NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 199 



Limicolce do not conform to the zoological regions of Sclater, but 

 must be placed in three zones, governed by the isotherms. Thus 

 we should have first an Arctic Region, the prehistoric home of 

 the race, whither more than a quarter of the known species still 

 migrate to breed during the month of July, when the mean 

 temperature would vary from 60° in the lower latitudes to 40° in 

 the higher ones. Secondly, a Tropical Region would supply a 

 temperature of from 90° to 77° during the breeding season. The 

 species included in this region are residents. The Temperate 

 Zone would supply a third breeding temperature, varying from 

 77° to 60°. The respective areas of the regions here suggested 

 are well shown on a map, which affords one of many instances in 

 which the author has been careful to anticipate the requirements 

 of the most exacting reader. 



Coming to tbe body of the work, we find that the Charadriidee 

 comprise the subfamilies Charadriince, Totanince, Scolopacince. 

 Half-a-dozen genera of Charadriince are next diagnosed by a 

 " Key"; the first of these, (Edicnemus, has the tarsus reticulated, 

 with the central tail-feathers exceeding all others by more than 

 an inch. With something bordering on inconsistency, considering 

 the views previously advanced, Mr. Seebohm proceeds to explain 

 the distribution of the species in the Palsearctic, Oriental, 

 Ethiopian, and Neotropical Eegions, adding a Key to the species, 

 which deals with their external characters ; and here we may 

 remark that a most important feature of the book appears in the 

 pains taken to facilitate the identification of species. 



We note with some surprise that the large form of the Ringed 

 Plover breeding in Great Britain is raised by Mr. Seebohm to 

 the questionable position of an insular subspecies, while it is laid 

 down as almost certain that the Eastern and American Golden 

 Plovers are " conspecific," though the American bird is slightly 

 the larger form, varying in length of wing from 6*8 to 7'5, as 

 compared with 6'0 to 67. The innermost secondaries of the 

 Nearctic bird are supposed to be relatively shorter than those of 

 C.fulvus; "what appear to be intermediate forms, however, 

 occur on the Pacific coast of Asia." Mr. Seebohm points out 

 that the American Golden Plover is identical in both habits and 

 changes of plumage with its Asiatic ally," from which, as he 

 finally concludes, it can only be separated with great difficulty. 



We regret to see a repetition of the myth first promulgated 



