Recent Ornithological Publications. 459 
Herr Eug. v. Homeyer’s critical remarks upon disputed species 
of European birds, in reply to Professor Blasius, are also of 
great interest. We are glad to see the specific validity of 
Amydrus tristramii so strongly upheld by Dr. Hartlaub. With 
regard to his suggestion that Reichenbach’s term Pyrrhocheira , 
as established in 1850, should take the place of Amydrus , we 
cannot allow that much consideration is due to Dr. Reichenbach’s 
generic names, published as they were without any descriptive 
characters, or even the name of the type-species. Indeed, in 
this very case, the late Prince Bonaparte did “ not doubt ” * 
that the type of Pyrrhocheira was Mimus carolinensis; and, for 
aught we know, he is as likely to be right as Dr. Hartlaub,-— 
the only guide to the question being the not very clearly 
delineated outline of the head and feet (Avium Syst. Nat. 
pi. 53). 
A thick number of ‘Naumannia’ (Parts IV., V. and VI. in 
one) concludes the volume for 1858, we suppose, although no 
title-page and index are given. It contains several very im¬ 
portant articles, amongst which we may point out as particularly 
worthy of notice the following:—(1.) Dr. Blasius’ “Briefliche 
Mittheilungen fiber Helgoland,” p. 303. An account is here 
given of the learned author’s visit to this curious little island 
(which seems to be a favoured spot where all the rarest birds in 
Europe delight to congregate) and its resident naturalist Herr 
Gatke. Among the list of rarities given by Dr. Blasius are 
six birds new to the fauna of Europe: Anthus ludovicianus , L., 
Orpheus lividus (Wils.), and Toxostoma rufum (Linn.), from N. 
America; Phyllopneuste borealis, Blasius (P.eversmanni, Middend., 
nec Bp.); Lanius phcenicurus, Pallas, and Calamoherpe certhiola 
(Pallas), from northern Asia. (2.) Dr. Blasius’ remarks upon 
the Gulls of Pallas’ Zoographia Bosso-Asiatica, p.316. (3.) Dr. 
Carl Bolle’s biographical notice of Pyrrhula githaginea, as 
observed by himself in the Canaries, p. 369. (4.) H. Gatke’s 
letter on his captures in Heligoland in 1858, p. 419. Dendroica 
virens of N. America is here recorded as having been obtained 
on the 19th October. But Larus rossii is not new to Europe, 
* Compt. Rend, xxxviii. p. 56; Notes Orn. p. 39. 
