Recently published Ornithological Works. 93 
their predecessors. Mr. Seebohm's powers of observation are 
well known to be keen, his ear for the notes of birds is almost 
unrivalled, and his descriptive renderings are often extremely 
happy. Take, for instance, that of the Scaup:—“if you 
imagine a man with an exceptionally harsh, hoarse voice 
screaming out the word scaup at the top of his voice, some idea 
of the note of this Duck may be formed.” Among the rising 
generation of ornithologists there must be many who have not 
yet read, either in the pages of this Journal or in Mr. Dres¬ 
ser's f Birds of Europe/ the graphic description of the finding 
of authenticated eggs of the Grey Plover and the Little 
Stint by the author and his companion, Mr. Harvie-Brown. 
Full details of these acquisitions will be found in Part Y. 
On the other hand, turning to the systematic arrangement, we 
are at a loss to understand Mr. Seebohm's reasons for begin¬ 
ning his Charadriidse with Hcematopus , followed by Chara- 
drius, Cursorius, Glareola , Himantopus (for the Avocet and 
the Black-winged Stilt), Phalaropus, and so on through the 
Scolopacidse. It is, of course, a matter of opinion, but we 
think that Mr. Seebohm is, in the main, unjust in the remarks 
in his Introduction (p. xiv) as to the blindness of ornitho¬ 
logists (worthy of the name) to the theory enunciated by 
Darwin and the intergradation of species. The tone of many 
of the footnotes is also to be regretted, and in future years the 
author will probably agree with us upon this point. In fact, 
in his Introduction, he already offers an apology to those 
whom he may have offended in his “ endeavours to cover with 
ridicule and contempt the two great errors of the wanton 
multiplication of genera and the capricious change of generic 
and specific names.” If those whose toes have been trodden 
upon during Mr. Seebohm's erratic gambols in pursuit of 
that ignis fatuus which he calls truth, felt a conviction that 
he at least had attained to it, they would, doubtless, allow 
his virtuous motives to stand him in good stead; but, as it 
is, we fear that they are still unconvinced that he is numbered 
with the elect, and remain impenitent as to their freely im¬ 
puted errors. For, to cite his own words :•—“ The days of 
authority in science as well as in religion are past. Modern 
