386 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



Mr. Whitaker during many years. No one could be found 

 more capable of preparing an account of its ornithological 

 treasures, and no one has had such good opportunities of 

 examining them. Moreover, Tunis is, in fact, merely a 

 bit of Algeria under a different government. There is no 

 natural boundary between the two countries, and " no such 

 difference between their physical features as to cause a 

 diversity in their Avifaunas." Mr. Whitaker has, therefore, 

 so far extended his subject that the 'Birds of Tunisia' makes 

 an excellent Handbook for those of Algeria also. 



In a well-written Introduction our author shews that 

 Tunisia may be divided into four regions— (1) the "Northern," 

 (2) the " Central," (3) the " Semi-desert/' and (4) the 

 " Desert," — and points out their characteristic features at 

 full length. Each of these regions appears to have certain 

 birds peculiar to it, or more abundant in it than in any 

 other of the regions. If we regard the Tunisian Ornis as a 

 whole, the Larks, the Chats, and the Birds-of-Prey seem to 

 be the most fully represented groups. Inclusive of the Owls, 

 the Birds-of-Prey number over 40, many of them being 

 plentiful in certain parts of the Regency. 



After various other points of general interest have been 

 discussed, Mr. Whitaker proceeds to the main part of his 

 subject— an account of the birds of Tunisia in systematic 

 order. As regards arrangement and nomenclature he is 

 nearly in accordance with Dresser's ' Birds of Europe ' and 

 the « List of British Birds ' of this Union, but he employs 

 trinomials to a limited extent " in the case of local forms or 

 subspecies." We observe, however, that he occasionally uses 

 "tautonyms," i. e. the same names for the genus and 

 species— which, we believe, are not to be found in either of 

 the works above quoted. 



No less than 355 species (including a few subspecies) are 

 admitted into the Tunisian Avifauna, of which about 150 are 

 resident, 90 are summer visitors, and 90 winter visitors, 

 while the rest are of occasional or accidental occurrence. 

 Of each of these, the necessary synonyms and a short 

 description succeed the name adopted. Full particulars 



