that v. Tschusi's 

 tender care in providing our British Dipper with a new sub- 

 specific name (cf. f Ibis,' 1902, p. 353) was quite thrown 

 away. We agree, however, with Dr. Stejneger that the 

 distribution of the Cincli is a most attractive subject of 

 study, but cannot be successfully undertaken with the 

 inadequate material at present at our disposal. 



58. Whitaker on the Birds of Tunisia. 



[The Birds of Tunisia, being a History of the Birds found in the 

 Begency of Tunis. By J. I. S. Whitaker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., &c. Two 

 vols. 8vo. London : B. H. Porter, 1905. Price £3 3s. net] 



The " Cis-atlantean Subregion," as it has been appro- 

 priately called, is conveniently close to Southern Europe, 

 and has been, for many years, a favourite resort of 

 ornithologists who do not entirely restrict themselves to 

 the Birds of the country in which they dw r ell. Numerous 

 memoirs and papers have been published on the results of 

 their researches, but they are scattered throughout various 

 periodicals and, with the exception of the late Col. Irby's 

 'Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar/ there is no separate 

 work available for general information on the subject. 



It was therefore with great pleasure that we heard some 

 time ago that Mr. J. I. S. Whitaker was preparing an 

 account of the Birds of Tunisia, and it was with still 

 greater pleasure that we lately received the two handsome 

 volumes that contain the results of his labours. Tunisia is 

 conveniently near to the author's residence at Palermo, and, 

 as many of us know, has been a happy hunting-ground foi 



SER. VIII. — \ol. vi. 2 c 



