414 Recent Ornithological Publications. 
hand, of twenty-three birds of the quaternary period determined 
by him, only one, a Crane of large stature, has become entirely 
extinct. A very interesting fact, however, has been established; 
this is, that associated with bones of the Beindeer in the French 
caverns are those of the Willow-Grouse (Lagopus albus ) and the 
y; ; Snowy Owl (Nyctea nivea), two species not known in France 
within historic times, and, as our readers are aware, now belong¬ 
ing to a far more northern fauna. Their presence in these de¬ 
posits is an additional proof, if one were wanted, of the complete 
change wrought by the glacial epoch. It remains to be said 
that the results of M. A. Milne-Edwards are chiefly based on the 
characters afforded by the metatarsal bone—not that he considers 
this bone to possess greater significance than the sternum or the 
cranium (for he joins M. Blanchard in declaring that every bird’s 
bone offers peculiarities sufficient for determining, not only the 
group and the genus, but even the species to which it belongs), 
but because sterna and crania are rarely met with in fossiliferous 
beds, while metatarsi with other long bones are abundantly pre¬ 
served. 
We are not, may be, so rich as our continental neighbours in 
ornitholites, but we hope the admirable researches we have just 
noticed may induce some of our palaeontologists to turn their 
attention to this important, though neglected, and consequently 
imperfect, branch of the Geological Becord. 
3. Italian. 
In the ‘Ibis* for 1861 (p. 399) was noticed the journey to 
Persia of Prof, de Filippi and some of its results. Last year 
he published a full account of the expedition*, consisting of a 
diplomatic embassy sent by the Italian Government, to which 
was very laudably attached certain men of science; and his work 
is a very welcome one, for hitherto our knowledge of Persian 
ornithology has been extremely limited. Besides numerous iso¬ 
lated facts relating to our science, a complete list of all the 
species, 167 in number, observed between the Caucasus and 
Teheran is given (pp. 344-352 ); five of these were described by 
* Note di un Viaggio in Persia nel 1862 di F. de Filippi. Milano : 
1865. 8vo, pp. 396. 
