Herr Badeker's and Dr. Brewer's Oological Works. 407 
Sanderling. 
Grey Plover. 
Great White Heron. 
Esquimaux Curlew. 
Brown Snipe. 
. Curlew Sandpiper. 
Knot. 
Buff-breasted Sandpiper. 
Little Stint. 
Schinz’s Sandpiper. 
Pectoral Sandpiper. 
Little Crake. 
Red-breasted Goose. 
Spur-winged Goose. 
Bewick’s Swan. 
American Wigeon. 
Steller’s Western Duck. 
Buffel-headed Duck. 
Sabine’s Gull. 
Bonapartian Gull. 
Cuneate-tailed Gull. 
Ivory Gull. 
Pomerine Skua. 
Capped Petrel. 
Wilson’s Petrel. 
We doubt not there are many gentlemen who are in the full 
belief that they possess one or more specimens of several of the 
species named in the above list, and we know it is not without 
risk of incurring their displeasure that we venture to express our 
hesitation to agree with them, for in some cases to doubt the 
authenticity of a collector's specimens is to doubt his word. 
But we do not assert that such eggs do not exist, or even that we 
may not haye seen them; still less do we set up our opinions as 
infallible. All we would do is earnestly to implore those from 
whom we have the misfortune to differ calmly and dispassion¬ 
ately to try and examine for themselves the amount of evidence 
on which the authenticity of their specimens depends. It is, we 
allow, no use to require its being of such a nature as would be 
admitted in a court of justice, though that would be desirable; 
but we ask, is it such as ought to carry conviction to a plain - 
thinking and unbiassed mind ? We fear not. The homely 
proverb, “ Every man thinks his own geese to be swans," is not 
inapplicable on those occasions, for, as soon as a person be¬ 
comes the possessor of a supposed much-desired specimen, he 
becomes also at once and unconsciously a firm believer in its 
genuineness. However, we hardly dare venture further : the 
duty of c Devil's Advocate' is an ungracious one, but, if it be 
found necessary to satisfy the public as to the merits of a candi¬ 
date for the honours of Saintship, much more is it requisite that 
the fair fame of a specimen which is to command the respect of 
Oologists should be as free from suspicion as “ Caesar's wife." 
And now a few words on the best means of remedying these 
