476 Recently published Ornithological Works. 



11,483 birds were ringed in 1912, and among the more 

 striking results a Yorkshire Black-backed Gull was captured 

 in the Azores, a Berkshire Starling in Finland, and a Stafford 

 Swallow, ringed in May 1911, was captured near Utrecht in 

 Natal in December 1912. 



Another enquiry recently started by 'British Birds ' is as 

 to the alleged decrease or increase of our summer residents ; 

 the results of this will be forthcoming later. Among other 

 aiticles of special interest we may mention those of 

 Mr. jMullens on Sir Robert Sibbald's early work on the 

 Scottish Fauna published in 1(384 ; of Mr. Abel Chapman, 

 " Spring-notes on the Borders, '"' illustrated with beautiful 

 and delirate black-and-white sketches by the author himself; 

 and finally of Dr. Penrose^ "Field-notes on a pair of Stone 

 Curlews,'' with a coloured plate reproduced direct from a 

 Lumiere Autochrome colour-photograph taken by the author. 



The nomenclature used in future in this journal will be 

 that of the ' Hand-list of British Birds' recently issued. 



Cassinia for 1912. 



[Cassinia. A Bird Annual. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley 

 Ornithological Club of Philadelphia, no. xvi. for 1912, pp. 1-72.] 



This annual, which is devoted to the ornithology of Penn- 

 sylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, contains a number of 

 pleasanth' written contributions, though naturally they are 

 chiefly of local interest. The first article, by Mr. Witmer 

 Stone, deals with the career of George Archibald JNTcCall, an 

 army officer of the first half of the nineteenth century^ whose 

 name was given by Cassin to the Texas Screech Owl Otus usio 

 macalli, and who contributed much information on the life- 

 history of the birds described by Cassin in his ' Birds of 

 California and Texas,' 



Mr, J. K. Potter writes a report on the large roost-places 

 of the Purple Grackle [Quiscalus quiscalu) in certain woods 

 near Philadelphia, which are occupied by many hundreds or 

 thousands of individuals year after year. 



The report on the spring migration of 1912 is skilfully 

 compiled fj-om the observations of the members of the Club 



