Oct. 28, 1886] 
We must not conclude our notice of this interesting 
volume without calling attention to the excellent plate (by 
Keulemans) of the Dotterell in summer plumage, and of 
the useful coloured map, an indispensable adjunct for the 
proper comprehension of a well-written local avifauna 
such as the present. 
We have recently received from America two publi- 
cations of the highest value, dealing with the expe- 
ditions prosecuted under the auspices of the United 
States Government in the high north. In the Azzdletin 
of the United States National Museum, Dr. Leonard 
Stejneger gives his “ Results of Ornithological Explora- 
tions in the Commander Islands and Kamchatka.” Dr. 
Stejneger has worked hard for several years at Palearctic 
and Nearctic ornithology, and of the many important 
contributions from his pen the present Bzd//etzn is perhaps 
the most noteworthy. Although Kamchatka has been 
visited by several of the Russian naturalists, the published 
information respecting its ornithology has been meagre 
enough, if we except the labours of Dr. Dybowski, whose 
collections have been described by himself and Dr. 
Taczanowski. Dr. Stejneger divides his work into three 
parts: (1) a review of the species of birds collected or 
observed by himself on the Commander Islands and at 
Petropaulowski in Kamchatka; (2) a synopsis of the 
birds reported to inhabit Kamchatka ; and (3) conclu- 
sions. One hundred and forty species were obtained by 
Dr. Stejneger himself, and of all of these he gives a full 
account, with synonymy and measurements. Naturally, 
the Auks, which abound in the Japanese and Kamchatkan 
seas, come in for a large share of attention, and Dr. 
Stejneger’s description of these difficult species is very 
complete, especially as regards the shedding of the 
lamellae of the bill, on which Dr. Bureau and Dr. 
Dybowski have had much to say in their writings. As 
these observations are accompanied by illustrations 
coloured on the spot by the author from freshly killed 
birds, there can be no doubt that they will be of inestim- 
able value to the future student. Several new species are 
described, most of them, as might be expected, being 
extreme forms of Siberian birds. Cuculus peninsule re- 
presents C. kelungensis of Japan, Dryobates purus and 
D. tmmaciulatus take the place of the Palearctic Wood- 
peckers, D. major and D. minor ; Pica Kamchatica that 
of the Magpie, P. cawdata. The synonymy of the Red- 
“polls is well treated, and a series of exhaustive measure- 
ments given. We can scarcely believe in the new race of 
the Scarlet Grosbeak, Carpodacus erythrinus grebnitzkiz, 
seeing the variation which takes place in a series of C. 
erythrvinus from other localities ; nor can we distinguish 
the Kamchatkan race of the Yellow Wagtail, Budytes 
flava leucostriatus, which seems to us to be inseparable 
from &. flava of Europe, of which species it is an 
Eastern colony. If the differences pointed out by Dr. 
Stejneger hold good, it will solve an interesting pro- 
blem in geographical distribution, because it will be 
much more simple to recognise three forms of ZB. 
flava: the ordinary one breeding in Europe and win- 
tering in Africa; an Eastern form, &. /ewcostriatus, 
breeding in Eastern Siberia and wintering in the Malay 
Archipelago ; and a central one, ZB. deema, breeding in 
Siberia and wintering in India. At present we have fully 
recognised the latter, whereas the European and East 
Siberian birds appear to be identical, though possessing 
well-defined breeding and wintering habitats, with the 
Central Siberian bird interposed as regards its breeding 
and winter range. Our synonymy of the Pied Wagtails 
in the “ Catalogue of Birds” does not appear to be quite 
the same as Dr. Stejneger’s, but the ground has now been 
cleared for Mr. Nicholson or the next bold man who 
makes the JMotacil/ide a special study. The problems 
concerning the Wrens of the East which our author pre- 
sents us with require careful consideration, and show 
that these representative forms cannot be disposed of in 
NATORE 
619 
the off-hand way recently attempted by Mr. Dresser. Let 
no ornithologist neglect to study the “ Conclusions ” with 
which Dr. Stejneger finishes his work, as there are some 
admirable critical notes ; and in conclusion we congratu- 
late America on having gained from Europe such a thorough 
worker as the author of this volume shows himself to be. 
We have perused every page of his “ Review ” with interest, 
only regretting that our series of Kamchatkan birds is so 
poor in the British Museum that we have not been able 
to study, as we should have liked to do, with the speci- 
mens in our hands. 
The bulky volume entitled a “Report of the Inter- 
national Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska” con- 
tains 24 pages of ornithology, by Dr. Murdoch, and many 
excellent notes on the birds are given. The chief interest 
centres round Ross’s Gull, of which the Expedition “ suc- 
ceeded in obtaining a large series—more, in fact, than 
there were before in all the museums of the world put 
together.” Coloured figures of the adult and young are 
given. So, slowly but surely, are the great desiderata of 
bird collections being rendered available for science. 
Only a few months ago this Gull was reckoned one of 
the greatest prizes to be obtained, and now we not only 
know the immature plumages, but something of its migra- 
tions and habits. Its previous rarity may be imagined from 
the fact that until the present year no specimen existed in 
the British Museum, where now, thanks to the liberality 
of Mr. Henry Seebohm, a fine adult bird is exhibited. 
Our colleague, Mr. A. G. Butler, has varied his ento- 
mological pursuits by publishing a little work on British 
Birds’ eggs,! the figures of which he has drawn himself; 
and he has shown himself as capable a draughtsman of 
eggs as he is admitted to be of Lepidoptera. The plates 
bear evidence of the difficulty which the author has ex- 
perienced in mastering the shadows of the objects, as 
several plates are differently treated in this respect ; and 
perhaps it would have been better if Mr. Butler had re- 
drawn some of the earlier plates which did not satisfy 
him. The chromolithography, for which Messrs. Mintern 
are responsible, is certainly on the whole satisfactory, and 
may be found available for this kind of illustration, 
though we notice a tendency to heighten the colour, 
which in our opinion has hitherto proved an obstacle for 
the employment of the process as regards birds them- 
selves. The figures of the eggs are, however, undoubtedly 
good, and no book yet published in this country shows in 
a better degree the variation in form and colour which 
eges are subject to. In this respect Mr. Butler’s little 
work will be useful to all oologists, and it can confidently 
be recommended to the young beginner as a hand-book, 
The letterpress is too short for a complete account of the 
nidifications of the birds, but contains a good deal of 
information in a narrow compass. 
An “Oxford Tutor” in his little work, “ A Year with 
the Birds,” discourses pleasantly enough about his fea- 
thered favourites ; and whether in the classic grounds of 
a college garden or in the mountains of Switzerland shows 
himself an observant student of Nature. We have read 
this book with considerable pleasure, and it has carried 
us back in memory to many such scenes as the author 
describes, though we have lacked his easy facility of 
recording his experiences. As he is interested in migra- 
tion, we recommend his spending an autumn holiday on 
the milder parts of the south coast, where he may really 
meet with a “flock” of Blackbirds, and even of Robins 
and Hedge-sparrows. So keen an observer will find 
scope for his energy in the unravelling of some of the 
difficult problems which yet surround the study of some 
of our British species, and we may venture to point out 
to him one or two facts which have occurred to us during 
the perusal of his book. Thus, when he speaks of the 
Wheatear in Switzerland (p. 61) as “an English species,” 
I «British Birds’ Eggs: A Hand-book of Biitish Oology.” By A. G. 
Butler, F.L.S. 8vo. (London, 1886.) 
