Recently ^ntdlished Ornithological Works. 699 



ZUhov on Birds from the Yamal Peninsula. 



[B. M. Zitkov. Les oiseaux de la presqu 'ile de Yamal. Avec PL xi. 

 et y tig. dans le texte. Anuuaive des Musee Zool. do rAcadomie Imp. 

 des Sciences de St. retersbourg, xvii. 1912, pp. 311-o69. Russian.] 



We can do little more than draw the attention of any 

 of our readers who understand Russian to this memoir, which 

 deals with the birds of the Yamal or Y'almal Peninsula, a 

 desolate region extending northwards into the Arctic seas 

 at the north-we.st corner of Siberia near the mouth of the 

 Obi River. Only eight passerine birds arc mentioned, but 

 this is compensated for by the number of swinuning and 

 diving birds. No new species or subspecies are described, 

 and the article is accompanied by some photographs of 

 nests and eggs. 



A new Check-list of Australian Birds. 



[Official Check-list of the Birds of Australia. By Check-list Com- 

 mittee, Eoyal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. Adopted at Launceston, 

 19th November, 1912, with Eeport. Pp. 1-116. Melbourne (Walker, 

 Maj & Co.), 1913. 8vo. Also as Supplement to 'The Emu,' vol. xii. 

 Jan. 1913.] 



The appearance of the long-expected ' Official Check-list 

 of the Birds of Australia' must be an important event 

 in the history of the ornithology of that country, more 

 especially as it is the result of ten years' labour on the 

 part of the Committee ai)pointed by the Royal Australasian 

 Ornithologists' Union. 



It is therefore disappointing, in view of the progress of 

 ornithological science and research, to find that the Com- 

 mittee should have con.sidered it a reasonable proposition 

 to discard the labours of recent workers and endeavour to 

 propose a "new nomenclature," based upon that utilised in 

 part by John Gould from 1837-1865. The preface drawn 

 up by the Committee to explain their action is most un- 

 convincing, and many statements made are hardly accurate. 

 As a nomenchiture to be employed l)y a conservative body 

 of local workers it might be recommended, but no further 

 usage is possible. 



