Recent Ornithological Publications. 411 
could extract from his own deservedly esteemed f Zoologist 3 ? 
Yet, without more than a moments reflection, two cases instantly 
arise to our recollection in which he has not done so. Where 
in the new { Dictionary 3 do we find mention of Larus ichthyaetus 
or Porzana Carolina. The occurrence of both these species in 
England rests on unimpeached authority, and the occurrence of 
each has been duly recorded in the ‘Zoologist’ (pp. 6860 & 
9540). We venture to express our strong belief that there are 
other omissions of the kind. Nor are these the only cases of Mr. 
Newman’s disregard of statements made in his own magazine. 
Of Picus martius we read (Diet. p. 386) that “ There is no 
British-killed specimen of this handsome bird ; 33 yet in the ‘ Zoo¬ 
logist 3 (p. 1298) Mr. J. C. Garth records one, and says in whose 
possession it then was, while only last year Mr. E. H. Bodd 
(p. 9847) mentions a second, and gives similar details. But as 
to the general value of Mr. Newman’s additions our readers can 
judge as well as ourselves from a few samples. We learn from 
this reprint (p. 46) that “all that we know of” the propagation 
of the Great Spotted Cuckoo* “is given in the ‘ Zoologist 3 for 
1853, at p. 3987.” Nothing more, then, is to be learnt from the 
numerous accounts which ‘ The Ibis 3 alone, to say nothing of 
other works, has since contained on the subject! The Spotted 
Eagle we are told (Diet. p. 83) “ will henceforward take its rank as 
a native by the side of our other two British species ” of Eagles; 
but then in exchange we must give up the Ptarmigan, which we 
now, for the first time, learn (Diet. p. 140) is but “ found occa¬ 
sionally in Scotland.” Whether, also, it was advisable to reprint, 
without any warning to the unwary, Montagu’s assertions (made 
of course by him in perfect good faith) that both our Godwits, 
our Golden-eye, Goosander, Bernacle, and White-fronted Geese, 
Little Grebe, Greenshank, Pine Grosbeak, and Black-headed 
Gull (we have only run through the letter G) are all found in 
* In the same page we are told that a bird of this species was observed 
by “ Mr. James Teary ” in Pembrokeshire, and are referred to page 3046 
of the e Zoologist 5 for a record of it. Ilad Mr. Newman looked at the pas¬ 
sage mentioned he would have seen that the bird in question was a Yellow¬ 
billed American Cuckoo, and that the observer was Mr. James Tracey, a 
very well known practical naturalist. 
