Recent Ornithological Publications. 345 



6. American. 



The Third Part of Mr. Elliot's ' Monograph of the Tetrao- 

 uiuffi'* has been published. It contains figures of 



Cupidonia cupido. 

 Tetrao urogallus. 

 Dendragapus richardsoni. 



Lagopus persicus 



„ albus (summer plumage). 

 „ „ (winter plumage). 



The plate representing Lagopus persicus is copied from a 

 drawing by Mr. Wolf of the type-specimen of this so-called 

 species (which, we may remark, has never yet been described) in 

 the British Museum. We have not the slightest doubt that 

 the bird is only an accidentally pale variety of the common Red 

 Grouse [L. scoticus), and that a wrong locality has been as- 

 signed to it. A few years ago Mr. Leadbeater drew oar atten- 

 tion to a Grouse sent to him to be stuiFed (we believe from Perth- 

 shire), which was the very counterpart, in every respect, of the 

 type of the so-called Lagopus persicus in the National Collec- 

 tion. This " light-grey variety '' was mentioned years ago by 

 Mr. Selby as existing in the county of Durham (111. Brit. Orn. 

 i. p. 429), and we are sorry Mr. Elliot has not, once and 

 for ever, annihilated the " bogus " species founded upon it. 



Professor Baird continues the publication of his ' Review of 

 American Birds ' in the same admirable manner which called 

 forth our praises in the last number of this Journal (p. 229). 

 That it will be the book of authority on North American orni- 

 thology for a long time to come there can be little doubt. The 

 immense series of specimens, whether only temporarily lent or 

 deposited permanently (but the latter out of all proportion to 

 the former) in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 gives him an advantage such as probably no other ornithologist 

 of what country soever has at any time previously enjoyed ; and 

 the Professor, as our readers need not to be told, is not the man 

 to neglect opportunities of this kind. We are almost inclined 

 to regard this work as the precursor of a new era in natural 

 history. Hitherto a zoologist has thought he has done very 



* In the notice of the two first Parts of this woi-k in our last number 

 (p. 229), the contents of Part I. were, by mistake, referred to Part II., 

 and vice versa. 



